Obligatory Stair Picture and Peonies

 

I planted two peony bushes years ago, but I never got a single bud.  Until...now!  This year, I grew two glorious peonies.  I picked one, and put it in Lydia's vase:

She had to make a ceramic vase that didn't look like a typical vase for art class.  I think it turned out very well.  Rabbits in top hats fit well into our house.

And more from last weekend:

The boys enjoyed a busy game of basketball with cousins and neighbors.

The chickens are doing well.

And, of course, we took the obligatory stairwell picture:

Cavies and Pole Vaults

 

We had Nathaniel's customary Memorial Day kayak/canoe trip this weekend, so Eric and his family stayed with us.  Nathaniel's sisters and family stayed at his parents' house, so our house was not crowded at night.  Saturday morning, our family and Eric's headed to the farmer's market and downtown, where we got to enjoy an unusual petting zoo:

Pigs, goats, a chicken, and a cavy (see top picture!)

Last week, before all the company arrived, Nathaniel and I got to see Lydia compete in Regionals.

These are pictures from a few of her jumps.  She did great!  

She even ended up getting a third place medal.  She also had her last violin concert of the year.  I didn't get any pictures of that, because from my seat, you couldn't see her head at all.  The stand was directly in the way.  But they played beautifully.

Cicadas

We have so many cicadas this year.  There's a constant buzz in the air, and the bugs are coming up and leaving their shells all over the place.  This is the gooseberry bush, covered in cicada shells.  It is also covered in little gooseberries!

Acorn looks funny here.  She has been having a ball hunting cicadas.  By this, I mean she actually hunts them.  She sniffs around in the grass until she finds one, and then she eats it.  It doesn't seem to have hurt her.

 

May Happenings

Emry is still enjoying basketball.  Several siblings and Nana and Pa made it to last weekend's game.

Lydia had her violin recital, and she's been busy with track.  Gyunay continues to swim once a week.

And now, Emry and Gyunay are enjoying a little camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa:

I've been busy in the garden, mulching and planting and weeding.  My sage is blooming very prettily: 

 

Basilica di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice

 

I saved going to this church for Sunday Mass, and it was a great decision.  Basilica di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice (Our Lady, Help of Christians) was founded in the 1800s by Saint John Bosco.

This basilica is magnificent.  It is built on the site of the martyrdom of early saints Adventer Solutor and Octavious.  The church contains their relics and those of many other saints, although I'm not quite sure where all of the relics are.  

Three saints from the 1800s are buried here, including Dominic Savio, who died young.  He was one of Don Bosco's students, and after he died, Don Bosco wrote a biography of him.

Naturally, St. John Bosco is also buried here:

And also, St. Maria Mazzarello, who worked with Don Bosco to found the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, is buried here. 

Mass was largely in Italian, but it was Mass, so I could mostly follow along.  I could sing along with the parts in Latin (Agnus Dei) and the Kyrie.  I even understood quite a bit of one of the readings, although I was pretty lost on another one.  Parts of the homily made sense, but certainly not all of it.  Still, it was a beautiful Mass, and I was happy to get to participate.

More from the Museo Reali in Turin

 

Mosaics!  After seeing the Savoy Palace, and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, we also got to see the Antiquities Museum.  They also had a Cleopatra exhibit going on:

And the art gallery:

There were plenty of fantastic artworks to see.  

Basilica del Corpus Domini

Yet another beautiful Baroque church in Turin, Italy is the Basilica del Corpus Domini, or the Basilica of the Body of Christ.

It's hard to see the altar painting, but it is portraying the Eucharistic miracle that happened on the site of the church.

On the floor, this plaque designates the exact spot where the Host levitated in the year 1453.  The story goes that a group of French soldiers were plundering a church nearby Turin.  They took the Mass vessels, including the ciborium holding the Body of Christ.  Their donkey (carrying the loot) fell down on this spot, refusing to move, and the Host was seen rising out of the saddlebag and into the air.  The church was built on the site about 30 years later.  It has been modified a few times, with fantastic art added.  For more, see here: Basilica of Corpus Christi and the legend of the miracle - Torino Rete

 

April Harvest Totals and Thurby

 April Harvest totals:
Eggs - 186

Lettuce - 1 cup

And I had to bury our original beloved Lavender Orpington, Lavender, yesterday morning.  She was old, and died in her sleep as peacefully as a chicken can, I think.

In happier news, Nathaniel and I went to Thurby yesterday.

It was my first Thurby in 3 years.  We had a great time.