Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

I was just about to throw away this box when Simon jumped up to knock it out of my hands. "I want that box!" he said, although it sounded more like "Meow!" We hope your day is full of simple, happy, "treasure boxes," too!  

 Here's the first zinnia of my summer! First irises, then lilies, and now zinnias.  This one is growing just at the base of our Little Free Library box. Here's what the Foliage Friend website says about pink zinnias: "Pink Zinnia flowers are said to symbolize prosperity, optimism, and growth. These blooms are believed to bring joy and happiness into the lives of those who keep them around. Pink Zinnia flowers are also a symbol of goodness and virtue, and are often gifted to show appreciation to others." Sounds good to me! So, with this photo, please know I appreciate all of you who read this blog. Sending joy and happiness your way!

Lucy the beagle came to live at Sanctuary House today! She was found on Monday, near death from the heat, but she's making a good recovery. She has ehrlichia, a tickborne disease, but is now taking doxycycline for that, and her ticks and fleas are all gone. She hasn't yet recognized the fun of dog biscuit treats, but I suspect that will come within a day or two! She is a happy, sweet, gentle girl, and we are thrilled to have her as part of our family.  

As we learned from Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore , "things are seldom what they seem" . . . and so, it is with very little surprise that I now believe Winston the cat is not a boy at all, but a girl kitty!   But she's definitely keeping the name Winston! Maybe it's because I had great grandparents who named a daughter - my grandmother - Joseph (and called her Joe), but Winston sounds like a unisex name to me. And Winnie is her nickname no matter what gender.  The name Winston is made up of two words - one meaning joy or bliss and the other meaning stone. . . Winnie is my joy cat! She definitely wanted to play today, although looking at the camera was not on her agenda. Hope you are having some moments of joy and bliss in your day, too!

It was always kind of a joke in my family that my grandparents - my father's parents - didn't believe in eating anything on Sunday night . . . Sunday dinner was a big meal, so who could possibly want anything else to eat?!  Their son and grandchildren had other ideas. . .I suspect my mother was too polite to say what she thought. Even this little squirrel knows that Sunday supper is important! She ate a whole black walnut before scampering back into the woods. Hope you're having something delicious for Sunday supper, too!  

I will be writing about this in the July issue of News & Notes , but in the meantime, I encourage you to download the Merlin Bird ID app to your phone. It is a free app and identifies the birds that are singing near you and shows a picture of that bird as well. It's amazing! Just this morning, in a very few minutes outdoors, the app picked up sounds of American goldfinches, Carolina wrens, Carolina chickadees, indigo buntings, red-bellied woodpeckers, bluejays, tufted titmice, American crows, and fish crows. Many of those bird songs I already recognized, but until this morning I never knew the difference in sounds for American crows and fish crows! And I am constantly surprised by the many songs of Carolina wrens. The app also allows you to take a photo of a bird for identification. Because I have limited data, I'm not keeping a list of birds and songs on my phone, but if data use is not an issue you might want to add even more information on your birding adventures. And of...

My beagle, Mec, is named after my cousin America "Mec" Clemens, so I thought she would be the most logical spokesdog for today. Yes, perhaps America is an unusual name - but my Aunt Sue and her very British husband, the Rev. John Julyan Clemens chose that name for their seventh (of nine) children. Cousin Mec was born in 1884 and died in 1899.  Her gravestone says, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." We all know dogs are pure in heart! Doggie Mec is happy to be named America and even happier to be called Mec! She and all of us send you good wishes on this 4th of July! It's too hot to be outside - it's a perfect day to read a good book indoors!  

O Canada                                                                           Happy Canada Day - may we, too, always stand guard for our neighbor in the North!