happy bEARTHday!

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day this year? Planting some flowers? A tree? Taking a walk with your parents and/or your children? Hanging a bird-feeder? Bringing reusable bags to the grocery store? Target has several deals in honor of Earth Week - check 'em out! http://tinyurl.com/targetdeals

Spring certainly is the season of change and this year it seems more than ever. I have witnessed America's beautiful Pacific Northwest absolutely explode with color! More shades of green than most would imagine possible blanket the hillsides and every hue of blossom and bloom glow contentedly in the soul-warming sunshine! My runs continue. I've got a goal this month of at least 25 miles a week and I make it a point to cross the street every time there is a particularly bright bunch or fragrant tree along that side. It's a good thing too, because while I have a penchant for the routine stretch of my legs, I seem to also have the equal and opposite penchant for junk food and the Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and Street Fair brought in the best kettle corn, fresh cut curly fries, turkey legs, chicken satay, roasted almonds, and all sorts of sauces to try and goodies to taste! Tens of thousands of people came from all over (even hundreds of international visitors for the World Tulip Summit) to tip-toe through the tulip fields, buy bulbs and peruse the hundreds of art and craft stalls, not to mention give their cameras a workout! As y'all know, I can't resist such an opportunity and I brought my own out on a couple jaunts. I snapped several keepers, but my favorites came from the ripening reds that graced my bedroom windowsill. I just loved waking up to these each morning. If we were lucky enough to have a sunny day, they would glimmer with light and if not, they brought a cheering color to contrast the gray. As lovely as they were, it wasn't until they began to wilt that I believe their true beauty was revealed. Unlike wine and cheese, flowers are not usually considered to get better with age, but in this case, I beg to differ. The petals curled like ribbon on a gift and opened wide to reveal their delicate treasures within. The red intensified and shifted to deep burgundies, rouges, even purples and indigos... There was such elegance in their dusk, truly I was in awe. I loved these photos so much, that I entered them in the local newspaper's tulip photography contest. If you have a spare moment and like them as well, it would be great if you could give them your vote! (starting May 1st)
http://tinyurl.com/JWtulip1
http://tinyurl.com/JWtulip2
http://tinyurl.com/JWtulip3

Spring has also brought about many less than happy changes. I want to take this moment to extend my thoughts and heartfelt wishes to the victims of all the Earth's tantrums. Chile, Haiti, Peru, Brazil, Tibet, Iceland... and those are only the high-profile events. Earthquakes, Floods, Landslides... people and animals suffering. I am SO SO lucky to be where I am right now, to have the opportunities that I do and I admire all those who are currently dedicated to making a difference in this world.

Another round of well-wishes go out to my friend Kate and Nikki who have been doing some spring cleaning of their own. Both have had recent emergency surgery and especially Kate, this was definitely an unexpected birthday gift! I wish I could have seen you this weekend, but I'm sending big hugs to both of you (and one for Adam, Happy Birthday to you too!) from up north and look forward to seeing you in a couple weeks!

I'll end this entry with another of my recent fun finds. I like this product for both it's earth friendly construction, use of bamboo which is one of the most renewable natural resources, and energy saving features, but also it's simple and elegant design. http://tinyurl.com/bambootop

Green

A little late for St. Patrick's Day and not at all reminiscent of corned beef and cabbage, nevertheless, I thought I'd start off showcasing some of my recent favorite finds with a couple green goodies. I've been collecting cutting edge products that have sparked my imagination and that make me excited about the future and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you over the next few posts!

First, I am thrilled to present my most recent purchase, a water bottle that can roll up and fit in your pocket! Now, I am a die-hard Nalgene fan and have carried one with me wherever I go since college, so this is big :). There are two earth-conscious companies that deserve mention here, although I ultimately went with the former because they offer a 1L size. Platypus actually has an entire line of products that are made of an incredibly durable triple-layer laminate and polyethylene lining (BPA free) that won't retain flavors or taste like plastic. They even have a wine preservation pouch! When not in use, it takes up very little space, which is key when all I've got is my backpack! Alternatively, Vapur has a colorful assortment and a great message. Did you know that it takes 17 million barrels of oil each year to make bottles for water just for the U.S. market?? Imagine the world over! Check out their website for more information: http://vapur.us/world-water-crisis.php - Invest in a water bottle my friends and take advantage of the beautifully clean tap water that we are privileged to have in this country :).

Another cool product on my wish list is this set of foldable, self-powered, eco-friendly speakers. Again, saving space is key and they require no batteries to boot! You can slip them right inside your laptop bag and easily carry them to any function. Made from recycled material, they have several designs to choose from, a blank set to let your creativity run wild or you can even send them your own custom design! Check out their new Rock-it device that turns anything (cereal box, paper cup, plastic bowl, even your refrigerator!) into a speaker: http://www.origaudio.com/ - awesome!

I'll leave you with this insightful film short about the fictional life of a plastic bag. It's 18 min long and it's a bit slow, so I don't blame you if you break it into parts, but the bag's last words really made the video for me. I never thought I would feel such emotion for, well, a plastic bag! :)