Fire

Mt. Tabor on fire

Terrible news coming in right now ... Mt. Tabor is on fire. The Basilica of the Transfiguration is in danger of damage ... and the only road leading up to the basilica is blocked by the fire. Because the entire mountain is surrounded by oak and bay trees, it's easy to catch fire ... though we're not ruling out foul play. Many of our churches have been destroyed by arsonists these past 10 years. Luckily our friars and workers have been evacuated safely. But the farm animals might not be so lucky. Let's pray and hope they'll all be safe and the churches (Catholic and Orthodox) will not be touched by the fire. Mt. Tabor is the traditional site where christians believe Jesus transfigured.

The weather has been very hot during today with strong winds blowing. That is a bad element for forest fires like at Mt. Tabor. My night jasmine has shrivelled in the heat ... all the leaves have turned yellow and droopy. Hope it doesn't die. I've been pumping lots of water to it.

Fresh fruit arrive at 6am

And our northern border is not very tranquil as the war machines are gathering on both sides of the border. And we also hear of protests and violence at Wadi Hummus where the Israeli govt has bulldozed very many arab houses. Summer doesn't look too promising. Well that goes for Hong Kong too .... the growing violence is unprecedented ... and even here people are talking about conspiracy theories. Nothing good will come from all the violence .... learn from us here.

The weekend is back and I'm looking forward to some rest .... that's a joke. Cleaning the library continues tomorrow ... but I must limit the hours so I actually do get some rest. Last night I slept only 3 hours because I had several work to do. And I was afraid I would oversleep for Mass at the Ivrea Convent so I didn't dare sleep. On my way there I saw lots of fresh fruit loaded at Herod's Gate. It great to eat juicy fresh fruit in this heat but if left under the sun, they shrivel and turn yellow quickly.