A blog entry minimally curated; free form and full of pronouns!

What does a cycling monk do during Lent? Saturday started with mass at 8:00 AM and was followed by a bike ride. I’ve been riding the Brompton (almost exclusively) but once the weather gets a little warmer (and those wooden fenders are installed) the ANT will be returned to the line/fleet with much pomp and circumstance.

Saturday ended with a cappuccino at the bookstore, although my “old man” eyes were so tired that I didn’t stay to read as long as I wanted to.

The Hughes book on Rome is a fount of inspiration. After reading about Hannibal in the Second Punic War, I spent a portion of the weekend ruminating on famous fictional elephants. I was mostly thinking about Heffalumps (A. A. Milne) and Oliphants (J.R.R. Tolkien).

I have a friend who plays library roulette (she basically wanders up and down the aisles until “something” prompts her to stop and make a selection). Her game of roulette has led to some amazing discoveries. Suppose you could say her independent study is the work of chance/fate, but faith would instruct otherwise.

A couple of years ago I found a card game called ‘Famous Cities’ at a tag sale and since then have been affixing quotes to the back and having them laminated. They make nice bookmarks and would probably fetch a quid (or two) on Etsy. My latest is of Florence and the selected quote is a prayer from the St. Joseph Sunday Missal.

“…for even now, as we walk amid passing things, you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures.”

What a perfect quote to recite/recall when visiting museums, reading history, or just meandering about any great city.

Sunday began with church at 9:00 AM and will conclude with Evening Prayer and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 7:30 PM. This is the closest I can get to St. Joseph’s Abbey without the 2 hour trip to Spencer.

The rest of the weekend was football, correspondence, reading (analog and digital), gaming, and errands.