February the month of love

Waiting to see if these two will be parents soon.

Jelly 2018 number one

Started making jelly. My goal is one per month. Yes, I know I'm late posting January's,  but I am so happy with the color.

It's Mountain Dew jelly, because fruit isn't in season just yet.

Broken heart...

I have to admit it. When I pulled up to the post office this morning, the sight of the flags flying half mast made me more than a little bit teary eyed.
Yesterday, among all the flowers and balloons celebrating a day of Love, a 19 year old shot and killed 17 people at a high school in Florida. Reading about who those students were-they had so much promise and life ahead of them-only makes me sadder. There were at least two adults killed trying to protect students. One stepped directly between the shooter and students-he suffered bullet wounds that eventually led to his death. The other was struck after unlocking his class room door to allow more kids in to hide.
I wish I had answers on why this happened or how to prevent it in the future, but I don't. I do know that as a society we can't let keep letting this happen to our children and those who educate them. To do nothing is not acceptable.

God Bless Texas

Texas executed a man tonight. He had been on death row for 17 years. I don't understand why he got to live that long at the tax payer's expense. There was no question of his guilt. He shot his daughters while they pleaded for their lives and their mother listened helplessly on the phone. Faith and Liberty (I'm not making this up) were only 6 and 8 years old. Sorry, I'm glad some states still use the death penalty.

Turkeys Versus Eagles

Did you know at one time Benjamin Franklin wanted our national bird to be the turkey instead of the eagle? His reasoning? Eagles will swoop in and steal fish from other animals while the upstanding turkey acquires all of his food by himself and turkeys are really, really smart. They're pretty and protective ( I know this first hand being chased from a nest by Mr. Tom). Their skill isn't in flying. They can fly, but for short distances and certainly not for very long.
But eagles?
I don't think there's anything quite like seeing an eagle soar. It's like the wind caters to the eagle's whims. They're beautiful, powerful birds. A fierce foe. Most Native American tribes believe the eagle is a medicine bird with magical powers.
I bet you wonder where all this is coming from. After all, it's not Thanksgiving. No turkey dinners are planned that I know of and America's birthday is almost a month a way. Would it surprise you that the Eagle reminds me of the armed forces? One special person in the armed service is really getting ready to spread his wings and fly. My nephew Connor leaves for Japan for an assignment with the U.S. Marines.
My heart goes out to his momma. I know that they have an intensely close relationship. They always will. She'll miss him more just knowing he's half way around the world.
But sister, when our kids leave the nest, they aren't turkeys. They don't just hop short distances away. They soar wherever their destiny takes them. They're fierce. Magical. Beautiful and strong. I'm proud you gave him wings and roots too.

Harley

It's hard to believe that six months ago this little dog wasn't even alive and I had no clue he would be joining our family. I worried about getting a third dog. How could I love him as much as my sweet  Oscar and precious Dixie?
I don't know how he did it, but he's stolen part of my heart too. It could be that I see nothing but love in his eyes. It could be the way he runs up and down the hall for long periods of time or the way he plays fetch with the toddler down the road.
His bark is different from the others, but just like Oscar and Dixie he adores Fluffy the cat. He likes his snacks and cuddling. He's growing so fast-he's larger than Dixie now, but he's kept his dark red color.

Seven years old

 So my youngest nephew turned seven. It comes as no surprise that he can sing this song word for word:

Once I was seven years old, momma told me
Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely
Once I was seven years old

And he did.  And he did flips:

Jumped for joy:

And blew out candles on a cake:

I should mention that his mom made the cake and it looked fabulous.