In the Heat of the Night (and Day)

It has been very hot here--in the 90's every day for 5 days. Since there is no air conditioning in the staff housing nor in the Inn, it is an effort to be energetic. We are not sleeping well because it is so hot, and the guests are probably sleeping even less than we are. As a result, tempers are short. The guests complain about standing in line to eat, standing in line to go to the bathroom, and in the case of those staying in shelters, standing in line to get a bed at night. Sunday a fight broke out during the meal in the dining room. The men involved were both mentally ill, and Mark and Father Michael quickly separated the two and escorted the initiator out of the building. Nevertheless, it disrupted an otherwise tranquil meal.
As the weather has warmed, there seems to be more needy people, and also more crime taking place. This past Sunday, someone went upstairs during the meal and stole the bags of Sr. Mary and Sr. Leslie. Not only did they lose their important identity cards like driver's license and Medicare cards, but each had notebooks with information needed for administration of the Inn. Someone checked nearby trash cans for the bags, but nothing turned up. Of course the credit cards were immediately canceled and new Medicare cards ordered. This morning a minor miracle occurred when one of the friars discovered the bags in the meditation room of the chapel. Apparently the thief had gone through the bags in the quiet chapel before removing one of the wallets. Everything else was intact in the bags.
In addition to the effects on humans, the heat has contributed to an increase in pests. When one enters the Inn at night and turns on the light, the floor is covered with skittering roaches. The smell of warm garbage in our trash yard has attracted other pests. I was sitting outside on Saturday in our backyard when I heard a sound. I looked up, and an eight-inch rat was about a foot in front of me! It sauntered under the fence and was in the trash yard. I may be an animal lover, but this was not "Brother Rat." In fact, it was a very mangy and scary looking rat. The fact that it was out during the day and had portions of its fur missing made me think it might be a very sick rat. I pointed it out again on Sunday to Karen, who is in charge of things like pest control. At the time it was right by our kitchen door. No offense to St. Francis, but this is one of God's creatures that I can do without.