Small joys....

For 20+ years I've been cleaning up the trash that people seem to relish discarding in our neighborhood. Some of it is mundane, some of it is noteworthy, some of it is truly bizarre.

Last weekend I came out of my house and found the most remarkable little gift at the corner of 20th & John:

Some kind people had not only tidied up their beer-bottles and cans, they'd even carefully pickup up the shards of the bottle they'd dropped and tidied them into the carrier also.

In many "fancy pants" neighborhoods, people would probably be incensed to find such trash awaiting them, but here such displays of thoughtfulness bring a little joy into our jaded lives.

Picking it up and carrying it to the trash was so much easier than picking up the widely scattered fragments of 40-ouncers used to be.

And yes, finding Alaskan Amber rather than the traditional Olde English probably is is yet another sign of gentrification.

One suggestion, gentle drunks: you left me two half-finished bottles of Alaskan Amber. Next time, share a bottle and leave an un-opened one for me. But, thank you, anyway.