What Can You Do?

Because most people have jobs, obligations, and responsibilities during the five middle days of the week, our homeowners association got moving today. In honor of Earth Day on Tuesday, we had a neighborhood clean-up.

It started bright and early at 0800. By 0915, we were done. Yes, it's not a very big neighborhood. And it's mostly clean to begin with. Eight people made rather short work of it. But, it felt good. It was nice to get out there with my mother, on the the streets we walk, ride, and live, and with a small number of our neighbors, filling up our bags with glass bottles and old fences and random bits of plastic. Making note of the old metal guardrail that ended up amongst the trees and the streetlights that need repair. I don't know the final count of full bags of trash, it wasn't much, but I feel accomplished for having done it. I think I would have regretted it all day if I had not.

It is refreshing to know that most of our neighborhood is fairly clean. We were able to identify the trouble spots, where the teenagers hang after curfew, and we can keep an eye on them. For us, our homes, our community, and our little piece of the planet, it was a beautiful morning to spend walking and chatting with neighbors and getting something done.

After shopping, I smeared some mud on my head that is setting right now. It feels like even more that I'm doing to help the planet. No chemicals, just a concoction of henna and lemon juice. It's not always feasible to do things in a more natural way, but when it is, it feels like you're still doing something good.

Spring is springing. The cars are colored in a glowing green coat of pollen. The trees are dropping little seed pods into the tiniest opening of car windows. And Lady Vox sat on her rock shedding what must have been every centimeter of her. My little girl is growing! They're both about a year old now.

There are so many ways to love the Spring.