We are back to creating another diary entry. Today has been mostly overcast, though surprisingly warm. Once again, this allowed for capturing some unseen and beautiful areas of the monastery grounds. Over the passed few weeks, a number of people have been busy in the removing of weeds and planting of plants and today the fruit of their efforts was recorded on my little camera. The variety of flowering plants is astonishing, even for someone from California. Many of the plants are unfamiliar to me by name, though I recognize them by sight. One plant that immediately captured my attention was the iris; we have several varieties, purple, white, blue, golden yellow and all so beautiful. Among the nonflowering plants, there are hundreds of shades of green so that these are also interesting and pleasing to the eye. Another aspect of the variety of plant life is the fact of textures, so many textures. This also makes for pleasant visual exercise as well as calming of the senses. All are gifts from God and another reminder to all that, “Christ is Risen!