Sunday Stills: Always Be My Baby

two fledgling birds
Perplexed Freshly Fledged Phoebes

This week’s theme is about babies. Any kind of baby is welcomed if you are participating in the photo challenge. In this post you will see baby humans, baby birds and animals and even baby trees!

Babies of the Animal Kingdom

Besides the cute Say’s Phoebe fledglings that joined us on May 12, here are a couple of cute photos from around our neighborhood in 2025.

I couldn’t resist adding these playful Dachshund puppies that lived across the street from us last year.

white puppies

The pup on the right below was born with several recessive genes that rendered him both blind and deaf. You can see the blue merle (gray-black) marking above his eye. Blue merle coloring in dogs is a recessive gene as well. His other eye is an empty socket. This did not stop him from playing with his sister. His sense of smell was incredible and you wouldn’t suspect he was blind and deaf if you didn’t know.

two white puppies

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” — Charles M. Schulz

My Boykin Spaniel, Brodie, is 9 years old now.

He thinks he is the boss of our neighborhood!

deer
Brodie on Deer Duty

“A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” – Carl Sandburg

Alas, Our (Fur) Babies Leave Us

If you have ever loved a dog, you know the heartbreak of saying goodbye when the time comes. Brodie is our current lovebug, but we loved his fur-buddies who have left us. Sadly, Woody, who was the litter mate of my little Aero, and brother of Gideon, went to Heaven this week.

White dog
Woody

Woody was the last of the brothers. he would have been 16 in July. Woody, may your sweet spirit run free with Aero and Gideon, and the other sweet dogs that preceded you!

2 white dogs 2 brown dogs
Left to right, Woody, Aero, Gideon (back) and Baby Brodie in 2017
white and brown dogs
Brothers Gideon and Aero, both left us in 2022

“I love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” – Robert N. Munsch

Celebrating

Last Thursday, my nephew, Cody, all grown up, graduated from the US Air Force Basic Training. Family members made the trip from California and Arizona to watch the graduation at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. We are all so proud of this young man who graduated from high school in 2025. His proud father is on the right. In white is my step-mom!

4 people
Nephew Graduates USAFB Basic Training

And Remembering…

Cody’s Grandpa (“Papa”), my Dad, would also have been proud. He’s saying, “This one’s for you!”

Man playing guitar
Dad Playing Guitar 1990

This time last year, we celebrated the life of my father with a memorial service in Arizona.

“To the world, he was a soldier. To our family, he was the foundation. This Memorial Day, we honor the grandfather who gave his tomorrow for our today.” Unknown

This is an old family photo of me as a baby held by my cute brunette mom (front row), and my tall, proud dad in the back row. Far left is another baby, my cousin, also born in December 1959.

old family portrait
Webster Family 1960

Dad, thank you for your service in the Navy during the Korean War. And to all the military veterans who sacrificed everything for our country.

Sharing for Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently from mine.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

If you are participating in the photo challenge, I look forward to seeing how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore Bicycles.

red white blue swatch
American Flag

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” — George S. Patton

Happy Memorial Day and Holiday Weekend in the USA.

graphic

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© 2026 Copyright — Terri Webster Schrandt and secondwindleisure.com — All Rights Reserved


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16 responses to “Sunday Stills: Always Be My Baby”

  1. Terri, your babies are wonderful and thank you for your Memorial Day tribute. Congratulations to your nephew! As an Air Force Brat the Air Force is near and dear to my heart.

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  2. A wonderful post, Terri. I’m sure those family memories will remain close to your heart. Your “babies” photos brought to mind a British series Lynn and I are watching, William and Mary. He’s an undertaker, she’s a midwife, and their journey from a dating‑service match to a blended family—and a new baby of their own—has been a fun weekly binge for us.

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  3. Lovely post Terri. Love the old photo of your family and that puppy is a wonder. Animals adapt in amazing ways. Here’s mine this week: https://grahamsisland.com/2026/05/24/keep-on-running/

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  4. […] This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Babies.’ See more responses here. […]

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  5. What a beautiful, touching post, Terri! Such a sweet array of dogs and humans, too! I love the photo of your dad and his guitar. Happy Memorial Day weekend! I’ve linked my post with babies to yours, though I shared it yesterday. I found the ducklings and goslings I’ve been looking for. 🙂 Looking for Ducklings at Coulon Park – Cats and Trails and Garden Tales

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  6. […] P.S. Linking my post to this week’s Sunday Stills photo challenge, Babies! […]

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  7. A lovely post, Terri. Congratulations to your nephew, Cody. I saw some babies this weekend in the bush 🤗

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Robbie! I knew my nephew when he was a baby, how is he old enough to graduate from basic training?

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  8. Terri, thank you for sharing this beautiful post! I thank your family for their service. Our family lost our beautiful Standard Poodle when I was 11 years young and I still grieve her. Her name was Candy. The photo from 1960 is wonderful, that is my birth year. Hve a wonderful holiday! 🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸🇺🇸

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Happy to, John! It is so difficult to lose our fur babies. They are like children whom we take care of their whole lives. Thank you, my dad would have been so proud to see Cody graduate from USAF basic training. The coincidence of the occasion was obviously not lost on me and the last thing I thought about when deciding on the Sunday Stills theme for this week.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. A lovely post my friend! 🇺🇸🙏🏻❤️

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  9. Thank you to your Dad and all those who served in guarding the freedoms we enjoy. I am sorry for your loss of your Dad, Terri. I like your heartfelt words shared under his photo in this post. The Phoebe fledglings are too cute. Lovely photo gallery, Terri. Have a blessed day and Memorial weekend.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Suzette! I didn’t think that the Memorial Day holiday would look different now after we celebrated dad’s life last year on this date. My nephew’s graduation from basic training just days before the holiday, made this more poignant than I could ever imagine.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. May grace and peace be with you Terri. Thank you for sharing your family’s legacy and journeys.

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  10. Such a beautiful post 😍

    Liked by 2 people

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About Me

I’m a former university adjunct Professor and retired recreation & parks practitioner living in North-Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle, including photography, friends, fitness, and fun.

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