Survey
Yesterday (Thursday, February 18th, 2016) I was accosted in the Mighty Canandaigua Weggers by two earnest college-girls wanting to administer a survey about sustainability.
“So have at it!” I said.
I was showered with a barrage of questions, but I only remember five:
—1) “Do you turn the water off when you brush your teeth?”
“I guess so; I use an electric toothbrush.”
—2) “Do you turn off the lights when you leave a room?”
“Usually, although sometimes I leave them on if I’m gonna return.”
—3) “Do you recycle?”
“Yes,” I said emphatically.
—4) “Is your toilet a lo-flo?”
“Yeah, but I hafta use so much water to unplug it, it’s no longer lo-flo. It’s a plumber’s dream.”
—5) “Do you use plastic bags?”
“Not if I can avoid them.”
My wife is gone, but I still do her bit.
In my kitchen are four paper sacks in which I recycle: cans, glass, plastic, cardboard.
I also shred a lot of paper, which I bag up for recycling.
Most depressing is I can’t recycle my garbage.
We used to keep a mulch-pile; I still have it.
But it’s too much trouble, and the main reason we had it, our garden, is no longer a garden.
We used to grow tomatoes, peppers, string-beans, and squash. We even grew beets at one time, and zucchini the size of the Graf Zeppelin.
I used to take our bounty to the Messenger newspaper where I worked after my stroke. One zucchini was used to club reporters.
But those days are gone with my wife.
I still recycle stuff.
It’s silly and unmanly, but I don’t want to leave a giant footprint.
• “Mighty Weggers” is Wegmans, a large supermarket-chain based in Rochester where I often buy groceries. They have a store in Canandaigua. (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city to the east nearby where I live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” It’s about 14 miles east. I live in the small rural town of West Bloomfield in Western NY, southeast of Rochester.)
• My wife died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her immensely.
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, from which I pretty much recovered. Just tiny detriments; I can pass for never having had a stroke.
• The “Messenger” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over ten years ago. Best job I ever had — I worked there almost 10 years (over 11 if you count my time as a post-stroke unpaid intern).
“So have at it!” I said.
I was showered with a barrage of questions, but I only remember five:
—1) “Do you turn the water off when you brush your teeth?”
“I guess so; I use an electric toothbrush.”
—2) “Do you turn off the lights when you leave a room?”
“Usually, although sometimes I leave them on if I’m gonna return.”
—3) “Do you recycle?”
“Yes,” I said emphatically.
—4) “Is your toilet a lo-flo?”
“Yeah, but I hafta use so much water to unplug it, it’s no longer lo-flo. It’s a plumber’s dream.”
—5) “Do you use plastic bags?”
“Not if I can avoid them.”
My wife is gone, but I still do her bit.
In my kitchen are four paper sacks in which I recycle: cans, glass, plastic, cardboard.
I also shred a lot of paper, which I bag up for recycling.
Most depressing is I can’t recycle my garbage.
We used to keep a mulch-pile; I still have it.
But it’s too much trouble, and the main reason we had it, our garden, is no longer a garden.
We used to grow tomatoes, peppers, string-beans, and squash. We even grew beets at one time, and zucchini the size of the Graf Zeppelin.
I used to take our bounty to the Messenger newspaper where I worked after my stroke. One zucchini was used to club reporters.
But those days are gone with my wife.
I still recycle stuff.
It’s silly and unmanly, but I don’t want to leave a giant footprint.
• “Mighty Weggers” is Wegmans, a large supermarket-chain based in Rochester where I often buy groceries. They have a store in Canandaigua. (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city to the east nearby where I live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” It’s about 14 miles east. I live in the small rural town of West Bloomfield in Western NY, southeast of Rochester.)
• My wife died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her immensely.
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, from which I pretty much recovered. Just tiny detriments; I can pass for never having had a stroke.
• The “Messenger” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over ten years ago. Best job I ever had — I worked there almost 10 years (over 11 if you count my time as a post-stroke unpaid intern).
posted by BobbaLew at 1:28 PM
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