Blessed Mother

What an awesome day it has been...the sky is blue the wind is whippy, the air is warm and I feel the connection even more on a day such as this. I had chores to do- early Spring cleaning in the yard-...the tool shed was such a mess I couldnt get to my tools! My garden enjoyed a spring shower this morning that saves a bit on the water bill...which can go up in dry spells. I really enjoy having some plants around and my veggie garden-- so it has to be watered...One thing I do is keep a barrel by the drip edge of the roof and collect rain water to use. IT helps out quite a bit! I would love one of the fancy ones that has a tap on it and all but for now the large 10 bushel plastic tub will do. I wonder how many gallons it holds, at least 20..maybe!

Today I took my bike for a long ride after the work was finished...I needed to work some kinks out of my mind and my body. Life throws "fools gold" at you many times over and you have to pick it up, inspect it, and then ever so gently & sometimes harshly toss it back...not a keeper. Catch n release, or throw the hook from your mouth in the unlikely event you end up being the one who needs to get away.

Earth day in one more day...and I usually pick up cans along my favorite country road on that day...Its a 2 mile stretch....and Im all ready for it this year I purchased one of those Grabbers!..to save my back~ Here in my house we deal seriously with Trash! Very seriously and Im the kind who will ridicule someone I see not doing their part...hey it's part of my commitment to the Planet, its between me and Her...if not me then who?? Ive seen enough one legged gulls, and I dont ever want to see another Pelican with a soda bottle plastic strap entangled in his beak to the point that he will die a slow death of starvation...

Too many Gulls and other water fowl loose a limb thanks to careless or non caring people who dont know how to deal with their trash! Ive chased gulls down, had other beach goers yell at me to "leave that bird alone", they couldnt see the dangling line from where they stood, but after finally grabbing that dangling line and holding onto a bird struggling to fly on the other end, I reeled him in... hands quickly bloodied from the sharp bites he gave me, When the bystanders saw what I was attempting to do they all pitched in to help get that TIGHT line off his nearly dead leg...and they applauded when the poor blood starved leg was massaged and the bird released...Some people embraced me while we cried together People who I had never seen before or will never see again but for that one time we were Brothers and Sisters crying...tears of joy --- what a release it was JOY in my heart and in the hearts of perfect strangers who went that extra mile for just an ordinary ring bill gull...(there is no such thing as ONLY a gull, he has a life same as you or me) IT WAS GOOD!! After all I was a paramedic, it was my job to save the dying.

It took me three days to catch that GULL...and I barely slept until he was saved. I cried over the ones I couldnt catch...broke my heart. OH boy you would have been embarrassed to take a walk with me among the fishermen..who cut the line that got entangled in the rocks...I gave them a tongue lashing they probably recall to this day...But its ok, someone has to do it...I dont mind mixing it up a bit, for something I see worth the effort and worth the "bad Press" I get because of it. I always pick up fishing line when I see it and put it in the proper place..and MAKE sure you cut it into bits, short bits that can't make a loop, lots of BIRDS hang out at landfills too.

We recycle everything!..We reuse, refashion, reassign, until its almost ridiculous. We keep our porch a mess trying to keep it all sorted, the cans, cardboard, plastic, etc. We are vegetarians so its only dog food cans we have and we dont do the plastic bottle or soda can thing..we drink tea we make at home...we try to eat fresh foods and some frozen, and fish-- so there is little to no food package waste.

We (there are 2 of us) have one tall kitchen bag of household trash to take to the trash center about every 2 weeks. The rest is recycled or reused. Since I lost my out of the home job, we drive only when necessary and save up "in town" errands and try to make one trip do...so now we drive the car about 12-20 miles per WEEK, during an average week. I dont burn waste in the field any more after reading that it is the burning of timber and such that really puts a lot of greenhouse gas into the air, so I pile it up, compost what I can and toss the rest around on the wooded areas of our land. Let it rot naturally.

So what are you doing to improve your carbon footprint? If you havent been please begin recycling, using less water, and be proactive about protecting our Planet, your little bit added to my little bit adds UP!