Lunar New Year…still

It’s now more than three weeks since the Lunar New Year but some vestiges of the celebration are still visible. Here some of the traditional chrysanthemums have been repotted into a planter and are doing quite well.
These chrysanthemums are still in their original pot and still outside the door of a local shop, but they seem to be doing well also.

A truce of sorts

This cat–caught today waiting? resting? stalking? on top of our accounting filing cabinets–and I have a running battle going. Our deaf office building is not “tight” as you might expect a solid concrete building to be. Doors are often just grates; even if solid, they’re mostly open; and the way the tile roof sits on the walls, the cat can always get in and out. I always tried to make sure she was “out” because a previous cat gave birth to a litter of kittens in my office. The cat always makes sure she’s in, and judging from the overturned rubbish bins in the offices, she manages to be “in” a lot, searching for food scraps. I used to chase her out, and then when we were having exasperating rat problems in the Maryknoll office, it occurred to me that maybe we are not having the same problem in the deaf office because of the cat. So now I tolerate her–chasing her out of my office but not getting too exercised when she’s slinking through the second-floor corridors.

Trees: Former Glory

Cambodia has a strong relationship with its trees. Most of the population still cooks using charcoal in open pottery braziers. Heavy wooden stylized furniture is an affirmation of a family’s status or the viability of a company. In the colonial days beautiful tree-lined boulevards graced Phnom Penh. Today much of the urban glory provided by the trees is gone but there are still glimpses in some parts of the city.

Decorative trees in the park-like median between busy lanes of traffic.
Another urban open area with trees.
Some businesses create a welcoming environment with trees.
A remnant of a former beautiful tree-lined boulevard.

Another glimpse of what used to be but now is mostly gone.

Maryknoll Visitor


Today the Cambodia Mission Team was delighted to welcome back Sr. Luise Ahrens who was with us for many years before returning to Maryknoll, New York. It was great to see her again and to celebrate the eucharist with her. She reported it was the first time 2 1/2 months she has been to mass because of Covid restrictions in the U.S.

Two weeks and counting…

Two weeks and a day ago, we celebrated the Lunar New Year. Lots and lots of chrysanthemums were sold to decorate homes and businesses. And apparently a lot of others didn’t get sold. Yesterday I passed these seemingly abandoned flower pots, wilting reminders of the celebration of the Year of the Tiger.