Daily dose of Vitamin N

I have been working on another nature-related project of late as well.  A friend of mine had been lamenting the "lack" of nature and wild things in his life, especially during a time of hectic schedules, rehearsals and gigs.  So I took it upon myself to be his personal conduit with good 'ole Nature - sending him daily photos of something nature-related while he was so busy.  Well what was just supposed to last a week or so has been going on for about 4 weeks now and has had amazing results.  My friend really looks forward to his daily vitamins, and I have found that I am so excited about sharing the natural world around me...I am looking at my world in a new way.  I'm finding the beauty in little details, in the little amazements I find every day.  My buddy has also starting finding some nature moments in his own life and has begun sharing them with me too.

I'm reading Richard Louv's latest book, "The Nature Principle", and it talks about how sometimes technology can be a conduit to getting outside and exploring for yourself.  Well in that spirit, I'm using the interweb to share some of my Vitamin N moments with the rest of you.  Get out and be amazed by the little wonders around you...you don't need to be on an African Safari or in a Provincial Park to be awed by Nature!

"Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement, to look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.  Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; to be spiritual is to be constantly amazed."

~ Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Earth Day Resolution 2011

I've got worms.

No, I haven't discovered some parasite that inhabited my bowels while I traveled in India...I've made the leap to vermicomposting!  I had been hesitant in the past because of the perceived commitment they would require, but this year I decided it was time.  I end up throwing all of my veggie/fruit waste as I can't do an outdoor compost here in the park (it's a wildlife attractant), and I was getting sad about the amount of "good" worm-food that I was throwing out.

So now I have my very own population of red wrigglers, ready to take on the fruit and veggie scraps that might otherwise be thrown out.  A friend of mine is somewhat of a vermicomposting expert, so I went to visit her to get the wormy low-down.

So here I go, another year of learning and growing and doing what I can to make my footprint on this planet a little smaller.  If any of you would like to learn more about worm-composting, the Biosphere Insititute of the Bow Valley - Worm Composting site has lots of great information on setting up your own worm bin.  As my worms start churning out some deliciously hearty dirt, I'll take some photos to add to the blog.

On a somewhat related note:  Right when I arrived home with my worm bin, my partner of two years got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!  To make a long story short, I said YES! and we're planning to get married this fall.  Yay love and stuff!