Trashy Bare Necessities and the Naked Guy

 

(Photo by Vicki Macrae 2020)

Here we are, halfway through April already. We had a drive to Eugene to get our car in for the first checkup it has had since we purchased it. This meant a chance to see family again and see what was happening in the "big city." I can never unsee what I saw. 

The drive there disgusted me. Not in terms of the actual drive or time spent with my husband, but the awakening of just how disgusting we are as a species. Why is there so much garbage strewn along our streets, across our beautiful farmlands, in our cities, and our neighborhoods in general? Has no one heard of trash cans? 

ODOT and other city government organizations are still cleaning up the crap, I would assume? Although now that I'm thinking about it, it's been quite a while since I've seen any crews along the roadways removing this garbage. What happened to that program? Or is the trash so abundant now that they can't keep up? If they are still cleaning it up, I have to say here that they are doing a piss-poor job of it. 

The out of control trash problem is not just in Oregon. This photo was taken by the Toronto Star. 

Photo taken by Oregon Hikers. 

This one came from the Bakersfield Californian depicting the garbage issue after the loss of inmate crew cleanup. After researching a bit, I did locate one source of the issue and that is the crews were cut to about half or taken off the work force entirely when the COVID pandemic hit. The state had no access to inmates to make the clean up efforts happen during that time. This lack of work crew members definitely started the problem. 

Now the issue is more of a combination of homeless folks who have no dumpsters to throw their garbage in or those who simply do not care, along with the laziness of citizens. You can choose one or all of the above. 

I do not believe the issue lies strictly with the homeless as we were seeing quite a bit of trash along streets and in parks long before people were gathering in homeless camps. The unfair assumption that it's all homeless people leaves us without blame. We are all responsible for this mess. 

I was truly devastated yesterday too when we drove to the dealership for the appointment. Dawn drove us back to the dealership later in the day to get the car upon maintenance completion. Along that drive I noticed graffiti and garbage everywhere. Eugene has become one large dumping ground of trash and ruined scenery. 

My heart broke and I felt as though my childhood had been stomped on. All the memories of such a pristine place I called home, the city I was so proud of and even bragged about at times, gone. Now it looks like the photos you see in very large, trashy cities. Disgusting.

When my family moved here from Tennessee in 1962, one of the first things we noticed about the Eugene and Springfield area was how green and clean it was. With that in mind, I saw a car traveling on the freeway yesterday, with license plates hailing from New Mexico. Immediately I thought of what they must see while driving our Oregon highway. Were they as disgusted as I was? Or did the garbage and damaged, half dead trees lining the land along the route go unnoticed? 

I am getting off the soap box now, but had to vent. The trip really crushed my soul. Our once beautiful state has been raped of that natural beauty and is hidden under food wrappers, dirty diapers, paper plates and bowls, and other disgusting garbage. It seems everyone has lost the pride once shown as residents of this pristine state. Sad state of affairs, for sure. 

My daughter Brandy shared some more photos of her cute naked guy. Her Xolo or Mexican hairless pup her husband Dan purchased from a breeder in Mexico is getting bigger. He has an enormous amount of energy and loves to wiggle his cute, naked butt.  

He sits proud and looks quite healthy and happy. I believe the naked guy is definitely settling into his new home and loves mom and dad as his own now. Of course, having a Mexican hairless means a bit of pampering. This includes clothing, as he has nothing to keep him warm. It also entails rubbing coconut oil over his body every few days to keep his skin soft and supple. Then there is the SPF sunblock that is applied to keep him from burning. The dog is spoiled more than most humans. But, look at that face. 

Those beautiful, adorable eyes. I could stare into those eyes forever. Those ears crack me up though. I hope the dog is never faced with a strong, forceful wind. He's gone if that happens. 

Wrinkles set around his eyes make it look as though he is worried all the time. These dogs are prone to acne as well as other skin imperfections. All the fur an animal has typically covers up these eye-catching flaws, but the Xolo is naked. Nothing but clothing around his cute butt to cover things up. 

I don't know about other areas, but Roseburg has a few days of rain in the forecast and then we will hit temps into the upper 70s next week. I can't wait! Wow. And I do apologize for these blurry pictures. I was aiming the camera out the front door while letting my dog out and put it on the "pro" setting. I really don't like how that came out!

The sump pump in the basement began its mechanical dance once more since the rain has fallen for the past couple of days. We were supposed to get rain on Friday, but the drive to Eugene was clear. We were grateful for that!

Waiting to regain strength and the ability to walk again to be able to weed eat the driveway and maybe then we can dedicate a day to spreading the gravel. Our landlord had the gravel delivered to prevent me or anyone else from falling again, but he is not only extremely busy, it has been raining so much that the project halted. We will get it all done once the weather is nicer. 

Meanwhile, Terry and I spend our time taking care of our babies and enjoying life. Getting out of the house is important and we ensure that happens as often as we can make it a thing. 

Until our next blog post, take care of yourself and shine that light!