JULY AND HOT WEATHER IS HERE

Greetings to every one who reads this blog.  It has been a while since I last wrote on this.  The summer flies by it seems just like the rest of the year.  A lot of projects have been going around here since the students left in May.  The student refectory serving area has been moved and they are still working to change that area down there.  You can now enter the east door to the refectories and go immediately into a hallway leading to either serving line or to the Basilica.  New windows have been installed in the entire building in St. Michael Hall.  New windows have also been installed on the residence floors of St. Joseph Hall.  And of course the roofers are still working to repair the roofs on some of the buildings that dates back to the hail storm we had last August.  They are presently working on the roof in St. Maur Hall and will then proceed to the Basilica and the monastery roofs.  Scaffolding is a big item on these jobs and it takes some time to put scaffolding all the way up to the top of the towers.  For safety reasons scaffolding is necessary.

 St. Maur Hall, July 1, 2012

Basilica Towers, July 1, 2012

A lot of work has also been done in the JFK Recreation Center this summer as the swimming pool was filled in with sand and covered with cement and a new heating and air conditioning system is being installed.

A big item and matter of concern the last two or three weeks has been the unusual high temperatures and lack of rain.  Farmers are all very concerned about the drought and rightfully so.  The temperatures have been in the upper 90's or higher and with heat indexes up over 100 almost everyday.  It seems that much of the country has been suffering from either heat or fires this summer.  Our hearts go out to all those who have lost homes and also those who are suffering now from electrical outages.  

In June I went to Brunswick to celebrate a Reichert reunion.  It was held on June 9-10 and we had a great turn out of about 170.  That was far from all the relatives but a good turn out for sure.  This was for the most part organized by my cousin Larry McCurry and his wife Kathy who live in Brookfield, MO  It was a wonderful weekend and enjoyed by all.  We are grateful to Larry and Kathy for all the work they did.

Sign at both ends of the town of Brunswick, MO

many of us were born and raised.

Then on June 21 I again went home for a few days of vacation and we were planning to celebrate my only living brother's and his wife's 60th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately my brother had to go into the hospital the day before and was there about five days.  He had a staff infection with high temperatures.  He is again feeling pretty well now and we will probably celebrate the occasion a little later this summer.  The actual date of their marriage was June 21, 1952.  

On June 20 Brother George, a resident in our Health Care Center, celebrated his 90th birthday.  We now have four residents living there who are 90 or over.  

Brother George on his 900th birthday.

That's about it for now.  Keep cool in this hot weather.  God bless and protect all of you. 
The photos included on this blog can be enlarged by clicking on the photo itself.