Earth Day...It "IS" Important!

Its entering spring-time on the Tallgrass Prairie - 

celebrate Earth Day with a sense of careful consideration

for the legacy of life you are leaving to your children's children!

photo © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

Tomorrow is Earth Day...every year on April 22 since 1970.  The earth day web site - http://www.earthday.org gives a good overview of the history of this one day event each year.  It really started, not as a celebration, but as a cry for "consciousness" of what was amiss!  

I usually try to keep this blog on a high positive note - no one likes a downer.  But this day...this time in our planet's life, has entered a new phase environmentally and our collective interest in its well being (our well being!) is, in my opinion - muddied.  

Please use this day to reflect on how you see the bigger picture of our "Home's" health.  How can you better make wise decisions in your daily activities...how do your actions affect this Earth?  Do you read about environmental issues as they affect the Earth?  Do you read beyond issues in your own backyard?  Are you keeping in touch with those whom represent you in the local, state and national government?  Do you know how your political representatives are voting?  Please be aware. 

It isn't as easy as it should be to stay on top of what is happening with our "Home".  This requires a real effort on everyone's part.  Most really serious health issues for our planet are not in the quick 60 second spot on national television news.  If they are, they are usually simplified or glossed over, we are just not made truly "fully" aware.

I could go into many details of examples to illustrate what I mean but I don't want to tell people how to think - I would just ask that people really do think!  Read about the environmental issues, go to more than one news source, find out who is behind bad decisions that affect our planet's health; make them know how you feel about their decisions or bad behavior.  Take a real proactive position; write "letters", not just fast and easy e-mails, Likes or Tweets.  If you feel you can speak to an issue which is important to you - please do so!

Tomorrow is EARTH DAY.  Keep it (our Earth) and hold it tight as you would anyone you love.  It gives you life and will cradle your children's children, and theirs.  It is too important!

Please pay attention on this day and every day forward...to what is happening to your "Home", our Earth.

New Color Out There...

American Robins were having a feeding

frenzy around the studio and yard this morning!

(Click on image for a larger view)

What a busy last couple days here!  Our fist good rain sine June of last year!  We got 2.5" on Tuesday through yesterday, then 4 inches of snow this morning...we were lucky here as we didn't get very much ice.  Those further north and west are really cleaning out of a mess, lots of trees and limbs and power lines down.  We did get covered with pea size hail on Tuesday afternoon, but it melts down to usable moisture just the same!

Even the House Finches are gettin' drop dead gorgeous!

(Click on image for a larger view)

I haven't gotten much done this day except take bird pictures!  Leave it to a snow storm in the spring to bring the hoards in to the feeders!  It is fun to watch and the snow will be gone in a couple days...its spring as usual around here!

Enjoy, it'll soon be hot and humid in the shade!

 

 

Back to the Drawing Board

"Wild Rose" 

color pencil drawing - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

I'm getting impatient for spring and the prairie to bloom again.  Its silly because we haven't had a terrible winter at all, but its April and the ditches are still drifted with snow and the days haven't been typical April days yet...and yes, I'm spoiled.  So I'll suck it up and pretend its actually warm and rosie out!

I haven't been working with the color pencils this winter...I've had some eye issues that haven't been helpful but Georgie got me a nice large magnifying light on a stand and it now sits next to my chair in the house, where I do all my drawing and "close" work.  A few weeks back I finally decided to start something...once I get into a place of inactivity, I tend to get stuck in a rut and just spin my wheels.  Well I finally got the metaphoric winch out and pulled myself back behind the drawing board again.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this on the blog before, but I don't generally "draw" in the studio - it just takes too long and I wouldn't be able to get anything done out here!  Instead I usually sit in the house in the evening and converse with Georgie while doing so during the evening hours.  The studio is for painting, framing, working on photo files, doing "business" and paying bills.  

There is an exhibit coming up fairly soon at Arts on Grand and the theme is "Iowa's Natural Heritage".  The exhibit is being sponsored by the Wild Rose Casino so I thought "What the heck", do a Wild Rose. Iowa's Natural Heritage runs from May 7th through June 1st, and will have artists and photographers celebrating what is "natural" to Iowa...its flora and fauna and landscape.  

I am having some difficulty identifying this particular rose since there is more than one type found in our state.  "Wild" Rose is simply a "common" name given to all of them. I am leaning toward this rose to be the Rosa arkansana, maybe because it is the most common one here in NW Iowa. I will have to study this plant more when it is in bloom this summer again...it grows along our gravel hillside driveway.''

Now, back to the drawing board!