(prompt: ‘plan’ 24/4/2020)
There was a plan. WAS! And then the vile virus hit not only our bodies, but the whole fibre of our beings. Our essence… and in too many cases, our humanity. Earth Day, 2020 – its 50th anniversary. I was determined to follow at least a few of the suggested inspirations to motivate myself out of my icy-lation induced physical torpor.
Number one was to support our local bees. But I already do that. A now massive hive lives in a disused chimney we carefully sealed off in our Dining room. We believe they were already in residence behind the blocked timber barrier when we arrived 20 years ago. ‘Make them at home’ they advised. Well-ll-ll, think you could say they’d been given an extraordinarily hearty ‘Welcome’ mat here?? And make a native bee-house? We think not, given their regular high-rise apartment living in our tall chimney. Another suggestion was to make a bee-friendly garden. That was a no-brainer, too. You see, I talk to my bees – always have – especially when hanging my clothes out on the clothesline, or bringing them in. Never had a bee sting me – why would they? They’re my friends. So that’s pretty much the bees done and dusted. We all seem perfectly content with the status quo.
Suggestion number two was recycling and repurposing. Uhrr, nudge nudge, wink wink – we’re farmers from last century. These johnny-come-latelys are kidding me, right? It’s only when we’ve been on holidays I have reason to complain about all the waste of good rubbish! At home we place great value in recycling food scraps for the hens, meat fat and bones for doggies, newspaper and pine cones and twiggy matter for lighting up our dearest combustion stove – AND recycled clothes and books. Can’t remember the last purchase of a ‘NEW’ either one of those types.
Plant Wildflowers and Go Native, they suggest. “Uhrr, please sir? Do weeds count? We have many with wonderful flowers! And they DO thrive where we live – truly native to our area (and there’s always a few flora-type visitors who tend to overstay their welcome, too!).” *sigh* “But in all honesty, they do not ‘lift our spirits’ or make us rejoice in their abundance. Funny that!” And still on the gardening theme, they encourage bringing nature into the garden with plants that attract butterflies. No mention of cabbage moths and slugs and snails and slaters and other baby plant munchers. You know the kind. The ones that panic-eat all the wannabe vegetables in that dedicated organic garden.
Next? Plant more trees, they say. Talk to your local government. Now wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute! The electricity line vandals come and decapitate any tree within a kilometre radius of a line – and we should coerce the local government into stopping them? Seriously? Think we haven’t tried? Think they took notice? Uhrr… which bit of NO do you not understand?
So. There WAS ‘the plan’. But of course, you know all about the ‘best made plans of mice and men’. Don’t you??
