LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, June 19, 2015

We Love Lucy



We encounter box turtles every now and again.  Usually dogs become quite excited at seeing them.  Even the best trained bird dogs will point a turtle in the field, much to the dismay of the hunters who are expecting a covey of birds.

 My husband spotted a turtle the other day.  He was crawling across the driveway looking, I am sure, for his brown-eyed lady friend.  (The turtle, friends, not my husband.)



When Lucy spotted the turtle, she ran right up to sniff it.


You may need to click to enlarge the following pictures to see the turtle.







The turtle made the slightest move.  Lucy jumped back to give it plenty of space.






She was clearly fascinated by the turtle but she didn't dare to approach it.
She stood at attention and watched as the turtle disappeared under the shrubbery. 
Silly dog.




Our thoughts go out to all of those suffering in this world.  We are especially thinking of the friends and family members of the victims at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC.

It is fitting that our quote for today comes from a eulogy delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963.  He was speaking at the combined funeral service for the four little girls who also lost their lives in a church.

"And so today, you do not walk alone."

I wish I could believe that this senseless act, yet another in a continuing string, would stimulate our leaders to do more for gun control in our country.  I fear it will not.  I wish we would stop proclaiming that racial discrimination and hatred has ended.  It has not.  We must all try to find ways to make this country safe for every citizen.  We must stop white-washing the truth and look at the reality of our culture.  When, oh when, will we ever learn?


HAVE A SAFE WEEKEND, EVERYONE



12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is so cute to see Lucy investigating that turtle. Makes me wonder what her dog brain makes of such a creature.

Reading Martin Luther King's quote reminds me of how much and how little things have changed in all these years.

Carolina Linthead said...

Awww...silly Lucy. At least you know what she was investigating this week! I cried all afternoon yesterday, and raged all evening. I am, sadly enough, an expert in white terror. I didn't set out to be, but the topic drew me in. I write about racial violence in post-emancipation Kentucky. I've come across numerous accounts of ministers being killed, as they were seen as leaders and organizers, and therefore dangerous. The beat-down goes on. To his credit, President Grant acted and waged war on the Klan, with the support of a Congress determined to secure equal protection under the law for African Americans. Sigh...145 years later, we still have white terror, and we still have not secured equal protection under the law. It is a crime against humanity itself, and we rightly continue to be ridiculed and condemned by other nations for our failure to confront our demons as a nation.

Cheryl said...

Dear sweet Lucy....I love the unfolding (gentle) drama.......

So very sad.....my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones.
Where on earth are we going ?

KGMom said...

It is such a balm to come here and read your opening account of Lucy and the turtle. Nice to have a sweet simple interchange to think about.
Oh, the latest mass shooting is awful.
When will we come to our senses? And the way in which some news reporters are trying to say--well, this wasn't a hate crime. Or this was an accident. Or this was an attack on Christians. We can't even be honest about what it was--pure and simple and evil hate--a crime against black people in general. The shooter had little sense of who the individual people were--he only saw a mass identity.
So so sad.

Ms. A said...

Not a thing wrong with Lucy being curious... but thank goodness it wasn't a snake!

Tara said...

I think it's amazing that Lucy had enough sense to observe and not to molest the turtle. They know more than we give them credit for.

My animals have been my balm this past week. And reading good words like the ones in your post. The only comfort in this is that there are many, many good people just like you, who stand with all who grieve and all who work for a better future.

Lowcarb team member said...

Love the pictures of Lucy and the turtle ...

Your last few paragraphs were a blessing to read and my thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones.

All the best Jan

KB said...

Very cute photos of Lucy examining the turtle!!

I agree - when oh when will the majority of our country learn that we need better gun control. I'm actually fairly extreme and would like unbelievably tight control (my views were triggered by a convicted felon who, contrary to the law that felons can't possess guns, had a gun and killed my dog years ago). But, I'd settle for baby steps if that's all that the country can handle.

Another terrible tragedy...

The Bug said...

My aunt has a dog who brings her box turtles as gifts, which she then has to return to the woods around her home. I guess Lucy has more sense than Luka :)

Yes, Charleston is so very very sad - and infuriating. I'm not sure that gun control is even the right conversation at this point - this was indoctrination into white supremacy. Sigh.

troutbirder said...

The so called pundits on talk radio & Fox TV, twisting facts and using code words are to blame more than anything. They strengthen promote and inflame racist attitudes and fears among a significant minority of whites and cleverly absolve themselves of blame. On a similar note, Ian Paisley, had such an effect during the decades long violence in Northern Ireland....

Vicki Lane said...

"yet another in a continuing string." I could weep at the blindness and arrogance of those politicians who refuse to initiate or consider even the smallest steps toward gun control. And I can't begin to express my rage at the NRA and right wing media and the white supremacist organizations who fuel this madness.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Robin - So true. Not enough change so far. We have a long way to go.

Linthead - I totally agree. We do indeed have plenty of white terror and terrorists.

Cheryl - I wonder that myself.

Donna - Yes, it is interesting how some politicians have danced around the words "hate crime." They simply don't want to admit what it really is.

Mrs. A - So far Lucy has not encountered a snake. I do hope she would back away from it.

Lowcarb - Yes, our hearts do go out to those affected more directly.

KB - Yes, baby steps would be a start. I cringe to think that it is now lawful to carry weapons into our State and National forests. I'm more fearful of idiots with guns than any animal we might encounter on the hiking trails.

Bug - I've heard lots of stories of dogs playing with turtles like footballs. Thank goodness Lucy left this one alone.

Troutbirder - I totally agree that the so-called media play a significant role in the violence in our country.

Vicki - I agree. I was enraged to hear an NRA spokesman blame the pastor who banned guns from the church. The spokesman said that there would have been fewer deaths had someone in the prayer group had a gun. Just sickening.