#GOALS

Image credit: @NatureVibes.me

This photo is said to be every variety of tomato on one table. I think the most I've ever planted is five.  Getting ideas. 

 

Tomatoes in Ground, 2022

I hope I don't regret planting early, as Spring keeps advancing and then retreating this season, but as the last half of the month will be busy and this week is nice, I took the day off and put the garden in.  Lots of veggies and herbs this year, but only the tomatoes require commentary. 

Planted five varieties: 3 heirlooms and two sure-things, including some yellow cherry tomatoes. Usually I don't plant cherries b/c Mr. Weed doesn't like them. But today it occurred to me that I don't have to serve them to him, and could still eat them myself.  

The ground was full of worms everywhere I dug, which is a very good sign my efforts to build up the soil over the years are working. 

Fingers crossed! Cuz I sure ain't paying inflationary prices for no cellophane, colorless, store-bought tomato! 

May 9, 2022 

Easter Octave, Day 2

Image credit: Image: Easter Rite (Kiss of Peace) by Boris Kustodiev, 1916

I learned yesterday what my legacy will be.

When the kids were younger, I never bought sugary cereals except for the Christmas and Easter Octaves, as a treat. Therefore, it became a modest Weed tradition to come home from Midnight Mass and the Easter Vigil and have a bowl of Reese's Puffs or Cocoa Puffs or some such thing (while their parents had a drink.)

Middle and Youngest Weed are away at college and couldn't join us for Easter. However, it turns out Middle Weed  hosted a bunch of their friends after the Easter Vigil (where he sponsored his roommate into the Church!), treating them all to a sugary cereal feast.  (I hear there was a smaller real brunch Sunday morning). 

More Easter fun:  check out the fantastical hats at the Easter Parade.  

Happy Easter !

 Image credit: Kim Ki-Chang, The Resurrection 

I'm fascinated by these images from "the Korean Caravaggio."

Palm Sunday, 2023

 Photo by J.R. Herreid from a museum in Munich. Shamelessly pinched from his FB page, J.R.'s Art Place

I love this not only for the depiction of Christ on the colt, but see the rollers? This was used to lead the Palm Sunday procession using a rope and pulley system. Not only did our forebears do processions better than we do, I love all the gizmos from the Baroque period when people were working out mechanics and put their tinkering in service of the quasi-liturgy. (I'll re-post a really cool one from Florence for Pentecost once the time is right.)  At the link, Herreid quotes Georg Ratzinger (the pope's brother) in a humorous anecdote about when one of these things malfunctioned. 

And for your edification and profound encouragement, Msgr. Pope's reflections for the day.  (Love the point towards the end about the deliberate ambiguity in St. John's gospel about who is sitting on the judgment seat. Give it a listen.) 

Annuncation, 2022

 

Image Credit: The Annunciation, Alexander Murashko, shamelessly pinched from here. 

On this solemnity, when the Holy Father, in union with bishops around the world, will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart and beg for peace, a Ukrainian Annunciation. 

Read the text of the announcement and you'll see he is consecrating all humanity, and Russia & Ukraine in particular. Don't know about you, but I could certainly use the boost. 

In my diocese e'rrbody is getting in on the act. I received at least 14 announcements of this from various entities yesterday alone. So I'm sure you can find a place to join in in your neck of the woods. But if not, here's the prayer, which everyone will say at approximately 6:30 pm Rome time, 1:30 pm EST. 

As a pious daughter of the Church, I welcome this act of faith and worship and sincerely believe it will bring much-needed grace into the world. The Father knows how to give good gifts to his children. 

As an on-line Catholic, I trust this peace-making act will bring about the cessation of hostilities over John Paul II's consecration of Russia in the '90s. Now we can begin arguing about this one!  Oh, and P.S., it's a rare "Meat Friday," where the joy of the solemnity overtakes the mandatory Lenten abstinence. 

Update: Here is the Holy Father's homily for today. It's a good one!

Happy Epiphany, 2022!

 Adoration of the Magi, Gaetano Previati, shamelessly pinched from Wikicommons. 

You should click to enlarge and see the sweep of the painting. 

There are old, but still cool, photos of Epiphany celebrations around the world. 

Epiphany Jam Tart 

Patron saints of all latecomers. 

Probably the absolute opposite of Epiphany: Denzel Washington in Macbeth. Mentioning it here because it's only in theaters until Jan 12. After that you have to stream it on Apple+, and nobody wants to do that. 
I haven't seen it, but a friend whose judgment about such things tends to coincide with mine has and he gave it a very good review. 

Have a wonderful year, Everyone. Thanks for stopping by for these "12 Days."  Same time, next year, and at random times when the bug bites me.