Earth Day

Turkey in the woods 

It's Earth Day!!

How did you celebrate?
I have dozens of new trees coming next week, that's going to be my big celebration even if it's a bit late.
To be honest, I try to make every day earth day! We compost and have an organic garden. I walk when I can, and if I can't, I combine my errands and make them one giant circle. I have a rain barrel and a dual flush toilet. (Yeah, I had a sweet scene between a hero and heroine as she installed a dual flush toilet. I thought my editor would make me change it, but she let it stay!)
So Thursday is my big celebration.
Today we went out to camp today, took a long hike (saw turkeys out and about) and I started to get my stuff out of storage and put on the walls now that the cottage is finished. It was like Christmas! I forgot I bought cool canisters at a house sale last year. And my tinware looks great on the shelves!

Canisters

Tinware (black & red)

Tinware (a green set from Sweden)

We have a lot of Erie antiques here at home and I started collecting Crawford County stuff for the cottage. I love this sign over the sink.

Finally, we moved the antique sewing machine upstairs. I'm going to use it as a desk at camp. It's hard to see my view through the screen, but it's going to be beautiful!

I put one of my antique, cast iron presses on the little nook over the stairs. The area still needs something, but I think this will stay there. I like the look.

Tomorrow I'm heading to school and then writing...I'm always writing. LOL I can't wait to tell you all about this WIP (work-in-progress). It's another cozy mystery. Have you checked out Maid in LA? The first four are out now, and the 5th is out in June! If you're in a mood for another cozy mystery, I also have Can't Find NoBODY. I do love this title!
Hope you had a lovely Earth Day and that next week is a great one!
Holly
PS My daughter got me this platter...more chickens. I don't collect chickens, no matter what she thinks! LOL

Earth Day Easter Eggs

Earth Day Easter Eggs in my books...

...when we did the bathroom remodel, we installed one (and I'll confess, I posted about it more than once). And I mentioned one in A Valley Ridge Christmas. I had a cute little scene with the hero and heroine as the renovated a house and were installing one.  I thought my editor would tell me dual flush toilets weren't romantic...but she never said a word.  LOL

...in Carry Her Heart, Piper takes the notion of planting a tree to heart. Her backyard garden became almost a character in itself.  I adore her garden and I'm working very hard to build one like it here.  My husband keeps saying I can't possibly fit another plant/bush/tree in the yard, but I always manage!  LOL

...in August's Her Second-Chance Family, there heroine is an architect who follows LEED guidelines in her buildings. She also is a composter who spreads the compost glee!

So what can you do to celebrate Earth Day?

~Pick up some litter.
~Reduce your household waste by starting a compost pile.
~Plant a tree (which also helps you celebrate Friday's Arbor Day).
~Eat local.
~Install a water barrel.
~Use energy efficient lightbulbs.
~When you replace old appliances, buy Energy Star.
~Recycle.
~Install a water conserving toilet.

One more fun Earth Day tip...a water barrel. We use ours to water the garden.
So why install one?
~Nearly 40% of the average household's water consumption is used outside the home. You can save money on your water bill.
~It keeps rain water from running into your local storm sewers and contributing to streets flooding.
~It also keeps rain water from picking up chemicals that eventually wash into our creeks and waterways (and in my case, Lake Erie).
~Gardens love the unchlorinated water!


Another Earth Day tip...a clothesline.  Now, I know that a clothesline won't save the planet, but if everyone hung out even one load of laundry a week, think how much energy we'd save!

Any other suggestions?

Happy Earth Day!

Holly

Earth Day!

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair.  ~Kahlil Gibran

It was snowing last week, so I'm not quite ready to go barefoot, but I still love this quote.  Today it's almost sixty out and the sun is shining.  I imagine someday soon it will be warm enough!

And it's Earth Day.

We're hoping to plant a new serviceberry tree today.  It's a tree that's native to Pennsylvania and it not only pretty, but provides food to the birds who visit my yard daily.  

That's my little gift to the planet today...a new tree.

How are you going to celebrate?

Holly