Spring is Sprung

“Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where d’birdies is…”

The crocus’s are in bloom, the tulips and daffodils are poking their heads up, the flowering bushes are budding, spring is in the air. Well, except for this week when the temperatures decided to drop a bit and remind us Ol’ Man Winter may have a surprise or two yet in store.

Most of the snow around here has melted away, leaving behind road debris, stones and dirt. Those of us along the highway get quite a bit of it. Time for spring clean up. I’ve seen quite a few folks out already with their rakes. Just a reminder, please don’t rake your yard leaves and debris onto the street. It ends up in the storm drains, clogging them and making a mess. Or maybe that’s just in the cities. Do we have storm sewers here?

I grew up on South State Street in Ripley, beyond where the sidewalk ends. That’s always been an irritant of mine, the lack of sidewalks. The sidewalk extends from town to Lakeview Avenue and no further. It was bad enough when I was a kid walking to school. Every time a car would approach I’d have to move over into people’s yards to get off the street. That was back in the days when the kids actually had to walk to school if they lived less than a mile away. I measured it once; my house was 9/10s of a mile from the school. Walking up there was a dangerous but acceptable thing to do. Many years ago that was changed and the kids are bused now.

Now Route 76 has been blacktopped and built up so it is several inches above the level of the property on either side. And somebody’s wisdom thought it would be a good idea to fill the ditches on both sides of the road with large rocks. This makes it impossible to step off the road for oncoming traffic. When walking now I guess we’ll just take our chances that we won’t get hit.

I was walking on South State Street with my Dad and my husband the other day, enjoying the bright sunshine and warmth, checking out all the signs of spring, when I happened to look down along the side of the road. I couldn’t believe the garbage that was scattered there. Cigarette packs, beer cans and bottles, pop cans and plastic bottles littered the ditches and yards. I decided to get a garbage bag and pick up some of the trash thoughtless people threw out of their vehicles. Now keep in mind, the house I grew up in is only 1/10 of a mile from Side Hill Road. That’s only 528 feet, a fraction of a football field. In that short distance, on one side of the road only, I managed to gather a large garbage bag full. The most disgusting things I found were several plastic pop bottles filled with what I can only assume is urine. C’mon people. Where is our sense of decency?

Perhaps as we clean our lawns and yards for spring, we can take a little time to pick up the trash and litter that has been left behind. Hey, maybe somebody’s car window was open and the wind just happened to catch that pop can or McDonald’s bag. Or maybe not. It’s too bad the rest of us have to clean up after those who don’t care.