TODAY WAS AN EVENTFUL DAY!

 

I was out picking up trash 5 1/2 hours today, but it seemed so much longer than that.  I picked up 3,942 pieces in three areas.

Today was the big 100th anniversary celebration of the Firestone Stadium.  There was supposed to be a big parade, but I think it was cancelled because of the rain.  

I drove to Main & Wilbeth, where I usually clean, and I crossed the street to look at it.  I didn't see many people there.  That's so sad.  I know my councilman, Donnie Kammer was in charge of this, and I'm sure he was disappointed in the turnout.

I cleaned all around the Dollar Store, then crossed the streets, and cleaned all four corners. 

I found three more knives to add to my collection!  Wow!

It started to rain, so I thought I would take advantage of having some extra time on a Saturday, and I went dolly shopping!

My trash cart is a dolly with a trash can held in place with a bungee cord.  I bought it over two years ago when I started picking up trash, and it was so worn out!  The wheels were turned in and the last time I had to cross a busy street, it wobbled so bad, I thought it was going to flip over.  

Time to bite the bullet and buy a new one. 

I did better than buy a new one . . . I bought two new ones!  

I went ahead and put my trash can on the new dolly, and it's like a hot knife through butter!  So smooth!  What a difference!  I won't wait so long to replace it the next time.

I left there and drove to Hardesty Park.  I had never been there before, so I had no idea what to expect, but the man I met the other day told me there was a lot of trash there.

I took 77 North to Mull Drive to Hawkins, and found the park.  It was so clean!  Wow!  That guy should see what I have to deal with every day, if he wants to see trash!

I left there and took Exchange to Main and parked at the Aldi.  I cleaned the sidewalk all around the building. 

I found two bags of something I'm guessing was dog food, right by the road.  Ick!  

I emptied the broken bag and put it in my trash can.  I threw the other bag in my trash can with the dog food in it. No idea what this was all about. 

I got back in my car and drove to the opposite corner where there's a McDonald's.  I cleaned the sidewalk all along Main Street, and then I waited for the "Walk," signal so I could cross Thornton. 

The "Walk" signal appeared, and I was in the middle of the intersection when a woman in a little car stopped to let me cross.  An SUV came up behind her and crashed right into the back of her!  

What the heck!  

I felt terrible!  Was it my fault?  I was crossing the street at a crosswalk, and the "Walk" signal was on.  No, it was not my fault.  The little car should have stopped.  The woman in the SUV should have been paying attention.

Luckily, nobody was hurt, especially not me!  The car that was turning would have hit me had she not had her foot on the brake.

I picked up trash on this corner and hung around so I could tell the police officer what I saw.  I saw everything.  I was staring right at both cars when I saw the crash.

The police officer heard me and told me I could go.  So I continued picking up trash, and when they started picking up the debris, I raced over, and they put all the pieces in my bucket. 

I continued picking up all the little pieces.  

I was impressed that they started picking up the accident debris.  I didn't think they did.  Maybe they just pick it up from the road and lay it on the sidewalk, and that's where I usually find it.

So I continued south on Main and picked up 2,594 pieces of trash that had been mowed over.  And not all of it had been mowed over.  I found lots of big pieces of plastic.  No idea where all the plastic came from.

There was so much, and for so long, (about a half mile,) that I started singing as I counted!  (So very glad nobody could hear that!)

I got it all cleaned up on Main Street, but I'll need to go back and finish Thornton.

Doesn't it seem like the city could figure out a way to bag all that grass and trash and take it with them?  It would make the city look so much nicer, don't you think?