It's A Non-refundable World

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. Henry David Thoreau

EARTH DAY is coming and I’ve been thinking about the billions-of-years-old blue marble we call home. It’s clear that in this current wink of time humankind is the biggest biological threat to all life on the planet. Ravaging resources and hooked on cheaply made products, polluting chemicals, fast fashions and throwaway plastics, it’s a disposable mentality in a non-refundable world. We are literally choking on our own over-consumption, compromising the very air and water that make existence possible. If we keep it up, sooner rather than later, Earth could be as barren and oxygen deprived as the moon or Mars. A serious mind-shift needs to happen where there is value in having less and treasuring more of what we already have. Are we up for the task? Can we reverse damage done? I wonder as I go for my walks and catalog the fragile beauty. Some say those who concern themselves with such matters are Chicken Little crying, “The sky is falling.” I say hat’s off to the environmentalists/scientists and common folk who pursue ways to turn things around. Even if a reusable bag at the grocery store seems like spit on a battleship … a whole lot of similar small steps can result in a heap of difference and extend this magical moment in time.

I heart this planet is what the (above) art at the bottom of 1001 Steps in Ocean Park seems to say. Traces of humanity are everywhere.

On bright breezy days kites share the sky with the birds.

Several little known stairways lead to the beach in the South Surrey area.

The stairs over the train track at the end of 24th Avenue are covered in mesh.

Couples attach padlocks there to insure their relationships, perhaps imagining they're in Paris where there are so many love-locks attached to bridges that they're banned now in some places.

Mysterious pools form at low tide. They come and go without making a splash.

When the sun peeks through the clouds the ocean sparkles like fairy dust.

Shells are collected off the beach floor. Some creatures leave their homes unwittingly while others dig in. Some never leave, yet willingly make their homes uninhabitable, even when it's the only home they've got.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

See OUR WORLD to explore more sights from around the globe.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

150 Years Young, Canada!

IT'S CANADA DAY eve and the red leaf flutters over clear and cloudy skies.

Hooray to Canada for being such a wonderfully diverse and peaceful place in which to live. Not only is it "strong and free" it includes stunning views, interesting people from around the globe as well as geographical challenges for people who love to be physically inspired. Climate and terrain vary across ten provinces and three territories that span some 4,000 miles from sea to sea. Celebrating 150 years of Confederation, Canada is a giant-sized toddler gaining strength along the way while holding true to its values. There is room for improvement, of course, but among nations Canada is poised to do the right things not only for itself but for the world.

I was pleased most recently with Canada's involvement in the Paris Accord and also its welcoming stance on immigration from war torn Syria.

My parents immigrated to Canada before I was born. Learning a new language in unfamiliar circumstances wasn't easy and life was harsh but my mother said becoming a Canadian citizen was one of the proudest happiest moments of her life.

Mom didn't live long enough to meet my daughter but I know she'd be especially proud to hear her sing "O Canada" a cappella with school friends years ago. I listen the song each Canada Day. Enjoy!

See more skies from around the globe at SKYWATCH.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle for more BC scenes.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Painting A Brighter Future For The Planet

HOW CAN you not love this little guy? The endangered Western Painted Turtle was just one of the unique creatures featured during World Oceans Day celebrations at Blackie Spit Park in Crescent Beach.

The global initiative to promote a healthier planet came to local beaches this Sunday. Tents were set up and there were many displays by naturalists and environmentalists. We saw how eggs are nurtured and covered with wire to increase the chances of turtle survival.

Plush toy animals were for sale as fundraisers. I didn't check to see whether the markings on each toy was different from the next. Nature's creativity knows no bounds and, like fingerprints, each live painted turtle evolves with a different pattern on its underbelly.

The Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society brought a falcon (above) to the event. The majestic bird had lost its eyesight while the monkey-faced barn owl (pictured below) permanently lost the use of its wing. The caring organization adopted the creatures in need.

It was early when my husband and I arrived. People were just starting to trickle into the event. The morning sun was already sizzling up the sea and sand and there was a party atmosphere.

Musicians and singers were warming up ... exercising their lungs and voices, filling the air with their jubilant sounds.

I snatched a few seconds of song from the folks below ...

and made a very "mini movie" out of it. Since I don't know the name of the group, I call them the Three Musical Musketeers.

On my best days I feel like Mr. Bean does in the inspiring comedic clip (below) from a movie. Check it out, it will surely make you smile:

The scene, enriched by the voice of French composer Charles Trenet, stars a gleeful Mr. Bean who is not at all desensitized to the wonders of the world that some people are so passionately trying to preserve.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Future Up In The Air

MY WORLD is also your world that we share and will officially celebrate on April 22nd. This yearly homage to the natural environment started in 1970 and has had a growing impact on our attitudes towards the globe. Earth Day is a sign we are learning more about the green jewel we call home and our vulnerabilities in it.

We are awakening to recycling and preservation needs and paying more attention to the dangers of pollutants and global warming. As we strive to take charge of the issues, some matters are under our control while others are not.

Not only must we contend with the natural evolution of earth, we must also deal with manmade disasters. One of our biggest battles on the can-do list is to end war and its use of weaponry. Pummeling our gorgeous globe with explosives and bombs disrupts the ground that sustains us and sends destructive vibrations throughout the planet to perhaps hasten potential earthquakes.

The picture I took when visiting a hilltop village called Montmartre overlooking Paris last year reminds me that the globe is a perfectly balanced orb spinning in space amid meteorites, stars, suns and worlds. Its course could change at any moment like the ball the boy is whirling. Although Earth will likely continue its galactic path, how long humanity remains onboard is up in the air. Our voyage could be extended significantly if we stop pounding the foundations of the vessel that has swept us up on its miraculous journey.

Explorers can find more sites from around the globe at My World.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Earth Day: With or Without Us

ISN'T IT SILLY to destroy the earth beneath our feet?

Yet that's exactly what we do when we trash the environment, destroy life through senseless wars and strive for what some perceive is a good modern life.

I suspect the earth is stronger than what we can do to it however. So although the dispassionate globe could one day shake off humanity like a bad rash, Earth will continue to shine its diminutive light in the vast and mysterious universe:

Earth gathers spring rain
A girl scoops up a puddle
With her umbrella

Rain sprinkles the sea
A boy pulls down wind-blown gulls
With his net of crumbs

Sea tosses unmoved
Earth turns like a bird circling
With or without them

Visit UNDER MY UMBRELLA AND BEYOND and POSTCARDS FROM PENELOPE PUDDLE for West Coast scenes in British Columbia.

Postscript 2019: Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.