Earth Day 2008

Tuesday April 22, 2008 is International Earth Day. In honor of the occasion Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty will introduce legislation to place in motion a province wide ban on pesticides. During last fall's election campaign, McGuinty made this promise to the people of Ontario and it seems that it's one that he is going to keep.

The pesticide ban will be for cosmetic use. In other words no pesticides can be used on lawns or gardens that are privately owned by an individual, but Ontario farmers will be allowed to use pesticides on crops. There has been no indication so far whether or not golf courses will be allowed to use pesticides.

McGuinty and the Liberals have been under intensive lobbying from health care professionals and environmental activists to ban pesticides for some time now. Other organizations that have pressed for a pesticide ban include the Ontario Medical Association, Environmental Defence, the Canadian Cancer Society and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Long-term exposure to pesticides can cause learning disabilities in children and can be devastating to pregnant women according to the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.

I am in favor of this ban. I believe that pesticides are damaging our environment. I would, if I had my way, go a step further and ban all pesticide use. I would rather cut a worm out of an apple than ingest the chemicals that are sprayed on them each year in the spring. I was brought up a farm girl and nothing was wasted. We picked up winfalls in the orchard and cut out the bruises in the fruit before preserving it to eat during the winter. However, mankind is his own worst enemy and has been flooding the earth with pesticides for so long that insects and disease have become superbugs. I am not sure if natural deterrants are feasible at this point. It may be a case of too little, too late.

That being said, I grew up during the 50s and early 60s when it was common for farmers to spray their crops with DDT, a deadly pesticide that was banned years ago. Grandpa sprayed the fields and the next day my brother and I would be running through them or digging in the ground looking for arrowheads.

Life is much different today than when I was young. DDT, asbestos, fibre glass and lead paint were all used while I was growing up. I'm glad that today's children do not have to breathe in these toxins any longer. I'm sure there are many of you who grew up in the same area. High incidents of cancer are found in Baby Boomers who were exposed to these toxins. Let's hope McGuinty's ban on pesticides will allow our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to have fresh, clean air to breathe in the future.
My mother and I were invited to my niece's home today for lunch, which I thought was very nice. She called me the other day and asked me, saying she would like me to come for a visit and meet Evan. Yes! I didn't hesitate to except. Evan is seven weeks old now and I was so glad to be invited to meet him.

Mom was already there when I arrived and she was holding Evan. I had brought my camera along and got the above shot of the two of them. They is a difference of 81.5 years between them. This is her newest great-grandson.

Lunch was delicious. Sherry and her sister Shelley had made potato soup, along with tuna salad on croissants. It was all homemade and such a treat. Dessert was a strawberry/rhubarb cobbler with a twist. Though Sherry seldom uses canned food, she had used frozen strawberry/rhubarb pie filling, placed it in a baking dish, added a layer of canned custard and then sprinkled granola over the top. There was very little sugar in the dish, so it was one that I could have. It was a little tart, but oh, so delicious.

While we ate, Sherry put Evan upstairs where his father was doing some work on the computer. Evan's father, Rob, has his own contracting business, so was home doing some book work. Evan was quiet and when we had finished eating, Sherry went and got him. She is breast feeding, but fed him breast milk out of a bottle because she didn't want to breast feed with company present. Evan drank his milk and seemed content while we visited, but soon let Mom know that he was still hungry.

We had a great time and caught up on all the latest family doin's. With my family there is always something going on.

In other news, Brandon and Jordan are still feeling a bit under the weather. Jordan is having a difficult time and if he's not better in the morning he's going to have to go to a doctor. Michelle doesn't like taking him and would rather he got better on his own, but she also knows that this has gone on far too long. Brandon still has a migraine, which is something he gets spring and fall. This will last from 3 to 5 days. When I went to watch them this afternoon for Michelle to go to work, they were both being quiet as mice. (Are mice quiet?) I could tell they weren't feeling themselves, as usually they are busy discussing all kinds of kid things. I'll keep you updated on this situation.

That's about all the news from my corner of the country today. I hope you are all enjoying nice spring weather. Be sure to take time out of your busy schedule to stop and smell the roses. This is the perfect day for it. Please be sure to leave a comment and let me know of anything that you are doing for Earth Day. ~Blessings, Mary~