REVERING MOTHER NATURE

Living in California makes me aware of the preciousness of all that Nature has given we human beings to survive on. The air, the water, all the things that grow—and all our natural resources—the things we use to live on.

Water here in Northern California serves the mainly agricultural communities with the ability to grow the crops that feed our country. Living in the East, near New York, where we moved from it the importance of water is a thing quite removed from our normal day. We turn on the tap and there it is. Many people go to the store to buy bottles of pure spring water to drink. Our here there are water districts which control the flow of water from mountain streams and reservoirs to each community. Water is an important commodity for survival of the economy in the area where I live. After all, California supplies much of the fresh vegetables, fruit and meat for all of America. Because of that people here take the use of water much more seriously.

After I’d driven across the country in my brand new pickup truck, purchased in the East, I found I had to pay to have the emissions system re-qualified to meet California’s standards which are higher, more stringent. This made me think maybe I should have bought a hybrid vehicle instead. With gas prices what they are now, I think about this almost every day. My point is, California takes air quality more seriously than Connecticut. Because of the greater distances one has to travel out here—going from home to work or for other reasons—cars become more important factor of daily living.

Then there are the trees, which supply much of the lumber for homebuilding for our country and other countries. They take the issue of tree conservation very seriously. There are strict laws for what trees can be cut, how many and the age and size.

As far as farming, there is a huge movement of organic growing. There are organic produce sections in all the supermarkets with goods displaying Certified California Organic." Because organic farming sustains the soil and thus the ability to grow more and longer when the soil is used wisely, it is another way that consciousness is being raised among growers. It is no longer just a "health food store" thing. It is becoming a larger reality; it’s becoming mainstream.

All of the above makes one think about Nature’s bounty and how we use it. It is a very "in your face" fact of life in this state. When I look out my window across the valley to the mountains, I see how precious nature really is and am happy that so many are aware of taking care of Her.