Back to the routine!

Today I have returned to walking with Fred and George after a few weeks off. Fred and George (F & G) are our two dogs that are brothers, and comrades in arms as it may relate to walking around our neighborhood. Our dogs are somewhat famous for the origin of their names (from Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter books; many thanks to J.K. Rowling for her amazing characters!), and for their personalities. In our return to the walk today, they had to check each and every spot for any changes since we last went by. Ergo there were many stops, giving me the opportunity to continue working toward keeping my biceps in good condition.

Another feature of our walk is to pick up as much garbage as we can while fending off the intensions, real or imagined, of the other dogs in our neighborhood. Today, in between flexing my biceps I picked up a moderate amount of trash to sort and dispose of in an appropriate manner. The amount that can be gathered depends on the dogs' cooperation as well as the size of the bag that I have brought with us. Having been away from our normal route for a few weeks, there was a fair amount of trash built up. It never ceases to amaze me that there is so much trash lying about having been apparently discarded by hand, or through careless disposal in a garbage can, or not. It may be time to contact my local municipality to propose a Clean It Up! day. Perhaps one (or more) of the local municipalities could sponsor an event that would ask citizens to look around at their surroundings, pick up any trash there, and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner. Just picking up and putting trash in the garbage can or a recycling bin could go a long way toward protecting the environment from the hazards of build up of solid waste. Such an event could also promote civic pride while encouraging everyone to pick up trash that is evident in their yards, neighborhoods, and communities. Hmmmm... what municipality should I contact first?

Other benefits of the walk include two very tired dogs that will sleep so I can be productive, and taking the opportunity to pick a few plums from our very young tree, and eat one on the spot. Ah, the small pleasures of life!