The Bog!

Today we took a long walk through the bog. Some here call it the moors and some the bog. It is beautiful, rugged terrain with heather and heath like one might remember from “Wuthering Heights”. The heather is beginning to bloom now that spring is on its way. We tried to keep to the trails as we were warned by the locals that there are bog holes filled with “quick sand” that will sink a sister up to her waist. We listened to the warning until we saw the ruins of an old cottage up the side of a mountain and promptly climbed a fence to see what it was all about. It was a large cottage built for hobbits as the door “header” was no more than 5 feet high. The stonework is lovely and the stones are everywhere in the bog popping up out of the peat and grass in random, majestic patterns. It is no wonder that some of the stone houses here are so beautiful. From the ruins (which we would love to restore), we hiked to the top of the hill to see the beautiful lake and the ocean at a distance.
Mary Kelly, our host, and James, her son, told us that families used to raise sheep and potatoes in this area and would walk barefoot for miles to see friends and family. And here we were in our Wellingtons and wool socks wondering how they could possibly walk barefoot anywhere (Wellingtons for those who do not know are knee-high rubber boots used while fishing and walking in bogs).
The sheep came close to us until we called to them and then they ran away since they did not know our voices. They are funny, curious creatures. The people are very kind, friendly and a bit shy but they smile when they see us and are glad to have nuns back in the parish.