Garden time!

There is something about spring that makes one want to be out in the garden! With the arrival of the warmer weather (warmer every other day, that is) the Sisters have been outside during free moments when not occupied with their regular duties. After-dinner recreation means a good half hour to make some progress! The workmen, too, have been working hard cleaning up and landscaping after the damages from Hurricane Sandy. Tulips are in bloom everywhere but the big cluster of yellow tulips in St. Dominic's garden are especially inviting!

Sr. Mary Veronica and Sr. Mary Magdalene remove the chain link fence around an area that is now unsuitable for a garden.

Pulling up and then rolling the fence sections was a four-nun job!

Sr. Maria Teresa cleans out our Lady's garden.

Sr. Joseph Maria cleans out the strawberry beds. Soon we'll be picking berries and eating them, too! If you have never eaten locally grown strawberries you really must! They are nothing like those hard, white centered things that are called strawberries at the grocery store!

Sr. Mary Veronica plants lilies left over from Easter and hydrangeas in her gazebo garden. Notice Sr. Mary Magdalene's hand? There's a story about that!

Heading out to put up a new fence around the asparagus at noon recreation. What we want to know is what kind of day it was? If you look at Sr. Mary Jacinta it must be warm but Sr. Mary Magdalene, Sr. Mary Veronica and Sr. Mary Catharine are wearing jackets. Sr. Mary Cecilia sure doesn't think it's cold but then she is from Saskatchewan!

"We could just transport the rolls of fence with Gary's tractor. It's easy to run. You just pull this, push that and...well..."

"While you're all busy trying to figure out how to run the tractor I'll just CARRY the rolls down to the garden," says Sr. Mary Catharine. ("It's all about example, you know!")

Meanwhile, Sabina is engaging in her new-found obsession--hanging out with her head inside the drainage pipes in the wall! We always doubted her cloistered vocation and well, this is beginning to prove it! She is so sure she'll get the rabbits, groundhogs and 'possum that come through the holes that she will spend HOURS like this, only coming up to the house to eat when Sr. Joseph Maria calls her!

Meanwhile, the sisters begin unrolling the heavy rolls of fencing.

Sr. Mary Jacinta LOOKS like she is praying. What she is really doing is learning how to make loud blowing sounds through blades of grass!

Fence and more fence. This isn't going to be as easy as we thought!

But there is always plenty of laughter, crazy advice and, since it is recreation time, it doesn't matter!

More fence!

Having the use of only one hand isn't going to stop Sr. Mary Magdalene although it might slow her down. So, what happened? She was washing a corning ware serving dish and it suddenly split open slicing across the top of her right hand and partially severed the tendon of her middle finger. Fortunately the hospital is a mere 5 minutes away (4 minutes when Sr. Mary Catharine drives) and Sister is all mended and learning patience during the next 4 weeks with her hand in a splint. With that bright pink wrap you can see her a mile away!

The end of recreation. Phew, I'm tired, says Sabina! That was hard work!