Helping Earth Recover
Our friend John has been letting us in on how he wishes to reduce the damage he is causing to the Earth by doing some of the things he does in a less harmful way. A noble cause each of us should be laboring at. Well, my friends, he must have made a convincing case, as it has put in the mind of this reader that I should work harder to do the same. One thing I have done, since last September, is share rides in a mechanical pony (car) to work. Keeps me from using 320 miles worth of fuel the weeks I don’t drive. That makes me feel pretty good. Other things I do are shown in the images accompanying this correspondence.
I should put far more time and energy into my gardening ventures. Today's little haul.
But – looking at how I go about living, there are TONS of things that could be improved, and the one thing I should tackle (more like wrestle, most likely) concerns liquid refreshments. I am nearly addicted to soda/pop and we all know there is no value in it. And it must take a ton of fuel to produce and distribute the junk, not to mention the bottles they come in – another major problem. And while I’m at it, how about coffee and tea? Those products must travel many, many miles to reach northeast Iowa from where they are grown.
But friends, do not ask this of me. “What about beer and wine?” For now this DOES NOT include these! Really! You would be asking too much, and anyway, one thing at a time!! Brewing and vinting are at the top of my list bucket list, though. And there are a few breweries and wineries not too far from me who make beers and wines that are very palatable. I need to switch to them exclusively!
I should work on my little backyard rabbitry, too. I have 6 of them just about ready for harvest.
A nice thing about living in these days is that there is already much history behind us, and there are things we can learn from it, and from many sources. Water was given to us originally to slake our thirst, and there are all sorts of native plants that can be used as substitutes for tea and coffee. And beer and wine!! Just looking through a couple of field guides reveals this information to us, not to mention the internet.
THIS is what I am going to work on first. Local beverages. It won’t be simple, but if I keep in mind the consequences for the generations to come, I should be pleased to know that I am helping Earth recover.
What about you?
Peace! – Slainte! – Tight lines! – Happy hunting! – And stray from the well-worn path now and then!
Casey
The Countryside Round 