Winter in the northeast can be snowy and cold and can sometimes work havoc on scheduling.  So it is with our annual Three Kings celebration. Preston High School tries to host the Mustard Seed  kids every year for Three Kings Day; or the Epiphany; which is January 6.  But, as has been the case the last couple of years, unfavorable weather prevailed, and so the day was postponed.

So, two months late, on Saturday March 6, the Mustard Seed kids finally got to celebrate Three Kings Day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          Some kids had their nails done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             There were toys and games inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             And it was warm enough for some outdoor playing as well. We couldn't have done this in January!

Well, it was such a good idea and such a great time two weeks ago, so "Let's do it again".  This time we'll take more kids!

So, Sunday, February 14, it was back to the Stony Ford Golf Course and Orange County Park for another day of snow tubing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Days like this and facilities like this help make winter in the northeast an enjoyable time.

President's Day, Monday, February 15, was another one of those cold, damp days so common during winter in the Northeast. And, of course, it was a school holiday.  So, why not a day at the movies? And what movie would one want to see in the early days of 2010 other than Avatar?

The kids were enthralled and mesmerized by the sci-fi classic. Ultimately Pandora was saved from exploitation of it's mineral wealth. Plans are being considered to establish a Na'vi cultural studies project at MSMM.

 

For about the past 4 or 5 months, Mustard Seed house has been the site of a recurring assault by particularly large and aggressive raccoon. Sisters Pam and Fran took to calling him Randy, but in spite of the familiarity of naming a wild animal as if he was a pet, this raccoon was far from a pet. More like a pest. He was frequently getting into the garbage and recycling, and especially liked the bird seed and suet.

So, an ongoing campaign has been waged to capture and remove this raccoon. Unfortunately,  he was too big for a standard woodchuck-size Have-a-Heart trap. But, recently, board member Joseph (Joe Boy) Maggio obtained an oversize trap, and although Randy eluded capture for three more nights, success was attained on the night of February 8th.

Randy now resides on the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge in Pine Island, NY. May he be well, do good work,  but not keep in touch.

MSMM board member Colleen Reilly, and her husband Jim, have taken a leadership role in recreational activities at Mustard Seed.  They have been organizing men's volleyball games; family game nights; and other events.

On Sunday, February 7, Collen and Jim took a group of our kids snow tubing. Orange County operates a fine snow tubing facility at Stony Ford County Park. For a small fee, kids and adults spend the day going up and down the hill in large plastic tubes. A fine day was had by all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group got home in time to see the Super Bowl. Sisters Pam and Fran, who are not normally big sports fans, did express happiness that New Orleans won. It would seem only appropriate for a religious community to support the Saints.