7 Quick Takes Friday #35

See more 7 Quick Takes Contributions at Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary.

This week I have decided to concentrate on San Ignatio because that is where my greatest peace and pleasure come from. That is especially true this week, given that we had an employee leave, taking with him nearly $100,000 in our property. (That is next week's work to deal with that, I am afraid.) As a result, I am especially grateful for being able to return from hectic, troublesome days at work to a peaceful town where time has little meaning.

1. Chillin' 'n Grillin' is a new restaurant in town. It is actually a bit outside of town, on the outskirts, among the farms. It has acquired a good reputation, so Donnie and I decided to try it out on Friday. It was okay. The beer was unique, lots of local flavors. The food was so-so. The atmosphere as semi-quiet. I guess we are not the television-and-bar types.

2. On Saturday, we celebrated Shane's birthday with lunch at Jardines with Shane and Lemony and kids. They keep growing and growing (see their picture in the side bar). It was a pleasant afternoon at our favorite restaurant, with balmy weather (well, we almost always have balmy weather). We snatched up Doah in the morning from Santa Clara and brought him back to the lunch. Noelle could not come; she had a cold. (We still try to protect Nikolina from extra germs.) Nikolina is clearly left-handed. The physical therapist says she is too young to be so adamant about preferring her left hand, but that's Nikolina. She is nothing if not adamant. That nature likely contributed to her living through all those early surgeries and difficulties with missing and broken-into-pieces body parts.

3. Fr. Ed is back! Fr. Ed is back! Doah and I went to Mass after the Jardines lunch. Fr. Ed has been making a pilgrimage to Catholic sites around Europe for the past two months. This week Fr. Paul, from Nigeria, who had been filling in for Fr. Ed, returned home, and everyone wished him well. Doah and I attended Mass with Fr. Ed. It feels like a family member has returned. Fr. Ed is not just the priest at Old Mission; he is the town's priest -- we have only one church!

4. Sunday morning I set off in the car for the local grocery store to pick up something for breakfast. I could, of course, have walked. It is only six blocks away, but I drove. I could have walked faster, however. Two blocks from the store, a mother hen with nearly a dozen small chicks decided that the best food to be had at the moment was right in the middle of the road. Since chickens have the right of way in town, soon we had a small line of cars just waiting for the chickens to move on, but they did not pay any attention to us. As the first in line, I figured I had to do something. I got out of the car and chased Mama and her chicks to the side of the road. Was she angry! She dived at me, squawking and flapping her wings, reaming me out for separating her from her food supply for her children. Satisfied that she was safely out of the way, I watched as the piled-up cars detoured around my car and continued on down the road. Then I walked back and got into my car. As soon as my back was turned, Mama Hen and her chicks darted back into the road. As I sat down behind the wheel, I looked out the window and learned that Mama had won. She and the chicks were back in the middle of the road, exactly where they were before I had got out of the car!

5. I expected no one at our prayer group on Monday night, except perhaps Sr. Maria. The group, including my co-leader, seems overrun with troubles these days. One of our members has trouble getting away because she is the only person who can babysit her grandson and must do so into the late evening. Another has a granddaughter who has to be fed by tube. Yet another has a daughter who is in terrible pain but no hospital can figure out why. One has lost a job. My co-leader's wife has had spine surgery. My co-leader is concerned about being able to meet mortgage payments, given a sudden change for the worse in financial status. So, we had much to pray about. When the time to meet came, though, almost everyone was there! What a happy surprise for all of us! In the few days that have followed, some loads have started to lighten, praise the Lord!

6. I spent most of Sunday lolling at home on Sunday with our three cats: Murjan (Arabic for coral), Intrepid, and Simone. I have read that they protect their owners from heart attacks. (How kind of them!) Every evening except Monday and Tuesday, I did the same. They are much fun, and you can read more about them at Clan of Mahlou.

7. Cherries and berries, berries and cherries. I should have been a bear. Since that is not possible, the next best thing is to live in San Ignatio where cherries and berries are a natural product of our agricultural community and nearly always in season and fresh! Buy them at the market or from roadside stands, of which we have several, they are always juicy sweet, like life in San Ignatio.

Wishing you all a quiet and peaceful weekend. And if you are short on roosters, come see us in San Ignatio where they rule the roost and more!