Photo of the Day: Caretaker of The Earth and Wild Lupine

Camera: Canon 5D | Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM | Setting: f/4, 1/1600th sec, ISO 100

I have to admit that I dug this one up from the archives, March of 2008.  GOD!  It's crazy . . . in this picture Chloe hasn't even been on this planet for a year.  And just look at her, patting at wild lupine like they were old buddies.

How about that chunky diet-of-milk-only-please grin? Just this morning, conversely, I battled with her to get a pony tail in her hair - she cried, I won, she slapped at me.  Now that she's a full two-and-a-half, she's officially turning into a turd.  I had a friend warn me once that, "when they turn two, they're just another brat."  Thank God for photographs to stir weepy old memories.

The spring of 2008 was a good one for wildflowers at my "secret spot" off of Highway 60 east of Phoenix.  This unusual afternoon Chloe and I were home alone and I wanted to get outside.  At this stage, infants are so agreeable.  I packed her a blanket and a few toys so we could come outside and check out the wildflower spread.  I wandered around snapping pictures and keeping an eye on her, lest she snatch a flower stem and stick it in her mouth.  Which she tried.

Tonight, I read through the latest Orion Magazine. In it, I clutched onto a letter to the editor that contained this nice little summary: "We all need a little respite from the distractions of shallow commercialism, in part to remember that we are solely responsible for the health of this Earth."

At just under a year old, she's quite the caretaker.  I think it's sticking.  She's an artist, she loves books, she likes playing outside.