Cypress Watch

Even though we humans get caught time after time with 20/20 hindsight, it's hard to move from short-term to long-term thinking. This happens to me when I make a plan to get up early and go to the Y three times a week for the future goal of being fitness-ready for biking, and then more immediate thoughts of sleeping in for another half hour take precedence. Or, that container of chocolate chip cookie dough looks good now, and I forget my one sugar treat a week goal. I smile now as I resolve one more time to be loving and encouraging of myself even if I feel like a middle-aged matron! When the circle of long-term avoidance goes global it's more of a concern. The consequences are vast. Each spring I see mountains of cypress mulch and am reminded of how actions separated from consequences can be destructive. When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast some of the damage came from the loss of cypress forests protecting coastal areas. A study tells us that a cypress grove reduces the force of a storm surge by 90%. And yet, logging is taking that protection away. No human-made levees can take the place of what nature has put in place. There is no way the market value of bags of mulch at your local hardware store or garden center can compensate for what is lost in the long term. Look for another option for your gardens and love our home well.