Earth Day 2008

I wonder how many people think about Earth Day and then just dismiss it with a thought something like this: "I know that we need to make some changes to stop global warming and to help this cause, but I'm just one person. How is that going to make a difference?" Actually I can see this sort of thinking as part of the reason we ended up with the environmental problems we have today. You would be surprised at just what an impact one person can make. I highly recommend watching the documentary, " The Human Footprint". It will be aired Wednesday, April 23rd at 5:00 Eastern Standard Time on the National Geographic Channel. I was able to watch a little of it the other day. I plan on watching the whole thing Wednesday. I was blown away by the information that they gave.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
~ Joyce Kilmer

I was taught as a child that for every action there is a reaction. We just can't continue to take what God has so freely given without giving something back, before it all catches up with us. We are already seeing results of living this way in the climate changes. Right now I think we are just getting a glimpse of things to come. Perhaps what we should refer to as Our Wake Up Call.

How beautiful is this? Well I am here to tell you that this doesn't look bad compared to what they have done to the woods that leads up the mountain to our house. It is heartbreaking to say the least and looks like a war zone. I was going to get some pictures of it to post here, but thought I would save that for another post. Since we have moved here it has been a parade of critters that we have crossed paths with. A couple of winters ago before the loggers started raping our mountain side we had the pleasure of seeing a young Bobcat in the field next to the house. Bobcats have been extinct in the state of Ohio for a long time and are just recently starting to move back into the area. I think if I was a Bobcat I would pack up and hightail it back to where I came from, if all of my woods were being destroyed.

Here are a few links that can better tell you ways that you can do your part for the environment.

• Project Green TV
• The Green Guide
• Personal Emissions Calculator
• Earth Day Family Activities
• Kaboose
• Earth Day Network
• The Human Footprint (I have added this link for those that are not able to get the National Geographic Channel.)

~ Jo

Road Trip Friday

That hazey look is pretty much what it looked like around here all day yesterday. Somehow, I don't see any reason why it will look any different today. A typical yucky winter ~ almost, but not quite spring day. Has anyone noticed that I am ready for some springtime?

All that aside, today is Seth Day and I am looking forward to it. I hear from his mama that he is in the process of perfecting his crawl. Also as he crawls, he eats anything that will fit into his mouth. The other day he tried stickers. When Riley was about Seth's age, he gave Ladybugs a try. You would hear crunch, crunch, crunch and check out his mouth...... sure enough it would be full of Ladybugs. ( I think I would like to explain the reason for the large abundance of ladybug population so that there would be mouthfuls available for Riley to crunch on as a snack. It is due to Ohio thinking several years back that they needed to import a zillion of them to aid in ridding the state of its aphid problem. As it would happen they created another problem with a ladybug population that is out of control and not enough for them to eat). Riley saw his own solution, eat them before they could bite him. At any rate today should be a busy day keeping up with our mobile grandson.

Has anyone caught the new GE commercial on TV lately? I just happened upon it the other day while I was sick. It made me laugh and perked me up. It starts with a shot of a nice looking home in the country and a tree across the road uproots itself and drags its root laiden body across the road to stand next to the house. Then the camera takes a look around the house at all of the energy saving products (GE no doubt) and even the solar panels on the roof. It throws in a verbal line or two about saving energy and living 'Green'. Then it shows the tree snuggling up to the house and goes from there to a couple of farmers standing in the field across the way. One says to the other............... (Are you ready for this?)........... "House Hugger!" I loved it! I have to applaud GE for this one.

Have a great day everyone!

~Jo