Spring has sprung

Spring is definitely in the air, and not just because the temperatures are finally going up.  The aromas are fantastic and the the trees are in bloom.  Drive down many a road in Redlands and the scent of orange blossoms is almost overwhelmingly sweet.  And not only are my orange trees blooming but so are my apples trees.  It's hard to believe that a little over 2 weeks ago, there was snow on the ground.... a rare event in Southern California, much less in April.  I've almost felt as if I live in Michigan again: warm temps one day and blustery cold the next.  It's been a bipolar spring.  I'll certainly miss the cool temps of winter, the green hills and the refreshing air.  But the brilliance of spring is hard to complain about.  Here's just a hint of the the  rich blossoms adorning my yard:

That's a load of garbage!

I'd never been to the dump before.  In fact, my vision was one of what I'd seen in movie and TV shows.  But it certainly was nothing like what I'd imagined: a huge pile of junk with old broken TVs, radios and bikes and with banana peels strewn all over the place and garbage divers looking for treasures.  In fact, I was blown away by the whole organized process of bringing junk to the dump.  The stations to drop off metal, wood, palm fronds, and green waste by huge dumpsters.  The massive bulldozers to plow the junk under the dirt.  I was also floored by the amount of junk we produce; and a little bit sickened at that.  Of course, we were adding to that heap of rubbish being entombed in the earth.  Here was the first load:

All 800+ pounds of it.  And that was just the first load.  But it sure looks a heck of a lot better behind the garage.  Unfortunately, there are more loads to come -- there's that spider infested shed in the garden that I have to tear down and which some rabid animal has made it's home.  But for the time being, I'm recycling even more.  Might as well try to make up for that little part of the earth that I'm helping to contaminate.