Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

 By day's end yesterday the maple tree was down - we agreed to have the branches and trunk tossed into the woods on the other side of our fence. By noon today the squirrels had discovered their new "playground." And while the tree men were here, one of them also planted our little magnolia sapling. I had kept it in a large tub since finding it as a seedling several years ago. Now it will have a lot of room to grow!

 Here is the tree that has to go - it's a way-too-close to the house maple tree whose roots are growing into the door to our crawl space under the house. The tree towers over our house and is still growing. I have a lot of respect for tree climbers! This is not only a job I could never do, it's even hard to watch! The dogs do not like having men in the backyard, much less in the backyard and  climbing trees; and of course, most of the cats decided to hide. One by one the branches are coming down . . .  I'll had another photo at the end of the day or tomorrow.

This little squirrel has spent hours gathering leaves to line his winter nest - the nest location, which has been used before, is in a hollow in a huge black walnut tree. Last Summer there were many squirrel babies in the tree, so perhaps there will be a repeat next Spring. Or maybe the squirrels are just getting ready for a cold Winter!  

Today, December 15th, is the absolute last day to participate in our holiday fundraiser. If you are thinking of beautiful amaryllis to decorate your home for Christmas, New Year's Day, or Epiphany, please consider helping Sanctuary House at the same time:   http://SanctuaryHouse.fpfundraising.com We all thank you very much!

 Our beagles are not always enthusiastic about wearing bandanas or any other clothes, but Chewy donated a cute Frisco bandana is exchange for our honest review, so Janie and Thea agreed to try it on. The bandana is reversible and is navy blue and white. Janie squinted into the morning sun, and Thea just squinted at the camera because that's part of her shy demeanor. They agreed that the bandana is comfortable because it has a Velcro closure instead of being tied, but neither was unhappy when the photo taking and bandana wearing came to an end! 

 Thanks to the Eanet family's gift on Giving Tuesday, our Little Free Library has a new flag - a definite bright spot on an otherwise cloudy day! Our Little Free Library is in memory of my father, Harvey Mellor Shepherd - he loved reading, and I think would be glad to know people on our rural road can easily find a good book or two!

 "Do you hear what I hear?" the cats looked around and asked each other. "It can't be Santa Claus on the roof because it's not Christmas Eve," they said, "but we do hear footsteps! And it's probably not Angels, because it sounds like boots, not wings! And all of the dogs are barking, so they must have heard something too." Some cats hid - Sava in a Chewy box, Owen under a chair. Little Boy jumped up to look out of the window, Momma Emma yowled in her loudest voice, Dolly and Sally pretended they were invisible and turned away from their breakfast. "Don't worry," I assured them, "it's our friend Antonio from Arocon Roofing Company, cleaning the gutters!" "Oh, okay," the cats said, "then we wish him to be safe and nimble and agile and as well-balanced in high places as we are!" Yep, that's our prayer!

It's a warm (65 degrees - far above normal temperature!) and rainy day in December - perfect for catching up on a few garden chores that have been left undone.  I planted some dwarf iris bulbs in a container near the back door. The package photo (on the right) is beautiful . . . hopefully my Spring garden will be beautiful as well. I pulled out last Summer's, now-dead zinnias yesterday, but unfortunately, it is way too rainy to transplant the lilies and plant the taller iris today. That's a project for one day next week. With hours of rain and wind in the immediate forecast, almost everyone here is settled in for a nap. Even the chickens are in their coop. Except for rain on the roof, it's very quiet - for now anyway!  

  This little squirrel came right down his tree to look at me.  "Did you forget?" he asked. "We need peanuts and suet in the bird  feeders - we're starving!" "Don't worry," I told him. "Those items are on our shopping list, and on our Chewy wish list too. I'm sure we'll have them in time for Christmas! And in the meantime, the bird feeders are NOT really empty!"

 The wind blew all through the last night - so much so that we  got up a little after midnight just to be sure our yard was still there. Beagles Sammy and Bubbles insisted that I turn on the outside lights, and even Piper the Eskie called for me to get up. This morning the doggies ran out into the fallen leaves but soon wanted to come right back inside! Now, as I write this, there is a lull in the wind - more wind is promised for later today and tomorrow . . . and rain and just maybe a little snow! I think snow is unlikely, but Piper hopes there will be snow, even if it's only a flurry of wet flakes. One thing that amazes me is how the squirrel nests survive high up in the trees. Now that the leaves are all on the ground, it's easy to see where the squirrels spend their nights. With nothing but leaves they have built fantastic homes!  Because of the wind, our neighborhood is littered with overturned garbage cans, fallen branches, a few scattered Christmas decorations - bu...

  Please remember the animals at Sanctuary House today. While cleaning supplies and kitty litter and dog biscuits (see below) may not seem like glamorous gifts - they are treasures to us! Dog and cat food, treats, and mealworms for our duck and chickens are also treasurers . . . check our wish lists for all of our favorites. We now have two online wish lists: On Amazon https://tiny.ee/d6wY On Chewy https://tiny.ee/AbCz Prefer to donate via PayPal?   Donate with PayPal Giving Fund If donating through PayPal, please be sure to use the charity site – PayPal deducts a service charge if they think you are making a purchase rather than a donation. And we all thank you very much!

Piper loves the cold weather and let us all know that she intended to play ball outside. She is happy to play ball by herself which is good because I had other plans - unpacking Chewy boxes!   Fortunately, the weather is sunny and not at all windy, so we both accomplished our goals. And now food shelves are ready for these week's hungry kitties!

 I must confess, I am not a fan of cold weather - and even less so with increasing age - but in this hemisphere where December blows cold, we also come to Advent. And Advent is one of my favorite liturgical seasons! This morning the temperature was well-below freezing, but courtesy of the radio I woke up to a beloved Advent hymn: People, Look East by Eleanor Farjeon   People, look east. The time is near Of the crowning of the year. Make your house fair as you are able, Trim the hearth and set the table. People, look east and sing today: Love, the guest, is on the way. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, One more seed is planted there: Give up your strength the seed to nourish, That in course the flower may flourish. People, look east and sing today: Love, the rose, is on the way. Birds, though you long have ceased to build, Guard the nest that must be filled. Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen. People, look east and sing today: Love, the b...