The 4th of July brought our customary Independence Day gaudeamus. Mother John Mary and Sr. Mary Veronica rallied the troops to liberate the flowerbed on Calvary Heights from the oppression of weeds and day lilies. Several other nuns spent their morning in their gardens, too, so everyone worked up an appetite for a big feast of hamburgers and all-American fruit cobbler. After the morning’s hard work, everyone enjoyed an afternoon resting under tents on the cloister patio. There were ice cream bars for all - a real treat! - and some of the more energetic (and competitive) nuns instigated a game of old-fashioned washers. It was a joyful day of fraternal fellowship and celebration of our country’s heritage of freedom.