Woodsy Owl and Iron Eyes Cody would be so disappointed ...

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Today's Haul: 3/19/11

So while I was outside cleaning the cat's litterbox, I decided I may as well brave the pollen for an extra 10 minutes and see if any intriguing human-generated litter had been added to my yard.  Yes, I really know how to live it up on the weekend. Here's what I scooped from the yard (nothing interesting in the catbox):


Sorry for the shadow. I haven't been awake that long so my eyes hadn't quite adjusted to the sun enough to understand the problem. In case you need some help with the ID, we've got one large plastic bag (This is NOT a toy; it's a suffocation danger), some Pall Mall and Newport detritus, a sprinkling of styrofoam, a landscaping tag from some manner of "mounding" flowers planted by someone with more energy/time on their hands than I have, and a shattered Corona bottle. That cerveza is not so "mas fina" when you've gotta extract shards of its container from your grass, so I hope the consumer enjoyed it, at least.  No wedge of lime found in the vicinity.  A few things of particular interest:


No baked-fresh cookie for ME?  Rude. Go ahead and hog that Sweet Life all for yourself and just rub my nose in it.


We've got two cemeteries within walking distance, so I suspect this chunk of faux poinsettia was just carried over by the wind. Though you never know.

Now, call me paranoid, but I believe this next item is no mere evidence of random littering, but constitutes an act of emotional terrorism, specifically targeting my husband and me. Here's the back:


3-13-11, last Sunday, not a happy day in our household. Note the apparent bloodstain at the bottom.  But that's not the truly offensive part. You have to flip it over for that:



Yes, that's right. It's a photo somebody took of their TELEVISION screen, with a Dookie cutting down the basket after they took the ACC championship game from our Heels.  Hmph. Considering the high-class factor of taking a photo (and printing it out on nice Canon paper) of your TV screen, this just adds to my puzzlement as to why folks who NEVER could have gotten into or afforded to attend Duke and probably don't know anyone who has ever attended Duke and certainly would be looked down upon with scorn by the spoiled out-of-state teenagers who DO attend Duke would actually be Duke fans.  But regardless, I do count this litter as an act of aggression.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Someone Who's Not Throwing Trash in My Yard: 3/11/11

Check out this post from work friend Wes Isley on a book called Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, which inspired him to stop buying mints with way too much packaging. It's part of a company blog series on what types of content inspire your supermarket purchase decisions.  Thanks, Wes, for not tossing any minty-smelling plastic tubes or discs into my yard! If I see any little foil wrappers, though, we're going to have to talk ...  A good reminder that every little bit helps, so even if you can't eliminate all excess packaging from your life, you can always start with breath mints. And if you are going to end up with those Altoid tins (I buy the ones in the really tiny tins, and a friend recycles them as seed storage), check this out for inspiration if you're Buddhist, or this if you're crafty.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Just Ducky: 3/8/11

Speaking of the Pacific garbage patch, did anyone hear the story with Donovan Hohn yesterday on NPR? Great stuff. 28,800 "rubber" duckies (and similar but slightly less iconic bath floaties like "rubber" beavers) lost at sea ... where do they go? Read an excerpt from Hohn's book, Moby-Duck, at the Marketplace Big Book Blog. Maybe one will turn up in my yard?

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Avoiding the Outdoors: 3/5/11

I haven't had the guts to go collecting yet this week. The Bradford pear tree in our yard is in full (early) bloom, and it's a mortal enemy of my respiratory system. Until I get out there (I see some used tissues waiting for me, so I suspect others are battling allergies as well), I submit these photos from our visit to Cambodia a couple years ago. Can't really criticize them too much for their litter--they have way bigger problems to worry about, and likely not much going on in the way of municipal trash pickup. But it's a shame that this, minus the roving livestock, actually doesn't look that different from an empty lot a few blocks from our house ...