Earth's Gentle Gifting

A Gift

Just when you seem to yourself

nothing but a flimsy web

of questions, you are given

the questions of others to hold

in the emptiness of your hands,

songbird eggs that can still hatch

if you keep them warm,

butterflies opening and closing themselves

in your cupped palms, trusting you not to injure

their scintillant fur, their dust.

You are given the questions of others

as if they were answers

to all you ask. Yes, perhaps

this gift is your answer.
Denise Levertov
(Sands of the Well)
www.panhala.net/Archive/A_Gift.html

There was no Blog Posting last week. Work was hectic with long days moving into busy evenings. That might have been the reason. Also, the long grey winter that we get in this part of the world, fatigues me. That could have been the reason, too.

But I think the real reasons are these. Often, while researching material for Whole Earth Care, I feel overwhelmed by the sheer thoughtless destruction of our lovely Earth, our over-consumption of her resources, the lack of foresight and imagination of our governmental and economic “leaders” and the disconnect we live, so unaware of our reliance on that which gives us life, beauty and a sense of belonging.

I walk my dog every day down streets, along a main road and up and over a large field. Sometimes, we meander along the creek in the conservation area or take paths through old woods of pine, maple and birch. Everywhere I go, I see garbage: plastic bottles and bags, candy bar wrappers, coffee cup lids, yogurt containers, Styrofoam, newspapers, boxes, flyers, metal containers and parts of cars, glass bottles and pop cans.

Most of my neighbours allow their dogs to poop on sidewalks and other peoples’ lawns and they don’t stoop to scoop.

The high school down the way has wide open garbage bins overflowing onto walkways and the parking lots with recyclable containers. What doesn’t fly away with the winds will go to a land fill site. We treat Earth like she is a bottomless dumpster. Last weekend, there was a part of me that whispered, “Why bother?”

BUT – on Tuesday evening as we walked over that field, a killdeer rose up from the wet land, screaming out its name. The moon was almost full in a deep blue sky filled with stars. Coyotes howled for a short moment in the woods. The next morning, I noticed one deep yellow crocus had bloomed in my garden, the maples had red tipped branches and were dripping sap, sweet to taste. The male goldfinches are slowly donning their summer plumage. All of this hadn’t happened in a matter of a day. These gifts were gradually being presented. I just had not been paying attention.

Earth and her beings are bravely striving to live, blossom, create and replenish. The question, “Why bother?” is the lazy, ungrateful and disrespectful excuse of someone too self-absorbed to act responsibly and with hope. I really don't think that's me.

And so, here’s this week’s Posting. It’s good to be back.

This Week's Suggestion:

Take a moment when leaving your home in the morning to stop, look around, listen and notice what’s happening in your part of the world. Check the direction of the wind, the clouds, the flight of birds. What Earth colours do you see on the land, the trees, and, again, the birds? Can you smell the soil, grasses, flowers, air? And, what about you? You are part of this natural world. Do you feel hopeful? If not, look around. Which gift is being presented to you that will help you believe in life and the power of our Earth Family?

Getting To Know Our Neighbours:

Killdeer are part of the wading-along-shorelines plover family. Their range is from the coastal areas of Peru, up through central Mexico and into Canada. Their breeding areas reach as high up as Alaska and the Hudson Bay. Both male and female have similar markings as do their chicks. They build nests directly on the ground, not far from a water source, in open fields, airports and sometimes suburban lawns. Killdeer are most easily recognizable by their loud cries of “kill-deerah” as they rise up from the ground or fly about in the night. If an animal gets close to the nest, which is well camouflaged in short grasses and stones, the parents, in an attempt to draw the interloper away, will fly directly at the animal’s face or pretend to have broken wings.
For more information click onto: http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=50

A Fact Or Two:

Perhaps one of the reasons we don’t take recycling as seriously as we should is because we aren’t really that sure what happens to all our stuff we leave in the recycling boxes. Here’s some information to encourage us to recycle with gusto.

Plastic products can be turned into:
Municipal sewers, underground ducts, electrical conduits, plastic lumber, office accessories, home, office and garden furniture, railway ties, flower pots, carpets, pillows, fleece clothing, upholstery and sleeping bags – just to name a few items.

Glass and porcelain can be recycled into:
Dishes, vases, home and garden decor, garden fish ponds, feeders for birds, floor tiles and planks, mulch, golf course sand traps, counter tops and more.

Paper products can be recycled into:
Office supplies, books, household tissues, toilet paper and paper toweling, wallpaper and cheques.

Rubber products can be recycled into:
Mulch, backyard play sets, planters, rubber rocks, stepping stones, tile turf, flooring and swings.

For some information on recycling and post-recycled products click onto: http://www.plastics.ca/topics/default.php?ID=49

For a few examples of post-recycled products look at these websites:
http://www.enviroglasproducts.com/index.asp

http://www.checkgallery.com/home.aspx

http://www.naturalspaces.com/

http://www.leisure-furniture.net/

What Can We Do?

Click onto: http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_092706_e and sign the petition asking Kimberly-Clark to make household paper products from recycled paper that are non-chlorine bleached, instead of using virgin boreal Canadian forests for their products.

Recycle. It’s working.

Teach our family members, friends, and colleagues about recycling.

Buy post-recycled products whenever possible. They are durable, often cheaper and Earth-friendly.

The Moment

The moment when, after many years

of hard work and a long voyage

you stand in the centre of your room,

house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,

knowing at last how you got there,

and say, I own this,

is the same moment when the trees unloose

their soft arms from around you,

the birds take back their language,

the cliffs fissure and collapse,

the air moves back from you like a wave

and you can't breathe.

No, they whisper. You own nothing.

You were a visitor, time after time

climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.

We never belonged to you.

You never found us.

It was always the other way round.
Margaret Atwood

morning in the burned house)
www.panhala.net/Archive/The_Moment.html

Media:

Art: Josh Keyes http://www.joshkeyes.net/paintings.htm

Websites:
50 Ways to Clean Your Business http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3590a

Videos:
Caroles from Greece wrote, “I’m technologically challenged, but just saw this little film, in the midst of an article at Care2, Healthy and Green Living. It's a practical help to reducing dumb electrical usage. I would love to post it at your blog, but I even didn't manage to leave a message there a few days ago!!
take care,
c:)

Vampire Energy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgZfry82LC4

Another short video worth watching is:
Executive on A Mission – Save the Planet http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3590

The Rogues' Gallery has some new photos to view. Mary took the wonderful picture of a squirrel outside her window in North Hatley, Quebec, Corine sent in the photos of the albino moose by the side of a road in Wisconsin, USA, Caroline sent us the beautiful moments with polar bears and i have added three photos i took in 2007 in keeping with World Water Day on March 22nd.

Before I close, there are two important events happening towards the end of March.

Sunday, March 22, World Water Day

It’s a day to take time to fully appreciate water.
For more information go to: http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/flashindex.html

Check out the Events Calendar for what’s happening in your area

Click onto About World Water Day to find out more about this year’s World Water Day theme, Transboundary Water.

See what The Council of Canadians is doing for World Water Day. http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/World_Water_Day/

Saturday, March 28, Earth Hour

Sign up, get a group going, have fun.
For more information go to: http://wwf.ca/earthhour/

To sign up, click onto: http://wwf.ca/earthhour/earth_hour_signup_individuals/

To spread the word at school, workplace, church and community, make a few posters and post them. Click onto: http://wwf.ca/earthhour/toolkits/

OH! I almost forgot. There’s another very “green” event coming up this week. It’s Tuesday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, of course, when most people in the world want to be Irish. Happy St. Paddy’s day to you all.

Don't forget the items on the Sidebar. And, why not sign up as a Follower and become a Virtual Community Member of Whole Earth Care.

Next week's posting should be The Narratives.

I need to hear from you. You have the stories to tell. It's my hope that some of you will consider writing about that special place you went to in nature as a child, or a memorable moment you had with one of Earth's sentient beings. I am hoping you will send in your written memories to moczero@sympatico.ca . It doesn't have to be long - 2 or 3 short paragraphs. You can send it as "Anonymous" if you wish.

We need to remember those moments, celebrate them and share them with others. Sharing those moments pulls us together as a Virtual Community and encourages us in our work to care for and heal Earth. Please consider telling us your story. Thank you.

And that’s it for this week.
Earth Family First,
maureen

(Photos by Google Images)