Why we need a "watch dog"....

We have a working relationship with the local racoons, they sneak into our yard at night and dig up the grubs that would otherwise turn our lawn that unsightly brown. We also have a dog that sleeps in the backyard at night. She is mostly if not entirely deaf, so we have had no problems with the wildlife grub police sneaking in. Our dog is so deaf in fact, that an actual prowler was seen climbing our deck stairs to our backdoor (the deckstairs pass over her dog house) to check to see if our door was locked. Happy ending it was! I'm sure the dog does not realize that a raccoon is dangerous wildlife because she suffers from a severe case of "little dog" syndrome. She's only ferocious when she has obvious backup or if she wants to annoy our cat. Sometime around 3 a.m. (because that is when all the growling and barking started) this little critter was "tree'd" by our ferocious dog. Won't she be surprised when she finds the cat asleep in his bed in the garage? Now what to do with a baby racoon in the the backyard tree? Any suggestions?

Should the "mother-of-the-bride" really take the pictures?

It was and always is my goal to make the bride happy. Paramount it is her day and things should be just as she wants them. Add one easy-going daughter to the mix who chooses her dress, her temple, her groom, her colors and her date and then walks away from all other decisions to be made. That's evidently what mothers are for. Paybacks are always a bummer and somewhere in the back of my mind I can't wait until she will be mother-of-the-bride. I think that is one of the only things that can make aging fun, when you see your children having to step up to the same challenges that they created for you as parents. Another lesson learned, is when a couple are really in love, the photographer is just a prop to their time spent getting to know each other. While it is difficult to marry off a child, there does come a point, when every child although loved unconditionally, has so annoyed you that they must move out to avoid personal harm and injury at the mother's hand. I know it's shocking, but every mother-of-the-bride is chuckling because she knows just what I mean. ;D

Freedom is not now nor has it ever been free...

This is an older picture from my archive of images. This was taken at the Viet Nam War Memorial in Washington D.C., the subject in the foreground is my son. Each name engraved on the black marble memorializes someone who gave their life to secure our freedom. Each name represents a family that suffered the loss of a loved one. In our everyday life with all our modern conveniences it's easy to forget that all of our present abundance was paid for by a sacrifice. May we always have a deep abiding gratitude for all the bounty we partake of freely. May we always be present when we are called on to vote and make changes to our country so we can be accountable for those changes and so we can continue to celebrate our independence day without another civil war. Freedom is by far a most precious gift to be guarded and cherished for there are many who don't share our many freedoms. Happy Independence day!!!