I love my snowdrops. They are the longest lasting flower in the garden. They started blooming in mid January and are still going strong. We had a mild winter, but the cold sure has been hanging on. Once it finally warms up the little sweeties will be done.

Good morning everyonbe. Still no package, and no mail today as we all know it's a holiday. We have been sleeping in so much later these last few days, that not sure we'll hear the alarm tomorrow when it's time to get up for school! My granddaughter had off as of Friday. I better get in the habit since I may be going back to work real soon...sooner rather than never! LOL Mary Ellen, I don't blame you for being partial to the photos. I would be proud as well. Dianne, I can't tell you the number of times I would "remmeber" something, anything...especially that stuff I package up and put in containers in the freezer! LMAO....sometimes it's a defrost everything to determoine what it is. Or defrost what you think were mashed p potatoes and find out it was buttercream icing! My promise to myself this year was to label everything, but I don't always. oh well. One time I had a box take the longest time. When it came down to it, it was never mailed as a priority box, so it took a longer time to get here, perhaps Vina that is what is happeneing? I'm still experiencing great problems with GW. I type to a blank page and then minutes later, the words appear. As of now, I see the paragraph where I mention MaryEllen. It will be minutes before anything else appears and then I have to go back and fix typos. So strange, not sure why this is happening. Spring, plesae come soon, I can no longer take this cold. Have a great Monday! Maryanne

Daisaku Ikeda Quotes Japanese - Writer Born: January 2, 1928 With love and patience, nothing is impossible. Daisaku Ikeda There are no greater treasures than the highest human qualities such as compassion, courage and hope. Not even tragic accident or disaster can destroy such treasures of the heart. Daisaku Ikeda Women are, in my view, natural peacemakers. As givers and nurturers of life, through their focus on human relationships and their engagement with the demanding work of raising children and protecting family life, they develop a deep sense of empathy that cuts through to underlying human realities. Daisaku Ikeda When one takes action for others, one's own suffering is transformed into the energy that can keep one moving forward; a light of hope illuminating a new tomorrow for oneself and others is kindled. Daisaku Ikeda A genuinely happy person is one who has rendered others happy. Daisaku Ikeda Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist. Daisaku Ikeda History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasse. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skillful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom. Daisaku Ikeda Genuine happiness can only be achieved when we transform our way of life from the unthinking pursuit of pleasure to one committed to enriching our inner lives, when we focus on 'being more' rather than simply having more. Daisaku Ikeda The determination to win is the better part of winning. Daisaku Ikeda You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. Daisaku Ikeda The eyes of a poet discover in each person a unique and irreplaceable humanity. While arrogant intellect seeks to control and manipulate the world, the poetic spirit bows with reverence before its mysteries. Daisaku Ikeda Humanity has experienced many revolutionary changes over the course of history: revolutions in agriculture, in science, industrial production, as well as numerous political revolutions. But these have all been limited to the external aspects of our individual and collective lives. Daisaku Ikeda It is natural for us, as human beings, to look forward. Our eyes naturally look ahead. In this sense, we are made for moving toward a goal. Daisaku Ikeda Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others. Daisaku Ikeda People need to be made conscious of a very simple reality: we have no choice but to share this planet, this small blue sphere floating in the vast reaches of space, with all of our fellow 'passengers.' Daisaku Ikeda No one is born hating others. Daisaku Ikeda So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force. Daisaku Ikeda A person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader. Daisaku Ikeda The reactions of the human heart are not mechanical and predictable but infinitely subtle and delicate. Daisaku Ikeda Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born. Daisaku Ikeda Poems and songs penned as an unstoppable outpouring of the heart take on a life of their own. They transcend the limits of nationality and time as they pass from person to person, from one heart to another. Daisaku Ikeda It is crucial that we develop real awareness of ourselves as citizens of Earth, linked by mutual and indissoluble bonds. When we clearly recognize this reality and ground ourselves in it, we are compelled to take a strict accounting of our way of life. Daisaku Ikeda The wisdom and experience of older people is a resource of inestimable worth. Recognizing and treasuring the contributions of older people is essential to the long-term flourishing of any society. Daisaku Ikeda Leadership that exploits and sacrifices young people on the altar of its goals is nothing more than raw, demonic power. Genuine leadership is found in ceaseless efforts to foster young people, to pave the way forward for them. Daisaku Ikeda Human rights will be a powerful force for the transformation of reality when they are not simply understood as externally defined norms of behavior but are lived as the spontaneous manifestation of internalized values. Daisaku Ikeda I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind. Daisaku Ikeda When human beings live together, conflict is inevitable. War is not. Daisaku Ikeda Having lived through the transition from totalitarianism, I am acutely mindful of the need to never take for granted the basic freedoms of thought, expression and belief that democracy brings. Daisaku Ikeda A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past. Daisaku Ikeda No one should be left to suffer alone. Daisaku Ikeda A great revolution in just one single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a society and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of humankind. Daisaku Ikeda The effects of human rights education can be dramatic in awakening people to the value and power of their own lives, as shown in the following stories. Daisaku Ikeda I believe that we must maintain pride in the knowledge that the actions we take, based on our own decisions and choices as individuals, link directly to the magnificent challenge of transforming human history. Daisaku Ikeda A commitment to human rights cannot be fostered simply through the transmission of knowledge. Action and experience play a crucial role in the learning process. Daisaku Ikeda Ultimately, all human activities have as their goal the realization of happiness. Why, then, have we ended up producing the opposite result? Could the underlying cause be our failure to correctly understand the true nature of happiness? Daisaku Ikeda To communicate the truths of history is an act of hope for the future. Daisaku Ikeda We are not merely passive pawns of historical forces; nor are we victims of the past. We can shape and direct history. Daisaku Ikeda We must take steps to prevent further nuclear weapons development or modernization. Daisaku Ikeda But I believe we must not allow feelings of defeat to take root in our hearts. Daisaku Ikeda Faced with stress, too many people feel they have nowhere to turn to, that they don't have access to the kind of friendships or communities where they can easily and openly share their problems and worries. Daisaku Ikeda Divorced from the cosmos, from nature, from society and from each other, we have become fractured and fragmented. Daisaku Ikeda Men and women who know the brutal reality of war, who know that war strips people of their very humanity, must unite in a new global partnership for peace. Daisaku Ikeda I have for some time urged that a nuclear abolition summit to mark the effective end of the nuclear era be convened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 70th anniversary of the bombings of those cities, with the participation of national leaders and representatives of global civil society. Daisaku Ikeda The crucial thing is to arouse the awareness that as a matter of human conscience we can never permit the people of any country to fall victim to nuclear weapons, and for each individual to express their refusal to continue living in the shadow of the threat they pose. Daisaku Ikeda It is only through such real-life daily struggles and challenges that a genuine sensitivity to human rights can be inculcated. This is a truth that is not limited to school education: it applies to all of us. Daisaku Ikeda Where there is an absence of international political leadership, civil society should step in to fill the gap, providing the energy and vision needed to move the world in a new and better direction. Daisaku Ikeda The gratification of desire is not happiness. Daisaku Ikeda The problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual. Daisaku Ikeda All people have a natural desire to be needed, to have their importance to others tangibly confirmed. Daisaku Ikeda In the past, human society provided encouragement and opportunity for people to extend support to each other, especially in highly stressful situations. Daisaku Ikeda Rather than turning away from the staggering scale and depth of misery caused by war, we must strive to develop our capacity to empathize and feel the sufferings of others. Daisaku Ikeda But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress. Daisaku Ikeda Likewise, education can direct people toward good or evil ends. When education is based on a fundamentally distorted worldview, the results are horrific. Daisaku Ikeda Since ancient times, people from throughout Asia have brought to Japan their talents, knowledge and energy, helping to lay the basis for Japan's existence as a country. Daisaku Ikeda Extreme poverty threatens people's right to life itself and makes impossible the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms essential to a humane way of life. Daisaku Ikeda The idea of interdependence is central to Buddhism, which holds that all things come into being through the mutual interactions of various causes and conditions. Daisaku Ikeda No one can live entirely on their own, nor can any country or society exist in isolation. Daisaku Ikeda Roger Miller Quotes American - Musician January 2, 1936 - October 25, 1992 Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. Roger Miller I always took a great deal of pride in being original. Roger Miller I want my music to leave an indelible mark. Roger Miller It's one thing to have talent. It's another to figure out how to use it. Roger Miller

tjkeen.....the vet insisted Aspen did not need an antibiotic. I insisted he get it...he looked like he could barely lift his head. Emaciated....OMG.. Just a big head and spine. Greasy. We had to hand wash him with warm water on a sock. Ivan ate plastic off a new candle. Then ate the roots off an orchid. Each time he'd throw it ALL up, he'd stop eating cat food. Both cats were given appetite stimulants. The L-Lysine was when we saw a real turn around. Aspens eyes are upturned. Rear legs hitch when he walks. He jumps on the cat tree like....he almost misses/vision issues. Likened the look to Down syndrome. A so-called "Down syndrome cat" typically manifests some distinctive characteristics, including: Broad noses. Upturned eyes (which may be set widely apart) Small or unusual ears. Low muscle tone. Difficulty walking. Difficulty with elimination (urination or defecation) Hearing or vision loss. Heart problems. Sooooooooooooooooo........Aspen has more issues than Ivan....and I'm no expert on cat colds. Just getting by day by day. Aspen is walking better now he's exercising. Very quick catching string...or hunting a miller moth. ☺ Still....almost fell off the cat tree today...when he miscalculated the jump. He may be near sighted.