Monday, April 26, 2010

Adventures of Earth Week


Another year, another earth week. I never go out of my way to do anything "earth-friendly" during this much-hyped day and week. I usually do these anyway, without much thought or motivation -- I just do it. I always have and always will.

Lu and I walked in the woods and marveled at the wonder of the arrival of spring; from the tiny, green buds on the trees to the honking geese overhead and the colourful varieties of flowers making their way through the newly warmed earth.

We gardened and raked and cleaned and organized. We lay on the grass and watched the clouds roll past us. We silently crept through the fields and down by the creek to spy on the animal families with the hope of catching a glimpse of any brand new arrivals. We inhaled the sweet, fragrant smells from apple blossoms and squished newly formed tent caterpillars between our gloved fingers. We ran as fast as we could and laughed out loud. We bundled ourselves against the strong yet chilly winds and stretched toward the warmth of the sun. We looked for faeries and pixies and other mystical creatures. We studied the difference between pine needles and cedar leaves. We happily said goodbye to the lady bugs who had called our window sills home. We ate our first popsicle. We dug in the earth and made sand castles in the sand.

And as per usual we planted 50 or so tree seedlings on the back hill, just as we have been doing for years. We found neat little homes for their far reaching roots, supplied the first watering and wished them much luck for decades and decades of successful growth!

And as usual we walked the road and peered into ditches; we pulled out Tim Horton's coffee cups, beer cans and whiskey bottles and a variety of garbage discarded from passing vehicles.

"Why is there garbage on the side of the road," asked Lu... Good question I thought.. why do people throw garbage out their windows? Is it convenience. Is it ignorance? Is it habit? Whatever the reason it still happens. It still happens after all the awareness, after all the pleading and after all the Earth Day celebrations - the garbage still piles up at the side of the road.

Monday, April 12, 2010

First Hair Cut


Well.. finally had to do it. Lu had to have her first hair cut. I was kind of hoping to let it grow just a teeny bit more... but brushing her hair of late was like sticking your arm into a viper pit. Not fun.

So here she is in all her blonde, curly glory... I was so traumatized! In the end, we all survived. And for now, brushing her hair is slightly less painful, slightly less vocal and just a little bit quicker.