Flora's Bee Crazy Quilter

I grew up on the north side of Chicago under the bleachers of Wrigley field (down the block actually it just sounds more poetic! )

one block north on grace was an old convent-I don't remember which one-who's bells would toll the hours & had special bells for noon & Monday evening, Saturday & Sunday mass.
all the other churches in the neighborhood would do the same so when the hour came you would hear all the bells go almost at once.
my favorite were the Christmas bells 8:00 in the morning they would peel the descending bells for 10 minutes to celebrate the coming of Christmas morning. i so miss that sound.

behind the high stone walls of the convent used to be an orphanage. which turned into a school for disturbed children. one of the students set the bell tower on fire one night & it fell to the ground with a final muffled bong.

I didn't realize how much I missed the comforting sound of church bells, until we moved into our house & I discovered that st.Ferdinand's church still has bells that toll the hour & have "specials" for noon & high holidays.
the bell towers in Chicago, for the most part are all automated & recorded., or have their bells muted if they have bells in them at all.
yet another part of childhood gone the way of the wrecking ball. sigh