More Environmental Musings

If you read my blog (why else would you be here) you know that I often set out to do grand things in the form of making my life more sustainable. While some changes end up being more successful than others I like to think that on the whole at least I make changes. This link to The Story of Stuff has always intrigued me. It's a little bit long but if you haven't watched it you might find it thought provoking even if a little overdone.

I want to be separate from my things. I don't think I could go so far as living in a tumbleweed house but I do try to get rid of things. Of course, I've found that freecycle is a much better way of getting rid of things than throwing them away.

I guess this post ended up being shorter than I thought it would be... oh well.

I also realized today that sort of like Cory I generally have two types of posts... except instead of cat videos and theology I post Pearls comics and environmentalism.

Summer Restoration

On Friday I walked across a large cement block with a piece of paper in my hand letting me know that I participated in a commencement ceremony. Grades have only been posted for two of my classes though I assume I passed them all and will receive a real diploma in the mail at some point in the future. I have never really cared about walking across that or any stage that represented a milestone in my educational career. However, I am now able to say that I am finished. While I am most likely going to enter into the credential program next spring I really don't have to. If I wanted, I could avoid that classroom for the rest of my life. But for now all that really matters is that I don't have to worry about getting into the classes that I need or setting aside money for books.

So, this summer I plan on a long time overdue restoration. At the beginning of each summer I make a blog post about what I plan to do (like this one from last year) and rarely actually get much accomplished. Last year I did more than usual. This year I plan on doing a lot more than usual. I have already started a garden in the Heim's backyard with the help of the Girl's Group from Trinity. The past week I have been cleaning out the rose beds and finally was able to put the new mulch in today. I rearranged my bedroom and added a desk and computer so that I can avoid the laptop-television syndrome that runs rampant in our house. I also have grand plans for the garage. I have way to much free time on my hands and need to find a consistent place outside of the house that I can apply myself, but for now, I am getting more accomplished in a few days than I felt like I have been able to over the last several months.

I find it interesting that without looking or thinking I titled this post the same as I did last year. I think that my soul desperately yearns for simplicity and a connection to the earth. Purging and manual labor seem to be my inevitable calling.

Maybe this is where my environmentalism comes from:

I said I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly
I wanna sleep on the hard ground in the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of blue bonnets in a blanket made of stars

Oh it sounds good to me, I said

Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray closer to heaven above and closer to you
Closer to you

I wanna walk and not run
I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon and not see a building standing tall
I wanna be the only one, for miles and miles
Except for maybe, and your simple smile


(Dixie Chicks)

Pure Awesome