Monday Musings:28 May 2012--Anniversary Edition

Yes, it all began four years ago with this post.

Right now...I am in my broken swivel-rocker listening to Adrian and Gabriel chatter and giggle as they drink chocolate milk (a weekend and special day treat) and to the adolescent calves across the road making a ruckus  because they have been separated from the rest of the herd.


This weekend...was really nice.  On Saturday Bret worked with a friend to finish getting the metal roof on the new house.  It's on, but Bret still has something like 2,500 screws to sink into it to secure it.  And metal roofs are decidedly Not Pleasant in 90+ degree temperatures.  While he was doing that, I was home making iced tea, lemonade and my favorite pasta salad, all in preparation for a get-together and cook-out at my sister's on Sunday. And I spent an hour and a half catching up on ironing, which I dislike intensely.  I got myself and the little guys bathed, and when he came home he showered and we all went off to shop for groceries.

In the evening we watched a documentary, Surviving the Dust Bowl, which was very interesting, and I worked on my knitting.  This is my fourth cast-on for the February Lady Sweater.  I am 32 rows into it.  I have two buttonholes done.  So far, so good.

Yesterday was brilliant.  Lovely drive to Mass, and it was one of those mornings when we actually were not in a crazed rush to get out of the house on time.  I don't know how that happened.  Anyway, the Mass for Pentecost was lovely.  Fr. Wade Menezes gave us a wonderful homily, and many of the priests were home from the missions, so we had quite a good number processing in with the red vestments.  It is such a beautiful sight.  Una leaned in at one point and said something to me about the richness of Catholicism.  To those who say that it is a waste to lavish so much on our churches and vestments and chalices, I ask, what better place to pile beauty upon beauty if not in the house of God, He Who is the source of all that is beautiful and Who gave us the sense and the senses to appreciate it?

We rushed home to change clothes and get together the things to take to my sister's.  We had a lovely meal and the cousins so enjoy one another's company.  We were blessed to have unexpected company for lunch:
two of the Fathers of Mercy called and asked if they might come by, and so our Pentecost was made even more special, for before they left in the early evening, we all prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together and our families received a blessing from both priests.

Some plans for this week:  I am putting a down payment on a side of grass-fed beef.  Our cow has had infertility problems, and so we haven't had a calf in 3 years.  Fiona, Nuala's granddaughter, is due to calf in July, but that beef will be two years off, so we need some meat.  I dare not eat supermarket meat.  Anyway, we have found a good, local source.  It's not cheap, but even lousy, supermarket mystery-meat is pricey these days.  I still have grade reporting to do.  And I still haven't made a card for deacon who will be a priest on Saturday.


If I find some time for myself, I would like to...oh, I don't know...there are so  many things I have piled up that I want to do, I wish I had the time to do even a fraction of them!  I suppose I would really like to get to the lace on my knitting.  Had I not had so many difficulties, I would likely be done with the February Lady Sweater by now!  I also have thought that I would like to go over my blog archives and re-post some posts from the past this week, maybe one a day.

I am grateful for:  the lovely time we all had at my sister's yesterday, and for the prospect of living near her and my mom, brother-in-law, and nephews & niece; for this morning having been breezy and overcast, which is a good thing when your husband is putting 2,500 screws into a metal roof; for all of us having been able to get to confession yesterday.

Some prayer intentions for this week:  for guidance and discernment in choosing Una's courses this year; for Mary Rose, who will be celebrating her birthday on Wednesday; for energy--mine has been lagging for the last couple of weeks, and I wonder if it is not a seasonal thing, as Una and Sebastian seem more tired than usual as well; for Bret's safety in working on the house and that things will progress with it more rapidly.  I also pray for the sale of my sister's old house and the farm of my friends up in KY.

Something that makes me smile:  Getting the roof up on the new farmhouse! Yippee!

Here's hoping you're having a nice Memorial Day and wishing you a great week ahead!