Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Since early Summer this little black cat has come to our yard in the morning and sometimes in the evening looking for food. During the day she disappeared under the next-door building or into the woods. As a friend of birds and so strongly opposed to outdoor cats, I would gladly bring her indoors, but she is too shy, feral, and elusive for that! Recently she has moved into our garage/hay barn but still spends most days in the woods near the edge of the horse pasture. I named her Midnight "Middy" - yes, after Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , although I have not read the book, because she did first appear near the graves and not far from the daylily bed. I don't know if she knows her name, but I greet her by name every morning, with cat food of course, always giving her a chance to come closer - six or seven feet away seems to be her safe space. For now, she's a good luck kitty!  

  Remembering my father, Harvey Mellor Shepherd, Jr. - may he rest in peace - and all Coasties! Eternal Father, Lord of hosts, Watch over those who guard our coasts. Protect them from the raging seas And give them light and life and peace. Grant them from thy great throne above The shield and shelter of thy love.              ~George H. Jenks, Jr.

The doggies now have a new tradition at Sanctuary House: Pooch Creamery ice cream on Sundays!  In the past we usually had vanilla, but yesterday we had "chocolate" - well, carob to be exact, a safe alternative for dogs. Everyone loved it! Duke thought it was the best treat ever. And Mec, the chocolate beagle, was thrilled. "Chocolate is the best!" I'm sure she thought. She ran to me with a smile on her face, "Let's do that again," she said.  

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!