Yesterday we hopped across huge puddles and driveway ruts to go for a walk down the road which is bare. I took along a plastic bag and grabbers to collect litter. I didn't collect much but as the snow melts it will accumulate. The closest Orange Julius counter is an hour and a half away by car and it amazes me that whoever threw away two paper cups along this stretch of desolate farmland couldn't wait to get home to throw out their garbage. Our road doesn't lead directly anywhere. It's 6 or 7 miles to the east before you come to a T junction that leads to more farmland and along this stretch of road there may be 10 or 12 farm houses on roads leading off our road. These people drive along the road each time they drive to the closest town so will spot their debris as the snow melts. It's hard to figure out the logic of people who litter.
When I was a child there was a campaign in our city to encourage children in particular to put their garbage in the brightly painted "Garbage Gobblers". I seem to remember they were green and looked something like monsters. Our generation seems to have learned not to litter. It's rare to see older people walk away from their tables in the food court or fast food restaurant without doing their best to clear everything off. We are the ones who had plastic litter bags given out by the gas stations hanging from a knob on the instrument panel of the car and our children's litter was deposited inside and emptied at home or at the next place we stopped.
When we moved here from BC, our small town had a couple of oak half barrels here and there but they weren't enough. My daughter was interviewing the mayor as part of a grade 7 school project and she had seen 5 gallon recycled plastic pails attached to telephone poles in another small town. When the mayor asked if she had any suggestions, she described the idea to him. Well, before long town council agreed and they ordered blue mesh buckets with liners and a drop bottom and within a short time these were placed n telephone poles along the streets. It made an amazing difference to the litter problem downtown. Well, I've had my turn on the soapbox today....
I'm looking forward to reading what others are doing as Spring arrives or approaches at
Mary's Little Red House this week.
I can not see the logic of people who litter either they are discussing. Pretty card. Trish
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to take a plastic bag with you to pick up litter.....it is so nice to see the sun again, am loving it......:-)Hugs
ReplyDeleteGreat post, love the tulips. I have an older Mac, but I upgraded the iPhoto to the newest version. Click on a picture in your iPhoto program, then click the share button at the bottom on the right, you are sent to a new page and the templates appear down the right side of the screen. You can send the picture or pictures (via e-mail) singular or use a variety of templates. If I use the templates I have to e-mail them back to myself and save it. Hope this helps. This weeks mosaic was done this way. Jen
ReplyDeleteYour wooden tulips look great - and seeing them probably reminds you of your visit to Holland.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the snow is finally beginning to melt. And yes, it does reveal the winter's litter. I don't understand those who toss trash out like that either.
I love Marjolain Bastien's work too.
ReplyDeleteMy BIL is home from Edmonton for the weekend, and he is so happy to be here, even in the rain. He misses the green and the moist air here, and he is enjoying the blossoms.
I just love the tulips, so pretty. And I have to say your header shot is beautiful. Thanks for sharing your mosaic and have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteHow clever to place your wooden tulips outdoors to bring a splash of spring colour to the porch.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that the melt has begun, does the dripping snow drive you crazy?
Have a wonderful week.
Maggie.
I'm so glad to hear the snow is melting. Spring is coming slowly this year...here in Ontario, too.
ReplyDeleteSad to say, litter is a big problem here also. I live on the edge of a village far from any fast-food places but our corner lot is often littered with cups, papers, bags.... Gotta wonder why these litterers think I want to pick up after them.
I hate litter bugs! I have a very small patch of tulips that are in flower now, but what fun to have some wooden ones.
ReplyDeleteHi Sheila
ReplyDeleteI have some wooden tulips too that I bought at a craft show years ago, I've never thought to put them outside though.
I remember the plastic bag hanging in the front of the car, I often have a paper one on the passenger side floor of our car for garbage.
Judith
I am glad to hear that the melt is on there! Soon we will all be experiencing warmer, more spring like weather, Sheila. Then we will enjoy seeing tulips again. Your wooden ones are very pretty and a wonderful prelude.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to say it but NYC is full of litter. A city with 8 million people is bound to be dirty but I do think that young people as a whole don't seem to care very much about trying to dispose of litter the right way.
No Spring or tulips for us but a nice cool change is creeping in. That means I can garden and go for walks without getting heat exhaustion. I agree about your concern about littering. I get so mad when I see people throw stuff out of car windows and they are adults.
ReplyDeleteI remember an anti=litter campaign also at our school. So our generation learned not to litter, but perhaps we have not taught our children the same. I remember walking to town across an empty lot, my friend dropped a wrapping, I stopped and demanded that she pick it up. She was so surprised that I would do that. It is something that my husband and I are very serious about, we clean up our back alley, where the garbage is collected. I think if we would each do our part to clean up our neighborhoods, then it would be spotless. I am glad to do my part.
ReplyDeleteWhat part of BC did you live in.
Have a great day,
Cindy
I hate litter as much as you do. Where I used to live in Virginia was terrible about that. The first time they cut the grass beside the roads in spring exposed all the trash. Terrible! It is so much better here in Connecticut. Even so, I have gathered quite a bit of trash in my walk around the neighborhood. I can't imagine what people are thinking when they roll down their windows and toss the trash out! It makes me very angry! Nancy
ReplyDelete