Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Spring Is Here
Well, spring has arrived! Yippee! That means some spring clean-up is due. Many of you know I own a yarn shop and some spring clean-up was due there, as well as what I need to do in my yard - which is substantial this spring since I never really did much fall clean-up last year. Well, at the store I had some leaves and debris to rake-up in the parking lot. I had enough to fill two very large garbage bags. I raked up a lot of leaf mold and dirt. I thought about bringing it home to my compost heap but it was mixed in with black top stones (petroleum product) and about a million cigarette butts. I'm not kidding. There must have been a million of them from a very small area that I cleaned. What's up with that? I mean, come on people. I used to smoke, and I know now with the anti-smoking laws smokers have to go outside to smoke, but why must they throw the butts on the ground? This is littering is a nasty way. Cigarette butts do not compost readily. Whatever they are made of, they hang around a long time. Aside from the arsenic and other carcinogens in them - they really don't make good compost. And who smokes anymore? I mean, with everything we know about cigarretes and how harmful they are, why is anyone still doing that? Besides, aren't cigarettes about four dollars a pack? Four dollars a pack! I'm so glad I quit many years ago. Four dollars a pack to get cancer or a host of other horrific maladies?! I know, I know. Smoking is addictive, plus it tastes good. That is, if you are a smoker. But, smokers, come on. Stop littering. Get an ashtry or a butt can or something. Just because the cigarette butt is small doesn't mean it isn't litter. What are you thinking? Oh, wait - what was I talking about? I digress! Oh yes, the dirt I cleaned up from the parking lot. I put it into garbage bags and put it in the back of my car. I have to take my store garbage home as the city where my store is located does not provide trash collection for businesses. Anyway, I put it in the back of my car and it cooked there for a whole day. When I left the store, my car smelled like hot dirt. Not that it was a bad smell, just not the same as new car smell.
posted at: 12:08 | path: /peggy2008 | link for this entry
Tree Blooms
Most trees, other than tulip and fruit trees, don't really show off their blooms very well. The photo today is the bloom on my white maple tree. I don't think you can really see the bloom in this photo. The leaves spring out right behind the bloom on each branch. The bloom is like a spray of little green balls on the end of small stems. I get a good view of this from one of my kitchen windows.
posted at: 11:54 | path: /peggy2008 | link for this entry