“Earth Week” 2023 starts today. That it is happening this Spring in particular seems most fitting. The theme? “Invest In Our Planet”. (See: “‘Invest In Our Planet’ this year’s EARTHDAY.ORG’s ‘Earth Week’ theme’”).
Spring is a time of renewal.
I love this time of year! Many different types of plants showing off colorful, dazzling blooms. Of course, this all varies depending on where, north of the equator, one happens to reside.
Bees are hard at work contributing to the enhancement of all of the so-bedecked foliage. It is really quite a spectacle for the eyes to behold. That, of course, is accompanied by all of the fantastic natural fragrances. Just goes with the territory. You’ve heard the expression “take time to smell the roses,” right? Well, this would be a good time.
What’s really interesting is where I live in the middle of California’s great Central Valley, is that in this location, we are coming off of an extremely wet cold-weather season. In Fresno County, the place I make my home, between Oct. 1, 2022 (when the rainy season officially gets underway) and today, total precipitation landing on the valley floor portion, is 17.48 inches. Normal for an entire year here is 11.5 inches. What this will more than likely mean is that in the Carrizo Plain National Monument area located in western Kern and eastern San Luis Obispo counties, the flowers that this area is so well known for having will be, so to speak, struttin’ their stuff. The sad thing though is, this demonstration of beauty is fleeting – it lasts only weeks.
As for the air, meanwhile, where my heart is, uh, that’d be home, it’s been grand! Many, many days with good quality air. This year, especially. It has no doubt been this way due to the abundance of rain as well as the number of windy days. Honestly, I don’t know why more people don’t raise a stink when the cleaner air disappears only to be replaced by that which mars skies, spoils vistas and makes some folks sick. This year so far, I’m pleased to say that there have not been very many of those kinds of days – knock on wood. With any luck, yes, luck is a sizable part of that, conditions will stay this way.
Oh, and where weather is concerned, in 2023 so far, as it has turned out, well, it’s been nothing if not interesting.
All I can say is keep the favorable weather, clean air and spectacular views coming!
Last updated on Apr. 14, 2023 at 9:20 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
⁃ Alan Kandel
Copyrighted material.
Above and corresponding, connected home-page-entry images: Bob Wick, BLM via Wikimedia Commons
great post. Great representation of landscape.