Golden Lucy and Sweet Toddler

Lucy takes a very expensive arthritis pill every morning before breakfast.  So first thing when my husband gets up, she takes her place near the kitchen cabinet where the pills and treats are kept.  The two of them get up very early.

Lucy waits patients for her morning treat

Hurry up, Dad.  I'm waiting.

The pills have worked magic for her and she does not seem to have any pain when she takes them.  Her lameness has not progressed to other areas and does not seem any worse than before.  So if she does have a tumor (as the veterinarian highly suspects), it must be a slow-growing one.  She still seems to enjoy her life and we definitely enjoy having her around.

As Lucy ages and no longer runs in the outdoors, our Violet is growing fast  and running and discovering the wonders of the outdoors.  Their very large front yard is full of trees, so they do not plant grass but allow the natural bed of ground cover, weeds and wildflowers to flourish were the grass will not.  They did scatter daffodil bulbs all over which is gorgeous when they are blooming.  Regular trimming keeps the yard attractively managed so the neighbors don't complain about a "field" growing there.  But while others are killing off the dandelions and other wildflowers, our son and his family are enjoying them.

Violet recently discovered the art of blowing dandelion fluff.  She hasn't quite mastered it but she is learning.

First, you find just the right one.

Yes, this one is perfect, so I'll pick it.

Then you hold it up and blow and blow like this.

I think you need to hold it a bit closer, Violet.

But you have the right idea.

It's a common passage of life, isn't it?  Our dogs grow old and our grandchildren grow up.  It's Nature's way and we cannot stop either from happening.  And that's a good thing.  We humans have demonstrated over and over again that we should not be in charge.

Noted anthropologist, the late Margaret Mead provides our first quote:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

And we would be remiss if we did not include a quote by Jim Fowler, renowned zoologist who died only two days ago:
"Our challenge for the future is that we realize that we are very much a part of the earth's ecosystem,
And we must learn to respect and live according to the basic biological laws of nature."

Compare those quotes to the ones from our (gulp) Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo who is excited about the melting sea ice in the Arctic.  In a speech at the Arctic Summit in Finland, Pompeo gave us the following quote:
"Steady reductions in sea ice will open new passageways and new opportunities for trade...the forefront of opportunity and abundance."
Yes, the Arctic region has reportedly lost 90,000 square miles of sea ice since last year alone, and the United Nations reports over a million species are at risk of extinction due to human influence in climate change.  But  Pompeo also defended President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.  Because he said:
"Collective goals, even when well-intentioned, are not always the answer."
No, Mr. Pompeo.  But they are at least a beginning.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE

REMEMBER YOUR MOTHER ON THIS MOTHER'S DAY

AND YOUR MOTHER EARTH AS WELL