Life Around the Monastery
Spring has finally arrived in NJ! The Magnolias are blooming along with the Daffodils, and bright green is starting to appear on shrubs and trees. When the weather permits, sisters can be found in their various gardens--planting tulips and lilies from Easter, weeding and clearing brush from last season, preparing the soil for a new crop of vegetables, etc. St. Dominic's orange tree, which winters in our tiny greenhouse, has been brought out under the cloister.
A few days ago, Sr. Mary Magdalene found a bird's nest in one of the Spruce trees by the wall. During recreation one day the novitiate grabbed a ladder (and a camera!) to spy into the nest. They discovered that two white eggs rested precariously in the nest. Armed with twigs they attempted to reinforce the nest so the eggs wouldn't fall out. Unfortunately it seems the nest had already been abandoned by the time the sisters intervened. Hopefully the unidentified bird will do a better job with its next
Along with all the melodious bird songs of spring, the steady hum (and bang, clang, boom!) of construction continues. The lower walls of the new wing having been completed, the steel workers are now on the job. The first floor steel platforms have already been installed and the steel supports of the main floor are being placed. Below are some pictures of the construction: some from a second floor cell window, others from the first floor cloister.
