Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Downed trees and power lines were not the only losses in our recent blizzard - somehow this wonderful bluetick beagle was also lost in a snow drift. The man who found her couldn't find her owner and no one claimed her at our county dog control office. And so, she came to live with us at Sanctuary House!  I had thought of a name for her but decided first to try the most common beagle names: Katie, Sadie, Sue, Bette, Doll, Dottie, Lucy, Jane. When I got to Jane she looked up and wagged her tail - Jane she is! The name Jane means "God is gracious," so I can't argue with that. Jane is an older girl, probably 8 to 10, and she's heartworm positive. At some point in the past, she had puppies; almost certainly she was a hunter's dog.  Now she is sweet, easy going, and quiet. I did discover that she is a great and determined climber when the treat she wants is out of reach. At first, she was very hesitant about coming into the house, but this morning she ran out with S...

It's a gray and rainy day here, but a flock of turkeys believes that's ideal weather for hunting for bugs in the horse pasture! As you can see, several trees fell down in the recent snowstorm - at least they're blocking the fence so no horse can "escape." When the weather is better, we'll get them cleared away. In the meantime, I hope the turkeys are finding and eating a lot of bugs!  

 It is with much sadness that we bid farewell to Molly. She was a tiny calico cat with a big personality! Molly came to live with us many years ago when her former person had to move to a nursing home. Molly was used to being an only cat - she moved into our clowder of cats first by ignoring everyone and then discovering that she could stare down even the rowdiest of cats! She didn't like to be picked up or held which she let me know right away. No one knew exactly how old Molly was - she had been rescued, nearly frozen, at the bottom of an empty swimming pool in a December snowstorm. We had our worst snowstorm ever just two days ago - I guess that was the Spirit calling Molly.

 Wishing you a holy and blessed Lent! If you are still considering ways to observe this Lent, I suggest and recommend  Lent Madness . It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about various saints and to share comments and insights with others.

Maggie the cat and all of us hope you have a lovely Valentine's Day! My friend Dana pointed out that in Mexico this is called Dia de la Amistad - Friendship Day! That sounds great to me. May you have a wealth of friends to celebrate today! 💖  

Usually, beagles do not need clothes even in cold weather, but Little Buddy told me that he would be very happy to have a winter coat, so we found this blue fleece coat at Chewy. He loves his new coat, and we all agreed that blue is his color!  

Yes, Valentine's Day is almost here! It's a great time to fall in love with a good book! Happy reading, everyone!   

 After spending two freezing weeks indoors, Mariette is thrilled to be outside again! The other hens spent most of that time in their coop, but since Mariette was still new, I didn't put her with them.  Now the hens and all of us are hoping that the worst of the Winter is behind us - well, at least for a few days! The temperature right now is 47 . . . that feels like a heat wave. We hope you are having an amazing day!

 It's so nice to have a sunny afternoon and the temperature is 35 degrees - love that warmth! A house finch stopped by for an afternoon snack and upstairs Asher caught sight of some birds sitting on a tree branch. Cloudy, windy, cold weather is expected tomorrow through the weekend, but we'll enjoy today while we have it. And we hope you are having a good day too!