block party?
This was originally going to be titled “mrs. mediocrity takes a stroll.” Well, hopefully something better than that, but it wasn’t going to be called block party.
Yesterday was sunny and beautiful, so after I finished work I decided to take my man’s best friend for a stroll. I was planning to take a nice walk, snap a few photos, perhaps show you my neighborhood. Well I’m still going to do that in a way, but as the saying goes, it ain’t pretty.
I live in a rural area, and a walk around my block is four miles long. There are quite a few houses, but a lot of it is farm fields. Wide open spaces. I like that. Things started off just fine, the sun was low in the sky, it was 55 balmy degrees, and little signs of spring were everywhere. And then about 30 yards from my house, this:
And then another, and another, and another. I stopped counting after 47. In front of my favorite spot, a small pasture that reminds me of something you would see in England, there they were, scattered everywhere:
And then in front of my beautiful swamp, just down the road from my house, more, everywhere:
When I saw the first few, I figured it was probably kids…partying and being crazy. But clearly, this is so much more.
Now I am not trying to take the moral high ground here, Okay, I am, about the littering, that’s just wrong. But not the drinking.
Okay maybe a little about the drinking.
Now I like my wine as much as the next girl, so I can’t get too high on my horse about that part. But…seriously? Is this person drinking/chugging one of these things on the way home every night and then tossing it out the window? While driving?
The whole thing just made me sad. And angry. And then sad some more. I was sad to see my road, my swamp, my block, littered like that. Mad to see it that way. Sad again when I thought about whoever is doing it.
Who is this poor soul guzzling a bottle of whiskey on their way to and/or from home on such a regular basis? Where do they live? And why can’t they find somewhere better to toss the evidence? I don’t want to be mean, it was really, really sad on so many levels. But after a while, it began to border on the absurd, the surreal.
So, instead of feeling calm and relaxed after a nice long walk, I felt disillusioned, disheartened, disturbed. And my pretty post about my walk around the neighborhood ended up littered with someone else’s dysfunction.
Well, maybe they need someone to listen. Or pay attention. Or notice them. Maybe they need someone to care. Even if I knew who it was, what would I do? What could I do?
Help is what they need, more than anything.
And more than anything, I hope they find it.
March 25th, 2010 at 9:33 am
I hafta tell ya. We have this problem around our business, and what I first felt was what you feel – trying to understand, feeling that perhaps there was something I could do. Until our first Thanksgiving in our new spot. We are surrounded by charity organizations, church give-away food pantries, free meals, etc. etc. The Sunday before Thanksgiving is a BIG food giveaway to those supposedly too poor to afford food – if I sound cynical here, it is because I watched new expensive cars pull up, people dressed to the nines, to get their food. They were rude, they blocked our drive, they yelled at me when I asked them to leave the drive open. And all throughout the day, they threw trash on the sidewalks. They took turkeys out of boxes and threw the boxes in the street and on the sidewalks. A real eye-opener. Since then, I have found bags of food in our back patio area, beer bottles, trash. trash. trash. I no longer have sympathy, and I will never – never! – again give money and/or food items to any organization helping the “poor”. Not the same situation you have, but . . . I believe the same attitude, that attitude of it ain’t their job to clean up or even be concerned about it.
How you address this in your neighborhood I don’t know. My sympathies are with you,
March 25th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Thanks. Yes, I know, it is so hard to watch when others are so inconsiderate, so blatantly careless and just down right rude. And you are right, what, really, can we do? Except next time I go for a walk I guess I will bring along a garbage bag…and some rubber gloves. Yuck.
March 25th, 2010 at 10:43 am
out at our cabin, we bought a critter cam and hooked it to a tree. it only takes photos when there is movement and we got some of the most fabulous photos of the deer and raccoons…..
I think it would interesting to see who is doing this and when and why and how….
especially since it’s in an area you love…..yep, I think it’s time to get busy and see what’s really going on….
so hook up a critter cam and catch this little animal…..well, probably, it’s a big ugly drunk animal that scratches himself in public, but you know what I mean.
March 25th, 2010 at 11:04 am
hmmmm, hadn’t thought of that…
March 25th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Oh man, that is so sad. 🙁 I am so sorry you have to deal with it. It’s ridiculous. I hate the rude people and the lack of respect people have. So very very sad.
March 25th, 2010 at 11:03 am
It was sad, on so many levels…I don’t think I have sorted them all out yet.
March 25th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
whoa, that is disturbing, especially that first shot, where the paper bag is there, why does whisky from a paper bag seem even worse. and is this person drinking and driving? i wonder if there would be any way to find out who it is. i’d call in a CSI team to fingerprint the bottles, or i’d start staking out the area and looking for a car that slows down and tosses them out. but you’re right, it’s saddest of all for this person, who clearly has issues.
March 25th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Kelly,
You’re Mrs. Mediocrity too?? How fun are you! Yes, a similar theme to mine. Both bloody frogs and empty bottles are quite troubling. But the simple solution is to grab the gloves, the plastic bag and go to work cleaning up your precious country block. Do not let a sad person prone to littering ruin a moment of your peaceful walk.
I truly believe Mother Earth appreciates each kindness done on her behalf and sends little rewards for our efforts. I experience that over and over each time I offer roadside assistance to the stuck and disabled and crushed creatures on blacktop. Clean the mess, bless the drunk and reap some sweet and gentle rewards.
xo, Graciel
March 25th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Yes, that is my plan for next time, a garbage bag and rubber gloves! And yes, my two personalities have emerged… long story, but I started mrs. m first to figure out how to do this whole blog thing, then blue muse, and now that I am making friends in both places I figured I must come clean! I am still so feeling my way along as I go, but thank you so much for your kindness, your comments, and your blog friendship!
March 26th, 2010 at 11:48 am
Well I hope they find some help too. It stinks that someone else has to clean up after them. I hate that! Where I lived, we had garbage in our yard EVERYDAY…made me nuts.
Anyway, I love the shadow photo of you and your dog. Very cool!
-FringeGirl