a couple of birthdays

The wife probably does NOT want me talking about the fact that she is now deep into her 50s, and for a month she is 7 years older than me. WOW! Looks like she is 20 to me :) To celebrate her birthday I made her favorite chocolate cookies in Mickey Mouse shape, as you see below.

Buster, our old black lab, turns 12 today. He is so wonderful, the best dog you have ever met. Never has misbehaved, always sweet and friendly...and enormous. His mother was a 126 pound rottweiler, actually, and he was once nearly that heavy.
Buster actually inspired me to put the animals on the pots. You see a pic up there in the collection showing him hanging over the edge of his playpen. (I carred that group of pics to shows for years, telling why I put dogs on pots etc). When he was 6 weeks old, Buster had been hit by a car at our neighbor's house and his leg broken and a concussion. They were just gonna put him to sleep rather than treat him, but we took him to our vet who said he would be fine, and he has been, for 12 years! Always had a small limp, has typical hip problems for a big old dog now, but always active.
Buster has had a tough winter. In December the vet said his kidneys are starting to fail. He fell going down the porch steps on the ice a couple of times back then, so he has not had any walks in the snow, we just go out walking into the yard. I am glad he is making it to this spring, we can walk more easily, but I am very sad to think it may be his last.