National Poetry Month: Day 6

Saturday's pain!

Three recyclable bins lugged to the curb
each bin heavier then the one before,
each trip an exercise in determination.

I sit on the couch waiting
for the pain medication to take effect
and wonder
if the exertion
is worth to pain;
perhaps
I should accept my physical limitations
put everything in the trashcan
and roll the can to curb.

Free verse Saturday: The Broken Coffee Mug

The favorite coffee mug is broken!

Is there some meaning
to this tragedy?

I tried to place the mug
on a wooden T.V. stand,
missed
and the mug dropped to the floor.

The handle shattered,
but the body
remained intact.

I carried the mug
to the garage
and  carefully
put it in
the blue recyclable bin.

A Cold Morning in Las Vegas

dawn turns the sky blue
wind blows through an olive tree
at nine miles per hour

I checked the weather channel this morning and checked for the weather in Las Vegas. According to that website it is 29 degrees this morning, but it feels like 20 degrees. It as if the temperatures were in the low twenties when I took the trash and recyclables to the curb. It was so cold that my finger hurt, I think I need to get a pair of gloves.

my arthritic joins
make cold mornings painful
put gloves on my list

Recyclable Saturday

A weary morning
Recyclables at the curb
Another week ends

The recyclable bins are at the curb, I carried two of the bins there this morning when I rolled the trashcan out of the garage. To be more precise, I carried only one of the bins to the curb. The other I put on top of the trashcan and rolled it to the curb. It was easier to do them that way then to make three trips down to the curb and back again.

Saturday Morning in Las Vegas

Saturday morning
Trashcans and recyclable
Bins set at the curb

I watched the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics last night. I went to bed about 12:30 AM, consequently I didn't get up until about 6:00. The recyclable bins and trashcans are supposed to be setting at the curb by 7:00.

The first thing I did, even before making coffee, was take two recyclable bins to the curb. I then started to roll the trashcan to the curb, but I saw the man who goes through the recyclable bins looking for plastic bottles. I invited him into my garage and let him take all the plastic bottles I put in cardboard boxes to take to the curb on recyclable day. He took all the plastic bottles I had, so I didn't have to take the boxes to the curb and then carry them back to the garage when he emptied them.

Writing about going green

Recyclable day is coming up again on Saturday, August 29. That's when the recyclable trucks empty the recyclable bins. In Las Vegas, the recyclable trucks empty the bins every other week. I know I have two to carry to the curb I may have three. I'm have to check the one containing glass and see how many jars are in the bin.

When I was a child, we didn't worry about recycling. My grandparents did recycle in their own way. Grandma and Grandpa would reuse the glass jars that mustard came in as storage jars. I remember Grandpa had shelves in the garage with glass jars containing nails and screws. When we empties a mustard jar, Grandma would wash it and then either she or Grandpa would take the jar for storage.

Another way Grandma recycled was to use worn out cloths for dust rags and cleaning rags. She even had a special ragbag to put the worn out items in. Eventually, when she could no longer use the rag for anything, then she threw it away. Grandma go as much use out of an item she could before putting it in the trash.

Recycling glass jars
Grandma would wash them before
Grandpa stored his nails.

The Roar of Trucks in the Morning

It's Saturday morning in Las Vegas. I hear the roar of a truck somewhere in the neighborhood. I'm not sure whether it is the garbage truck, the recyclable truck, or just an ordinary truck. It's about 6:30 AM and today is recyclable day in my neighborhood. At least, I think it's recyclable day.

They pick up the recyclables every other Saturday morning in this section of Las Vegas. January 3 was the last recyclable pick up; therefore, this is the Saturday that is scheduled for recyclable collection. We separate the recyclables into cans and plastic bottles, paper and glass. Last night, a friend took all of the recyclables in my garage to the curb.

I'm going to have to put the recyclable day on my planning calendar. If I don't then I normally don't get the recyclable bens carried to the curb because I forget the dates of the collection.

The roar of truck in the morning
remind me that recyclable day is here,
reminds me to look at my carbon footprint
and make it less visible on the earth.