A Renewal in Flowers and Trash

When the daffodils and forsythia punch their bright flash of yellow flowers through the winter gray my spirits lift, and the spring bug bites.  Old hyacinth friends pushing up through the dirt promise purple-blue flowers and brim with a fragrance that is, for me, the essence of springtime.

It is a time of renewal.  Perennials use the strength gathered from nutrients while dying back last season to burst forth again.  Compost is made from fallen leaves and garden debris and used to nurture the new flowers.

My admiration for this efficient cycle is probably why I am drawn to the discussion going on in our community right now about recycling.  It makes sense to try to reuse what we can and help our planet.  As a family, we have periodically gathered old newspapers and cans, but we have never made a lifestyle change.  Why not?  A lack of awareness, a lack of an easy system and a lack of a nearby facility to take all of these items could have been reasons in the past.  Not any more.  There's a change going on in our town, and it is time for us to get involved.

Two Quick Steps toward joining the effort: 

1.  Attend the free Martin Beautiful  Earth Day - Recycle event slated for Saturday, April 25 beginning at 9 a.m. at Vincent Implements.  Dennis Kosta and David Carithers from UTM Recycles! will be hosting the first seminar titled:  Recycling for Us. A second seminar at 10:45 and conducted by Vaughn Cassidy, a local West Tennessee environmental coordinator, is titled:  The Cost of "Away."    This event is round two of a series of spring seminars hosted by Martin Beautiful.   Their website has the dates and information for the next seminar scheduled in May and is a resource for information about getting involved in celebrating the beauty in our town.

2.  Take your items to the UTM Recycles! center.   They are accepting recyclables at the facility behind the old National Guard Armory on Moody St. The building is the largest warehouse-type structure at the end of Moody St. on the right. According to Dennis Kosta, a strong supporter of the facility, you can bring :

• glass
• bottles
• plastic (including bags)
• aluminum cans
• paper and cardboard
• steel cans
• scrap metal
• used clothing in good shape
• eyeglasses
• cell phones
• ink cartridges

The center is open and bins are available for drop off of your items. If you need assistance in unloading materials, call 881-7640  M-F between 7:30 and 4:00 p.m. to setup up an appointment to have someone help you unload.

These are just a few quick actions to become more involved in the recycling effort in Martin.  The Moore family has taken one baby step this week with the decision to use an organic weed barrier in our Century 21 "Veggie Village" Kids' Garden.  We're using old newspapers instead of plastic.  Our learning curve is high, but the movement is in the right direction. 

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7:55 AM - Apr. 24, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment
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Roadside Surprise

Puttering down a backroad in Martin today, I couldn't believe the color spreading before me.  What a joy to discover the flash of yellow peeking out from the drab brown hillside.  There is a bit of spring in Weakley County.

10:15 AM - Feb. 20, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment
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Sometimes It is In Your Own Backyard

There is a sheer golden curtain draped around my home and others in my neighborhood right now.  When the sun hits it just right, in the early afternoon, it is mesmerizing.  I am drawn into the picture postcard scene.  And, you would think that when there are no cars on the street, it would be very quiet and peaceful; instead, there is a muffled, soft sound like when snow is steadily falling.  Is it the sound of hundreds of yellow leaves making their way to the ground? 

It is a stunning audio-visual display, and one that has made me catch my breath a few afternoons this week and snap photos.  Of course, these pics never do justice to what nature offers; however, I can try.  Living among huge, old, deciduous trees provides a canopy of green and shade in the summer, and when the leaves turn, the show begins.  I didn't have to drive a great distance to enjoy it either. 

4:33 AM - Nov. 7, 2008 - comments {0} - post comment
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