Sharing Our Ideas in a Common Thread

Since I’ve started blogging and tweeting, I’ve found a community of people of like mind. One of my favorite finds is Reduce Footprints, a site. that encourages everyone to change the world, by making changes in their own lives one step at a time.

One of the things I love most about the site is the promotion of Change the World Wednesdays. Participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #CTWW on social media to promote the ideas outlined in a monthly theme. Here’s the word from the latest post:

January’s theme is: Why we do it? I believe that we protect what we love. If we love the earth, we’ll protect her.

Here’s your challenge …
This week, go outside and look for something special … something to appreciate and love. Perhaps it’s the way snow melts off a tree or how early flowers are pushing their way through the earth. Maybe it’s the feel of crisp air on your face or the way the sun looks in winter. The idea is to look … really look … for something positive and wonderful … something to love … and protect.

OR … 

Are you up for this task? I know that you are!

I took this challenge to heart and spent the morning—an unusually sunny one for January in Seattle—looking for and basking in the positive and wonderful things around me in my garden. I’m sharing those things here in hopes that you will also take the time to observe and remember why this planet is so precious, and why we must all take the necessary footsteps to insure it survives.

The first crocus of Spring greet me at my front steps.

Bunches of early daffodil, flanked by fading iris leaves, dot my front yard.

Rhododendron leaves await the promise of Spring.

 White Narcissus contrasts with the blue of my front porch.

This Northern Flicker visits my suet feeder a few times a day.

House Finches love Nigerian thistle and black oil sunflower seeds.

Bird feeders bring birds which bring this Cooper’s Hawk to visit.