HOLY WEEK PAST

It's been a while since I wrote about anything other than Norm's visit. Holy week was extraordinarily busy as usual...Holy Thursday, Good Friday, live stations of the cross, Easter Vigil, baptisms, and then Easter Day. In a small parish there are all the same events and tasks as in a large parish, only many fewer people to do them. It was exhausting, but beautiful nonetheless.
This is Mathieu with Father Sebastian after the Easter vigil Mass. Mat and the other two baptismal candidates, also children, got to go up and ring bells during the Gloria, when the new tower bells were ringing for the first time.
We had Easter dinner in the mid-afternoon over at the cabin. Chuck barbequed, and I marinated a huge variety of fresh veggies to go on the pit, and made deviled eggs. To that we added tortillas, and had watermelon for dessert. Simple because of the aforementioned exhaustion. I took all three dogs over with me, when I went and they had a blast. This was the first time Patti-Jo had been there.This is Mat and I with the three dogs - Carl, Coconut and Patti-Jo - following us out into the pasture.
I put Zachary's and Mathieu's Easter things into paper bags tied with a blend of spring colored yarns and had Chuck tie them into low hanging tree branches on the far side of the pond. Then I wrote clues on purple paper, tied with pink yarn and attached them to various spots around the yard and front pasture, giving them the starting clue. They enjoyed it, and so did we. Besides Reagan and family, Garrett and Marti came too. Andrew and Samantha and a friend of Samantha's came later on in the evening.
And lastly, here is a photo of Marlene and Sister Mary stopping to look at one of my tomato plants on their morning walk. This will be my first tomato this season. I bought only two tomato plants and planted them in large flower pots with some basil plants. They sure have been slow to grow. They are a variety of 'patio tomatoes'. I had to set them up on the garden love seat because Coconut kept digging the dirt out of the pots. I think I'll pick that tomato, infuse olive oil with some of the chopped basil, then cut up and marinate the tomato in it. Chuck and I can split that one small tomato tomorrow.