The drought continues here on the prairies. Following an epic plague of grasshoppers, crickets are now emerging from deep cracks to hunt for grasshopper eggs and any grasshopper and cricket road kill. There are huge gaps between my lawn and the sidewalk and pathways. As I tried to bury vegetable leavings, I found the ground had became very hard. I had to break up large clumps in order to finally bury the pail of vegetable peelings, egg shells, and coffee grinds. I do this several times a week. Now that winter is approaching, I will have to begin saving these leavings for mulching when the ground thaws out next spring. We’ve been doing this for years as well.
Because of our concern for the environment, I collect all of our bathwater and the rinse water from doing dishes. The typical bath uses about ten gallons of water from the bathtub and another gallon or two from the basin we use for rinsing dishes. All of that water goes into our gardens. This morning, the small rose garden got to have a drink of water. The last of the rain water has been poured onto tomatoes and cucumber plants in the garden. There is just not enough bathwater and rinse water to go around.
It is hard for me to imagine any naturist not being an environmentalist. The mantra of living in our natural state is directly tied to nature. I can see why I am seeing more and more of the naturist crowd taking refuge in natural settings: along the beach, walking in forests, exploring the deserts and the prairies, and gardening. Yet, not all have access to a rural environment as they live and work in large urban centres. I am lucky to live only steps away from the open countryside.
Can you be a naturist and not be an environmentally concerned person? In my opinion, no. That is where the word nudist comes in. That isn’t to say that a nudist is word that has negative connotations, it is simply all about distinction. People in large urban centres can be, and many are, naturists when they take refuge in a city park. Unfortunately, the opportunity to be clothing free in the parks is rarely present. That leaves them waiting for work vacations to leave the city and find a way and place to be at one with the universe.