Muck Boots, Week #2

 

Today's essential tools.

Visit #1472, Saturday 30 March 24, 7:30-10:00AM, 2.8 miles, 30.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 40s rising to near 50, sunny with blustery winds.

Once a year I pick up litter from both banks of the stream which runs through Hubbard Park from the long gone petting zoo down to the lower pond. A friend asked me if I do this in advance of some Easter function in the park.

The answer is no; I do it this time of year because the skunk cabbage and all the vegetation hasn't grown in yet so it's easier to navigate, and to find litter.

The muck boots were handy last week; they were a must this week if I was going after litter in the brook and the adjacent soggy ground.

Well, the boots were handy UNTIL I stepped into a deceivingly deep, soft spot in the water.

Pour out the water and wring out the sock!

Here's one of the four bags of litter I collected.

The newly dredged pond, and reconstructed walls of the lower pond, completed around September 2023, look good, and the duck seems to approve.

While crawling around on the banks of the stream, I chanced upon this snake.

Looked dead to me as it wasn't moving a finger (do snakes have fingers to move?) but I wasn't about to grab it so I touched it with a stick. It's tongue flickered oh so slowly as if it came out of brumation a tad too early and got caught in the chill. I was going to call the snake ambulance (if you've never seen a snake ambulance, they're really long 😊), instead I just let it be.

This walkbridge could use some repairs. I know an experienced walkbridge repair consultant...

Returning to the parking lot, I found this:

Edible cannabis with deceiving, innocent candy names have been in the news lately. While this was a cannabis vape cartridge and not candy, the reference on the package is apropos to the discussion.

Here's hoping your children don't find edible cannabis candy in their Easter baskets!