I know tomorrow will bring plenty of candy wrappers from ‘Trick or Treaters’ who eat on the run, but for today, it’s New York State Lottery “scratch & win” cards: three joined-at-the-perf Lucky 7’s that may have been 7’s but were not lucky, and one half of a Crazy Cash card that probably led to depression, if not madness.
One 6-inch iron spring weighing about 4 pounds, on the stretch of Rt. 20 between the Village gates and my office. I’m glad I was not there when it sprang.
I’ll tell you how the leaves came down.
The great Tree to his children said:
“You’re getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown,
Yes, very sleepy, little Red.
It is quite time to go to bed.”
Susan Coolidge (1845-1905), from “How the Leaves Came Down” in The Home Book of Verse for Young Folks (1915)
We now have educated speculation on this piece: It may belong to some sort of exercise device or pedometer, with settings that range from flat surface to varying degrees of incline. Or… the gear shifter on a bicycle.
A wet, windy walk around the newly paved pedestrian trail netted a small collection: a styrofoam cup with lid and coffee dribble; a length of white tape, stuck on itself; a few stray candy wrappers.
Earlier this month, special litter correspondent Tyler Watson attended the Bank of America 500 and reports that should one want to make a career out of picking up litter, Concord, North Carolina, has enough for a lifetime, especially within a five-mile radius of Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Beer cans are a big part of the scattered bounty, and Tyler described how the experienced drinkers wasted no effort; they simply let the emptied can ride the momentum of the last pull and fly away over their heads. Also worthy of note: as the Budweiser, Miller Lite and Coors Light cars passed by, their fans raised their namesake beers in salute. Tyler was not sure if this was also the case with the Jim Beam, Crown Royal and Jack Daniels cars.
A yellow Dum Dum wrapper proclaiming that Banana is an Anniversary Flavor dating from 1960. Our best to Banana. Less festive: a Pepsi bottle noting the arrival of Madden ‘08; a Dasani water bottle; a Starburst Chews wrapper; a Crystal Light hard candy, intact; a plastic piece off the undercarriage of some car that’s an ounce lighter these days; a styrofoam sundae cup with traces of ice cream, strawberries and hot fudge.
Is this the same healthy litterer, or a trend? Last evening, in a different part of the Village, a plastic Glaceau Vitamin Water bottle and inside, a neatly rolled bag that once held sunflower seeds. Also, one receipt from Tim Horton’s NYS Thruway Scottsville, telling us Trish sold someone a small coffee and a medium (20-piece) “bits” for $4.46 on October 25th at 10:04 a.m.
It’s always a comfort to see litterers who have been taking care of themselves. Together on the grass: an empty SoBe LIFE WATER Pomegranate + Cherry bottle which once held 250% of the minimum daily requirement of vitamin C, as well as vitamins B and E, next to an empty torn bag that yielded FAT FREE Welch’s Fruit Snacks Strawberry Made with REAL FRUIT containing 100% of the minimum daily requirement of vitamin C. Talk about a litterer fairly bursting with energy and robust good health.
One DANNON™ Light & Fit™ Smoothie bottle with a pinched waistline, evocative of a Victorian-era corset, suggesting visually that smoothies are the key to becoming slender yet curvy. Dannon reminds us that each one “provides calcium, protein, and vitamins A, D and B12. With a great taste and only 70 calories per 7 fl. oz bottle, you can drink them every day.” And throw the bottle on someone’s front lawn. Of less historical interest, one bright red Doug’s Fish Fry cup, one ancient potato chip bag.
