HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Green tip of the Day!

Save energy & the life of your clothes by hanging them outside to dry!

Save Water

• Keep grass at least two inches long to shade roots and hold moisture
• Mulch around gardens and shrubs to reduce evaporation
• Water in sunny areas more frequently than in shady places
• Aerate your lawn regularly to allow air, water, and fertilizer to reach the roots
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways, walks and patios
• Wash your car with a bucket of water, then rinse with a spray nozzle
• Put out rain buckets to water plants (Great project for kids!)
• Have the kids play in a pool instead of under a sprinkler
• Use a pool cover to cut down on water evaporation
• Don't drain your pool, cover it instead
  

Green up your Home - part 2

Save a tree, use less paper.

Want hardwood floors? Opt for bamboo.

 Reduce plastics, reduce global warming.

 Garden green.   Use compost.

 Use an old fashion push mower.  Plus, it helps keep you in shape.

H  A  P  P  Y     M  O  T  H  E  R  S     D  A  Y !

Green up your Home

1. Green up your appliances.
2. Watch the temp.
3. Save water.
4. Clean green. Stop buying household cleaners that are potentially toxic to both you and the environment.
5. Let there be energy-efficient light.

Recycle Gift Wrap

Recycle Used Gift Wrap Into Bag Filler

Why not recycle that paper into some decorative box and bag filler? That's that shredded paper that helps cushion the gift. And often people go to the store to buy that shredded paper, or they might take some nice, fresh white paper from their printer at home and put it through the shredder. Instead, why not save your crumpled up gift-wrapping paper throughout the year -- could be from the holidays, could be a birthday -- keep it in a special pile and use it just for this occasion.


Make Collages to Recycle Used Gift Wrap

But what about all those little scraps of paper? You can take those and add them to your own, or your child's, art supply box. And you can use them in future projects. Think about collages. Bright, decorative, shiny wrapping paper makes a nice contrast to natural materials, metallic materials, or plain colored paper.

Thanks to About.com for these great ideas