Summer Miscellany
As the end of summer draws near (already??), we thought we’d share a little round-up of some miscellaneous newsworthy items - great and small - from the past few months …
A Year for chanterelles
Most years, we are thrilled to find a meal’s worth of tasty chanterelle mushrooms in our woods. This summer, the major rainfall and consequent humidity meant we had more than usual - MUCH more. The picture at left is just one of three harvests (for reference, that is a 5-gallon bucket!!)
Maintenance woes
This July was a crazy time for physical plant issues! At right is an image of perhaps the most “epic” disaster: a leak in our geothermal HVAC pond loop. Workmen had to dig up our lawn to find the leak, then turn off our A/C for a full day (in KY summer heat) to make the necessary repairs. Thanks be to God, the issue was resolved and the pipes re-buried without further incident …
Maggie
On July 21st, some Sisters noticed our cat Nico growling and hissing at something on the cloister walkway. Lo and behold, it was a scrawny, muddy, sickly little she-kitten! How exactly the little gal made her way to us is a mystery, but we were able to clean her up and give her some food and shelter until she bounced back. We started calling her “Maggie” - short for “Magdalen,” since she arrived on the eve of that Saint’s feast day.
In case you’re wondering - NO, we aren’t keeping her (three cats would be a bit much for us!), but we have found her a loving home with some of our community friends. If Maggie stays as friendly and outgoing as she is now, she’ll be a real joy to her new owners!
MOre mushrooms!
We mentioned that it was an abundant year for chanterelles … but that fungal windfall paled in comparison to the Berkley’s Polypore we picked in August! Every year this massive mushroom springs up at the base of a particular tree, and this time we were finally in the right place at the right time to harvest it. It made a tasty supper treat, as well as some lovely mushroom stock for soups.
(All you moms out there - don’t worry, we are very careful in identifying and picking only EDIBLE mushrooms!!)
A happy aNNOUNCEMENT
We’ve saved the biggest news for last … our Sr. Miriam Esther has officially been admitted to make her Perpetual Profession of Vows this October 30th! Please pray for Sister as she enters these final months of preparation for her “forever-yes” to Jesus Crucified.