Temps in the mid-40's, sunny and pleasant.
Once a year I make it my task to clean up the slope between I-691 and Hubbard Park. People park along the fence line and toss their trash over the fence. It becomes unsightly, especially when viewed from the playscape. I hope it makes a difference in how the park looks to visitors.
But before I did this, I went to Highland Elementary School in Cheshire to participate in a blood drive. The American Red Cross has a motto on their stickers...
...it was from a Boy Scout who's not quite ready to receive his Merit Badge in penmanship. That's probably because all kids know today is how to type on their smartphones, with their thumbs!
When I finally got to lie on the table, the phlebotomist goofed up, and instead of blood flowing into the bag, it flowed onto my left arm instead.
He had to discard the bag and the needle, and computer document the bag's serial number.
Fortunately, I brought my other arm with me; that made a difference as he was able to stab a vein and drain a pint. Final score; Arm 1, Red Cross 1.
The best part of a blood drive is the canteen. Chowing down on egg salad sandwiches, Welch's Fruit Snacks, oatmeal cookies, and cranberry juice makes errant needle pokes worth it.
Now a little bit lower in blood supply, it was time to get to work.
Semi-dumb move.
Their post-donation instructions explicitly say, "Do not do any heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the rest of the day." (Emphasis in the original.)
Eh, what do they know?!
Climbing up the slope as I picked up trash definitely had me bending over wondering why the earth was suddenly rotating so fast.
Once I eased off on my effort I was able to keep things under carousel speed.
But I wasn't the only one spinning. While tossing a bag over the fence, I was given a "Nice job!" by a couple Cheech and Chong stoners who obviously just returned from Northhampton, MA and were leaving a trail of reek as they drove by.
One of my best finds of the day:
One reader of this blog, "Big Mig" C., collects license plates and will be the lucky recipient. Hey Mike; don't say I didn't get you anything for Christmas!
Parts of the rest of the vehicle were soon to follow. It must have been some serious crash for the front bumper, 4 hubcaps, and various underlying parts to make it over the guardrail and down the hill.
As I collected trash I would drop it over the fence and open a new bag.
Once done, I put all ten bags, a charcoal grill, and the various Chevy car parts into a pile.
But I couldn't leave the junk there. People cruising through the park to enjoy the Christmas lights would see an eyesore. Removing the trash would make a difference in people's experience and their perception of Hubbard Park.
Here's where I gained most of today's mileage.
I carried everything over to the dumpster at the Parks Department facility, roughly 1/3 mile each trip. I made ten trips, which in my blood depleted state was a workout in itself.
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