What a Beautiful Earth We Have!

the path along Lac Léman (Geneva) approaching the Château de Chillon

This morning, as I stepped out in the rain, I thought about Earth Day, a celebration that began the year that I graduated from high school. In 1970, young people were just beginning to think about the environment. An Ecology club was started in our school. Unfortunately, concern for the environment
was shrugged off as "just another cause" at a time when most young adults dreamed of changing the world.

Shetland, Scotland.

I thought of all the different places that I had visited. To tell the truth, I need photos to remind me of so many areas of natural beauty.

Agua del Hierve, a petrified waterfall near Oaxaca

At this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the environment is getting a respite from humankind's abuse.
With social isolation and lockdown in many countries, the air and the water are growing less polluted.
Fewer car and airline trips have resulted in lower usage of fossil fuels. A virus is forcing us to do what the warnings of scientists could not.

Arizona hillside

I look back on the days of the fall when I was teaching in an elementary school. The students were talking about Greta Thunberg and school strikes. They listened when she spoke to the UN Climate
Action Summit. While in 1970, environmental concerns were just beginning, in 2019, young children
were feeling "at risk" in the world.

my favourite Earth Day book

One of my favourite children's books from the last century, is Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Young Alice is told by her grandfather that she should travel the world, come home to live by the sea and most important, to find a way to make the world more beautiful.

an Earth Day surprise

My goodness! I ordered a bouquet to be delivered whenever flowers were available. The buzzer rang

and it was flowers that fit in perfectly with my spring table runner. Well, my world was certainly made more beautiful today.