Earth Day 2011

Yesterday was gray and blah. I woke up with a bad sinus headache and that finally rolled over into a migraine about mid-morning. I spent most of the day in bed, trying not to be ill. The wind started picking up last night, and has been roaring off and on ever since. We're expecting gusts up to 60 mph today. It's bright and sunny out, but there's the wind to contend with. Lovey and Nedi spent most of yesterday under the covers with me - when they were awake, they spent half of their time chasing each other at high speed all over the apartment. Lovey is curled up, sound asleep in the middle of the cat tree, with her back to the sun. Nedi is outside, stretched out on his side, soaking up the rays. - And the weather person just said our expected low tonight is 28... oh, boy.
> Today is Earth Day. Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this first Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day.
> Did you know there is an Earth Day Anthem? There are many songs that are performed on Earth Day, that generally fall into two categories. Popular songs by contemporary artists not specific to Earth Day that are under copyright, or new lyrics adapted to children's songs. Creating new lyrics that are easily translated into multiple languages, and set to a universally recognized melody in the public domain, does not appear to have been attempted.
The "Earth Day Anthem" below satisfies these requirements for a universal song associated with Earth Day. Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" melody is already the official anthem of the European Union (in that case purely instrumental without lyrics), the melody is widely recognized and easily performed, in the public domain, and originally composed for voice. Lyrics for the Earth Day Anthem set to "Ode to Joy" are provided below:

Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love through out all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love through out all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world

~*~*~ Let's preserve our mother for future generations! ~*~*~