For many years, I have kept a  little statue of Saint Francis in the backyard to remind me to be thankful for what we have in our little home and yard.  We have been generously blessed by our Lord in so many things.  The feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi is October 4th, so I thought it was appropriate to post about this today.  His feast day is often celebrated with the blessing of the Animals in many Christian faiths.  This year, we took George, Cruella de Vil, and Joey with us this year over to our church to get them a blessing.  The children enjoyed the old ritual and the pets didn’t seem to mind the outing.

 
As the patron saint of animals and ecologists, I have asked for Saint Francis’s intercession often over the years.  When it comes to pets, we truly have been blessed.  Thank you for your prayers, St. Francis.

I came across this last year, and forgot how much I liked the sarcasm.  I thought I should post it since it fits in with my interests.

YARD WORK and LAWNS- AS VIEWED FROM HEAVEN (Humor)

(overheard in a conversation between God and St. Francis):
God: Hey, St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature;
what in the world is going on down there in the U.S.?
What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff
I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan.
Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and
multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms
attract butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected
to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green.
. .
St. Francis: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites.
They started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great lengths to kill them and
replace them with grass.
. .
God: Grass? But it is so boring, it’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies,
bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures.
Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there?
. .
St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it….
sometimes two times a week.
. .
God: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay?
..
. St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
. .
God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
. .
St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
. .
God: Now let me get this straight…they fertilize it to make it grow and
when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
. .
St. Francis: Yes, sir.
. .
God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain
and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
. .
St. Francis: You aren’t going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing
so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue
to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
. .
God: What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke
of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and
shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to
. keep the moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves
become compost to enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.
. .
St. Francis: You’d better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake
them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
. .
God: No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to
keep the soil moist and loose?
. .
St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch.
They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
. .
God: And where do they get this mulch?
. .
St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make mulch.
. .
God: Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine,
you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
. .
St. Catherine: ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ Lord. It’s a really stupid movie about . . . .
. .
God: Never mind — I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis!

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If you would like some information on Saint Francis here is a link: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm