Friday, June 28, 2013

Clean Up on Aisle.... River



Tim Adams, author of this post, took this photo on the day that he helped clean up a section of the Monocacy River.

Hey there, folks! It’s been too dang long since we last visited – it’s like I always say, time flies when you’re playing in mud with your dog. Speaking of which, I was at the river not too long ago doing just that when I noticed my white-bearded, wiry-furred Scottish terrier, Tattles, had excused herself from the river party for two and was gravitating toward a patch of tall, thick grasses. With her ears pinned back so far that they looked like they were taped to her head, she continued toward the grasses transforming into a creeping and methodical prowler that would have made a queen lioness proud! By this time, I had quietly speed-walked and caught up to her to see what the big deal was and, just in case, to protect that black and white fur ball from any harm or evil-doing. Tattles looked up at me with her wise, but sharp dark brown eyes piercing through her overgrown, unkept brow, then returned her focus back to the mysterious dancing grasses. She began to lean her wet snout in for some good old fashioned olfactory reconnaissance, but, before she could, I stepped in front of her and reached out with both hands and parted the green grass fountain like a bad hairdo – I couldn’t believe what I saw! To Tattles delight and my absolute dismay, we stumbled upon an all too familiar beast I dread coming across at the river, in the woods or anywhere else for that matter: a dirty, rotten, filthy collection of loose garbage tucked into the grasses and scattered along the scenic part of the Monocacy River shoreline!

Now that my detective work was complete, it was time for Tattles and me to get down to business – Operation Spick and Span (her idea, not mine) was now in place. Stocked with rubber gloves, trash bags and a basket for recyclables, we began our crusade for a crystal clean river. From the get go, the bearded lady and I had our had our gameplan in full affect. I picked up every piece of water-logged trash that my eyes spotted, while Tattles sniffed out and hunted down the more hard to find pieces. Good Girl! We came across everything from a tire to baking sheets to a foldable chair, and everything in between – this is surely no way to treat Mother Nature. After about a half hour or so, Tattles thought it would be best if she lay down, stretch her paws and pass out in the cool dry sand like she was hit by a tranquilizer dart. Bad girl! With Tattles napping, I was left to scoop up every scum-soaked piece of waste in that quarter mile radius. Five trash bags and a bin filled to the brim of recyclables later, our little slice of the river was back to the way it should be – clean and shiny.


Look at all the trash that Tim managed to gather by himself as his terrier, Tattles, took a nap!

Listen, I didn't tell you this story to shine a spotlight on how awesome I am or how easily being great comes to me – my illustriousness is a bonus gift just for you (wink). But seriously, I decided to tell this story to remind people that we only have one planet and we should treat the blue and green ball with the utmost respect. We can all do our small part by cleaning up after ourselves and properly disposing of our trash and/or recyclables. Plus, if we all chip in and give our best effort, that will free up even more time for Tattles to catch up on her beauty sleep – not that she needs it. Good girl!

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