Some well-wishers suggested we spend time remembering our sixty years together on our anniversary, which was last week. A story lasting that long would fill a few books. I will keep this short.
During anniversary week we went for walks in the woods. It was about forty years ago we first walked this path with our dog, Tansy. The breeder insisted on a name beginning with 'H', so our puppy was officially registered as Happy Tansy, which was a good match for our time together walking beside the river. When she was happy, so were we, and I recall finding Tansy flowers (Tanacetum vulgare) growing in the sun on those happy hikes off the leash.
Back then, the seedling trees were just a little taller than the grass, and Tansy would happily jump over them if they were in her way. Since then, Tansy is gone, the trees have grown, the woods are lovely, dark and deep, and the Tansy flowers have been replaced by shade-loving dog-toothed violets (Erythronium dens-canis). Somebody had a good idea, planting this forest. Did they intend that we would be enjoying this shady walk, happily if not so energetically, on our sixtieth anniversary? Probably not, but thank you, tree planters.
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On the path leading to the woods, there are various interesting plants, some of whose names we know. One year we noticed a single tall clump of bright pink flowers growing in a damp area some distance from the path in late summer. I recognized them from my time working in the greenhouse as Joe-Pye Weed, a favourite of butterflies.
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Joe-Pye Weed, Eutrochium maculatum |
We looked for them again his year and counted five healthy plants around the area, the work of birds looking out for themselves and incidentally scattering seed to decorate our anniversary walk and feed more butterflies. Thank you, birds.
Nothing here is thanks to us. We pass this way without leaving much of a trace, except for maybe a whiff of insect repellant. Sorry insects, but we must obey the zeroth commandment, to take care of ourselves, which means we don't go on walks to feed the bugs.
Now that I think of it, that is what we normally do. We look after ourselves and trust others to leave the world better than they found it. Not our job. That's something else that has changed since we were busy with career and family. Looking back, it is clear that we have been careless. We had a poorly insulated home, an inefficient furnace, lighting that was more heat than light, a gas-guzzler car which we took on long trips across country. We were so busy taking care of ourselves that looking after the planet was up to somebody else, but almost everybody else was doing the same.
As a consequence, the planet is suffering under the weight of human neglect. For our part, we repent. We have taken steps to reduce our accumulating personal debt to the biosphere. Our home is now well insulated. We installed LED lighting, solar panels on the roof, a heat pump for heating and cooling. When we were still driving, we owned an all-electric vehicle which was a quiet joy to drive. Now we walk or take the bus. We have been writing to government officials at three levels to encourage the transition to clean energy. And this note is the evidence that I frequently nag my friends by writing a blog full of rants about climate change.
It's our job to leave things in better shape than we found them. Let there be happy walks in the woods for another sixty years and more.
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Biomass CO2 Emissions 4X Higher Than Coal: Just Have a Think, August 25, 2024
People Want Climate Action: David Suzuki and Ian Hannington, August 22, 2024
Is It Worth It To Put Solar Panels On Your Home: Emily Chung, CBC, August 28, 2024
Emissions From Canada's Wildfires: Benjamin Shingler, CBC, August 28,2024