SPRING/SUMMER IS HERE!

I titled this as "Spring/Summer" because spring is mostly a brief whiz-by here. It is so brief as to be almost non-existant. These are from one of the rose bushes blooming around the parish grounds. It looks like it might be a 'Joseph's Coat' rose, since there are all shades of yellow, peach, pink and orange roses on the same bush. I took the photo after classes this morning.

Today has been a really good, but hectic day so far. Mass was good, the music was good, classes were good, the weather was good... I even broke out the white sandals to wear to Mass this morning. I think winter is gone and spring/summer is here to stay. I made the announcement about the quilt squares again - just an update, and several people said they are excited about the project and are working on their family quilt blocks. I also made the announcement about donations being accepted to defray the cost of taking the junior high students to the Diocesan Youth Spectacular this month, and got quite a good little bit in donations so far.

Classes were a bit hectic since we had one teacher out, working with the Boy Scout barbecue today, and I was supposed to take Mrs. Castaneda's 2nd year students for a special class today, as well as my own junior high and high school group. Then as it turned out, one of the kids needed another registration form for the youth spectacular, so I had to go back home to get one to copy for her, then rush back. Also the person who had volunteered to provide breakfast this morning, had forgotten, I guess, but I always keep something on hand for those occassions. This time it was cheesy fish crackers. And we had plenty of juice in the fridge. I've got to buy more cups though, because we were out. There were lots of absences this morning, which I figured there would be, since there were a higher number of the kids at the Saturday evening Mass, and the Boy Scouts were all working with the bbq plate sale beginning at 11 this morning.

Tony, my assistant, was there, but he wasn't feeling very well. I don't know what I would have done without him today, with all the busy-ness going on. He took care of some office work, took the attendance of all the classes, checked on which air conditioner-heater units were working properly or not, and helped supervise all the various comings and goings today....kind of like directing traffic. It's all the 'little' helps that are not so little. They add up to a lot. I wish he could get to feeling better, consistantly again. Next week he won't be there, and I'll be missing one, possibly two teachers too. And I have a parents meeting, so there will be quite a bit of juggling around. The dates for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion have had to be moved up by a month, because of Father Sebastian's vacation, so that is causing some extra scrambling too. Also one of my teachers told me that she is going to take next year off, so I am going to have to find a good replacement for her by August. I expected she was going to leave us though, since she gave birth during this school year, and it has been difficult for her to do everything, especially with her husband sometimes having to work 7 days a week, and her older daughter with all her activities and with classes of her own on Sundays.

After classes and finishing up some paperwork, and locking up, I went to the Boy Scout BBQ and picked up plates for Chuck and I. He is working 7 days a week too, at the moment. My daughter-in-law, Amy, and youngest grandson, Mathieu, came over to see if I wanted them to get my plates for me, but I already had them. They stayed awhile to visit, and so Mathieu could play with Coconut. Amy looked so tired. She had mowed yesterday and stayed up until 2 a.m. last night making two cakes for the BBQ. They also donated 20# of cooked potatoes for the potato salad and a lot of rice too. Reagan was at the fire station barbecuing briskets all night. Zachary was working in the serving line this morning, as were many of the boys that I know from church. I wish I would have thought to take a photo of the line. I complimented them on being so efficient. And they looked so - dare I say it? - CUTE in their uniforms. Another Scout helped me select a drink, and then perusing the wide choice of desserts, I selected home baked sugar cookies and then Lucas recommended the brownies, so I got a baggie of those too, and he and the other Scout helped me carry the plates, desserts and glasses of tea to the car.

I was considering going over to the cabin and out in the pasture to gather up horse poop, (What fun!) and maybe some goat poop as well, to work into a very small garden patch here at the house. I am considering fighting the bugs for some tomatoes, at least, this year. But after eating the delicious bbq dinner, I am lacking the ambition to do much of anything except maybe plan next Sunday's parent meeting.