Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Greetings on this Ascension Day! Enjoy the great Gerald Finzi anthem:  God is gone up [And yes, remembering my wonderful cat, Finzi - may she be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge!]

 Remembering my cousins: Higdon Tarver and Christopher Huestis. May they rest in peace and rise in glory, and may their memories always be a blessing - may they never be forgotten.

You just never know who's going to show up for breakfast - but that's what a stray cat did for several days at Sanctuary House! One day he jumped into the chicken yard and then for several days waited in the weeds and wildflowers along the driveway. At first, he seemed very skittish, but then he let Cindy and me pet him. We are far too close to the road for any outside animal to be safe, but the cat didn't seem ready to come in. I prayed he'd stay nearby and not cross the street. Yesterday he followed me as I took the trash out - apparently one can of cat food was not a sufficient breakfast. So, I took a carrier outside with a can of Friskies cat food - the cat rubbed against my legs and then went into the carrier for more breakfast. Now he's safely inside! He is quite content and will definitely have as much to eat as he wants! He's young, probably 7 or 8 months and very affectionate. He's had flea and worm meds, and we have an initial vet visit scheduled f...

It was with much sadness that we said good-bye to our beagle Janie yesterday afternoon. She was in death, as she had been in life, quiet and gentle. She had been staying very close to me, and so before I went upstairs to the cats, I leaned down to pet her - but she was gone, silently in her sleep. None of the other dogs had made a sound - I don't think any of us realized that her spirit had left us for the fields of the next life. Janie's message to us? Love every day, be gentle, be kind, keep your friends close. Janie's best dog friend was Thea - the two were inseparable. I know Thea misses her, really, we all do. Janie and Thea in earlier days . . .  

 It's a very, very rainy day here, and you know what that means - not only a bad hair day, but a bad feather day as well! Marigold's head feathers, which would ordinarily be quite fluffy, are rained into wet spikes! Don't worry about her at all - the coop door is open, so standing out in the rain is her choice. And I hope you are getting to do something you enjoy today - walking out in the rain or just whatever you might choose!

I thought Sava and Dolly would look at the camera, but no. Starlings were singing in the tree just outside their window, and obviously birds are a lot more interesting than the would-be photographer! Clancy was sitting on the floor, but he too heard the birds, and watched the window, hoping perhaps that the birds would somehow fly indoors. No such luck, Clancy - we have double screens on every window!  

 A few weeks ago, for no apparent reason, our washing machine started leaking - definitely nothing to do with the intake hoses or drain hose, but water was coming from the bottom of the machine. Actually, it was still doing a great job of washing clothes, but I knew washing the floor at the same time had to stop. Fortunately, the machine was only three years old, and I had paid for a five-year extended warranty. I immediately contact Lowe's. A day later they emailed back to say that there are no service people in our area, so they would replace the machine. . . which really meant they would send a Lowe's credit amount for us to purchase a new machine. The amount of the credit was based on the three-year-old machine, and yes, washing machine prices have gone up in those three years. I carefully studied the options within our price range and decided that the best machine for us would be a Samsung.  A few days later, true to their word, Lowe's delivered our new washing machine...

This is Little Free Library Week - an excellent time to donate books so that others may enjoy them. Our Little Free Library is always open to accepting books, but if there is a box near your home, please consider donating (and borrowing) there. From the beginning, the most popular books at our library are mysteries - they are the most donated and the most taken! The Little Free Library at Ascension Hermitage & Sanctuary is a memorial to my father who loved to read. When he retired, he began borrowing books from the public library near my parents' home. He just read all of the books on one shelf and then began the next - he read about any and all subjects! Have a great day - and happy reading!  

"Aren't you going to fill the suet feeders today?" the squirrel wondered, "the woodpeckers are really hungry and we'd all like a treat before it rains tonight!"  

 An indigo bunting stopped by for breakfast with his goldfinch cousins - unfortunately I had to take this photo through the door glass . . . but the little bird was beautiful and bright blue!💙💛

New Pope - and a new cat! Congratulations to all of my RC friends. I am delighted that the new Pope is an Augustinian and was glad to read that he likes baseball and Wordl - gets better all the time! And then this morning my friend June called about a gray cat that had been dumped at her house. She and I have worked on a rescue before (my cat Evans). She originally thought that this cat is blind, but I don't believe that is the case. In any event, he'll be going to the vet soon for a complete check-up. He is a very sweet, affectionate cat. In honor of my cat Leo of blessed memory and the new Pope, we named this kitty Leo. We'll have a better photo one day soon - the sky here is also gray today, so the light's not great.  

The Kentucky Derby has its roses and I have mine . . . and I didn't even have to run in a race, much less win! I hope you have a wonderful day full of peace and beauty.  

 OK all Star Wars fans - May the 4th be with you! And with that inspiration, Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, celebrating May Fete today, says May the Fete be with you! The Christ Church May Fete began long ago - 120-130 years ago to be more specific. One of the earliest iterations, in the late 1890s, included selling tamales and coffee, and was aimed at raising funds to help with building costs. And fund raising was also needed after hurricane damage in 1900, and a devastating fire in 1938. But most of all May Fete is and always has been a celebration of friendship and support among friends who worship together. May Fete is a sign of faith and hope for the Christ Church family.  This year three of the Sunday services (9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.) will have one big 10 a.m. bilingual service before the party begins! Over the years, the May Fete has changed and adapted - there are still a young May Fete King and Queen and an intricate May pole dance, but the most popular food...