This is my mother with Mattie Monday, a stray picked up by our son-in-law Warren. She got her name from being very matted and wandering in on a Monday.

Mattie is one to thrust herself into life. There is nothing tentative about her. I had her out for a walk one day in the winter and she was immediately headfirst in a snow bank. She had to find out what was in there. As it turned out there were some leaves and sticks.

I have never seen Mom holding a dog on her lap before. Mattie is different.