For the Chipmunk in my Backyard

I think he knows I’m alive, having come down
The three steps of the back porch
And given me a good once over. All afternoon
He’s been moving back and forth,
Gathering odd bits of walnut shells and twigs,
While all about him the great fields tumble
To the blades of the thresher. He’s lucky
To be where he is, wild with all that happens.
He’s lucky he’s not one of the shadows
Living in the blond heart of the wheat.
This autumn when trees bolt, dark with the fires
Of starlight, he’ll curl among their roots,
Wanting nothing but the slow burn of matter
On which he fastens like a small, brown flame.

~By Robert Gibb

Diving Board

You’ve been up on that diving board
Making sure that it’s nice and straight.
You’ve made sure that it’s not too slick.
You’ve made sure it can stand the weight.
You’ve made sure that the spring is tight.
You’ve made sure that the cloth won’t slip.
You’ve made sure that it bounces right,
And that your toes can get a grip—
And you’ve been up there since half past five
Doin’ everything . . . but DIVE.

~Shel Silverstein

What You Can Do to Stop Using Plastic

I found the blog of a lady who has found cool ways to store food without plastic. Her blog is called: The Zero-Waist Chef. She uses cloth bags to store food: Homemade Cloth Produce and Bulk Bags | The Zero-Waste Chef, and freezes food in mason jars: How to Freeze Food Without Using Plastic | The Zero-Waste Chef.
I think she is absolutely brilliant, and if you need was to reduce your plastic usage, check out her blog. Go Green!

Listen to the Mustn'ts

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me—
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

~Shel Silverstein

From Circles

Think of a circle  think

our planet

Earth

solid globe

spinning   holding us

holding

ocean and forest and drifting

deserts

in the blackness of space

Think of the sun

our blazing disk  our

daystar

and the planet spinning from

day into night and

return

Think of all that light

washing over us

flowing into starlight dark-

A whirling cycle of days

and nights

Barbara Juster Esbensen

Plastic World - Why Plastic is Bad for Our Environment and How We Can Fix It

I'll start with this, Plastic is useful. We use it for everything from carrying groceries home to eating and drinking out of. Plastic can be used for pretty much everything, but where is it going? What happens to it once we throw it away? Does it disintegrate? Does it decompose?

The answer is, No and No! Plastic never goes away. It stays in the environment forever, and it collects in the Oceans and landfills. In the Ocean sea animals mistake bits of Plastic for food. The ratio of Plastic to food for sea animals in the Ocean is 10 to 1. (10 Plastic to 1 Food)

We used to make fishing nets out of things that would disintegrate and decompose. Now we use plastic, and that means that animals can get trapped in nets for years and years. The nets will never go away. Back to the animals eating plastic though, when we eat fish we are eating a little plastic too. Yuck! 

There is even a place in the middle of the Ocean called the Pacific Garbage Patch. It's not an island of garbage like most people think. It's plastic bits swept up by the Ocean's currents, and floating in the middle of the Ocean like a plastic smoothie. Plastic also attracts chemicals like a magnet. So, even if the sea animals aren't eating the plastic, they are getting poisoned by the chemicals.

The sad thing is, you cannot wholly avoid plastic no matter what you do. It's everywhere, on everything, and in everything. Almost half the plastic we use is single use, and then we throw it away, into the Ocean. We don't need plastic. It's not essential for life. So, why are we using so much of the thing we don't need to rely on when it's destroying the environment? Because it's cheap. Plastic could damage the environment to the point of no return. Do we really want to live like that? I know I don't!

The top three sources of plastic waste, as far as I know, are Plastic bags, Water/Pop/Soda bottles, and Food packaging. A few things that I'm going to do to help the environment are:

1. Get things to drink in plastic bottles as little as possible
2. Stop using plastic bags
3. Reuse plastic containers from food instead to buying reusable containers

Sources:

Addicted to Plastic - Movie

Plastic Paradise - Movie

Marine Debris Program - Website

By Aurora J. A. Pass

Jimmy Jet and His TV Set

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet--
And you know what I tell you is true.
He loved to watch his TV set
Almost as much as you. 

He watched all day, he watched all night
Till he grew pale and lean,
From 'The Early Show' to 'The Late Show'
And all the shows in between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,
And his bottom grew into his chair.
And his chin turned into a tuning dial,
And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,
And his face to a TV screen.
And two knobs saying 'vert.' and 'horiz.'
Grew where his ears had been.

And he grew a plug that looked like a tail
So we plugged in little Jim.
And now instead of him watching TV
We all sit around and watch him.


Shel Silverstein