LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, May 3, 2019

Loving Lucy


Yet another week of nice weather.  I was surprised to find one-way traffic twice this week while road crews cleared up more landslides and fallen trees.  Looking at some of the ridges above the roads one can see exposed roots of large trees.  It appears they could fall at any time.  So while the rains have stopped, the dangers remain.

I find myself more and more looking at old photographs of a younger Lucy.  She was such an active and competitive dog.  Independent and somewhat difficult to train, and acting more like a puppy or adolescent far into her adulthood.  She loved to run and we were fortunate to have several places in which our dogs could run freely off leash.  Lucy routinely ran until she was exhausted.  No such thing as pacing oneself, it was all about going.

Lucy, the eight-year-old puppy


On the one hand, it's sad to see her so much less active.  She rarely runs and then only for a few feet.  But on the other hand, she seems to enjoy life.  She isn't having pain and she still approaches us for extra hugs.  She enjoys her food and snacks and loves sitting on the deck.  She really loves the sunshine and will find a sunbeam if there is one to find.  Best of all is that she is still with us and still enjoys life.  What more can anyone ask?

Snoozing in the sun once again


Hard to imagine, but our Violet will be two years old this month.  Our daughter sent her Neil Gaiman's set of books about Chu, a sneezing Panda.  She included a stuffed Panda as well.  When it arrived, Violet decided it must be hungry after the trip so she fed it a toy cracker.  She is very serious about caring for her animals.  (She learned a sad lesson about feeding stuffed animals real food like blueberries.  That didn't turn out so well.)   Her little kitchen, complete with microwave is behind her.  She does a lot of cooking there.


Feeding her new panda



Oh, and she's learning to do duck lips


It is fitting that today's quotes involve the environment.  The first is from Gaylord Nelson:

"The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard."

The other quote is from Mohandis Ghandi:

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs,
But not every man's greeds."

As proof that the fox is not a good guardian of the henhouse, the head of the Interior Department has announced a relaxation of the rules for deep water oil drilling.  These rules were put in place after the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe and will put the oceans in danger of more.  The new rules allow the oil companies to do their own safety inspections and will not be required to report the results.  Does it make you feel better that this will save the oil companies money?  Me neither.

The "leaders" of the United States do not seem to be willing to sacrifice anything for future generations.  They seem to think the entire earth belongs to Americans and that we are free to make terrible decisions that affect the other people inhabiting this planet.


HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK

DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE FUTURE

9 comments:

Lowcarb team member said...

It doesn't seem possible that May is here, the days pass by so quickly.

You've shared such lovely pictures of Lucy and sweet Violet too … they certainly made me smile.

Have a good weekend.

All the best Jan

Barbara Rogers said...

Such a sweet story about Lucy...she has run herself through such bliss into a time of rest. And oh my goodness, Violet is simply adorable. Almost 2 already - it is indeed hard to believe. As far as our governance goes, we are having a really rough patch, and unfortunately these days the slip of a hand impacts so many so much more than it did say, a hundred years ago. We've lost the space/time for forgiveness as our international pot has shrunk.

KB said...

One of the things that I love most about dogs is that they can "smile" and be peacefully happy no matter how their lives change due to health or aging. They are my inspiration. Lucy looks like she's smiling. You are pampering her in a wonderful way! Give her an extra pat from me.

Violet is beyond cute - I love the photos and stories that you share!

Nance said...

Violet is already one of the more interesting people that I know.

I cannot possibly improve upon Barbara Rogers' first sentence in her comment above regarding Lucy. It is perfect.

Rick and I have redoubled and trebled our own efforts in reducing our environmental impact in every way we can in response to this administration's wreckage. I'm grateful that we chose to buy hybrids for our cars years ago. We all need to do what we can now, individually, since we cannot depend upon larger entities to play fairly.

Anonymous said...

Love seeing Lucy enjoying those sunlit moments. That's the best! Violet is quite a presence already. She really is adorable. I wish we all lived in a time of an awakened consciousness that perceives the ruin we will be leaving upon our beautiful earth. I am utterly baffled and truly saddened by the times we are living in. Sigh.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Sweet sweet Lucy! She's settling into old age gracefully.
No, I can't believe Violet is almost two; that went by fast for me. LOL!
The oil drilling.....*ughhhh*

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

It's always nice to read how much Lucy is enjoying sunbeams and long naps. We humans could learn some lessons from her. Violet is growing up fast, much like our 2-year old granddaughter. From what you have written, she sounds like a loving and caring child, which are also traits that would benefit many adults as well.

Joared said...

Lucy is so fortunate to have such an understanding caring family that she must appreciate and knows love her. Violet is an intriguing little girl you must enjoy watching explore her world.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Jan - Thanks. We are loving some of your recipes.

Barbara - It is hard to believe Violet is almost two. What a blessing she is.

KB - You are right. We should all try to be like our dogs and just accept what is.

Nance - Yes, the big guys are not going to play fair so it's up to the rest of us. If only we can all come together.

Robin - Like you, I am baffled that these people don't seem to care about the future for their own children and generations to come.

Suz - The two years really did go by fast for us as well.

Beatrice - Yes, we could learn a lot from our dogs. Violet has a very good nature. Good thing or she would otherwise be really spoiled.

Joared - Yes, it is amazing to see Violet learning new things. And Lucy does seem happy.