Happy Spring/Wildlife Wednesday

March 18, the seed heads still attract birds
March 18, the seed heads still attract birds

Wildlife Wednesday, Happy Spring!

My yard in July
My yard in July

Spring in Minnesota is glorious! The snow piles have melted and icy snowy sidewalks are only a tiny bleep in memory. We have a yard with no turf grass and mostly native plants and grasses. The birds love to stop for plant seeds on their migration. I garden for the birds, bees, and butterflies. So far harbingers of spring have been juncos, robins, and the cardinals singing their morning spring song. The chickadees and the downy woodpecker sit in the lilac bush inches from my window. As you can see, it is time to cut off last year’s plants and grasses.

Summer View
Summer View

Prompt: Blogger In A Strange Land

#Blogging101 Prompt     I just had to say something!

Styrofoam I pulled out of  lakes breaking into small pieces
Styrofoam I pulled out of lakes breaking into small pieces

This past January when I was visiting one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Caribbean, I observed litter that upset me. Yes, I am obsessed with litter and clean water.  Litter along waterways is unacceptable.  The shock was that some local restaurants only served their food in Styrofoam boxes. The Styrofoam boxes were littering the street gutters and shoreline.  I wanted no part of this Styrofoam disaster, and searched for food on real plates.  Often they had to wash plates just for us.

Trash in the Caribbean
Trash in the Caribbean

Why does this upset me? Styrofoam breaks into tiny pieces and no one knows how long it will last in our oceans, maybe forever.  Not good for sea life or ocean health. Styrofoam can be recycled, but it is very hard to find. Manufacturers of Styrofoam as well as Coca-Cola and plastic bottle industry should recycle the harmful products they produce, and we should all avoid Styrofoam and plastic bottles as much as possible.

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Our Living Beautiful Oceans

 

The Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea

I love lakes, I love rivers and I love the ocean.  This blog from the point of the view of the sea and tide shows a deep appreciation of the ocean and made me happy. It is so real.   I worry about the way we are taking care of our all water bodies, and feel hope when others think about how important and unique our oceans are to all of us.  I think you will like it also:

https://smallthingsmakeabigchange.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/sea-and-a-tide/

 

My Toast to Women

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In celebration of International Women’s Day, I make a toast to some of the women I think are our best role models. Angela Merkel, Elizabeth Warren, Arianna Huffington, Michelle Obama, Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff rank among my top choices.  They educate and care about how the world functions. They know that we all must to work together to find the best solutions possible.

Let’s look beyond ideology, power and money. Look to the women of the world for ideas, and new solutions for our world’s problems.

When girls are educated, their future children are healthier and better nourished” —President Obama:

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