Your Legacy Could Be a Tree You Plant

Today is another beautiful spring day in the southern U.S. The rain that was threatening our area yesterday didn't materialize and today it is clear with temperatures in the mid 70s F. Everything is turning green and gardens are beginning to blossom all around us.

We have four new babies at our house.  Our youngest Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Belle, had puppies last Sunday morning. This was her first litter and we weren't sure how she would handle them.  She is an outstanding mom.  Unfortunately, there were two runts born with the four strong and healthy pups. We immediately noticed that they were having trouble nursing and began bottle feeding them.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi --Photo from Wikipedia

I bottle fed them every two hours and was not able to save either one of them.  The whole family fought for them and with them and they spent the little over one day they had on earth in loving warm hands.  They both left this world with full tummies and a family that had done everything it could to pull them through the hard hand life dealt them.  It is not ever easy to lose animals, no easier because the were never destined to make it, but it is a fact of life that not all puppies, kittens, foals, chicks,calves or any other baby are going to make it.  I feel better knowing we fought hard for them, though.

The Friendship Oak at The University of Southern Mississippi's
Gulf Coast Campus, Long Beach,, MS

On to a happier note.  I read this morning that the city of Gulfport, MS has a new campaign to plant live-oak trees throughout the coastal counties.  This is not unusual, since live-oaks some of the hardiest coastal trees one can find.  They live an extremely long time and are able to withstand extremely strong winds, excessive amounts of rain and pretty much anything else the climate can dish out to them except prolonged cold which they never get along the Gulf Coast.  It is not unusual that they are being planted as a tree of choice.  No, what is a bit unusual is that they are being started from acorns that grew on the ancient Friendship Oak from the Gulf Coast Campus of The University of Southern Mississippi.  This tree was a sapling when Christopher Columbus made his first trip to the new world and now its saplings are being planted all over the coast, so in 500 or 600 years from now, folks will be sitting in the shade of their giant limbs sipping a cool one and talking about way back then when these trees were planted.

Plant a tree and leave a living legacy.

Tonight will be busy around our house.  We will be manning the concession stand at the park and taking our youngest to soccer practice.  Then home for a late evening meal to celebrate our 17 year old's birthday.  After that we will find a little time to relax and enjoy family time before retiring for the evening.

Until next time...
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