What a great week.

I normally do not take any pleasure in another persons mistakes. However that is not the case when it comes to meteorologists and their shamanistic predictions. Over at the Devils Club and the mighty KoKon there is drooling and howling about the beautiful moon lit nights we have been experiencing. I could not agree more with their attitude.
This time of year it is the hunters moon I love, nights when a flashlight is a comfort, but not needed. The wilderness is at its most seductive beauty on nights like that. I am drawn, entranced, into the blue night of the snow reflecting the moons robust fullness.
It is no wonder that I have often compared my beautiful bride to the moon. Her beauty is the same gentle light that not only illuminates, but smooths and beautifies everything around her. I am drawn to her side, seduced over and over again, by her beauty.
Oh, but I wander. My better half is far away and I miss her. She has been down to the West Coast spending time with two of the daughters and welcoming the latest addition to our clan. Yup, as of Nov. 12th, we have a new Grandson. Korben Gabriel is his name and he is as beautiful as his mother. That brings our total grandchild count up to 4 and another is due any day now. So lets see, 4 kids, 4,(soon 5), grand kids, and we haven't even hit the big 50 yet! Maybe my family needs more hobbies.
BTW today is AMERICA RECYCLES DAY, so get out there and do it! Besides providing a great service, Rick down at threshold provides employment for a bunch of challenged folks, that might otherwise be sitting around. Did you know that two Saturdays ago the Saint Mary's Saints basketball teams had their annual Kodiak Clean up day? It is an annual event that raises money for the boys and girls teams to go to the ACSSA tournament. So about 25 kids got sponsors and in 3 hours picked up 140 bags of trash and 4 bags of recyclables for a total of 2620 lb.s of refuse. Not bad huh? Man I love those kids.
It's not to late to show your appreciation for these hard working 6,7, & 8th graders. Contact Saint Mary's school if you want to donate to the basketball traveling fund. My many thanks to all the sponsors and parents that helped out this year.
Found a great new website, if your interested in Native American history check this one out.
Summing up: Great weather, Veterans Day caught up with me old buds, new grandson, one night and one day out in the woods with the girls(our dogs).
What a great week. I am grateful.
Do the right thing ya'll, and not just for yourself.
Peace.

Erasing footprints

It might not seem it today, but spring is upon us. Eventually all will be green. I suppose that is what has made me notice other subtle and progressive changes on our little island.
The emerald isle is becoming greener!
There is now a recycling drop-off point in the Flats, and I highly encourage my fellow ratters to use it. Just remember that the majority of the folks working for Threshold are already facing big enough challenges in life, so please don't add your trash to their efforts. Rinse, sort, and be nice, that's somebodies kid down there sorting your stuff after all.
Congrats to Rick Pillans and the crew for pursuing and receiving the grant& financing for the new facility. I can't think of a more deserving group. The more I think about that enterprise, and after talking with Rick about the future, the more I am awed. These folks are making our island a better place every day. The enterprise decreases the use of our inundated landfill and, not only provides employment for folks who might otherwise have difficulty getting a job, they give them a job with a mission. How many of us can say our job improves the planet every day? Pretty cool stuff.
Lets hear it for Boy Scout Troop 626!!
They went camping on Long Island and performed a massive beach clean-up. The 14 scouts and 11 adults that went collected over 2200 lbs. of trash off the beach in two days. When I was Scout I was taught that "leave no trace " was the most important part of camping. This troop exceeded that by far.
When talking with some of the scout leaders I learned that they were surprised by the amount of trash from other countries washed up on our shores. Just proves that pollution has no boundaries and should be a planetary concern.
In my past I have visited the Pelican recovery center in Florida and I have seen first hand the damage done by the irresponsible disposal of plastics in our oceans. Crippled and maimed birds whose only fault was doing what nature designed them to do. If you doubt that think about a certain gut truck and a flock of eagles not to long ago.
I have been to Midway and walked the plastic covered beaches there. I have walked with biologists and wept inside, as they showed me the dying young Albatrosses, the ones who would never fly, because they were starving. They were starving because a disposable lighter looks like the fish they normally eat. So; full of plastic instead of fish, they will slowly starve as their system shuts down. Until that day I had no idea how many disposable lighters were floating around the world. The dozens of young Albatross carcasses scattered on the sand opened my eyes and broke my heart.
This rant is getting long, so I will sum up.
Scout troop 626 and Threshold Recycling have raised the bar. Next time you go hiking, camping, walking, fishing, or whatever. Don't just bring your trash back, bring any other trash you find. Cut your fishing line, destroy your disposable lighters, take the extra time to rinse and recycle.
"Leave No Trace" is no longer enough folks. We must follow the example a group of Boy Scouts just set. We must begin erasing the footprints our ignorant past habits have left behind.
Do a good thing tomorrow ya'll, it ain't that hard.
Peace
Griff