The Sunday paper

These tiger or day lilies have burst out this week. They are in hundreds of patches along Rte. 5, east to the New York state line. 

I remember my parents being faithful to their weekly reading of the local Sunday edition of The Erie Times-News, as they scanned the local section, crossword, obituaries, sports, society pages, local columnists, comics and just about everything else that each week's fat Sunday paper held. So, of course as things happen, I now look forward to the Sunday paper each week and whether I'm home or out of town (thanks to electronic editions) I keep up on this special edition of our daily paper. The family ownership of the paper has changed and lots of the stories are "canned" from Assoc. Press, USA Today or other national outlets, but it still has a lot of local appeal and that's what draws me first.

So for all you current or former Erieites or those of you who are in the same habit with your local paper, here's a snapshot of what caught me eye this Sunday.

* Strong Vincent, namesake of a local high school and Civil War general, is being honored once again, with a memorial in Waterford, PA, a small town about 10 miles or so south of Erie, on the site where he was born in the 1830s.

* 87 year old Doug Moorhead died this month. He was one of the pioneers behind the ever-growing and expanding grape growing industry here along the shoreline of east Erie county. Local growers credit him for the beginning of this unique Erie winery region.

* Twenty-five people became US citizens in Erie this month and they are pictured with the mayor and a local judge. We really are a city of 100s of immigrants.

* Golf and fishing and baseball are dominating the sports pages...local, regional and national. Our local AA baseball team, the Erie Seawolves,  is doing great this year--in first place in its division. We'll have to get to a game soon. They are lots of fun. 

* Dear Abby, or her daughter, is still dispensing advice, as are financial advisors and doctors, answering readers' questions on contemporary issues in their fields.

* The front page this week? The beginning of a 3-page story inside section A on the over $260 million that Erie County is being allotted from the American Rescue Plan to assist low income municipalities and school districts following the COVID-19 pandemic. Good  news all around.

* The obituaries covered 3 1/2 pages today. A few years ago the paper started allowing people to write their own obits and since then they have been much more interesting in comparison to a format that came out of filling out a standard form. This week I read Evelyn Anderson's. Evelyn died last Tuesday, age 94. She was the premier nature writer for the paper and was involved in countless organizations throughout her life, including help founding the Erie Nature Club which is today the Presque Isle Audubon Society. I looked forward to reading her column every Saturday for years. She and her friend Jean Stull knew everything that was growing in or flying through our area all the time. Her book Nature Watch, gave us the best of her 35 years of columns.

* Finally, it still carries a Sunday-like large crossword, not as challenging as the one from the New York Times my parents tackled each week but enjoyable for sure.

A beautiful summer day, a diet coke, and sitting outside with the Sunday paper! It doesn't get much better!

1,500

 

As I was thinking about what to post for LTSGW today I noticed that the number of posts for this site was now listed as 1,500! 

The formation of this blog all started in 2007 because our website was going through a rough time and I just wanted to "fill in," so to speak, with the everyday news and events around our monastery for our friends, family, oblates and for any readers that just happened along. I guess that after 14+ years, twice a week, plus occassional special times of more postings (namely Holy Week, Christmas, etc), they could reach 1,500. Amazing!

But, now, due to the fact that our community website is doing a fine job of sharing our news and that some of the sisters are also sharing their own takes on the life here at Mount St. Benedict, I'm going to modify my own sharing a little--namely to just once a week: Mondays. 

I do reserve the right, if something I think is really different or interesting pops up, to throw in an occassional non-Monday posting, but generally there will just be one a week.

Thanks to my friends, cousins, oblates and anyone else, for being faithful readers all these Thursdays and I hope that you'll continue to check in on Mondays. In the meantime, if you haven't already checked out some of the other Sister blogs, give them a try. They are really very fine.

Take Back the Site vigils resume

After offering two virtual Take Back the Site vigil prayer services for ten victims of homicides in Erie in 2020, we are resuming these "on the street" public prayer experiences for three homicide victims from March 2021.

The first is next Monday, the 21st on Buffalo Rd. near Bogey's Tavern. One way to get there is to travel east on 12th St. until it dead ends at the GE. Turn right (Franklin Ave) and continue until it, too, ends-- at Buffalo Rd. Turn right again and you'll be there in about a block. A new feature starting up will be live-streaming the prayer, especially helpful we hope, for family and friends who aren't in Erie or who can't make it that day. 

This is at least the second TBTS we've had in this area. Here's a view of the other one that was held about a block away. On a very cold winter afternoon.

Welcome Back!

 

Today we welcomed back our friends who join us for Sunday liturgies--at least 65-75 of them who made the trip to the Mount this first Sunday that we were "open"  after 15 months. And what a glorious reunion it was! Great thanks to Fr. Jim Piszkar who shared one of his wonderful homilies with us--yet again--and to all who sang and danced and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company throughout the morning. If you couldn't make it this week, maybe we'll see you next Sunday!

"What is the greatest gift?"

What is the greatest gift?
Could it be the world itself--the oceans, the meadowlark,
the patience of the trees in the wind?
Could it be love, with its sweet clamor of passion?

Something else--something else entirely
holds me in thrall.
That you have a life that I wonder about
more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a life--courteous, intelligent--
that I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a soul--your own, no one else's--
that I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.

So that I find my soul clapping its hands for yours
more than my own.

Mary Oliver

Public witnesses

Local news: new cases of the COVID virus are under control enough in our area for us to resume two of our more public social justice experiences. We will start up our monthly Silent Peace Walks again with one downtown at Perry Square on Tuesday, June 15, 7:00-7:30. If you're "local" please consider joining us.

After holding two online Take Back the Site Vigils, that included ten victims of homicides since last spring, we will hold live vigils on Monday, June 21 on Buffalo Rd. near Boogie's Tavern for a double homicide in early March and a second one in early July for a homicide in late March. The online ones were beautiful but very sad, both in their context and because we couldn't offer them in person for  families and friends.

Nature's interplay

 

Photo: Charlotte Ann Zalot, OSB

Yesterday as the musicians were getting ready to practice, unknown to us, the prayer leader had just blown out the candle at the end of Morning Prayer. Also at this exact time the bright morning sun came streaming it right through the smoke coming off the candle.

At this point my friend Charlotte grabbed a phone and got this unique picture. It all took place in about 20 seconds.

It reminded me of another unique photo from a few years ago. During the Christmas season almost the same thing happened, at about the same time one winter Sunday morning. This time the bright sun came through the stained glass windows and through the Charlie Brown tree to form a unique design on the ceramic wall tile. About a half dozen of us ran for a camera (pre-cell phone days) and here's what we got:

Nature update

One of my favorite all-time pictures--the tool building at Benetwood Apartments with the annual iris display in front. And this week is the week when I see it live--right now. The building is quite a bit more weathered than when this photo was taken, but that makes it even more photogenic, I think. The iris are the same--beautiful.

We haven't seen many deer lately, we think this is the time for the birth of this year's fawn, so they will be scarce for a couple weeks. The geese are not around as much, gosling care for sure. Hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles have been sparse this spring, too--but lots of other birds are around: the yellow finch are delightful to see flitting about. Our morning praise is accompanied by birdsong every day!

The rhododendron are great and plentiful this month, as were the forsythia last. This week our peonies are opening and the roses are having their first bloom, too. 

Finally, but far from last, the Night Blooming Evening Primrose started Monday night. They are truly miraculous in every sense of the word. 

Hoping your natural world is beautiful and that last summer's restrictions at home carry over into yards and gardens throughout the country for bird and flower lovers, not to forget vegetable growers!  Our tomatoes are doing very well in large vats on the back patio.