April 22 – Earth Day. Hmmm? An important day for sure to create and increase awareness … to assure respect and love for Mother Earth continues from one generation to the next. I just don’t want Earth Day to become another Veterans Day, Mother’s Day or What-have-you DAY; a day we set aside once a year to remind folks of what’s important. Veterans, Moms and the Earth are important every day! Nonetheless, I can (modestly) say, I have been living Earth Day every day of my life. No one had to flip a switch to turn on that GREEN light. I think the light turned green and I shot out of the womb! Now that’s a funny visual. While I’m not going to cite chapter and verse about how I live, I’ll share something I have always said … my children call these little ditties “Mizarisms” … “We have to go back to the way our grandmothers did it.” “Nuff” said.
For as long as I can remember, my family has been doing 2-things:
1. recycling
2. composting
My dad would have us separating the clear from the green from the brown glass, etc., crushing cans and stacking newspapers before we taking the ride to the recycling center. Not as common in the late 60s but there were out there! About that same time, my mom and dad dug out a 40′ x 20′ garden. Read about it in an earlier post! And the composting began. It’s a good thing too because where I grew up, the earth below our feet was red, hard clay!
My Dad’s compost pile was simply done; wire fencing formed into a circle and voila! DONE.
Now … since Antonio and I have a home-based business, we receive deliveries on wood pallets .. A LOT of deliveries which means A LOT of wood pallets. So yesterday, without even paying attention to the fact Earth Day is today, I went out and re-purposed those pallets. Tah-Daaaaah! Compost bins.
Although by visualizing this I knew I could build it … I have this knack … it serves me well, I went ahead and looked up a few tutorials just to get some different ideas. There are dozens of step by step instructions and videos out there.
Now I can go out into the woods behind my house, scoop up that 2-year old pile of egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds, you name it and put all in my new compost bins … It’s probably going to stink but it’s a good Mother Earthy stink!
