Embracing Mother Earth

 

Well Mother, Mother Earth is having her annual spotlight in the sun! Happy Earth Day!

Some years my friend and I pick up trash from the ditches, some years I completely let it pass by without thought, and this year there was too much going on for me to give the day the full honor and observance it deserves.

But...

I did connect with some "solar power" on the swing while working quite awhile after hours ... on my swing. That counts, right?

Then I bonded with the Earth when I trimmed down our Pampas Ass Grass. Which according to multiple sources (since I have 2 black thumbs) you should do in late April or early May when you KNOW there won't be another frost.

Well, when I got home from work and saw hubby brought up the fan to the bedroom window to replace the wintertime vaporizer/humidifier, I figured he must know something. Like maybe Mother Earth told her mentally disturbed sister Mother Nature to chill out and move onto spring already.

I hope that's the case!

But since my hubby stores the wheelbarrow in his One-Key-for-Jimmy-Only Shed, he'll have to do part 2 tomorrow as it will be dark when he gets home from golf tonight!

What habits have you picked up to help preserve the planet?

I admit Jim and I are so accustomed to recycling EVERYTHING, that I feel guilty when I'm in a situation where the vibe is "Just throw everything in the trash." 

But I did attempt to give up Aqua Net hairspray to save the Ozone in the '90s. I admit the liquid-type stuff didn't work the same. So I relapsed to aerosol spray and I hope some Earth-loving big hair fan picked up where I left off.

And don't get me started on how we deal with keeping volume in our thinning hair after we turn... ahem... 40? Sorry, Mother Earth, you are millions of years older than that. Please understand and forgive.

Enjoy Earth Day every day!

Mother Earth Day

It's Earth Day! The temps are in the mid-60s but the wind is high and the fire danger is even higher. Mr. Deck Chair and I tried to bond in the great outdoors to honor the holiday, but that cool wind did not support those plans. (Thankfully, it was nice yesterday, too.)

I find it interesting that we refer to our planet as Mother Earth. Why? Well, I found this explanation on Robyn-pedia: 

No man is as wise as Mother Earth. She has witnessed every human day, every human struggle, every human pain, and every human joy. For maladies of both body and spirit, the wise ones of old pointed man to the hills. For man too is of the dust and Mother Earth stands ready to nurture and heal her children.

Funny, that also describes my mother! (Probably yours, too!) When it comes to her and her 8 R's... She has witnessed just about every human day, every human struggle, every human pain, and every human joy.

And now we don't know what to do because she is the one struggling.

Both her and my sister seem to be on that same "2 steps forward, 1 step back" path to recovery. 

I was excited yesterday that Mom was getting some her strength back and could walk down the hospital hallway with her walker. That's so much progress from when I saw her a few days ago. But then today, her blood pressure is up and so is any food she's consumed – if you know what I mean. 

I just talked to her a little bit ago and she sounds so weak. Hopefully they can get this latest setback under control. Or I may have to run up there in the morning. I keep praying but I just don't know how many times my favorite 92-year-old can bounce back!

As for Rachel, she had good days and bad days. While she's between surgeries right now, she's getting some physical therapy in. I honestly don't know where they're starting because it seems like her brain and her right arm are the only things unscathed by that crash. 

Prayers for both are appreciated beyond measure!

On this Earth Day, hug a tree or hug a loved one. Or both. I pray they'll be around for many rotations of Mother Earth!

Earth, Wind, and Choir

Earth Day weekend wouldn't be complete without cookies, would it? I'll get to that.

For Earth Day, uhm Saturday, hubby and I carpooled. To the grocery stores together – too many people! And later onto Rudolph church for the guitar choir. By default, I got to sing with them and then enjoy a bit of musical social time afterward.

With the legendary Roy Fuller of the Roy Fuller Band, no less. Love this guy! He is a total sweetheart. And we adore his sons – who were part of our crew in Madison last weekend, too.

Love this guy, too. But you already know that! 💜

After some fun at the fabulous St. Philip's Welcome Center, we headed over to District 1 Brewery in Stevens Point for a birthday party for one of Jim's classmates. They're all turning 60 this "school year" so there's been a few parties.

I don't know if we caught everybody, but there were at least a dozen classmates there to celebrate Link's birthday. Live music, too, so it was a fun night. Got home at the stroke of midnight so you know it was good time!

This morning I sang in my own church choir then headed to Point with my neighbor Ziggy (at least when we golf, we're Ziggy and Zaggy since we hit the ball in opposite directions). She had some lawn and garden-type perusing to do at Lowe's, etc. Then it was off to the Library Cafe at The Inn at SentryWorld. Delicious coffee and yes, those Earth Day cookies to go.

Full disclosure. I ate both of them and didn't share with Jim. I did sort of work them off during a very windy walk, where I discovered both litter I need to clean up...

(They still make Keystone?!) And buds on trees and in our yard just waiting for the OK to move forward.

Based on the long-range forecast, we'll dip to freezing temps the next 3 nights at least. Sorry, Buds. 

Be careful out there!

Bag Lady

It's Earth Week! I wouldn't label myself a tree hugger, but I do like to do kind things for the planet. I even gave up AquaNet – albeit briefly – in the '80s to save the ozone. Today, I just recycle. All. The. Time.

In my mother's day, she re-used everything from Cool Whip containers (who doesn't?) to bread bags (great winter boot liners) and Ziploc baggies (whatever the cheaper generic version was). It was all fine and good until a person crosses the fine line between frugal and hoarder.

Or us today – tree hugger or hoarder.

I know I cross that line. All the time. But then gather up whatever I have overstock of – usually plastic grocery bags – and take them to the appropriate recycling place.

My latest stockpile seems to be paper bags about the size above that are sturdy and have a handle and... I know I can use them somehow. But I haven't. And as long as I keep supporting small businesses (usually my source for these perfect-sized containers), I won't run out permanently.

But they're such nice bags. I mean no stains or rips. 

I'll give them up if one of you could use them. I mean there's not a ton of them, only like a half dozen or maybe 20. Let me know. I want them to go to a good home.

And don't lie to me and say you can use them only to take them and put these perfectly good bags in recycling. You don't want to see this bag lady cross the fine line.

On Earth Week and every week – take good care of our home.

Mother Earth

Happy 50th Earth Day. It would appear it's taken 50 years for Man to slow down and ease off on hurting Mother Earth. Now we've seen evidence during this pandemic and subsequent lockdowns that pollution is declining – in the air and in the water. Amazing.

While it's a rough time for a lot of us, it real seems like a healing time for Mother Earth. Good for her. And us.

I didn't do anything special to mark the day. Was hoping to get out and collect garbage along the nearby roads, but it was far too chilly and windy. I will do that at some point in the next week as the weather allows. Promise, Madame Earth!

Found this list of things we can all do. Any time. All the time...

I do some but certainly not all. A great reminder for taking care of the Earth – and ourselves!

Muddy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, which means Mother Nature is in charge yet again, paying no mind to other people’s plans.

In other words, it was finally my first day to see some Royals softball and baseball action — so it rained. Silly Mother Nature. We just can’t catch a break with you, can we?

I did stop at both games anyway. Took a few pictures of the girls and decided to be smart about my camera use in the rain, even sprinkles. Headed over to the boys game and they were in the last inning of their first game of a double-header. Was raining enough I didn’t even take my camera out of the car. But I did see a little action and go to say hello to several baseball parents. I was too much of a wimp to stay for the second game. Unfortunately, Auburndale swept both our teams.

Hopefully this week, with several more games on the docket, Mother Nature will be willing to step aside out of the spotlight and just let us have our spring!

Just like being rusty at golf, I’m a bit rusty shooting through fences. I think I’ll catch on.

Go, Royals!

What On Earth Day

Do you remember Woodsy Owl? Totally another flashback to "back in the day."

Woodsy Owl is an icon for the United States Forest Service most famous for the motto "Give a hoot — don't pollute!" His current motto is "Lend a hand — care for the land!" Apparently, Woodsy's target audience is children 5 to 8 years of age, and he was designed to be seen as a mentor to children, providing them with information and advice to help them appreciate nature.

I wish people of all ages would listen to his message.

To observe Earth Day today, my neighbor Cindy and I took a walk after work to get exercise and pick up trash along our route. We both wore gloves and brought plastic bags, thinking we'd never fill them. We followed Deer Road to 64th Street to Townline Road. We didn't even make it a half mile on Townline and our bags were basically full. And we still had the trip back on the other side of the road.

What did we find? Well, typical of the "spring thaw reveal" there were plenty of cigarette boxes and empty plastic bottles. I also stumbled upon a dirty diaper early on that started to stink later. We found a pair of underwear, too, and the normal mix of fast food wrappers and other trash in between.

We wanted to give the litter bugs the benefit of the doubt, like maybe it blew off their garbage on the way to the dump. But most people get their garbage picked up at their homes. And it had the appearance of being thrown out windows, according to us Woodsy wannabes. Just don't understand that level of disrespect for Mother Earth.

Our bags were filled to the max. Thank goodness we wore gloves. Yuck. Glad we could do our part for Earth Day. We encourage you to do the same.

The sad thing is that I went into town not 15 minutes after we got back and I noticed already that someone had littered along our route. Are you kidding me?

Sigh...

We don't necessarily need to leave a better planet for our children. Maybe we need to leave better children (and adults) for our planet!

Please give a hoot!

What on Earth?

It's been said – by those who care – that "every day is Earth Day." It should be.

As an R Person (one of 8 in my family), I like the R words "Recycle" and "Reuse." And I try to make them action words in my life. There was a time, though, I didn't care.

Who did?

When I watch a TV show like Mad Men, set in the '60s, I am reminded of this. On one episode, a family had a picnic and when it was time to go, they shook off the blanket, let the paper plates land where they may, and walked to the car without looking back. Maybe an exaggeration. But maybe not.

If you are a walker or runner or take the dog around the block, you know once the snow melts, the ditches yield evidence that people are still tossing trash out their car windows. Cigarette butts, fast food wrappers and beer cans seem to be the popular choices I note.

Just because there is not a "do not litter" sign, doesn't mean we should. Would you go to someone's house and dump trash on their floor? Then why do it to Mother Earth's home?

I acknowledge I am not the best role model. I used enough AquaNet in the '80s to enlarge the hole in the ozone. When I have opted to car pool or walk somewhere, it has been to save on gas money, not to save the planet from air pollution. I don't necessarily save all those Cool Whip containers to practice "reuse," it is just my hoarding genes causing me to litter in my own cupboards!

Still, we do recycle everything we can from paper to plastic. I feel guilty if I am somewhere and there is no recycling option for my empty can or bottle. But am I guilty of not doing enough to save the planet or guilty of putting us in this position in the first place?

We may mock the "old-fashioned" way of living – cloth diapers and clotheslines – but when we became a disposable society, we created a mess of disposable items that can be thrown away but not disappear. Out of sight, out of mind?

That's why I like the quote above that we are borrowing the planet from our children. They will need it longer than we will. What can we do to give it to them in good condition?

Remember: It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature... She has ways of getting back at us. Case in point...

Brrrr... Happy @#@$% Earth Day from Mr. Deck Chair!

Earth Day Digest

Just to be clear: Today was Earth Day, not Global Warming Day. See graphic above to note the obvious difference.

For my new readers in Germany, that's 40 degrees -- or 4.4 Celsius -- right now and dipping down to -1.1 Celsius tonight.

Does that sound like baseball weather to you? That's correct. It is NOT.

We traveled up to Wausau to take on our arch-rivals. Looking out at the sunshine all day at work, I was not prepared for the chill in the air. OK, for the blasted cold and wind in the air! I didn't even have a hoodie on (I know, only 35 to chose from in my closet at home!).

Thank God for friends with blankets! Lukas and one of the other visiting Germans (Florian on right) had to huddle under a blanket for warmth when the 4th inning lasted an hour.

Not kidding.

The good news is that despite purple lips and chattering teeth, we were watching our Assumption Royals make the comeback of the century. Down 7-3, they came back with a vengeance and won 30-8. Not a typo there. What an insane game!

Hard to explain to the Germans that this is NOT a typical baseball score. Good grief. We thought our girls' softball win of 22-2 over Newman was quite the feat tonight. Our boys just had to take it one step further.... And further... And further...

We cranked the heat on the way home and stopped at Culver's in Stevens Point for some warm food to heat up our insides.

I should be glad we got to spend so much time outdoors in nature on Earth Day. When my frozen toes are thawed, maybe I will be.

Earth to Robyn...

Earth to Robyn... Come in, Robyn... Can you hear me?

Yes, I felt a little out of it today. I did not realize that "bar-hopping" was a form of exercise and I should have stretched out beforehand. Not sure what I did, but I woke up and could hardly move my neck. Must have been the head-banging music.

Or I slept on it wrong.

Either way, I've been in pain today and trying to nurse it back to health. Ended up sleeping in a bit and going to late church, which means we were not home to "start" our day 'til afternoon. I had intended to do something special for Earth Day. All I managed was this slightly fuzzy butterfly picture. For their part, the guys cleaned up the back yard, Carter planted a little tree and hubby pounded down mole hills and mowed.

I got off easy, I know.

I did have important things to do like run Book #3 of the Hunger Games series over to a friend's house. That couldn't wait. We commiserated a few minutes about our teenage boys and their new-found laziness and attitude. Glad we're not in this alone. I also had to run to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Ran into my "half" sister Chris there (my half-marathon partner), so more visiting.

By the time I got home and got supper going in the crockpot, it seemed too late to get any major (or minor, for that matter) projects going around the house so I spent an hour helping Carter fill out his first job application. He also had to call up 3 people who could serve as references. Even if he doesn't get this summer job (which I will tell you about if he gets it), it was a good experience. At this rate, between that application and the scholarship essays he's been writing, he'll be a pro by college graduation.

But let's not rush things.

The only other things I accomplished in my non-observance of Earth Day were a 2-mile walk after supper and a phone call to my parents tonight. Both were much needed and both were refreshing.

Glad I saved the best for last.

Happy Earth Day!

Good Friday

Since Carter has both today and Monday off for Easter weekend, Daddy and I decided to take today off, too.

This gave me a chance to stuff goodies into plastic eggs for our family Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow, plus make something for the family potluck and, most importantly, go to Good Friday church services.

In a nutshell, that was our day off, topped off with a fish fry at a local bar and grill. Now that is a good Friday!

Today also is Earth Day. Carter and I had all intentions of a decent can-collecting effort in local ditches. But even though it was for Mother Earth, Mother Nature did not cooperate. Figures. We had rain pretty much all afternoon and evening.

So tonight we are staying inside. The boys are watching the Celtics and I am watching Tangled, a Disney movie that suddenly Carter is too old to watch with me. So going forward, I guess I have to hide out in the basement with my Pixar favorites and just pretend I have a little guy to enjoy them with me!

And if someday again he sits down to watch one of them with me, then that will be a good Friday, too.

In Focus

It took the whole ride to and from work, but I did get through the operator's manual for my new camera. Now I can zoom in on Sylvester's pretty face and take pictures! Yay!

The rest of my thoughts, though, are clearly out of focus...

Earth Day: Today is Earth day. It should be a good reminder to consider the resources we are preserving and those we are wasting. I personally find it hard to remember a time before recycling! It's second nature now so I feel guilty when I am somewhere and it is not available. Really? I can just throw my aluminum can in your garbage? That feels weird.

Tornado Awareness: I accidentally participated in a tornado drill at the high school in Iola today. The fitness center is part of the school building so we share locker room facilities. I had just finished working out and was going to the hit the showers when the alarm when off. We "grown-ups" had been warned about it and told we didn't have to participate. Well it's kind of hard not to participate when the "shelter area" is the girls locker room! As a crowd started to gather, I just clutched my towel and was glad the tornado didn't blow it away! (Also glad it was just a shelter for girls!)

Who Dat?: It is also the NFL draft day. Weird. It's usually on the weekend and hubby gets together with friends and it becomes a true "event." That's hard to do on a "school night." I have no expectations for the Vikings and their picks (and I'm not staying up late for all the action either). I already know it's going to be a circus the next few months anyway until the Wrangler-wearing grandpa makes up his mind. (By the way, Carter said the other day that if Favre does come back, they should call it the GFL instead of the NFL -- for Grandpa Football League. And I don't think that was meant as a compliment.)

Birthday Blessings: Well, we didn't win the mega Powerball last night so we both had to go to work today. After the conversation I had with the soon-to-be 12-year-old last night, I didn't think we would. We're just over a week away from his birthday so I was fishing for ideas. I told him he probably wasn't going to get a Wii because that's a pretty big gift. So what else does he want or need? Honestly, he couldn't think of anything. His bike is fine, he has a new scooter, he doesn't need clothes, he's got 2 gaming systems, he just got new cleats, he couldn't think of any movies either. "I guess I have everything." I guess you do! (But we'll still come up with something!)

Earth Day

It's Earth Day today and, around our house, we've been trying to observe Earth Week all week thanks to the relentless prodding of our energy watchdog Carter.

You'd think someone like me, with a gene pool inclination to save everything, would be good at this conserving business. But I admit I don't always keep it top of mind like I should. I try to do my part, though.

Back when we first heard about this mysterious ozone, I switched from an aerosol deodorant to a roll-on. I also backed off on using aerosol hairspray for a few years, but I need the power. (At least I switched from AquaNet!) We also are big recyclers -- paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, whatever we can. In fact, I feel guilty if I am somewhere and they don't recycle!

Carter, though, is big on the electricity thing. When I talked to him this morning, he was listing off all the things in the house he unplugged. I said, "You realize we'll need to plug them back in to use them, right?" I think he does.

The other evening we had all the lights off since the sun hadn't fully set yet. Carter invited me to sit on the couch with him so we could talk. "Isn't this great conserving all this energy?" he said. I replied, "Yep, I especially like the part where we're laying on the couch because I don't have energy for anything anyway!"

I suppose if I would have thought of it sooner, the best way to conserve energy today (personal energy anyway) would have been to stay in bed! Unfortunately, due to a deadline crunch at work, I'm sucking the power grid with two computers running at my desk and we had to drive both vehicles so I can stay late.

As Carter said this morning, "I think you're missing the point of Earth Day."

Let's all do a better job of not missing the point.

Just a Glimpse

I know I wasn't the only one thrilled that the weather men (and ladies) were right today. They said we'd see 70 degrees and then some. And we did. Nice!

Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same so, of course, we had an impossible day at work, trying to stay on task while visions of driving and putting danced in our heads. By the time hubby and I do get our clubs out of the basement and set for the season, the weather will be back to typical Wisconsin spring -- rainy and highs of 40 on Sunday. Today and Saturday, though, we'll get a glimpse of what is yet to come. And we'll take it.

I wanted so badly to get outside more today but was limited to a short walk with Jim around lunch time. Just being out in the glorious sunshine for 10 minutes made it very hard to return to work. It's probably best I don't sit by a window any more.

After work, we picked up Carter at the sitter's. Today was the first day of the garage sale and, thanks to the perfect weather, she had a ton of traffic. I could see some of my stuff was missing (yay!). Tomorrow morning, I'll be over there bright and early to help out until Carter's soccer game in the afternoon. Two reasons to hope for more spring-like weather!

We went into town tonight to stop at a "crawling art show" at the mall. Still not exactly sure what that means but it is tied to Earth Day weekend and the upcoming Prairie Chicken festival somewhere nearby.

The main reason we stopped there is because a high school classmate of Jim's was in town from the Twin Cities, exhibiting at a booth there. Since we've only seen her at the last two class reunions, it was nice to catch up.

Christine is doing work at The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minn. It is a no-kill rescue facility providing humane rescue and sheltering of unwanted, mistreated and neglected privately owned wildcats that pose a risk to public safety. Some very sad stories. Very eye-opening. She's helping to do some incredible work! If you are interested in donating or "adopting" a wildcat or just learning more, visit wildcatsanctuary.org. (Note for my sister Rayna: You could adopt a lion!)

After looking around the other exhibits, we went out to eat and stopped to get a few groceries (essentials like Gatorade for soccer). Typical that we weren't in the house 5 minutes before a neighbor girl was over for Carter. Where does he get that charm? Hmmm. He keeps dragging these girls to his room to show them the new windows and paint job. Right. I better go chaperone.

Enjoy this beautiful glimpse of spring!

Going Green

It's a sad state of affairs when oil prices rise to an all-time high on Earth Day. A good reminder we need to think seriously about where we as a planet are going. And what can we do about it?

We hear so much buzz today about "going green." I guess if there's one good bandwagon to jump on, it's that one. As long as people are willing to adopt the attitude for the long haul. I heard a lot of "green" tips on the radio this morning on the drive in. Everything I've heard before, but sometimes we forget.

Of course, one of the obvious ones is to use less fuel -- either drive less or buy a hybrid vehicle or both. When we work 44 miles away, it's hard to drive any less, but we do ride together and only drive separately when it's absolutely necessary. Our Honda Civic gets good gas mileage but the minivan is another story. It cost 60 bucks to fill it last night and it wasn't even an empty tank. Ouch! We said we should stop on the way home and buy a Prius. But then I'd probably need a second job to afford one. Just more driving!

They mentioned saving water, too, by doing fewer loads of wash, turning off the water when brushing your teeth and flushing a few less times each day. Since Carter often forgets to flush already, we've got that one covered. Plus, when I was growing up, we didn't even have indoor plumbing until I was Carter's age so I have 10 years of water conservation invested already!

It goes without saying we should recycle, recycle, recycle. I feel guilty if I go someplace where they don't recycle and I have to put an aluminum can in the trash. It just doesn't feel right. We do a good job of recycling aluminum, plastic, glass, cardboard and paper at our house. The cardboard/paper effort requires a trip into town to the drop-off site every now and then but it's not really an extra trip if we tie it into a stop at the grocery store, etc.

In Wisconsin, we are particularly proud of Earth Day since its founder -- Sen. Gaylord Nelson -- lived here. It seems strange to think there was a time when it was OK to toss that can or bottle out the window or into the creek and litter. I distinctly remember that TV commercial when I was a kid where the Native American had a tear rolling down his cheek because he was so sad about what we were doing to the Earth. Not littering was a new thing then. So was caring about the environment. And what is this O-zone thing? The most crushing blow as a teenager was learning I probably shouldn't be using that aerosol can of Aqua-Net hairspray. How did we survive?

Think about what you can do to go green so our children and grandchildren have a safe and beautiful place to live. Why not start today?