musical chairs

via dollyrockergirl

Weekend Advice

Pick It Up!

The absence of snow - amazing. The appearance of litter - frustrating. 

Has anyone else found their neighborhood or local street ambushed by trash? Even the little-itty-bitty town of Welch has been affected, and I'm sick of looking at it. So, this afternoon I put my new Easter-basket gardening gloves (they're adorable - Liberty of London for Target) grabbed a few bags and went on a walk. A walk for a cause if you will. 

It was great! Not only was the walk nice (the sun was shining and my legs feel sore in a good way), but I feel proud of what I did too. A mile stretch and I ended with two heaping full bags - gross! Trash just doesn't belong in our ditches, and I'm baffled that in 2010 people still think it's okay?! Maybe we can all learn something from the people of Rwanda*:

(Kigali, Rwanda) 

Did you know that Rwanda totally beat us to the punch on the anti-plastic bag rage - they are completely banned from the country. Or that there is basically NO litter in Rwanda? Why? How? Some say - "Umganda" (Kinyarwandan for 'contribution').

In Rwanda, one saturday a month everything (businesses, public transportation, etc) shuts down from 7-noon so that people can participate in community service. Everyone over the age of 18 is required to pick up trash, fix local irrigation issues, and participate in various utility-type projects. It opens up discussion on community issues and more importantly offers an opportunity for people to connect to one another and their country. I highly encourage everyone to read this great Green Planet article on Rwanda's advanced green ways.

But what I reallllllly think you should do is grab a few bags, put on some gloves, and go on a trash-removal walk. It is definitely Something to Do Today.

* Today, April 7th - is the 16th Anniversary of the beginning of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Despite great hardship and many losses, the country has come so far. Take a moment to remember all those negatively affected and lost due to violence, and respect their continued progress. Such a beautiful country!! 

Love 105, 89.3 thecurrent, & Sam Cooke live

Lately, I've been a driving maniac.
Does anyone else love the sparkle in tar?

The hours spent in my car along with their partner miles have been weighing down my itrysohard-green heart with guilt, yes. But still, there is something especially exciting about learning new roads/highways, mastering maps, and discovering new places. I could ... bask ... in the feeling I get pulling up to new destination I've been looking for. I must thank my dad for a [mostly] reliable innate sense of direction. & my mom for teaching me the 'WE' trick in reference to west/east. I would be a lost puppy without them ... and obviously, googlemaps.

I'm always rambling on about how much of this world I have yet to see, but hell, I've barely even seen my own state! Thankfully, with the return of pot-holes is the return of road-trip season. Where to, where to ...

Now feels like the appropriate time to quote On the Road, by Jack Kerouac (1955, p. 20), "He took his time coming over. 'You boys going to get somewhere, or just going?' We didn't understand his question, and it was a dammed good question."