...own the gloves!

We now live in the picturesque, American heartland.  Here's what I saw on this morning's walk.

Oh, my heart!  This is the rest of that view.  Look at all that trash!  It's lining the streets of my heartland and ruining the view.

What about the local wildlife? The ducks and geese live right here in all the roadside trash.

Well, we are only here on a temporary assignment for my husband's job.  I don't really feel that attached to the community.  I'm not even sure I would know who to complain to anyway.

Those were my first thoughts.  Like the childhood game of "duck, duck, goose," I was about to pass the problem off on someone else.  Then, I made a decision to take ownership of the issue instead.  After all, it is my community.  Even if we are here for a short time, I can make a difference.  I planned to collect the cans and bottles along my walk route to recycle.  So, I went off to buy me some gloves and get to work!

Remember these?

Since our household goods are in storage, I bought the cheapest pair of gardening gloves I could find.  Oh, my!  Aren't they...something?!  I've been trying to think of the best words to describe them.  Can I get a little help from my readers?  What words come to mind?

Well, I decided to go for it.  If I was going to wear something as...(what came to your mind)...as these gloves, then I needed to own this too!  Yep.  That's where the inspiration for my teaser magazine cover came from.  I shot a photo of myself striking a pose in these gloves.  Then, I Photoshopped the text in.  The text references my work project.  Do you see it now?  The words "trash," "bottle," and "can" are all there.  Did you catch these hints before now?

I'll post the picture again so you can take another look.

Now I won't make you wait until page 115 (from my magazine picture) to see "What I did one afternoon."  Actually, it was one afternoon and one morning.  I walked in one direction each time clearing a stretch of road 2 miles in each direction.  It took about an hour each time.  My 5 month old son was along for the ride.  In fact, his stroller turned out to be really handy.  I hung the bags from the handle.  I'm sure I was a sight to see for all the passing cars...especially if they caught a glimpse of the gloves!

Here's a front shot of the stroller with our friendly farmer in the background.  I see some tiny toes sticking out the front!

This is the view from behind the stroller with this morning's haul.  For fun, I counted the cans and bottles I collected.  I filled each bag with 25 before starting a new bag.  How many do you think I got?  Remember, this was from this morning alone.  I'll share yesterday afternoon's haul after a few more pictures.

There is a lot more trash out there.  I only picked up the bottles and cans that were easily recycled in the bin at the end of each walk.  I didn't touch the broken glass (top, right).  Can you imagine what the storm drain (bottom, left) water looks like?  Oh!  If there was a prize for the most disgusting, then it would have gone to the bottle ashtray (middle, right).  Wow!  I couldn't pick it up on this trip because I couldn't just recycle that puppy!  Yuck, yuck, and yuck!

So, here's the afternoon haul.  It was just a little bit less.  Any guesses as to how many?  I won't make you wait for the total.  I collected 4 full bags (25 each) and a partial bag.  Yep.  That's over 100.  110 and 1/2 cans and bottles in fact!  The "1/2" was half a can torn in a way that wasn't dangerous to collect or recycle.  I also collected two energy shot bottles that were too small to count in my regular tally. 

I think I "owned" the problem for today.  There is still a lot of trash out there, and I'm afraid there will be more added to that.  So, perhaps I will wear the crazy gloves another day.  For now, I feel a little bit better about the community I live in.  I've learned a good lesson.  It feels good to have taken this heartland to heart.

Okay.  'Enough with that.  I promise to be back to the regular "fluff" posts soon.  :)

...follow me.

I've added another item to my blog. It's the "follow me" gadget that you'll find just below my blog archive on the right. Why? Well, I wanted to make it easier for you to see when I've made another blog post. I often give a hint a day or two ahead of a post. It is meant to be fun (and not to annoy the impatient). Now, it is even easier to know when I've revealed what my next post is all about. So, go ahead. Follow me!

How else are you going to be the first to find out about these    (fill in the adjective of your choice)    gloves?!

...tease.

You know how they put teasers on the front of magazines to make you want to read it?

I'm such a tease...especially in those gloves!

...catch up on crochet.

I added a new page to this blog. Did you see the new tab at the top? It's for crochet, and it's about time! I've blogged several times about this little hobby. I think it fits the blog theme because I often only get a moment (short season) to get a few stitches in these days. Ha-ha! I say that; however, the truth is more the opposite. Some projects span several seasons!!

Speaking of seasons, I've been up to a few projects this summer. I need to catch up on the posting. So, here they are:

The local library turned out to be a haven from the heat...and also a place to get in some stitching while my baby boy napped.

Here is the finished Kindle cozy...or should I say "Kindle Kozy?!"

Here is a little hat for charity.  I like the fun colors.

Lastly, this is my current WIP (work in progress).  I'm not telling what it is.  You will just have to wait.  But check out the awesome canvas pencil case I found to keep my needles in!  Cute, huh?!

That is all for now.  Go ahead and click the "crochet" tab at the top for more yarn stuff.  I hope to be able to post more soon.

 

...shoot shadow flowers.

Can you tell what it is?  It's not a picture of flowers.  It is an edited picture of the flowers' shadows. 

See how the shadow is cast on the sidewalk?!  Want to see how this became the finished picture?  Here is the process:

This is the shot I started with.

Then, I framed the shadows.

Here are the cropped shadows.

Here it is taken to black and white.

After adding some clouds, they no longer look like shadows on the ground.  I like how you can still see the grain of the sidewalk.  It gives it another layer of texture.  I think it came out well.  What do you think?

...tell a story with pictures.

Why is this little guy seeing red?  Well, he and his little family live right above our porch.  He discovered Isaac and I in his territory the other morning.  I'd tell you the whole story, but I think the pictures will do a better job.  'Here goes!

I think he is saying "Hey, you down there!  I'm watching you!!"

...go to the farmers' market.

I've found the local farmers' market.  So, this morning we had freshly picked black berries and homemade peach jam on our waffles.  Yum!  I love getting to know what's available locally in each place we stay.  I'll be going back next week...and probably every week that we are here!

...use the emergency car blankets inside.

I have these old quilts that my great-grandmothers made.  They usually reside in my car as emergency car blankets.

*Gasp!*

I heard that.  Don't worry.  My great-grandmothers are not rolling over in their graves.  These are the kind of blankets that have been used (as intended) so much that they have holes and stains.  They are great for tossing out of the grass for a quick picnic, wrapping breakable things in, or keeping groceries cool on the way home. 

They have now found a new use inside our temporary apartment.  The company that my hubby has been recently employed with has put us up in a fully furnished apartment for a few months.  It is pretty, but not baby proof.  So, out came the car blankets.  They don't fit the decor, but my rolly-polly baby doesn't hit his head on the fancy furniture anymore.

Thanks, great-grandmas!



By the way, we are in a transition phase.  My USMC hubby has finished up the active duty portion of his contract.  He now has a civilian job that will eventually take us all the way across the country again.  We are about half-way (in the mid-west) while he trains for a few months.  I know it has been some time since my last post, and I'm not sure how often I'll get the chance to blog.  I'm going to try not to let it go too long.  'Wish me luck!