In the Ditch

Saturday morning, I joined eight other members of Middleton Community Church in our final roadside cleanup effort of the year.  Earlier this year, we adopted a stretch of Country Highway J a short distance from the church.  The road winds through rolling countryside, with farms, homes, woodlots, and fields all around.  It was a bit cool and overcast, but otherwise a pleasant day to be outside.

We divided into four teams.  Two teams started at the ends and worked toward the middle.  Two teams started in the middle and worked toward the ends.  When the teams met, they turned around and picked up the other side of the road.  A very sensible way to do it!

I worked with Dale Slusser, who’s been attending MCC for a number of years but only recently joined.  He went on our mission trip to Jamaica in June 2010.  He and I, along with Tim Coughlin, were roommates.  We called it the “old farts’ room” since we’re all, well, old farts!  He’s also a regular participant in our Interfaith Hospitality Network ministry, housing homeless families in our church building for a week, three or four times a year.

It was fortunate that Dale was able to be a part of our cleanup effort.  Usually, on the weekend before Thanksgiving, he’s in northern Wisconsin, hunting deer.  But the start of the hunt had to be delayed a day, since the landowner and hunting buddy had to attend his daughter’s wedding!  Poor planning on her part, we agreed!  Still, it was a small price to pay for such a momentous occasion.  Best wishes to the bride and groom in their new life together.

Dale won the award for the most trash collected.  I didn’t actually see all the other bags, but I can’t imagine anyone finding more stuff.  He picked up a lot of bulky stuff: cans, large sheets of paper and plastic, and a quart-sized beer bottle (who drinks beer in quarts?)  I seemed to specialize in cigarette butts.  I must have picked up about two dozen Pall Mall butts.  Whoever, you are: start using the ashtray in your car!

In about an hour, we were all done.  That project is done now until spring.  A small, simple way to keep God’s good earth more tidy and beautiful.

(Click here to see pictures of our clean-up on Middleton Community UCC’s Facebook page.)