What's this blog about anyway?

I've been blogging about picking up trash now for about 15 months.  Seriously, I never thought it would hold my attention for this long.  The blogger site allows me to see how many folks look at each of my posts and what country viewers come from.  Although most people reading my blog are from the USA, about 25% are from other places around the world.  How do they find this site or is it mostly by accident?  When I started this blog it took me about 30 seconds to decide on the name Trash Talk, not really considering that someone might be looking for porn or sports.  So if you're looking for porn or sports talk I probably haven't said much about those topics.  I will tell you that I occasionally pick up used condoms in the park (usually with a stick and gloves of course).  In fact, I picked up one yesterday by a park bench.  There was another one on the bridge today as I was walking across the river to attend the Polish Festival.  I didn't pick that one up.  Really, on the bridge people?  So back to my real topic about litter....and that quilt.  I was out yesterday walking to my usual places along the river.  I found this patchwork quilt.  It was wet and dirty and all balled up under some brush near Middle Beach.  I picked up the litter around the quilt and then shook the thing out and layed it flat to dry. I thought about that quilt and wondered about the story that brought it here.   Most likely it involves someone (she) who didn't expect to find herself suddenly homeless and spending the night down by the river.  But there is also someone who fashioned that quilt with not a lot of fancy needle work but with love and caring nonetheless.  I left it there to dry and maybe someone will come back to claim it.  It just needs a good cleaning.

In Minnesota, the Department of Natural Resources Adopt a River program requests us volunteers to estimate by weight what we have picked up during the year so they can combine it with all volunteer's efforts.  I take a picture of almost everything I pickup because it gives me a visual record and makes it easier to make a wild ass guess at the end of the year. At First Bridge Park yesterday there was leftover fishing litter as well as stuff from folks sleeping out.

Over at Middle Beach there was lots of trash that had washed up from all the rains we have had.  Who is splitting wood down there at the beach?  Several months ago, probably on a rainy, cold spring day, I got the idea that I would return some of my trash finds back to the wild in the form of trash mobiles.  Were some folks amused (I hope) or am I just another litterer. There were five of them and I think most of them have disappeared now.  Bye Bye.  It was fun.

I walked as far as the beach on the north side of Bassett Creek.  I barely got started there before I was out of bags.  One thing I have come to know about people who litter along the Mississippi River is that they prefer crappy beer. 

So, Trash Talk isn't just about picking up crap, it is also about finding and learning about what is out there in nature.  This is fast becoming my favorite part of this whole thing.  I came across this little blue flower yesterday along Bassett Creek.  Fairly tiny and low growing, I saw this by the bridge that goes over the creek on the north side.  According to the Minnesota Wildflower site I've been using, I am fairly certain it is a Dayflower. 

Growing next to the Dayflowers was also a patch of Bur Cucumber Vines. I don't have a fancy camera and it has been a learning experience trying to figure out what I can do with the camera that I have. I have learned that white flowers are really hard to photograph.  Sitting in the dirt trying to get a picture of this flower must have looked odd to the bikers and runners who passed me by on the trail.  Hey, I just mentioned sports!

I have to say that I got some of my inspiration for this blog from something I saw on the internet a couple years ago about a guy who picked up trash on his way to work somewhere in Denmark or maybe Finland.  Anyway, I suspect that we people around the world all have the same problem with just too much garbage everywhere.