St. Augustine

No, not the one in Florida, but the church by the same name on Caputo Road in North Branford. Annette and I took Bindi to the "Blessing of the Animals" on Saturday, and what a sweet time it was. Lots of dogs, including Maddie, Bindi's playmate from puppy school (the Great Dane), one cat, a rabbit, some guinea pigs, and a couple of hermit crabs. This ritual is in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.

"The very animals found in Francis a tender friend and protector; thus we find him pleading with the people of Gubbio to feed the fierce wolf that had ravished their flocks, because through hunger "Brother Wolf" had done this wrong. And the early legends have left us many an idyllic picture of how beasts and birds alike susceptible to the charm of Francis's gentle ways, entered into loving companionship with him; how the hunted leveret sought to attract his notice; how the half-frozen bees crawled towards him in the winter to be fed; how the wild falcon fluttered around him; how the nightingale sang with him in sweetest content in the ilex grove at the Carceri, and how his "little brethren the birds" listened so devoutly to his sermon by the roadside near Bevagna that Francis chided himself for not having thought of preaching to them before. Francis's love of nature also stands out in bold relief in the world he moved in. He delighted to commune with the wild flowers, the crystal spring, and the friendly fire, and to greet the sun as it rose upon the fair Umbrian vale. "

Odd, today was the day of his death in 1226.

That morning I went to R & R's tag sale, and got a few very neat things. Sunday i was very sad about Dill so invited myself over to R & R's and felt very taken care of. I told them they didn't have to entertain me, so they unloaded stuff from the cars from the tag sale and made jokes. Perfect. Monday came around way too soon. My Yale corridor was almost empty because of Yom Kippur, but I was there. Today Bindi got her bandages off, and her stitches removed. We both came home from the vet and crashed. I woke up from a nightmare and felt kind of scared, and couldn't remember where I was. I thought I was in a much bigger, more isolated house, but I finally realized I was safe and things were manageable. Wish I had more energy when I come home from the Yale job. Perhaps things will change when I get the CPAP machine and learn how to tolerate it. I've started taking the supplements the nutritionist gave me. I have an 8:30am client in the morning, so it is to bed.