Earth Day

So Earth Day is coming. Why can't every day be Earth Day?

Yesterday was an Earth Day for me. I had coffee, then begged (they're used to this) for the accumulation of grounds under the counter. Yield: Two big bags, maybe 50 pounds total. And it was delivery day at Starbuck's, which meant lots of folded-up cardboard boxes... maybe 30# or so. I walked over to our house on Elder St., got my Burley trailer, and picked up the coffee and cardboard (the coffee was destined for the landfill, the cardboard to a recycling facility). Both are excellent additions to the Earth on Elder Street, adding tilth to the soil and nutrients to feed the huge worm populations. The cardboard discourages weeds, too.

I then walked the Burley down to the local garden center, where I got a 60# bag of organic planting mix plus some seed potatoes, some broccoli starts, celery starts, and summer kale starts. I took a break at our wonderful First Alterntive Co-op and had a cup of tea (in my cup, which I always have in my pack) and enjoyed watching the crowd of shoppers on the monthly Owner's Day... discounts on all purchases, so the place was jammed with cost-conscious shoppers.

So...my Burley and I, navigating the maze of streets between the garden center and my plot at the community garden. A long and very pleasant hike, broken by a stop for a banana and some water and a chat with a friend (he apologized for driving... wants to get himself a Burley and leave the car in the garage)... the decorative trees in Corvallis are at peak right now, and a sunny day is totally spectacular on some streets. Plus it's been cool enough and wet enough that the daffodils and tulips are also at peak, so the yards... especially those that have done the 'lawn-be-gone' trip... are colorful enough to invite passers-by to stop and stare. We do, though, need a few days that are warm enough to get the pollinators into active mode... otherwise we'll be wondering where the cherries, apples and pears are. Honeybees, our best helpers in this respect, are not evident yet, tho some of the smaller bees have been at work. Such a complicated system.

My beds in the garden are raised enough, after four years of plentiful amendments, that I was able to get the starts and potatoes into the ground. Much of the garden is still sodden and sporting puddles. And this day is perfect for the new plants and sets... cool, wet, slow. I had company while working yesterday... a pair of bluebirds were busy discussing the possibility of raising a family (or two?) in the box I put at the northwest corner of the plot. They were very busy, and not the least bit shy... he stood on the top of the box, she went in, they chattered (I have cleaned the box, so I hope they weren't criticizing my cleaning skills), she came out, he went in, back and forth, chatter nonstop... finally the pair retired to the pin oak that will shade the box and continued their intense discussion. I've had great luck with this box for several years, with about 25 +/- babies fledged. Some clown banded the female two years ago (a drawback to having too many scientists in town), so I had no tenants last year, but I'm very happy to see they're back. I hope the person responsible for the banding can refrain from this activity this year... the birds are totally perfect without jewelry. I did't see a band on the female yesterday.

So I walked home and had lunch and enjoyed the sunny warm afternoon (not warm enough for the bees, tho). Earth Day lived. I tip my hat to all who live for the Earth every day... all who walk to the store, who bike to work and play, who consume organic products, and on and on. We have an obligation to be conscious of the consequences of our choices. And we have an opportunity to make every day Earth Day.

"The basic root of happiness lies in our minds; outer circumstances are nothing more than adverse or favorable". Matthieu Ricard