I figure this, not just by the calendar, daylight savings time or the ground hog.
I know because I�ve been able to walk around outside without a jacket. I know because our renovation workers are happier working outside than they were one month ago. Teens are already outside in shorts and t-shirts. Skateboarders are staking out stairs, ramps and rails.
I know because there are more hooligans out making late-night and early-morning noise. Hookers appear a bit more relaxed on street corners. Home Depot and Revy are busier. Itchy green thumbs find relief prepping their gardens.
But one of my favorite signs of spring is the early morning rumbling, spraying, brushing sounds of street sweepers cleaning the boulevards, sidewalks and avenues. Very early Monday morning, I awoke with a smile and listened to them work their way along Ellice Avenue.
The beginning of spring is when the streets and back lanes of Winnipeg are more ugly than any other time of year. Snow has melted, leaving mounds of sand. Revealing layers of garbage swept by winds under a carpet of snow and ice. And this drab ugliness is compounded by the absence of green grass, leaves and flowers.
Many community groups are planning neighbourhood cleanups. It�s a labour of love, a demonstration of solidarity between folk who care about the cleanliness of their neighbourhood.
This is a good time to acknowledge those who regularly go above and beyond the call of duty. Ray always seems to sweep beyond his property line. Doug mows beyond his own boulevard. I�ve seen Laura pick up garbage on sidewalks on her way to get groceries.
There are folks in our neighbourhood who care enough to pick up not only their own garbage. They�ve likely already done that. But they also get the garbage left by those who don�t seem to give a rip about cleanliness.
Anticipating the arrival of the street sweeping machines on Ellice, Virginia and I decided to clean out our own backyard and a small chunk of the backlane behind our house.
We were equipped with gloves, brooms, shovels, a rake, and garbage containers. And we were energized by our significant disgust with the junk in the back lane.
I don�t understand why someone would leave a dirty diaper lying beside the garbage bin. Chicken bones, vegetable cans, and unidentifiable waste. How can so many people miss a dumpster that�s about 8 foot by 10 feet wide?
Do people just read the paper and drop it on the ground? I had no idea that sanitary pads would get that big when sitting in muddy water. Why would someone remove their underwear and leave it lying in the back lane? Actually, I don�t really want an answer to that one�
As we were cleaning in the back lane, a number of people passed by.
Several adults walked by and lamented the fact that their landlord hadn�t bothered cleaning around their house. I could understand their concern and disgust with the busted up fence. But I knew the Slurpee cups, Safeway bags, and scraps of clothes and paper probably didn�t belong to the landlord. As they left I wondered, �Is everything always the landlord�s fault?� Whatever�
Some other folk walked by, attempting an inconspicuous approach to the back door of a nearby crack house. I started greeting the customers. I commented about how our neighbourhood dealers sure seemed to be doing a brisk business. The customers responded with a look somewhere between sheepish and belligerent.
Suddenly, we were interrupted by youthful, cheery, �Hi! Can we help you sweep?�
Looking up, we noticed 4 young aboriginal kids approaching from a house across the lane from the crack dealers. They came out ready to play. But when these kids saw us cleaning, their first comment was a cheery offer of assistance.
Aged from 2 to 10, these kids worked with us for the next hour. Sweeping, shoveling, scraping, raking, filling a dumpster. No complaints. Jokes about the nasty stuff they helped us shovel into the bin.
We enjoyed our impromptu cleanup with the kids. And after we finished, we stood back and admired the work. We chatted with the kids for awhile, and then their mom called them in for supper.
I think I�ll call the mayor and suggest an augmented version of his newer, new deal. Perhaps instead of the $1 per bag penalty for people who actually properly dispose of their garbage, he could institute a $20 fine for people caught dropping their Slurpee cups on the sidewalks. That�s one way to move from a �tax� on the poor to a fine for the sloppy.
Rev. Harry Lehotsky
514 Maryland Street
Winnipeg, Mb R3G 1M5
(204) 775-4929
[email protected]