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Watching on the news how critical our environment is today, does not make you environmentally friendly.

This is the one daughter, whom shall not be named, whom I write about: The one who banned me from attending her graduation this year, with honors, the Dean’s list, so I could beam pride, with tears streaming down my face. In other words, not embarrass her. Be on my best Mom behavior, like I did for her High School Grad, far away that she couldn’t see the tears and tightness of throat, thinking: watch out world, hhhheeeerrrrrreeee she comes! Not far behind her borrowing my pearls, a turtle neck and blazer, practicing her nomination speech for Class President in front of a mirror (as she’d watch me practicing for a Toastmasters speech), successfully accomplishing great things: representing the Junior High with a boy to attend a Leadership Conference for those of her age. She avoids me now and doesn’t come in the house very often. Funny how those same tears and tightness of throat happen whenever I hear or think about her. Which is more often than naught.

I green my home every day — confirmed when my now 26 y/o university grad millennial daughter this year after a summer internship with The Smithsonian in Washington, DC.  < brag every chance I get! > began her new journey as a grad looking for meaningful career posts that honor her commitment to not only finish, but excel.

When she was in Grade 1, without warning, my little activist came home with an assignment we had to do together.  She was to report back what was in our trash that could be recycled instead.  Phew, thankfully, I passed.  She was able to note that there was a bin for cardboard (we’re in 2000 back then), there were cans for recycling and getting money back which could go into the PIGGY BANK — there was a huge pile of daily newspapers, flyers.  She passed.  By her passing, I got higher marks than she did.  I did recycling from when it began, with cans.  Then you hear there is a bin by the grocery store to recycle newspaper, you had to collect it, carry it to the car, drive to the recycling bin, shove it in the overstuffed one I might add because it was collected so infrequently, returned to my car and drove home.  We had a Garburator so we didn’t worry about that, except it taught us what to put in a compost.  Machine…

Today we complain about city taxes: I sort my recyclables, one for the GREEN compost bin (which lawn mowing grass, weeds, twigs, branches along with kitchen waste including bones because they CAN decompose where Garburators break down when one gets stuck horizontally); the recyclables are easy because I have a beautiful GREAT BIG wicker basket that is more of a decorating touch as it serves to collect recyclable jars, cans, cardboard cut up or folded, plastic bottles with two bags hanging in my pantry for one to collect smaller items and the other for plastic bags.