MY GRANDDAUGHTER ASKED ME WHAT I DID ALL SUMMER . . .

 

I had a busy day planned.  I told my friend, Tom, I'd try to pick up trash with him on Main Street this afternoon, but that's not going to happen.

First thing on my list was to take the dogs to the school to play ball, but before that, I wanted to stop by the Dollar Store on Waterloo to see if they had something I needed.  The cashier called the manager, and both of them searched until they found what I needed!  I was so pleased.

The dogs were patiently waiting in the car, and we drove to the school.  I saw two huge trash bags across the street from the school, just left there, both ripped open.  Ick!

So after the dogs were worn out, I took them home, and then I went back to pick up these bags.  They were completely disgusting.  

The nearest dumpster I could think of was at the Dollar Store, so I went there next.

I got rid of the trash bags, and started picking up trash around the Dollar Store.  

I picked up 1,571 pieces.  

It was so much worse than it looked, especially in the bushes, now that the leaves are mostly gone, and you can see the trash.

I picked all the trash out of the bushes, and it was so hard.  

I was sweating like it was summer, and then I felt something give in my back.  Shoot!  I think I pinched a nerve squirming around to get the trash out of the bushes without poking out an eye!

I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to finish, but I hoped if I kept moving, maybe it would move back into place.

Finding all kinds of crazy stuff didn't help, like this big piece of rotting wood.  Who knows how long it was laying there, right by the sidewalk on Waterloo Road.  That's crazy!

Thank goodness for my trash cart.  I never could have carried it all the way to the dumpster, especially with my back hurting.

And then I found this big piece of sheet metal on the sidewalk, again, right on Waterloo Road!  Good grief!  Who loses something like that and doesn't know it?

Sheet metal is sharp, and if it had been caught by the wind and blown into a car, it could have caused an accident.

I finished this area, and went into the store to tell the manager and the cashier thanks again for their help, and I wanted them to know I cleaned all around the store.  They were very grateful.  

As is true everywhere, this area looks so nice when it's clean.

I had no more of the heavy 45 gallon construction trash bags I use, so I had to hurry to Home Depot to buy more.  I drove east on Waterloo, and when I turned onto Arlington, I saw a whole bunch of trash beside Herzing University.

Look at their property.  It's spotless!  

I don't understand why they are so meticulous about their property, but they don't pick up the trash all around their property.  

It makes no sense to me.

Here's what it looked like.  

What a mess of beer bottles, trash bags, McDonalds cups, detergent bottles.  

My guess is the homeless people are living here. 

It's all cleaned up now.  I filled two flimsy trash bags I found in my car. Then I stuffed them in my car, and hurried to Home Depot and bought the good ones, and headed to the nearest dumpster so I could get those disgusting bags out of my car.

I went to the area where I found the skunk tail on Wednesday.  It was all trashed up again!  In three days?  How is that even possible?

So even though I was exhausted from picking up trash for four hours, I cleaned it all up again.  

I picked up 3,674 pieces today. 

My granddaughter wrote me a letter and told me she went to Costa Rica, Chicago and Michigan over the summer, and then she asked me what I did.  I wrote back and told her I didn't remember.  Now I know why.  I picked up trash all summer!  I get so focused on what I'm doing, time just flies by.

I'm headed for a hot bath, but my back feels better, so I did the right thing to keep going.