Since I started blogging over four years ago, I have been continually surprised by the warmth and supportiveness of the blogging community. Today, I’ve got two new projects to share that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of other bloggers.

Welcome to week 39 of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a sustainable living tip for the week. In addition to celebrating the blogging community, this week I look at tree diseases, sponge cities, quinoa intolerance, and sustainable leaf disposal.

Note: I’ll be away the next two Sundays so there may not be a Sunday Spark while I’m gone. My mum and I are travelling to England to visit my sister.

The Sunday Spark – Week 39

On my mind this week: Celebrating the awesome blogging community

When I first started Boomer Eco Crusader in 2019, I saw blogging as a solitary endeavour. I had no idea there is an amazing and supportive blogging community full of energy and creativity. That has been one of my biggest and most pleasant surprises since starting my blog.

Unlike many other social media sites and online communities, the blogging community is a warm and welcoming place. I have learned so much from wonderful people who create inspiring content, sincerely engage with my blog, leave thoughtful comments, and are always willing to provide tips and advice. And, while I’m sure trolls exist here, I haven’t seen them. My blogging experience has been nothing but positive. It’s what keeps me going!

This week, I have two fabulous pieces of news to share—both thanks to the WordPress community.

Podcasting – Another 60 Before 60 goal

First, a big shout out to Wynne and Vicki for helping me meet one of my 60 Before 60 goals—to guest on a podcast.

I had a delightful conversation with Wynne Leon and Vicki Atkinson on the latest episode of the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast. I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts, but Sharing the Heart of the Matter often features some of the bloggers and writers whose work I admire.

Wynne, Vicki and I covered a lot of ground in 30 minutes—chatting about everything from writing and singing, to life goals and environmental issues. It was so much fun.

Please give Episode 39: Renaissance Woman a listen. I’d love to hear what you think.

But wait! I have more news!

Wise & Shine – A new writing opportunity

I am delighted to share that I have joined the team of talented writers at Wise & Shine. Wise & Shine is an inspiring site with the tagline “We exist to help people understand themselves.”

Troy Headrick, one of the site owners, contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I was interested in joining the Wise & Shine team. After giving it careful thought, I decided this site was a perfect fit and a wonderful complement for the kind of content I write about here on Boomer Eco Crusader.  

On Monday, I published my first post—Simple Living in a Complex World. Please drop by Wise & Shine to read it, and watch for future posts from me every Monday.

Gratitude for the blogging community

In last week’s edition of The Sunday Spark, I wrote about Thanksgiving and gratitude. This week I have two more reasons to be thankful.

Thank you to Wynne, Vicki, Troy and everyone in the blogging community for making me feel so welcome. It’s refreshing and uplifting to be part of a community where people support and help each other! 

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Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

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Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• Last weekend, we enjoyed two wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations. On Saturday, we gathered with my husband’s family. I finally met our niece’s two-month-old twins for the first time. It was a gathering filled with kids, kittens and general chaos. Then on Sunday, my mum, my sister and my cousin came to our house for Thanksgiving dinner. I have so much to be grateful for.
• On Monday, I made cinnamon toast for breakfast. I used to make this all the time when my girls were young. It had been a while since we’d had any, so Colleen decided on Monday that would be a good Thanksgiving holiday thing to do. Cinnamon toast and grilled cheese sandwiches were the only two useful things I learned in home economics class in school!
• I have a new grand-kitty! Luma, my daughter Laura’s new kitten, arrived in British Columbia this week after a 4,000 kilometre road trip across Canada. My brother-in-law and his brother drove across the country to deliver this little bundle of joy. We had so much fun following her travels.

Three things I learned this week

Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:

Our trees are at risk

Trees play such a vital role in the health of our planet and the air we breathe every day. I was alarmed this week to learn that the number of tree diseases has shot up with the number of new emerging diseases doubling every 11 years. This is largely fuelled by climate-change-related drought—stressing trees and reducing their ability to fight disease. I don’t want to live in a world without trees. (Source: CBC News, What on Earth Newsletter)

Sponge cities

Until 10 days ago, I had never heard of sponge cities. Now I’ve seen two articles about them in a little over a week.  

Most cities handle stormwater by using hard surfaces like concrete to direct it the water into drains which take it into underground pipes and ultimately into rivers, lakes and seas. The recent flooding in New York City is a stark reminder that our cities aren’t equipped to handle the extreme weather we’re seeing more of.

Sponge cities use building materials that work like sponges—absorptive materials that hold water and allow it to slowly drain back into the environment.

Several Canadian cities are welcoming this kind of infrastructure to better handle stormwater. Could this be the way of the future?

(Source: Macleans)

Saponin and quinoa

Last week, I wrote about quinoa as a more sustainable alternative to rice. I love the taste of quinoa but I always find it gives me a gut ache. This could be due to its high fibre content but when I did some research this week, I learned it could also be due to saponin—a chemical found in quinoa’s coating.

Saponin is a bitter, soapy substance that protects the quinoa plant. It contains low levels of toxins that can cause intolerance in some people. Soaking the seeds for 30 minutes and then rinsing them well can remove the natural Saponin coating and reduce the symptoms people like me experience from eating quinoa.

Maybe it’s time to give quinoa another try!

(Source: Healthline)

Sustainable living tip: Leave your leaves

It’s fall, and the majestic maple trees in our garden are shedding their leaves in preparation for winter. What do you do with the leaves that fall from your trees? It turns out leaving them on the ground is the best thing to do for the planet. Fallen leaves release nutrients into the soil, and can store carbon in the ground. They’re also a vital part of many ecosystems. (Source: National Geographic)

If you must rake, please don’t put your leaves in plastic bags. Paper garden waste bags are a better alternative. Check with your municipality on their yard waste and leaf collection programs. Our region collects yard waste in paper bags or reusable bins and uses it to make compost. And our city collects leaves in neighbourhoods with lots of mature trees, if you rake them to the curb on collection day.  

Above all, don’t use a gasoline-powered leaf blower! As I reported in a previous edition of The Sunday Spark, one hour of use contributes an equivalent amount of carbon to driving a Toyota Camry for 1,770 kilometres.

Happy raking!

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I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.