Let the Sun Shine, Let the Sunshine In

I haven't been blogging as much lately for a variety of reasons.  I can't seem to find time to whip up a decent post.  I feel like I need more time to craft something, not just slap together whatever falls out of my head in the five minutes my kids might allow me for blogging.  More importantly though, it's been nice out.  Sunny.  Warm.  And it has made me feel frisky and ambitious.


What have I been doing with all that frisk and ambition lately?  Not blogging, ha ha.




I'm exploring local shops - we scored ourselves a kickin' game of plate pong for a grand total 90 cents plus tax at the thrift store.

I've also started two yarnwork projects and am picking up supplies for two more today.  Here's Ivy's felted first birthday crown...

...and a zumba/belly dancing hip wrap for me (Not that I do zumba or belly dancing, but if I ever decide to take it up, I'll be ready).

Violet is jealous of Ivy's crown so I'm picking up supplies for a quick Waldorf crown and then some reusable produce bags for me as I start hitting up the farmer's markets soon.


What we've been spending a ton of time doing though, as a family, is picking up litter.  You would think that people who live in the country, live much more closely with the land, wouldn't be litterbugs.  You would be thinking wrong.  I don't think I've ever seen more, larger, or grosser chunks of litter in any suburban or major metropolitan area I've ever lived in or visited. 

And this isn't just a winter's worth of stuff that is now being uncovered as the snow melts.  I know how that goes.  I understand that.  But a lot of this stuff I've watched appear each week.  We'll take a walk and pick up litter, then the next week or the next day even, there's more nasty tidbits.  Cans, bottles, tires, a mattress, TVs, oil cans, a chopped up motorcycle. The coup de grace for me though was last week's disgusting find.

Four bags of litter, one of which contained beer bottles and Kit Kat wrappers, and three of which contained an entire deer chopped up into pieces..

Classy.


I shudder to think what the rest of the summer will bring us, but we'll still be out there, scouring the neighborhood for litter, because we like the sunshine and fresh air and we hate looking at trash.  Is that normal?  Do most families go on litter walks?  I don't know, I guess I've never asked anyone else.  Not that I care.  Maybe we're just earth-nerds and that would be okay too.  It just seems like our neighborhood is an extension of our yard and of our house.  I wouldn't just let old tires and beer bottles and trash bags sit around our yard or livingroom (at least not for too long), figuring someone else will pick them up.  And I can't stand to see them in our neighborhood either. 

It's not just me, is it?  Do you and your family help pick up your neighborhood?

Well if you don't, YOU SHOULD!  And to help you start (or keep going if you already do) I've got an incentive.  Everyone loves incentives, right?

On Earth Day, April 22nd, I will be giving away lots of awesome stuff on my blog and you are all invited to enter to win!  How do you enter?  Stop back here on Earth Day to get all the details and see the giveaway items (weeeell... maybe a sneak peek before Friday, maybe), but I'll give you the heads up that one way to get entries in the drawing is to take your family on a litter walk this week.  Email me some pics to put in an upcoming blog or post some pics on your blog for extra bonus entries. 

Happy Litter Hunting!