Outside my window- Our Lady's roses are bursting with bloom! They always amaze me when they put on their spectacular show at the end of June: all these flowers from one bush, and one transplanted years ago from our old house when we moved. It was a little bush behind our Marian grotto back over there, and we weren't sure it would survive the transplant. Ha!
I think I'd like to buy or have someone make a tall narrow trellis to go in back and give the taller branches some support as they kind of lean over. I'd like them all standing up tall like that one bough along the window.
I'm hearing- The big girls having their nightly sketchbook visit with each other, wherein they take turns mooning over each other's drawings for the day. Regular outbursts of laughter punctuate this ritual, especially as it's always done late at night.
So thankful for- Our chaplains! We are so sad that our previous chaplain is leaving us, but also so thankful for the two young priests who will be our new chaplains. Yes, two! We will have two chaplains for the first time, one of whom is a newly ordained priest. This evening one priest continued to hear Confessions while the other began to celebrate Mass. Two priests! Thrilling!
We were so blessed to attend the FSSP ordinations down in Virginia a couple of weeks ago! Ordinations usually take place in Nebraska where the FSSP seminary is located, so we were extremely happy and thankful to be able to witness this blessed event. It was a lovely early morning drive to Virginia, and we got to the church so early that three priests were simultaneously offering their private Masses on various altars. The church was beautiful, the four hour Mass was exceedingly beautiful, and to be in the presence of so many of these good, holy priests was a beautiful thing indeed.
In our typical gypsy fashion, we naturally ended with a picnic.
The Bishop exhorted us to have a good picnic, and we obeyed.
And we received First Blessings from both new priests!
Deo Gratias!
Thinking about- We're just so happy to have it finally be summer for us. We've had a busy June with three day trips three Saturdays in a row, followed by family in to visit. We then had all of our end-of-the-school-year hoops to jump through, with portfolios to assemble and evaluation meetings and such. We turned in everything to our school district at about 3 o'clock on June 30th, and that's when 'summer' really begins.
From the kitchen-It's that wonderful time of the year when we can stroll outside and find something good to bring to the table. Red currants or raspberries for our morning pancakes, fresh greens for our lunchtime sandwiches, vegetables from the garden for supper. And we absolutely must make black currant jam tomorrow.
Living the Liturgical Year - July is the month of the Precious Blood, with that feast falling on the first. Today we celebrated the Visitation, when Our Lady attended to her cousin Elizabeth after receiving the greeting and news from the angel Gabriel. First Friday and First Saturday later this week.
I am Creating -I am hoping to make an Artist Trading Card every day in July. Two so far!
That's my cool Hobbity pen/pencil roll that Anna made me for Mother's Day, along with a matching linen covered sketchbook. Isn't it lovely?
I also usually catch a sewing bug right at the beginning of July. Right now the sewing room is in dire need of a clean out, then we'll see where that bug takes me.
I am Working on- The garden and yard that have been neglected Saturday after Saturday rather look like they have been neglected Saturday after Saturday, so restoring order and vanquishing weeds is much overdue. On the other hand, it's been so Hot outside the past few days that not much is getting done out there. Looking forward to the three day weekend and a little bit cooler temperatures.
In the learning house - Nature study, reading, art, music. Ah, summer.
(Speaking of nature study, nobody commented on that strange picture of me petting a fuzzy white moth in my last post. I was doing my best Gandalf...)
I am hoping - To catch up on all the blog reading I've missed, and also answer emails and other correspondence.
A picture thought- My singing girl with her much loved Stephen Foster book.
