Advent Earth Care

Exploring the Amazon, looking for birds.

My theme for this first week of Advent is to "Cherish and care for the earth". I express my unity with nature at Advent in two basic ways:

• by offering small gifts of love and attention in recognition of all I receive from the earth
• and by finding joy and fulfillment in simply being alive, instead of in an excess of buying, eating, using, and wasting.

Agenda Today:
1. Go for longer walks
2. Study climate change
3. Work outside
4. Deck the halls
5. Make bird feeder pine cones

1. Go for longer walks:
I walk a mile or more every morning with my beautiful dog, Sadie, being careful to wear the clothes that keep me comfortably warm and dry.  

Yesterday, when I took these photos,  it was cold and foggy. Sadie and I went on a long walk by the creek we lovingly call the Amazon, to watch for birds, and saw ducks and geese.

2. Study climate change:
I've been working with the group 350.org this year. Their goal is to "build the global grassroots climate movement that can hold our leaders accountable to science and justice."

I'm on board for that! 

This winter, I want to learn more of the science behind climate change so I can converse with knowledge- especially about what the local effects are- and also learn some things I can do to lower my carbon footprint even further.

I started today with the Nasa climate web page and the Climate Reality Project, and learned that 

• The number of record high temperature events in the United States has increased, while the number of record low temperature events has decreased, since 1950. 
• Snowpack in the Cascade Mountains has decreased by about 20 percent since around 1950. In some areas, snowmelts are now beginning up to 30 days earlier than normal, which affects the timing of when and how streams flow. 
• With less water running down mountain streams in summers, less water will be available to power our hydroelectric dams, which will create real economic consequences for us.
• Oregon and Washington had their most severe wildfire season in 2015 when more than 3,800 fires burned more than 1,600,000 acres, partly due to higher temperatures.
• Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent.

3. Work outside: 

Since the rain has let up I will try to get a little yard and garden work done today: I will rake leaves, turn the compost, and tidy up the front garden.

4. Deck the halls:
I have continued to collect greenery while on my morning walks, bringing home fallen branches of cedar and fir. I also look for pine cones and other natural materials to use to make gifts and decorations.

My daughter and I each made a beautiful wreath with the greens I collected.

Evergreens are a symbol of eternal life, and also symbolic protection against trouble. Today I bring the protective spirit of nature inside.

5. Make bird feeder pine cones:
Right now, because of the cold, the wild birds are looking for high energy foods. 

Peanut butter is high in fat and full of protein, and could be considered the perfect bird food. Be sure to get natural, no-sugar peanut butter, or use vegetable shortening as an alternative.

Supplies:

• 1 c. peanut butter or shortening, or a combination
• 1 c. oatmeal or cornmeal
• pine cones
• bird seed
• yarn or string

Yield: Makes 2 bird cones-

1- Mix equal parts peanut butter or shortening with oatmeal or cornmeal until well blended. (I used half a cup of each and it just covered this one medium-sized cone.)



2- Choose a pine cone. Cut a long length of string to hang the bird feeder, and tie around the pine cone near the top (about 3 sections down).

3- Use a butter knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges.

4- Fill a bowl with birdseed. Roll the pine cone in the birdseed. 

Go out and hang it in a tree where you can watch from a window.