In a normal universe, we would likely be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22) outside, perhaps at a large event venue. Even before this popular annual event, volunteers typically gather in various locations during April to clean up litter in the parks, rivers, creeks, and beaches.
Staying on TOP of garbage and debris pick-up by participating in community clean-up days helps keep our natural areas and leisure spaces fresh and inviting.
Speaking of the universe, two weeks ago, we had a pink super moon event, one I happily captured with my Lumix FZ 300! Without the moon’s gravitational influence on tides and weather, life on Mother Earth might look quite different.
In My Universe
My plan for Earth Day this year is to simply stay home and play in my backyard garden. By staying on top of planting…
My sunflower seedlings were ready to be planted.
Within a few short months, they’ll go from this…
…to this, a half-open sunflower from 2018…
…And, finally, to this! All grown up (from 2019)!
The rest of my deck garden is close to bursting with flowers!
To help spread the love of sunflowers, I sent a package of various seeds from last year’s sunflower crop to my daughter, so she can plant her own!
I’m adding my images to Cee’s Flower of the Day and to Becky B’s Square Tops.
What can YOU do to honor our Earth?
This article, 13 Small Things You Can Do to Help the Earth Every Day lists simple things you can do to help our Earth. Some of these I do regularly:
- Use your own grocery bags
- Re-use your coffee mug and water bottle (we do this on road trips, too)
- Buy in-season produce. Our local farmer’s markets are still open on weekends! Support your local growers and buy their produce.
- Plant Your Own Garden. Check out Author Cathleen Townsend’s recent post Be Prepared: Plant a Garden.
I suppose during the current pandemic, gasoline emissions are down due to folks not driving their vehicles as much.
I’m excited to see what you might share for the theme “Mother Earth.” Remember, you can link all week!
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A beautiful ode to Mother Earth Terri – loved your sunflowers :-). Do check out the link on my post this week from NASA, right up your alley!
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Thank you, Tina! I’m hoping my last sunflower garden here puts on a fab show.
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A lovely way to honour Mother Earth. Good luck with the sunflowers 🙂
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Thank you, Cathy!
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Ah, I remember our boys planting sunflowers for a competition at school many years ago. We’ve been out gardening all day. A question Terri… next week the topic is ‘Dog Day Afternoon’. What does that mean exactly (sorry for being so dense)?
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It’s for National Pet Parent Day. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I’ll reword that theme!
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Ah, I’ll leave that then, as we’re not pet people.
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Next time then!
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[…] Sharing with Sunday Stills. […]
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Earth really needs our help right now! Thanks for the beautiful photos and inspiration.
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It certainly does, thank you, Elizabeth!
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a topping way to honour 🙂
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Thanks, Becky!
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Lovely post 💕
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Thank you, Saania!
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My pleasur, followed you ☺️
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[…] For Sunday Stills — Mother Earth […]
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[…] This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Mother Earth.’ See more offerings here. […]
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[…] morning I saw that Terri Webster’s Sunday Stills Theme is Honoring Mother Earth and that is just what I had done in this […]
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Enjoy your gardening today, Terri. I guess the upside of the current pandemic is that the Earth is doing quite well. Air quality is way better, not as much traveling, and no one’s out and about dropping trash. No doubt a temporary reprieve. Here’s my offering:https://grahamsisland.com/2020/04/19/kilauea-lava/
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I hope that’s the case in terms of emissions, Graham. Sadly, there seems to be a rise in garbage strewn in my neighborhood, especially discarded gloves. Depression and apathy seem to take their toll around here.
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I forgot about the gloves. I read somewhere about someone taking photos of all the discarded gloves he was seeing while out on walks. There were a lot of them.
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Kind of sad to see!
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You have such a green thumb Terri!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
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Thank you, although it’s partially green, Jodie. Luckily anyone can grow sunflowers 🌻
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Wonderful tribute and ideas for our earth, Terri. Love your photos.
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Thank you, Jane!
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[…] Terri I wanted to add this to your honoring Mother Earth Challenge. Here we see Mother Earth in Action. And the gift of watching Mother Earth at work unfold is keeping me safe and sane at home. […]
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[…] You can see her photos or join in the challenge here. […]
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I love sunflowers but they don’t love me, lol. Will have to try again. Beautiful photos, Terri!
Here’s my link: https://jacqbiggar.com/2020/04/19/celebrating-earth-day-april-22-sundaystills-nature/
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Thanks, Jacquie, it might be the soil! Until we got some free truckloads of organic soil, I couldn’t even grow zucchini in my backyard.
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Thanks, I’ll look into that. 🙂
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[…] sunday-stills-honoring-mother-earth/ […]
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Wonderful post again!
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Thank you!
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Mother Earth is my inspiration and my main cause for joy. She deserves all the respect she can get. If there’s one positive to come out of this virus crisis, it’s hopefully benefits to the earth by means of decreased pollution. I guess air pollution that is, as I’m already seeing reports of disposed masks and gloves making it into the oceans. So much extra trash is being created with one-use gloves, masks, plastic bags, etc…And, while a lot of people have become used to bringing their own grocery bags to the stores, that’s now not allowed. At least not in Trader Joe’s…
Without garbage cleanup on beaches, parks, and road sides, our environment would be a mess. But, why, I have to ask, does that garbage end up there in the first place? And so much of it? Are people still not educated enough to throw trash in dumpsters and to recycle? Seriously! It drives me mad!
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I hear ya, Liesbet. Nearly as maddening is the random trash and discarded gloves on the streets, at least in my neighborhood. Disgusting. I think it’s rebellion or apathy on some people’s part.
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Beautiful photos for the Earth Day! I love the Super Pink Moon especially.
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Thank you, Amy! I’m always so excited to get a great moon shot!
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Hi,Terri – I love every single photo here. Your super pink moon shot is absolutely incredible!
Great theme, great post!
Hope you are well.
xx
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Thank you so much, Donna! I am well, and hope you are, too!
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[…] And I’ve been delighted so many are birding and gazing high up towards the light, as well as watching out for each other and the earth […]
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Thanks for the shout out, Terri–and I love your baby sunflowers. I don’t know why, but they get me every time. Perhaps it’s knowing how tall they’ll become that make them seem so cute now. : )
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Happy to share, Cathleen! Baby sunflowers…I like that. Sounds like a fun fantasy story in the making.
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Terri,if your sunflower garden is anything like last year you will have lots of new flowers to shoot soon. Your Pink Moon shot is perfect, and not easily done. Congratulations! Good take on Mother Earth.
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Thank you, Suzanne! I tried for years to get a good moon pic. It really does take a good camera and the right settings to capture those shots. Once I took a photography class, it all made sense!
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There must be a reduction in Greenhouse gases during this lockdown, don’t you think, Terri? I hear that people who live in New Delhi can see the Himalaya mountains again because all the smog has cleared. And it’s great to see and hear about the wildlife that is venturing into empty cities and towns again.
We’re so lucky to have a garden where we can sit and enjoy the highlights that Mother Earth brings us. She’s putting on a great display at the moment. I hope she’s also taking this time to heal all the wounds us humans have inflicted on her.
Happy Earth Day. 🌍
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Yes, this went to spam, Hugh! Your garden looks lovely and inviting! Hahaha, those goats are having more fun that us humans! Thanks for sharing with me! Happy Earth Day to you!
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Thanks for rescuing me from the spam monster, Terri. In future, I’ll know not to add more than one link.
Happy Earth Day. Have a wonderful day.
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It was funny that all I had seen was a like, but no comment, Hugh. When I use a mobile device, I don’t see the spam folder or those notifications. I’m glad you tweeted!
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New subscriber here and thoroughly enjoying your excellent photography. Love this topic as well. Before we downsized, my wife and I lived in a home on the Tennessee River. We participated in Earth Day clean-up efforts along the banks every year. At first, I was not sure the effort would be productive but, when I hauled 14 car tires out of the cove next to our house, I became a believer. We only have one earth. Thanks for the reminder! Joe
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Hi Joe, thank you for your kind comment. Wow, 14 tires found? The garbage situation everywhere is terrible. Your story proves we have a long way to go.
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I think this might be the best Earth Day ever, Terri. I hear birds chirping where before they were silenced by outside human noises. The Venice canals are clearing up. I wonder how we can keep this sort of benefit going?
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You may be right, Jacqui. The only way to keep it going is to lose about 7 billion people, so I don’t think that’s going to work 😏 I suppose we’ll learn some good lessons from all of this.
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[…] challenges us […]
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We finally got a warm, sunny day here yesterday and we spent the day cleaning up our garden, getting out the patio furniture and even went for our first bike ride of the season. I don’t think I have ever been so thankful for the outdoors and nature as I have been the past few weeks. To be able to go outside changed my mood tremendously. I am anxiously awaiting being abl e to plant my garden and set out flowers- a few weeks away from us yet- though daffodils are up!
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Nothing more therapeutic than being outdoors. No wonder people are demonstrating! Our delta campground is still closed, so no rushing off for weekends, which is nice, although I miss being there. I can’t wait to take the paddleboard out!
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[…] SUNDAY STILLS PHOTO: Mother-Earth […]
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[…] Shared with Sunday Still’s, Mother Earth. […]
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I do love your flowers and gardening plans. I too will be gardening this week. 🙂 Here’s my take on our beautiful earth! https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/2020/04/20/water-fire-and-ice/
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Great to see so much interest in Earth Day, Terri. It’s not something I’ve taken much notice of in the past. We try to do our share, litter picking on a regular basis and using resources thoughtfully. Hopefully for a better future for our youngsters. 🙂 🙂
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Years ago, we used to attend the big Earth Day weekend event at UC Davis campus. My dad used to race the dachshunds, among a ton of other events and it was topped off with the battle of the bands between the neighboring universities. Sad to see nothing this year, Jo.
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All of it online! 😦 😦
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Fantastic photos this week, Terri – and I especially lovely the field of flowers. Just gorgeous. So wonderful of you to be out there cleaning up. Toni x
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Thanks, Toni. Every year at the delta we do one. It’s astounding how much trash we clean up…a huge dumpster full!
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A lovely way to spend Earth Day, Terri. We have also started a vegetable garden but, as it is going into winter here, we have only planted spinach, onions and beetroot. The seeds have germinated and it is rather fun to watch them growing every day.
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Those veggies sound yummy, Robbie! Enjoy!
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Lovely and inspiring gallery.
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[…] For Terri´s Sunday Still Challenge. […]
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Your garden is gorgeous Terri, and that moon! 🙂
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Thank you, Debby, that same garden kept me going last year when I was housebound from foot surgery. I should have colored the moon pink 🙂
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Lol on the moon. And yes, I quite remember when you were scootering around last year! Can’t wait to say 2020 was a distant memory! ❤
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[…] post was inspired by Second Wind Leisure Perspectives photo challenge for this week. Thanks so much for the […]
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[…] For Sunday Stills – Theme ‘Mother Earth.’ […]
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[…] Sunday Stills: Honoring Mother Earth […]
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Beautiful images Terri and a wonderful post! Our contribution for this week is here: https://whippetwisdom.com/2020/04/22/wordless-wednesday-happy-earth-day/
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Happy Earth Day. Lovely post and thanks for the inspiration for my latest post I will go and check out the other post now!
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We’ve started our seeds, but there is still too much snow to plant outside (yet)! We are (mostly) patiently waiting. My husband brought me sunflowers last week for my birthday. Your photos made me smile about them all over again! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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I can imagine. Most of our April was unseasonably cold, now the 80s and up are coming! Glad you joined in, Cathy. Can’t wait to see your sunnies this summer!
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[…] For Terri’s SundayStills: Earth […]
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Late to the party, for this is no longer Sunday (or Monday, or the next) but it is … still … the day of this Earth … And so … here’s mine:
Na’ama
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I think it’s perfect timing, so you are right on!
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[…] to Sunday Stills Photo Challenge and Wordless […]
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[…] Sunday Stills, Honoring Mother #Earth […]
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What gorgeous photos you have for this week. 😀
Here is my entry. It is a Pick Me Up.
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Yes, Cee, I know how much you dislike flowers 😉 Can’t wait to see them grow into big sunnies!
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My entry – https://transitionofthoughts.com/2020/04/23/photography-clouds/
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Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
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Thank you!
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Love all your pro-Earth activities and the easy list of ways to help care for our planet – which means we’re also taking care of ourselves and our neighbors. We can’t garden where we live, even window sill gardens are harvested by the local rodent invaders. But I love to shop the local farmer’s market, tho I don’t even know if it’s open now. We did plant milkweed and had at least 15 healthy Monarch caterpillars until a week ago. A lizard and a crow figured we were nurturing their personal buffet. We even tried to pop a cover over the last 3 caterpillars but nothing could dissuade the free loaders.
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That is too bad you can’t garden there, Shari, but the monarch potential sounded wonderful. I guess nature will always have its way!
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I share your love for sunflowers . It will be fun to hear and see if the seeds take at your daughters.
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They are such beautiful, varietal flowers, Donna. I hope the sunnies grow for her, we’ll both have sunflowers and plumerias in our yards. 🌻
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A wonderful tribute to mother Earth, Terri. The Lockdown is good for nature, proving that we’re a part of the problem. I’d like to consider ourselves a part of the solution, leading a sustainable life, not flying for pleasure, the list is long, there’s always one more contribution that cold fit in.
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Thank you, Dina, it has been amazing to see how nature fills in the gaps we leave.
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