March 9, 2013

March 9, 2013

March 7, 2013

Dear Ones,

I don’t know about you, but WE are having spring. The little potted Hawthorne is in bloom, and the ornamental pear in the garth is about to bloom. Its buds are fat and promising. The air is no longer slashing at our faces, but softly soothing them with balmy air.

Yes, I am sure that some of you are still under the snow, or looking out at piles of  dirty snow, but take heart—Easter is just around the corner and can spring be far behind?

We had a terrible accident at the entrance of our road last Saturday. We were on our way to Mass at St Therese’ when a Border Patrol officer stopped us to say the road was closed. When we saw what had happened we made no attempt to pass. A red truck and a blue motorcycle had collided as the truck turned into the road. The motorcyclist had been killed. The clutch of responding vehicles and their drivers were waiting for the coroner to certify the death, and the notorious yellow tape was stretched across the road.

We went to the Sunday morning house Mass in Sonoita where everyone prayed for the people involved. It seemed like such an unnecessary tragedy.

March 9, 2013

Oh dear, I spoke too soon. We had a blistering, cold wind yesterday afternoon, and then sort of rain last night. Yesterday morning, in spitting rain (RAIN, people!) we had a gorgeous RAINBOW in the west. And another in the east in the evening. With our enormous sky, they were quite a sight.

The bishop came with the Vicar for Religious for Mass and supper. He told us, philosophically, that he had given an interview in which he told of hopeful and positive aspects of the Church—and the sound had not been on. He had been wakened at 4:30 in the morning on the day of the pope’s announcement  of his resignation, (of which he knew nothing) for an interview. People forget about time zones. he then had three or four more calls when he was more awake.

We hope the garth tree’s incipient blossoms will survive their cruel treatment by a cold wind.

The other day when we had pears scheduled for dessert, Cathy was getting an instruction in the vagaries of the English language: Pear as in the fruit; pare as in skinning; pair as in two. We did get dessert.

The BBC has good coverage of the papal election process.