My 5,284 steps to help the Earth

Did you know that the first Earth Day was held April 22, 1970 as a nationwide demonstration, petitioning the government to put environmental issues on the political agenda? Thousands of schools and close to 20 million demonstrators participated in the original Earth Day. Earth Day was such a success that it is now celebrated annually.

As with all social movements throughout history, awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. And those changes have a real effect. There was a time when there was no such thing as unleaded gas or recycling bins, and nobody gave you grief for leaving the lights on and the water running. Now, thankfully, those concerns are part of our daily lives and the planet is happier for it. That's what Earth Day is about.

I decided to do my part by collecting trash that I encountered on my morning walk. I left my iPod shuffle at home and grabbed a pair of plastic gloves and a trash bag instead. I did bring my pedometer with me so I can tell you I took 5,284 steps today to help the planet. :) In my 2 mile walk I collected an entire bag of garbage. The contents of my bag included receipts, plastic cups, golf tees, styrofoam, pop cans, candy wrappers, a child's pink sock, and cigarette butts. I picked up more beer cans than anything else. I found the majority of them along the golf course, which is disappointing as there are many trash receptacles on the course. 

I would have gone further and collected more garbage in my surrounding community, but a snow storm started to move in quickly. With my bag blowing wildly in the wind, I carefully made my way to the garbage compacter and recycling bins to sort through the items and dispose of them appropriately. 

I made a concentrated effort today to collect as much garbage as I could for Earth Day, but I honestly do try and pick up litter any time I am out walking or hiking. I try to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible and I love shopping with reusable grocery bags. There are so many little things we can do everyday to help the planet. So today, I urge you to take a moment to look at your own habits and actions, and consider what small changes you can make that will contribute to the larger effort. Every little bit helps!

Remember everyday is Earth Day!

April snow showers bring healthy wildflowers

Just when I thought it was safe to stow away my snow boots for the year, mother nature proved me wrong! We had a major storm this week that brought us about 10 inches of snow! I definitely am ready for spring, but the late storm did boost snowpack in the Colorado River basin. Mountain snowpack is an important part of the water cycle. The annual accumulation and gradual melting of this snowpack is a major factor in maintaining reservoir levels and stream flows. The longer the snow stays the better. A slow melt would allow the thawing ground in the mountains and foothills to absorb more of the moisture, which helps deter wildfires. Slow snow melt is also important for the lifecycle of mountain wildflowers. Wildflowers start to grow as soon as there's no more snow on the ground. If these plants start growing too early, they can be damaged by frost. This leads to fewer seeds and flowers, which means less food for insects and birds. The effects can ripple into the entire ecosystem.

I took this photo on Thursday April 18th- the first day I could see the mountains after the snow storm that started on Monday April 15th.

I will be keeping all of these important benefits in mind this week, as I hear we may be getting more snow. If it means less wildfires, a great wildflower season, and a larger water supply I think I can handle it. This also means I won't be able to hike this weekend. Trail conditions in the foothills are snowy, slushy, and muddy- not the greatest for hiking. Major bummer, but I will be patient. 

Can't wait to see all the happy sunflowers pop up from the ground again! :)

In other news, I did get a pedometer- a surprise gift in the mail from my hubby! Looking forward to using it on the trails! Also, we did pick a weekend in June for our Santa Fe, New Mexico trip and booked a hotel room. I can't wait! :)

My new pedometer!

Sharing "a sense of place" with Georgia O'Keeffe

I have always been a fan of Georgia O'Keeffe's artwork.  I love how she experimented with scale, perspective, and color. She painted tiny flowers up close like you were looking at them through a magnifying glass. She painted massive landforms but showed them far off in the distance, so they appear small. She wasn’t interested in painting colors exactly as they look in nature. The subject matter of her paintings always appealed to me- flowers, trees, fruits, bones, rocks, the moon. She was inspired by the natural world which I completely understand. This is why when I read in the paper back in January that the Denver Art Museum was going to have a Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit running from February 10th to April 28th, I marked my calendar. I didn't want to miss it! 

We had planned to go to the museum on two separate occasions and both times we ended up not going because of major snow storms! This past Saturday, however, was dry and sunny. It also happened to be the first Saturday of the month which was great because that meant free admission to the art museum. Yay!

First time visiting the Denver Art Museum!

The exhibit focuses on Georgia O'Keeffe's appreciation of New Mexican landscapes. I learned that her life changed when she first visited New Mexico in 1929. She immediately fell in love with the rugged landscape and the mountains. She made frequent trips there while living in New York. In a letter to a close friend she explained her frequent visits: “You know I never feel at home in the East like I do out here—and finally feeling in the right place again—I feel like myself—and I like it.” I love that quote because I can identify with it. I feel like I found my place here in Colorado and it is such a wonderful feeling. The mountains have definitely put a spell on me and have inspired me to do the things I love again- hiking, photography, and writing. Drawing inspiration from nature is such an amazing thing and Georgia O'Keeffe was someone who understood that. Her love of the southwest is obvious when looking at her paintings. 

Right after I snapped this photo of Georgia O'Keeffe's beautiful cactus flower, a museum attendant came over to me and told me that photographs of this exhibit were not allowed. Oops!

So I was a fan of her work before, but after this trip to the museum I can say I am a fan of the artist herself. I learned that we both share "a sense of place" and how powerful that feeling can be. I told Jim that for my birthday I would like to take a road trip to New Mexico. It is only a 6 hour drive from here and I would love to see the Georgia O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe as well as hike around Ghost Ranch where she made her home for many years and where she painted many of her landscapes. We are in the beginning stages of planning a weekend getaway there and I am very excited about it. :)

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Yay! It is starting to feel like spring! Now that it is warming up I am doing my cardio exercise outside rather than on the treadmill or elliptical machine. I would much rather be outside than inside a gym anyday! :) Today is my first day of my new work schedule. Normally I work morning shifts, but starting now I will be working the closing shift on Thursdays. So since it was so beautiful this morning, I decided to take advantage by going on a nice power walk in my hood!

 One of the things I love most about where I live is that the surrounding community is so beautiful. We are right on a golf course with gorgeous views of the front range. We are within walking distance to a great bar called the Lazy Dog. In the summer it is fun to walk or bike over there and have a brew! It is also a great destination for my power walk. Normally, in the gym I do 30 minutes of cardio which is how long it takes me to walk from my doorstep to the Lazy Dog and back moving at a decent pace. It is nice because the terrain is varied. There are some areas that are steep and some that are more flat so the walk mimics the kind of workout I get in the gym. It is about a 2 mile walk. I am thinking of getting a pedometer this summer because I think it would be fun to use on my walks and hikes!

Pretty view of the golf course

The Lazy Dog- great local bar!

It was pretty quiet on my walk today. There were no golfers on the course, which was pretty surprising. I did stumble upon a rabbit though! I saw a hot air balloon in the distance which means ballooning season is back in swing. I love that about the spring and summer here. One day I would love to take a ride in one!  

The rabbit I spotted

I enjoyed listening to some sweet acoustic tunes on my headphones, taking in the sunshine, the fresh air,and the mountain views. It was a great way to spend my morning and I am planning to try and do this every Thursday.

I hope everyone has a beautiful day! Now it's time to get ready for work!