My two youngest granddaughters live on acreage “out-of -town” with an assortment of four-legged friends.
Long time readers of this column might remember that the older sister, GD#6, once bonded with a turkey. It was a mutual admiration affair, I never did figure out what the attraction was, but who can explain love?
The girls enjoy close relationships with all their animals (except maybe the goats) and both are in 4H. GD#6’s projects involve her horse and a pig. GD#7 is too young for an animal project but other activities keep her busy.
4H is more than 100 years old and it’s easy to see why it has lasted, the values the young’uns learn will last through their lifetimes.
On a different, but somewhat related subject, does anyone remember the cartoons showing an old man with a long gray beard holding a sign saying, “The end is nigh?”
Well, more and more scientists (97.1per cent) are saying that given the way the global climate is changing, the end really is getting nigher. Even the mainstream media are reporting on melting glaciers, arctic ice and raising ocean levels. Lawsuits against governments and corporations on environmental issues are growing (a Texas family recently won $2.9 million from a gas company for damage done to them from fracking).
Religious leaders have gotten into it, with Pope Francis saying we are “Custodians of Creation” and Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu lashing out against the Alberta tar sands. U.S. President Obama has joined the climate change activists, announcing his government’s plans to reduce carbon emissions and to lead international efforts to address the issue.
He says “we will have the satisfaction of knowing that the world we leave to our children will be better off for what we did.”
Better for my grandchildren too. And for another century of 4H’ers. Are our politicians listening?
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.