Friday August 23rd, 2019...Morning Thoughts

Balloons are bad for the environment! BalloonsBlow.org

Things I’m thinking this morning in no special order....

I hate balloons 🎈. I didn't as a child, but now that I know how much they are bad for the environment and that some balloons are even made by children in 3rd world countries, I despise them. They are supposed to be a symbol of happiness, but how can I be happy when they do so much damage. I recently saw a documentary about the children that work in balloon factories. They do not get to know the joy that balloons usually bring. They breathe chemicals all day from the fumes and latex. People are also so careless and let them go into the heavens because they think it is fun to watch, but it is detrimental to animals and pollutes the earth. Wildlife gets entangled in them, chokes on them, and dies from getting strangled by them. Balloons whether made of Mylar or latex are not biodegradable and contribute to our litter problem as well. This is why I do not buy balloons any more for parties. It is all so very sad and certainly nothing to celebrate.

I want to make some things for my garden and orchard. Here is the list:

• Compost tea maker
• Worm Vermiculture Bin
• Rain collection system off the roof 🌧️
• Bat House(s) 🦇
• Better Chicken Coop 🐔
• Aquaponics with home grown Tilapia 🐟

I would also love to get my garden and orchard up to specifications so that I can have certification with:

• Monarch Waystations 🦋
• The National Widlife Foundation "Certified Wildlife Habitat 
• Pollinator Partnership for "Million Pollinator Garden Challenge & S.H.A.R.E." 🐝

Tuesday August 20th, 2019...Morning Thoughts

Trash on a beach that could harm wildlife and wash into the ocean.

Things I’m thinking this morning in no special order....

Yesterday when I brought my Klean Kanteen water bottle to Dutch Bros to get a drink refill we exchanged conversation like we do with the staff. This time though the guy working the drive through window told me about his bracelet 📿 he was wearing that he bought on 4Ocean. He told me that every bracelet purchased they remove a pound of trash from the ocean. They also give back to wildlife as well. Each bracelet has a different colored cord made from recycled plastic bottles and beads made from recycled glass bottles ♻️. He had bought one that benefited sharks. I think I might purchase a dolphin one to help 4Ocean fund their cause.

One of my biggest pet peeves are cigarettes 🚬. I do not smoke and have never seen the appeal to it. To me it is a nasty habit that needs snuffing out. I have tried to understand why others around me do, but I guess I will never understand. I am allergic to tobacco smoke. I had asthma as a child and my grandmother smoked inside her home, so when ever we visited I would be bombarded with second hand smoke. She would try to take it outside while we were there, but the smell was in the walls, the furniture, their clothing, etc. I loved visiting her because I loved her, but I remember wishing she would quit smoking 🚭 and that my grandpa would quit chewing tobacco. I wanted them to live longer. My grandma died when I was young. The cigarettes probably didn't help her. I also hate when smokers throw their cigarettes on the ground. Don't they understand that is littering!!?? The cigarette has a filter made of plastic that is not biodegradable. Not only that, but some of the chemicals that make up cigarettes are toxic to wildlife and can contaminate ground water and the environment.

My friend and I were talking about my desire to go plastic free and she said that she is using cloth menstrual products and love them. I had looked into cloth pads when I was doing cloth diapering with my kids, but I never took the plunge for some reason. I did previously try a menstrual cup but I fell out of habit of using it and since I have such heavy flows the menstrual cup was a bit impractical. I would like to once again pursue the cloth pad option instead. Regular mainstream feminine products cause so much waste and the companies that make them do not have to disclose what they actually make them out of. This information is not listed on the packaging and apparently doesn't have to be since they are considered a "medical device". I would feel better about using organic cloth ones that I could wash and reuse. They would be better for the environment and my health.

I hope your Tuesday is wonderful and relaxing.