Cub Cart

Last Wednesday I spent a couple of hours collecting trash along the stretch of the Mississippi River between Broadway and Plymouth Bridges.  This Cub Foods cart was down a slope and in the weeds about a 100 ft north of the Broadway Bridge.  I didn't try to bring it up because, really, what am I going to do with it anyway.  I thought about that cart when I got home and looked online to find the nearest Cub Foods.  There is one in North Minneapolis on Broadway so I called the store and told them where to pick it up.  I thought about calling Park and Rec first since its on their property but why not just let Cub solve it instead of one more thing that Park and Rec needs to do.  Park and Rec has been in the news lately because they might be asking the citizens of Minneapolis for money this fall.  A lot of money.  Something in the neighborhood of $300 million.

http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-parks-to-seek-300-million-from-taxpayers/365999511/

I'm not sure about what I think about raising property taxes, but I do know what I think about the parks that we have in Minneapolis.  I've been in Minnesota thirty plus years, but only lived in Minneapolis for the last year and half.  I rely on the parks to get me out of the urban-ness that I have thrown myself into.  My walks in the park are different than my walks downtown or in the skyway.  The skyway is like a pedestrian freeway.  I weave in and out of people just like they were cars, passing by slow walkers and dodging inattentive ones that are looking down at their cell phones.  I avoid the tall, agressive panhandler that can make a walk turn nasty.  My mind is not quiet as it is in nature.  I do like to observe folks downtown. Where are you going for lunch? Why did you choose those shoes to go with that outfit? I eavesdrop on conversations.  The endless complaining about co-workers, work load, bosses, etc.  Sometimes there's something good to overhear.  There was the Dad who was trying to convince his three small boys that the fountain in the IDS Tower is where a giant comes to shower in the morning.  I enjoy my downtown walks, but my mind is not peaceful.  I came across a great article in the New York Times about what parks mean to people like me who live in an urban setting.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/how-nature-changes-the-brain/?_r=0

So walking outside for me quiets the city life of noises and drama.  I walked in the park on Wednesday for two and half hours. I picked up some interesting stuff and I felt particularly peaceful when I got home. So ok, I might be convinced to vote yes next fall.