It's Earth Day

 

Today is Earth Day.  Earth Day is really a movement and should be celebrated and respected every day.  I encourage you to visit the official Earth Day site to learn more, including what your country is doing to make changes. 

Today is also the day of my birth.  Although my grandmother (grandparents raised me from birth) was very British and insisted on naming me after the Queen of England, whose birthday was yesterday, I identify with and respect the earth.  That's why I don't have a birthday.  Instead, I have a bEARTHday.

Let's start the day with a few earthy images.

Does anyone remember this tree that was in front of my porch?

Two more photos I found of the tree.

Here is a front view showing the old veggie garden, which I allowed to turn into a wildlife area for the past three years.  

Sadly, last year, many people noted their evergreens/cedars were succumbing to bag worm.  That was the fate of my tree, too.

As you can see, the tree is now gone.

In its place is my old, dead wheel barrow 

 

filled with the perennials I purchased on Saturday.

My old veggie garden got a makeover, too.

Refurbished and recycled bricks, a new fence, and new plants make this a totally different veggie garden.  This year it's all about tomatoes and peppers.  I hope to find Roma tomato plants too.

In my flower bed, someone cut and removed the tulips that were here. Now that my hyacinths are gone for this year, I seem to have ton of dandelions and the green leaves of my soon to be Naked Ladies (aka Surprise lilies).

Hopefully, the rest of these tulips are brightening my flower bed.

This is all that's left of the dead cedar tree.

Here's why I call my front garden my flower bed.

One slow blooming tulip!

At least one of my lilies of the valley has bloomed.  I may move a couple to the wheel barrow.

Now for my recycled project today.  I named this one Madeline.  Not because it's the name of the kitty, but because of Madeline Albright.  I really knew nothing about her until she died a few weeks ago.  She was the U.S. Secretary of State under Bill Clinton and later, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  Every photo of her shows her wearing an outlandish pin on her lapel or blouse.  That's why I created this brooch.

Somehow,this second brooch doesn't feel finished, but I don't have time to rework it at the moment.

I used E6000 to hold the various pieces together.

For Day 22 of 22, I recycled and repurposed four keys and various deconstructed jewelry.  Obviously, the E6000 was not new.

Thank you for joining me on this 22 day quest to recycle, repurpose, refurbish, or renew, all leading to Earth Day, which in my world is bEARTHday.