Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Yes, here is our most up-to-date  Wish List .  If you can help, we will be most grateful! Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.

We are very glad to say that Hasten the Kingdom  is now back in print! It is available at Biblio Bookstore and on Amazon. Yes, Advent is three months away . . . but if you order a book now, you'll be all set!

Happy National Dog Day from everyone at Sanctuary House, especially the doggies!

Quiet day at home?  Here's a little puzzle:   Zinnia Hope your garden is full of colorful flowers! Zinnia in the picture is a clue . . . not the puzzle solution!

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day to all!

Rain, rain, and more rain! And so much for the theory that chickens do not like to be wet - the Sanctuary House chicken hens can go into their dry coop anytime, but many of them are choosing to stay out in the rain. The duck hens, of course, are thrilled to be in the rain!

Several weeks ago, Cindy's friend Mo discovered that he needed to find a new home for his four little Golden Comet hens - and we were glad to have them join our Sanctuary House flock! Although they are still small, they have joined the other hens in our chicken yard, and except that they do not like to go into the coop at night, they are quite happy here. At this point, I believe they think we are playing a game when it's time to go into the coop - they watch all of the other hens go in, and then insist that I chase and catch them one by one. . . or perhaps they just think that comets should circle around and around before settling in for the night. As of this morning, they have names reminiscent of their original person: Monica, Mona, Mora, and Molly

This purple admiral butterfly stopped by this morning, catching the warming sun, before flying away.

Both Ida and Nora left us this morning for the Rainbow Bridge . . . they would probably never have considered going anywhere else together! Ida really did not like cats, and Nora was a shy girl, often playing in boxes and usually following her sister Mavis. Ida was about 14 years old - most of those years lived at Ascension Hermitage & Sanctuary - and had fairly severe epilepsy. We always struggled to keep her medication balanced. In her younger days, she could be quite demanding: she was one of the beagles who thought we should be up and working toward breakfast by 4:30 or 5 at the latest! Ida didn't so much bark as howl . . . the house is noticeably quieter now. In the last weeks, Ida up-ended the day - she no longer wanted to eat breakfast but was ravenously hungry at night, usually sometime between 9 pm and 3 am!  Ida was never affectionate until very near the end of her life - she always called me when she wanted food or water and then seemed very content to let me p

Hurricane or maybe tropical storm Isaias comes with rain, high winds, and warnings of tornadoes. So far many small branches have fallen and a large branch from one of our maple trees crashed over the front chicken pen - although no chickens were injured, they do seem a little confused! The chickens on the other side of the house are staying close to their coop. No electric here . . . Most cats and dogs are taking a nap, although a few cats always sit in the windows to keep watch - and Bubbles the beagle is in her favorite hiding place - a vari-kennel in the kitchen.

Janie was busy outside in the yard - excavating for a mine? No, just looking for a cool, damp spot for a nap. Our weather has been hot and dry - not much cool, damp dirt here! For all of her efforts, the ground was mostly warm, dry, and dusty. Happily, I convinced her that a blanket near the air conditioner is an even better place for a nap. We're expecting Hurricane Isaias - that might definitely make everything damp, to say the least! J