This Sunday the gingerbread church at the low end of Windsor Terrace, that is, The Church of the Holy Apostles, will be celebrating the feast of St. Francis of Assisi and blessing the animals in the church garden. This will be a refreshing reversal of the pets' usual blessing-the-humans role. The celebration begins at 4:30, 612 Greenwood Avenue. The flier says "Bring that special canine, feline, reptile, fish or bird to receive a special prayer and a word of thanks for their place in our hearts and lives." I notice they don't mention rodents, would it be heresy to show up with rats?
We've come a long way since medieval times when the massacre of cats (and their eccentric women friends) enabled Europe to be overrun by fleas carrying the plague that wiped out 1/3 of the population. We may not be as protective as the ancient Egyptian who'd execute anyone who killed a cat, even if accidentally, but then again, we're not as concerned with falling victim to the asp hunting mice in the grain stores.
Above is King Edward, a South Slope stray taken in by friends, who kindly posed for a royal portrait. I hope he finds it flattering enough, or I may lose my head.
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