By Sisters Pat Glinka, SSND and Marianne Roderick, SSND
VA community leader Sister Marianne Roderick drove the VA bus to her brother David’s home in Walkersville, MD on Saturday, October 19, 2024. It was a warm blue-sky day where we were able to sit outside all day.
First, we saw the peacocks (including a baby peachick), the pheasants, and the chickens.
Throughout the morning, we saw David’s grandchildren swinging on the swing set, the older brother, Emmit pushing his younger sister, Scarlett.
We ate fresh fruit including strawberries, pineapples, raspberries, grapes, and cantaloupe cut by Marianne’s niece, Jacquelyn. We also ate candy throughout the day!
At dinner - still under the bluest sky one will ever see - we had hamburgers, French-fried potatoes made from whole potatoes right before our eyes, baked beans, tomatoes, onions and lemonade or iced tea! David was the cook and set everything up for us to enjoy!
A little later we boarded the bus to tour Roderick’s Glade Haven Farm. We saw acres of rye, trenches packed from the harvest, cut corn fields and areas of covered, gigantic farm equipment and dairy cows, pregnant cows, fresh cows, hungry cows, calves, cows being milked and even a calf born that morning.
David was our tour guide. He showed us how the cows’ hooves are trimmed and medicine given to the sick cows and calves. What agricultural knowledge we received! Just before we left the farm, three of David’s grandchildren entertained us with their activities on the outdoor trampoline.
After returning to the homestead, we enjoyed ice cream and homemade cookies and brownies created by Jacquelyn and Scarlett. Another of David’s daughters, Jichaela, joined us with her two sons, Austin and Daniel.
Having enjoyed a beautiful day in the Season of Creation, we traveled back to VA. It was a glorious day of seeing a marvelous farm and meeting a hardworking, generous family who gave of their free time to host us. Thank you, David Roderick and family and Sister Marianne Roderick!
Photos by Sisters Carleen Cekal and Immaculata N. Nwachukwu, SSND; and our Vietnamese visitor Seminary Student Sister Huyen. We were delighted to be joined by our Nigerian Sister/NDMU students Eti-ini, Grace and Immaculata N. Nwachukwu; our Vietnamese visitor seminary student Sister Huyen; and our VA Sisters Pat Shea, Carleen Cekal, Rita Dorn, and Pat Glinka.
Our Nigerian Sisters NDMU students Immaculata, Eti-ini, Grace, and our Vietnamese Seminary student Sister Huyen
The pheasants belong to David.
One calf chewed on Carleen’s slacks and a couple others licked the Sisters fingers.
