Bears and Bunnies

One of my favorite annual environmental events has a side benefit. The building it is held in has a stage where tiny dancers, from the local dance class, perform midday. Each year a new group of brave little souls nervously find their way to center stage. As those first precious seconds pass, while waiting for the music to begin, their heads swivel right to the teacher behind the curtain, forward in search of family and then to the most likely dancer to remember all the steps.

This years class had stuffed bears and bunnies as partners to aid in conquering stage fright. As the music poured over the hundred or so audience members, each little dancer found their own personality driven dance path. Some charged ahead, others were a bit more contemplative and one found her inner giggle. Unity took two forms; pink tights and death grips on those stuffed animals. Each dancer was delightful and when the well earned applause began they shared a moment of shock driven suspended animation. They then scattered in the same manner they danced; some charged ahead, others lingered a bit and one buried her face in her bunny and giggled off, stage right.

Some days giggles and smiles are abundant. The day of our environmental event was one of 'em. It was a true treat to be there.

A Loving Heart

"A loving heart is the truest wisdom."

                                 Charles Dickens

I Lied About Fall Arriving

I lied about fall arriving. Well actually, the calendar and mother nature were not "quite" in sync this year and area colors have shown up late and are vanishing early. We have lingered over-long in summer temps with no-rain records from 1950 broken. The much needed rain has only begun to fall in the last three days and I swear you can hear the plants and trees saying thank you. Trees must be determined in order to outlast dry spells. Hopefully this big drink will help a bit.

Even as the strong rains fell today I could here the sound of our next door neighbor's chain saw carving away at the umpteenth tree to be dropped in their yard this year. In an effort to override the sound I turned on the TV, just in time for the news report about 200 plus trees that were cut down in Los Angeles so that the SHUTTLE could be pulled from point A to point B. Seriously? Right in the heart of some of the worst urban air quality in the country! Some days are real head shakers.

If I were a person of power, I would speak loudly of the need for rebuilding forest canopies in this time of deforestation. As our air quality degrades around this world, taking down trees with no regard for the bigger picture shocks me. 

Hope you find time to spend with a bit of nature soon. Catch the color and take in some of the fresh air that lingers there. It's a gift.