#41 - Don't Like Ignoring the Earth

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day!

Like other important things, Earth Day is not getting the proper spotlight. But, I tried to turn my focus away from the pandemic and celebrate this lovely morning. ​I poured coffee into the 2 earthiest mugs I could find and invited Don to head outside.

I was also took out a 2-year-old (pre-Covid) magazine, that had an article about letting trees grow old with dignity. ​

That was an interesting read, on Earth Day. In an eerie way, it tied into today's news. So many victims of Coronavirus, (particularly the elderly) are not able to die with dignity.
​
The elderly have been hit by this pandemic more dramatically than the young. But it's not just the disease, it's the treatment. We've heard horror stories about the shortage of ventilators, leading to heartbreaking decisions over who gets them. So my coffee time, in the great outdoors, made me fret over our elder trees and elder folks...

Earth Day Walk

So I told Don we should get our masks and go on a walk. We are allowed to do that!

It was cloudy and breezy and the air felt perfect.

We saw animals that didn't seem to care that it was Earth Day. They also didn't seem care that there was a pandemic.

​Turtles and Toasts

​The walking paths were nearly empty, but there were tons of turtles looking up at us from the bridge. We made sure to pull up masks when we spotted people coming our way. Two children in a stroller, seemed scared by our faces. Before long, I wonder if masks will look normal to everyone. Or will we get that far, with mask acceptance?  

Finally we toasted to the 50th Anniversary, with our water. I bored Don, as I do every year, telling him my memories of the first Earth Day in Tallahassee, Florida.
​
On April 22, 1970, my diary describes 100 middle school students, marching to a dump with anti-pollution signs. We attempted to clean up the filthy site, but we failed to make more than a dent.

Home to Reality

​At home the news brought us back to reality. The numbers Covid cases climb daily. 

Today 2.5 million have been infected and 177,000 have died. But the good news is that our earth is getting some breaks, as most of us stay home. Pollution is dropping, skylines are become more vivid and mountains are suddenly coming into view! I hope we all are learning something from this!

On this Earth Day, I also think back to when Don and I got out and enjoyed the mountains and oceans and rivers, all over this country.
 
This 5-year old pic is making me excited about adventures in the future!
Cheers to Happy Pre-Covid, Mask-free, Earth Day Memories!