The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.

-Author unknown

I know that March is supposed to come in like a lion, but come on. Talk about one last hurrah- we measured nine inches on our deck.

I’ve been suffering from a doozy of a head cold- who knew that one human head could produce so much mucus? It lasted a full two weeks, during which all sound seemed as if it were travelling through water. Which, in a disgusting manner of speaking, it was.

I’m somewhat proud that I managed to get through it without breaking down and buying a box of tissues. My dainty floral vintage handkerchiefs weren’t quite up to the task, so I used our cloth napkins. Really, not as gross as it might seem, when compared with having to toss a pile of used tissues every morning.

It occured to me the other day that many readers only access this site through RSS or email, so they have not seen what’s new on the sidebar. I’ve been writing for a number of other sites, and that has contributed to my absences here. (The other main factor being an overwhelming desire to lie down whenever I had more than two minutes to rub together.)

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday I contribute over at Eco Child’s Play, a site dedicated to “helping families live a healthy, eco-friendly life”.

On the first of each month, I have an article or two over at Root&Sprout (this month’s is on preschoolers and stranger anxiety, a topic I am more familiar with from a firsthand standpoint. My preschoolers were most decidedly not shy.) Root&Sprout is for parents, by parents; and always inviting new writers.

I’m also the Green Moms editor over at Type-A Mom. Type-A Mom is also looking for writers on all sorts of topics! Check it out.

I spend a fair amount of time as “eltonmom” on Philadelphia MomsLikeMe, a forum for moms. If you live in the Philly area, come join the conversation! If not, there are momslikeme forums all over the country. There’s coupons, advice, and most importantly, opportunities to vent without judgement.

And, finally, I’m on Facebook and twitter. I don’t know how to link you to my Facebook page, you’re going to have to type in my name. Sorry! Small effort to be friends.

I’m waaaay backed up on emails and DMs and Facebook messages and comments, so if you’ve contacted me in these past few weeks and I’ve neglected you you’re in good company. I’m biting the bullet and responding to everything tomorrow, and then I’m turning off the computer and going outside.

This will be the first true test run of the camera since it went into the mud, so keep your fingers crossed for me. What if the snowdrops and crocuses and daffodils pop up and I can’t record it? My head will explode.

We have always held to the hope,
the belief,
the conviction that there is a better life,
a better world,
beyond the horizon.

-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The only thing that has kept me going all through this cold, wet, dreary winter is the fact that one day spring will come; and oh, what a glory that will be.

I was culling my pictures to free up some space on my hard drive and found my shots of those first shoots of spring: the wonderful, wonderful crocuses, first splashes of color against a desolate landscape. DATED MARCH 28.

Three days later, I have shots of fully grown daffodils; five days after that, the bush beneath my kitchen window is captured fully exploding into bloom.

I AM VERY VERY EXCITED. The countdown begins…

This story has been all over the green blogosphere lately, but in case you missed it, Americans are being taken to task for their toilet paper use:

The tenderness of the delicate American buttock is causing more environmental devastation than the country’s love of gas-guzzling cars, fast food or McMansions, according to green campaigners. At fault, they say, is the US public’s insistence on extra-soft, quilted and multi-ply products when they use the bathroom.
-(from The Guardian)

More than 98% of the toilet paper sold in this country originates in virgin forests, as opposed to abroad, which purchases up to 40% recycled product.

I’m sort of shocked that this is such a hot issue; it’s old news to me. At the risk of “too much information”, I buy Marcal, which is 100% recycled paper. I have pretty much always bought Marcal because it’s cheaper and they often print coupons in the Sunday paper, making it super-cheap. Recently, though, they’ve changed the packaging to highlight how buying their product helps to “Save 1 Million Trees”, complete with background photo of trees and fields of flowers; the new packaging costs a dollar more than it used to, even though the product inside has stayed the same. I guess that’s the cost of progress.

I have been nagging Jeff to build me a cold frame (as promised) to extend my growing season, and Chelsea Green has helpfully published a tutorial on how to do just that: here’s Part One and Part Two. For my part, I have helpfully printed out these posts and taped them to the bathroom mirror.

Speaking of nagging, Unclutterer has unearthed the perfect job for me: professional nagger. Options include “daily nag, a power nag, an on-going nag, a week-long nag, and a community nag.” Excellent! Please keep me in mind for all your nagging needs.

Is Facebook hurting our brains? I’ve been reading an interesting book titled Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think And What We Can Do About It, which sets forth the theory that childhood exposure to TV and other electronic media effectively “rewires” the way the brain develops, at the cost of higher-level cognition.

Similarly, Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist, feels that sites such as Facebook and Twitter rewire youth, shortening attention spans, encouraging instant gratification and making them more self-centered.

‘We know how small babies need constant reassurance that they exist,’ she told the Mail yesterday.

‘My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment.’

Last year I tentatively wrote my township suggesting they use some public lands for community gardens. I never heard anything back, but after reading this comprehensive article on starting a community garden, my resolve is renewed. This site is an incredible wealth of information; check it out.

Or, if you’re really lucky, you’ll find your area already has a community garden after searching the national database.

Wondering where you can recycle your electronic whotsits? According to Best Buy,

Now you can bring almost everything from TVs and computers to DVD players and more to any U.S. Best Buy store, and we’ll recycle it. Best Buy does not charge a fee for recycling most consumer electronics. However, we do charge $10 for TVs 32″ and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops, which is offset with a $10 Gift Card.

Note that we currently cannot accept TVs greater than 32″ or external/internal hard drives which need to be removed before recycling laptops and desktops.

We accept up to two items per household per day.

This week’s call to action: the Jeans for Teens campaign. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the majority of homeless and runaway youth are between the ages of 15 and 17. Raise awareness of youth homelessness, help clothe homeless teens, and recycle your gently used jeans by taking them to an Aeropostale store near you.

Falling under the “I just can’t resist” category this week:

• Man Pleads No Contest to Sex With Car Wash Vacuum.
• Man charged with felony “sudden snatching” after stealing a laptop to check Facebook.
• Man Catches 3 Foot Rat. Quote: “I did it, I caught a rat the size of a cat!” Where’s Dr. Seuss when you need him?

  

That’s it for this week… What good stories did you see?

Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether the summer clothe the general earth
With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon..

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

One of our trees is crying.

I see no other reason for it to be producing icicles, in the absence of any rain or snow.

“It is such a secret place, the land of tears.”

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

What’s a tree got to cry about?

The boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back, the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
“Come, Boy,” she whispered, “come and play.”
I am too old and sad to play,” said the boy.
“I want a boat that will take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?”
“Cut down my trunk and make a boat,” said the tree.
“Then you can sail away…and be happy.”
And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy…
but not really.

-Shel Silverstein,
The Giving Tree

“If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.”

-Jack Handy

Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot defend themselves or run away. Through all the eventful centuries since Christ’s time, and long before that, God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand storms; but he cannot save them from sawmills and fools; this is left to the American people.

-John Muir

I think that might be the cold meds talking.

Seriously, though, any ideas why the tree is forming icicles? Should I be concerned?