Ice and Snow, Bless the Lord!
Mid-February saw our monastery (and most of our region!) receiving a heavy coating of ice and several unusually heavy snows. So what’s a group of nuns to do? Why, make the most of it, of course! For several days, various Sisters could regularly be seen trudging up our hill with our faithful old wooden sled, or perfecting a work of snow sculpture in the courtyard. Even the birds got in on the fun, as our multiple birdfeeders attracted a wide variety of feathered guests.
At the end of the week, Mother John Mary gave us all a free afternoon to enjoy the remnants of our “winter wonderland,” before the ever-swinging pendulum of Kentucky weather brought temperatures high enough to melt it away. One intrepid group determined to make the absolute best of the opportunity, with sledding, snowball fights, snow-nun construction, and an extremely adventurous hike. We hope seeing some of the pictures will help you enjoy God’s gift of winter weather as much as we did!
Before the snow, everything was already covered with a sparkling, slippery layer of ice!
The Lord gave the trees a coat of crystal “mail”
A Carolina chickadee perches daintily on one of our birdfeeders
Lots of northern cardinals took advantage of the free food!
Some red-winged blackbirds really enjoyed our suet feeder
A rare moment — a red-bellied woodpecker sharing the birdfeeder!
Sr. Maria Faustina is excited for a snow day!
Faithful St. Francis, even keeping watch in the snow …
Can you guess what this snow sculpture is? (Hint: it was Sr. Cecilia Maria’s idea …)
Sr. Cecilia Maria poses with her little snow-nun, named for our dearly departed Sr. Marie Michael
Racing down the hill on our faithful old sled!
Here comes the pitch …
… aaaand it’s a home run!
A beautiful view from the edge of our woods
Crossing a deep ravine in the snow takes teamwork!
Preparing for one last run down the hill!