I was going to write a preachy column about the political climate in this country. Then I realized I have been preached to enough for one lifetime. If people are unhappy with the way things are, then they should vote. If people are happy with the way things are, then they should vote. No preaching, just facts. Your vote is your voice. And if you don’t vote then you have no voice and you can only listen to the others with voices who will drown you out. Oh, starting to get a little preachy. Just do it, VOTE November 6!
Now that the temperature has dropped and Summer has left and Fall has arrived, I have broken out the blue jeans again. I am amazed at how blue jeans can be worn for a couple of weeks before they have to be washed again. That’s what makes them so indispensable to fashion plates like me. Makes getting dressed easy in the morning – blue jeans, shirt and sweater vest. Easy peasy and off I go. So a special thank you to Jacob W. Davis & Levi Strausson for their patent in 1873. I denim know what I would do without them.
We recently returned from a visit to Florida where Niki and I visited her mother near the Treasure Coast. We went to the Treasure Museum and saw a film about sunken treasure from many shipwrecks especially one Spanish Galleon that sank in a wild storm in 1751. I have often wanted to find treasure and while in Florida I combed the beach for a wayward tide-driven doubloon or two. All I found was a bunch of shells, some unique pods called sea beans and a bottle with a note in it. It was a Cuban wine bottle and the note was written in Spanish using faint pencil. We are still trying to get it translated. I also saw many big rocks brought in by the tide. I captured photos of many of these unique rocks on my phone. After watching the treasure film, I learned than ocean-aged silver doubloon were sometimes crusted together in clumps that looked like rocks. And after the film, I went back to my photos and sure enough, the clump which had a blue-green tarnished look, upon closer inspection, easily could have been a bunch of Spanish coins. I went back to the spot on the beach where I photographed the mysterious clump, but the tide had taken my lost treasure back to the sea from whence it came. Another tide, another treasure for some other seeker of pieces of eight. Curses! Argh!
November is the month we celebrate giving thanks for the food we eat and the people we sup with. I want to thank all the independent, family-owned, small farmers out there who are working so hard to grow and harvest the food we put on our tables. We owe so much to them for choosing to work the land. Through droughts, floods, pests and fickle political policies, farmers have to prevail to make a living. So thank you farmers for what you do for all of us!
I hope everyone spends time reading all the recycling articles in this edition of The Healthy Planet. China has decided not to accept as much of our recyclables as they used to. So much recycling waste is becoming contaminated and you need to find out how to make your recyclables cleaner so more can be processed. Just imagine if we didn’t recycle anymore. My recycling bin is always fuller than my trash bin on pick-up day. What if we went back to all trash and no recycling? The landfills would soon overrun our cities. There just isn’t room for the huge amounts of trash we produce. So recycle responsibly and keep single-stream recycling as a way of life!
As the holidays near, I hope you find a few of your holiday gifts in the pages of The Healthy Planet magazine. Our Natural Living Holiday and Gift Guide offers you some great ideas for giving the gift of health, wellness and green living. These local, family owned businesses hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and they invite you to consider some of their gift offerings for everyone on your list!
A Big Thanks To All Our Readers! JB Lester