Earth Day on Crumbly Acres

 While Earth Day was Tuesday, I went out on Monday, April 21st, to do some ditch diving. I think there was only one face mask, unlike other years post-COVID. The cigarette packages, frequent flyers, with their gruesome messages and images on lung cancer were out there, this year there were several discarded vaping tools. Then, the cigarette butts have these message:

I went at it. After my first foray, I went back to my bench, grabbed my water bottle, and had a rest. 

As I sat getting my breath, I realized my daffodils were in bud, planted in Oct., 2023: Daffodils are in the ground!

As I sat there, the cowbird was singing his song up in the maple tree. It was lovely. I taped it on the Merlin App, but it didn't record well. You can listen to it on the All About Birds Cornell University site.

We've a pair of cow birds at the feeders. They are brood parasites, she'll lay her eggs in another bird's nest. We had that happen one year. Happily, the cow bird hatched before the Phoebe eggs, and all was well with the world.

May, 2023

Susie Snake made an appearance. It was a bit of a surprise. I talked to it. And carefully walked past it. I was in the bottom of the ditch. I was afraid it'd climb the ditch and go on the highway.

There were a lot of cans, plastics, and recyclables in the lot. Many bottle were tossed on the rocks at the side of the road and were broken. The alcohol containers can be taken to get a deposit back. Thing is truckers are known to limit stops by urinating into bottles. There were some with yellow liquid in them. I used gloves and threw them all into my garbage bag. 

Happily, no condoms or diapers this year. Just a remnant from when they replaced a Hydro pole. I moved it up on the rocks, but couldn't take it far. It is really heavy.

Just at the edge of our property, what iPhoto tells me is Liverwort. 

This is my haul. There was a deer killed, accident debris, and the lid of a garbage can. 

This is our haul from last year when our Ottawa kids helped me. We're on a roll!

They are very busy these days. I asked for help, then realized we should relax. Caitlin has a choir concert this weekend. Aster is preparing for several school band events, including graduation for her sibling in gr. 12. 

 Jordan is busy signing up for university and scholarships/bursaries. Word is, he's taking Astrophysics at Queens U. Grampa went to Queens! We offered to help with transportation next school year. Kingston is about an hour away, double that from Ottawa. That's fun. We like that city for day trips.

We're on a roll!  this was 2024

Let us see what today brings. We're having out snow tires taken off today. I hope we don't jinx it!

Ditch diving

Saturday Morning 

Yes, it is time for clean up. Prior to mosquito season, after the ditch snow has evaporated is ideal. I took off around 10:30 and returned at 12:10. I ought to book a massage this week! We'd rain coming Monday, and I thought it prudent to go out now.

Lots of birds, 3 song sparrows, crows, a pair of ducks, geese, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and the kestrel screaming as it flies overhead.

Several people waved, one honked his horn, one couple yelled encouraging words. Then there was the woman, in a small car, holding up her pink iPhone photographing me down in the ditch! Most cars and trucks pull away from the line, to give me space. One large camper went by, having come from a nearby road, turned onto the highway and gunned the engine. Motorcycles, singles, doubles, and couples, as well as groups. One dude had his radio blaring. What is with that?!

I came up with a new strategy. Leaving the wagon near my starting position, I walked in the ditch and threw stuff into my yellow bags. The ditch is wet in spots, but mostly mucky and bumpy. As I walked, I tossed the beer cans up onto the shoulder of the highway. Then, I walked back to fetch the wagon, and picked the beer cans up as I moved along to my next spot. It was a better strategy, as I didn't have to sort what I collected. Only one beer can drifted back into the ditch.

There was the roaring of traffic, but I could hear the wood frogs in the swamp, as well. 

Sunday

I went out for another hour and a half. Starting at 10, this time. There was more traffic as the time wore on. People passing, noisy motorcycles... 

I did see a couple biking. The dude was in front, he said "Hi!" The woman following actually said, "Thank you!" I thanked her back, sort of a You Too moment! ! 

One dude on a bike didn't even see me. I said, "Morning!" and nothing. He was 10' away from me! I don't think he was focusing on his environment, except for the cars! Perhaps.

I keep my wheelbarrow on the shoulder of the road. It's a bit of a marker for my presence. Not that it stopped the truck, second in front, from passing the white car right near me. You can hear them gun the engine, and pass. I plug my ears.

Rather than showing you the garbage, how about seeing a clean ditch?! You can see how steep the ditches are.

 

Three bags full, and two containers of mostly beer cans. I think I sunburned my shoulders! I cleaned out 815 metres on both sides of the highway – over the two days. 

Monday

I heard a barred owl sing at 6:30 a.m. Just the long call, not "Who-cooks-for-you!" Up I popped, getting dressed. It was garbage day, here is my haul. We pay if we put out more than two bags of garbage. Tim Horton donate the bags, that are free for us to put out. 

This is a selfie with the new phone. It was only 12 C. Monday morning. I am glad I was out in the warm sun on the weekend.