Bookshelf- Heidi

Heidi is a work of children’s fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning and Heidi: How She Used What She Learned.

It is a novel about a little orphan Heidi who is sent to live with her grandfather in the Alps. Everyone in the village is afraid of him, but Heidi is fascinated by his long beard and bushy grey eyebrows. She loves her life in the mountains, playing in the sunshine and growing up amongst the goats and birds. But one terrible day, Heidi is collected by her aunt and is made to live with a new family in town.

Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written and is among the best-known works of Swiss literature.

Originally written in German, Heidi was later translated into more than 50 languages.

Adaptations of Heidi included an English-language film (1937) starring Shirley Temple and a TV movie (1968) directed by Delbert Mann; the latter was perhaps best remembered in the United States because coverage of a National Football League game ended in order to air the movie, upsetting football fans.

The book is available on amazon kindle.

Feast day of Saint Paschal Baylon- May 17

Paschal Baylon OFM, was a Spanish Roman Catholic lay professed religious of the Order of Friars Minor. He served as a shepherd alongside his father in his childhood and adolescence, but desired to enter the religious life. He was refused once but later was admitted as a Franciscan lay brother and became noted for his strict austerities, as well as his love for and compassion towards the sick. He was sent to counter the arguments of the Calvinists in France but was chased out and nearly killed by a mob. He was best known for his strong and deep devotion to the Eucharist.

His piety drew people from all over seeking his counsel, and at his death caused miracles that were reported at his tomb. He was beatified in 1618; Pope Alexander VIII canonized him a saint on 16 October 1690.

Saint Paschal Baylon is the Patron Saint of:

Eucharistic Congresses, societies and shepherds.

Know your Breed – Samoyeds

The Samoyed Is One of the World’s Oldest Dog Breeds

It is one of the 14 ancient dog breeds with genetic footprints closest to wolves. Samoyeds belong to the Spitz family of dogs, originating in Asia, and were bred by the Samoyede people of Siberia to pull sleds, herd reindeer, and hunt.

The Samoyed is a breed of large herding dogs with thick, white, double-layer coats. They are related to the laika, a spitz-type dog.

It takes its name from the Samoyedic peoples of Siberia. These nomadic reindeer herders bred the fluffy white dogs to help with herding.

Like all purebred dogs, Samoyeds are prone to certain health conditions, including glaucoma, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, diabetes, progressive retinal atrophy, subvalvular aortic stenosis, and cancer.

The Samoyed’s most remarkable feature is her gorgeous, thick white coat. Her eyes are almond-shaped and usually black or brown. Her ears are as furry as the rest of her and stand erect.

Another stunning feature of the Samoyed is her tail, which curls over the back. When feeling relaxed and comfortable, the tail normally falls.

Male Samoyeds stand from 21 to 24 inches tall, females 19 to 21 inches tall. The average weight for a Samoyed is 50 to 60 pounds.

Samoyeds typically have calm temperaments, so they do well around other dogs – especially if they are raised together from an early age.

They are known to live upto 12 to 15 years.

Also check out this link:-

Feast day of Saint Andrew Bobola May 16

Today we are celebrating the feast day of St. Andrew Bobola. He was born in 1591 into a noble family in the Sandomir Palatinate in the Province of Lesser Poland of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, then a constituent part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1611 he entered the Society of Jesus in Vilnius. He subsequently professed solemn vows and was ordained in 1622, after which he served for several years as an advisor, preacher, Superior of a Jesuit residence, and other jobs in various places.

From 1652 Bobola also worked as a country “missionary”, in various locations of Lithuania: these included Polotsk, where he was probably stationed in 1655, and also Pinsk, (both now in Belarus). On 16 May 1657, during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, he was captured in the village of Janów (now Ivanava, Belarus) by the Cossacks of Bohdan Chmielnicki and, after being subjected to a variety of tortures, killed.

You can read more by the following link:-

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=539

Feast day of Saint Isidore May 15

Today we are celebrating the feast of Saint Isidore or Isidore the farmer. The patron saint of farmers.  For a great part of his life he was employed as a laborer on a farm outside the city.

He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622, with Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.”

Related Videos on the saint-

News from around the world

1) Giant asian hornets have been found in Washington, according to scientists. Hornets are not just dangerous to humans, but also a threat to European honeybees.



2) April 25, was recently celebrated as World Penguin day.

3) April 22, is celebrated as Earth day, which was first started in 1970.

4)  Earth is shaking less

The corona pandemic and the subsequent lockdown worlwide, has resulted in a lot less activity on the planet’s surface. As a result of which , the earth is shaking much less.

5) Shimon the musical robot

Researchers from Georgis tech are working to improve a musical robot named Shimon.  Shimon plays music, writes the words to his own songs and sings them too.

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