Last week we picked up a Thai Chili Plant for free on Craigslist and planted it in the backyard. The plant had a lot of chilis on it, and we didn't want them to go to waste so we picked them, and also picked a bunch of the lemons on our tree. Since we couldn't use all this produce, we decided to put it out on the driveway to share with the neighborhood.
All of the produce was gone within a few hours. We were glad to share with our neighbors, and I assume they were happy to get some fresh, free produce.
Often, especially in summer, gardens can produce more of a given item than can be used by one person or family. If you are in this situation consider sharing with your neighbors, they might have some produce to share with you as well. :)
Look around the table. If you don't see a sucker, get up, because you're the sucker.
- Amarillo Slim
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I just got back from a nice run on this sunny Sunday morning. A beautiful start to the day, and some nice views of Balboa Park, downtown San Diego, and the South Park neighborhood to enjoy. About a half mile from home I saw a few chairs on the side of the street that have been there for at least a year. I've passed these chairs regularly on walks or runs through the Golden Hill neighborhood and never stopped to pick them up and put them in the trash. Although it annoyed me that someone would just throw furniture on the side of the street and let it rot I didn't do anything other than be annoyed and think how someone should clean up the mess. Of course, that someone would be an anonymous cleaning person, or the city, or some concerned neighbor (that wasn't me).
I picked up two of the chair backs today and plan to get the rest of that pile over the next few days. One small act, and there is a lot more litter and trash on the streets, alleys, and canyons nearby to be picked up. I plan to continue making a small effort to address the mess in my neighborhood and city. Hopefully if you're reading this you'll consider doing the same. Even a small item like a gum wrapper or a cigarette butt helps, especially if we all do a little every day.
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Commentary:
My first few posts on this blog were about picking up litter on my walks with Eva when she was still a newborn (hence the name of this blog, Walking Miss Eva). I try to pick up at least two pieces of litter, big or small, everyday. I don't always succeed in this effort.
Although I've written about litter before I think it's well worth revisiting. The world is increasingly complicated every day - new inventions, new problems and solutions, etc. But many basic principles still apply and when it comes to helping improve our environment it's hard to find a more tried and true way to do your part than by not littering and helping to clean up the litter left by others.
I hope you have a great day and encourage you to take a moment to pick up some piece(s) of trash you come across on your street today.
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Suggested action steps:
Don't litter
Try to pick up at least 2 pieces of litter each day
Enjoy the cleaner, more healthy street, neighborhood, and city you've helped to improve
Thank you!
(Here's a photo of the chair backs I picked up today. I'm planning to use them for trellising in the yard/garden. Should make for an interesting look and I'll post some photos when they're covered with bougainvillea or another climbing plant.)
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P.P.S.
Couldn't get this song out of my head on the run this morning.
