Happy Fourth of July!

OK, the keeper is delayed in getting our blogs out.  It's been busy here. The Fourth of July is usually pretty dull here. Stassi told me that the keeper started her first day in her last parish at the 5 PM Mass on the 4th of July.  Not a particularly large or welcoming reception that day.
We know it got better over the years.  She rode off south in the morning to the cathedral, where Fr. B gave a stirring homily that wove the readings of the day and the national holiday. Next stop: St. B's, where the crowd at Spanish Mass was similar to that first 4th of July at the last parish.  Then after visiting with most of the attendees, she drove fast to St. L's where she met with the young adults and talked about liturgy and then rushed home to me.  She told me we were having a surprise.  I was hoping for my new kitten.

The keeper explained that she really wanted to put some US hospitality  out there on this feast day, and said she needed to open her doors to  this immigrant group on this day when everyone else was gatherining together.  They have no family here, and aren't really into the holiday.

All of the young adults began appearing about the same time the rain appeared.  I was a little disappointed that there was no kitten.  So 20 young people and all their food and singing and stories and noise and craziness gathered around the campfire that we had moved under the  huge maple tree. It stopped raining after an hour. They told ghost stories, jokes, and kept making more food than I have ever seen.  They set marshmallows on fire and then smashed them into chocolate with graham crackers. They thought the keeper had depressing music.  It is too quiet and not very lively, they say.  But they had a great time

Finally they left at midnight after cleaning up, moving all the furniture back, and dividing up the food.  They even gave me the chicken.  They can come back anytime.  But next time I would appreciate it if they would also bring a kitten.