Thinking Green Thursday

Michelle has been our host for Thinking Green Thursday. When I read her post today I wanted to cheer, because she is championing a favorite topic of mine, and wanted to cry because it is such a sad topic.
I'm sure you have seen this logo on my sidebar in the past, and in several of my posts.


The story doesn't change. It only grows worse with every passing day. The owner of a mine, Massey Energy, once again found itself in the headlines this past week, when twenty-five miners died. Conditions for the miners are dreadful. Beyond that, conditions created by mining practices, particularly the practice of simply blowing off the tops of mountains, are so outrageously WRONG, I can't begin to express my feelings .

I quote from the site of ilovemountains.org:

"Mountaintop removal is a radical form of coal mining where entire mountains are literally blown up -- devastating communities throughout Appalachia, polluting drinking water and destroying rivers. And the worst part is, you're paying for it.

If your home or business is on the electric grid, chances are you are connected to mountaintop removal in the Appalachian Mountains. Find out how -- and then find out what you can do about it."

I urge you to go to this site and read the details for yourself. Learn how YOU may have a direct connection to mountaintop removal.

I also urge you to go to Michelle's post. It is full of excellent information.

Thinking Green Thursday

Michelle hosts Thinking Green for us each week. She lives on the east coast of the United States, in New York. I think she is someone I would really like to know better. Michelle stepped up when it became impossible for Gina, the founder of this meme (and another really super lady) to continue hosting. Michelle had some doubts about doing it, but wanted to try. She still has some misgivings because there are not a huge number of people who participate each week. But it is such an important part of our lives today. Selfishly, I hope that she will continue the project because I so love reading her posts at Rambling Woods Green. I also love all of her other posts at Rambling Woods - The Road Less Traveled. They are beautifully written. Michelle's talent for research into her subjects and her beautiful photography surpasses most I have seen. The natural world is dear to her heart.

It is true that very few participate on a regular basis, and this is discouraging. It is a challenging meme, and I find it difficult myself. But it can bring us some remarkable ideas and interesting facts. One name we almost always see is Autumn Belle, who writes from Malaysia. I do look forward to her posts. It seems that her home is in a very environmentally aware area. (I only wish that I could say the same.) She is full of marvelous suggestions for going green. We also hear from people like Crafty Green Poet, and Green Earth and Me and My Camera and others from time to time.

Everyone who joins us, either occasionally or faithfully every week, obviously loves and is concerned for Planet Earth. Some simply post a single photo of their beautiful world. These photos tell their own stories so eloquently.

I often feel that my own efforts are very inadequate, but I want to keep trying. The only way that we will save our world is to keep trying, and to support and encourage one another in our efforts. Please join us from time to time.

Webcams, Change in Weather, Isaac

First, thanks to Michelle for a lead to eagle and owl webcams. They look great. I love watching and waiting for the eggs to hatch and the chicks to grow.
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Really happy to report we had nothing but rain over night. There was a little melting of snow as a result. This morning they are telling us things about "flurries" and "showers", so I'm hoping for the best, and feel much better about it.
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My daughter posted more
pictures of Isaac, taken in California. I guess she's showing them before going on to those of their their New England trip. I'm enjoying the sunny photos at the pool, including his current love - his best friend's little sister.















The pipe cleaner man is his portrait of his dad.







Of course I'm also looking forward to the new ones to come. Especially those of his fifth birthday.



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Oh boy! Here's the first pic.



It's the first time he has ever seen snow actually falling.

Blogger Friends

I want to thank Michelle, of Rambling Woods, and Rambling Woods Green, for offering a friendship award to those who have visited and commented on her wonderful blogs. I do feel she is a friend, and I find her blogs chock full of good information, great interest, and really beautiful pictures. I am so glad that I found her after she agreed to continue Think Green Thursday when Gina, The Pagan Sphinx, found she could not continue hosting it. We all owe her a debt of gratitude for that.


So, Michelle, thank you for this award.

And thank you for being a friend in the Blogging Community. I know that there are many, many
others besides myself who are very happy to have
found you.

Think Green Thursday

Each week, Michelle is coordinating things for us so that we can share our thoughts on our beautiful planet, and share our ideas to help keep it green.

In order to keep things "green" we also have to consider how to keep our oceans clean and healthy, so "blue" is also very important. Pollution of our waters has become a serious problem.

I have spoken before about California's Monterey Bay Aquarium, and its wonderful blog, Sea Notes. A post this week concerns overfishing. This post is on a much cheerier note than some in the past. With the great effort put into this subject recently, it seems we are starting on a path of "regrowth, regeneration, and recovery"! We have a long way to go, particularly in light of the fact that many countries still refuse to even discuss the matter. But in many areas of the world, it does look promising. Where preventive measures are in place, and Marine Protected Areas (MPA's) exist, stocks of marine animals are rebuilding. If we continue in this way, modifying commercial fishing gear, and public attention to opting for sustainable choices in seafood, there is real hope.

For the Fish Lovers Out There -

In choosing our seafood, we have a great deal of help in the form of Seafood Watch Pocket Guides. they can be found on Face Book and Twitter. They are also available to download on line from Monterey Bay Aquarium. Go to the Aquarium site, and you will find a guide for your region of the country: Hawaii, West Coast, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, and Central U.S.. There is also a National Guide, as well as a Sushi Guide. Tuck one into your pocket or pocketbook for shopping or for eating in a restaurant.

These guides list your Best Choices, Good Alternatives, and What to Avoid.



We can bring our oceans and their inhabitants back to health!




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Please do yourself a favor and read Michelle's Think Green Thursday post this week. It's an important one. She has actually done three posts - on tea, on chocolate, and on coffee (last week). The one on chocolate is a real eye opener!

WORLD AUTISM DAY

Today is World Autism Day


Autism: A brain development disorder which impacts social interaction, often evidenced by repetitive behavior.


A subject much misunderstood by those of us whose families have not been touched by it. I don't pretend to be very knowledgeable on the subject. I do have interest and feel compassion for those facing autism, and I understand that autistic individuals face a myriad of problems going far beyond their basic disorder, because the rest of us do not know how to interact with them. Quite often school officials, unaware of their needs, manage to create further problems.

I would like to suggest possible reading for bloggers. Michelle O'Neil's blog is called Full-Soul-Ahead. She is a marvelous writer, and the mother of an autistic daughter. Read her profile as well as her beautiful post of February 23rd.

Casdok, who lives in Surrey, England, is the mother of a nineteen year old, non-verbal son. Her blog, Mother of Shrek is quite different and interesting.

In your local library, you should find a copy of Send In the Idiots. The author, Nazeer Kamran, is autistic himself. I definitely recommend this book with its amazing stories.

To read the truth about autism, please investigate ASAF, the Autism Society of America.








P.S.

I have just been catching up, and have gone back through other posts by Michelle - each one better than the last, by the way, and found her post on March 26th in which she links us to an HBO website showing Autism: the Musical. Should you find difficulty with that website, marjie's comment to Michelle's blog gave another where you can view the entire movie plus two more.