It’s a beautiful mild day here in south Florida. I hope it’s nice where you are. It’s the perfect kind of day to celebrate the earth and all it’s natural beauty.
Not far from our house, in fact I pass it twice every day, is a huge wetlands preserve called Grassy Waters. There’s a nature center, and boardwalk paths above the marsh. You can walk for quite a ways observing the swamp with its palms, scrub, cypress trees, grasses, and countless birds and frogs. I’ve never been there when I didn’t see a gator or two.
They offer natures hikes, guided canoe and kayak outings, and they have educational programs for kids. But it’s not just a nice place to spend a few hours. It’s an integral part of the system providing drinking water for the city of West Palm Beach. The wetlands act as a filtration system for the water flowing north to south, full of toxins and pollutants from the massive farms further to the north.
Seems the powers that be would like to connect a couple of local east-west roads by running a connector north and south. Which would mean paving a section right through Grassy Waters. It would make things more convenient for residents, they say. And it would only interfere with a small portion of the preserve, they say. Plus, it would mean jobs. Which is what they always say when they want to win over single-issue voters.
Hells bells, they might as well tack on a big oil pipeline for good measure. Maybe try to dig out some coal or something else while they’re at it. Because we all know, it’s the old Golden Rule. He who has the gold makes the rules.
As for me, I’ll stick with the Lorax, who speaks for the trees. And I’m happy to be watching the Planet Earth marathon on BBC America today. Brilliant film making about a beautiful subject. And tonight, Big Yellow Taxi seems like the perfect song.
I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful spring evening with the one(s) you love.
Happy Saturday night!
Adventures in Date Night 
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