To the Editor:

An observant neighbor noted that the road looked nice when we were all done picking up garbage but added “in three days it will look the same again.”

As I write this, I note that it has been exactly three days and the road still looks pretty clean. How amazing it would be if the “Dayton Road Dumpers” would only see how much more pleasant it is to drive down a road that it not littered with trash.

Nearly two hours of bending, reaching, pulling out of bushes and stuffing bags brings home how differently we approach life. We picked up some very interesting spoilers that certainly say something about the nature of human beings. For instance, someone out there believes in politely cleaning up after walking their dog elsewhere, but somehow that courtesy doesn’t apply out on a country road. We picked up doggie poo all nicely preserved inside plastic bags. Why bother?

Along the same line of thinking is the hunter who gets a deer, guts it and then decides to clean up the revealing mess by putting the left overs in a big plastic bag and rolling the bag off into the bushes. Heavens, a crow or two and a few coyotes would do a better job. Who knows what the secret is to that behavior?

Then there is the lunch bunch who park on Dayton Road to eat their meal but as soon as the repast is over it’s back to work and oh, save on a burdensome trip to the garbage can upon returning. It is easier to toss fast food renderings, cups, and plates on the ground. But even here someone is neater than the rest. This person tucks all the leftovers back inside the purchase bag and then drops that on the ground. Hmmm!

Oh, and we must not forget the person who has been driving the Bagdad, Dayton road route for years. This person, maybe on a liquid diet, prefers to leave the evidence of some serious beer drinking habits behind while driving along the road. Many empty twenty-four ounce cans are consumed and honestly, if only these cans were returned, whoever, could have a bit of a monetary start on their next purchase each and every time. Little hard liquor bottles are a favorite as well but I don’t know that there is any redeeming value in those plastic things. Too bad!

Last but not least, several pair of adult size men’s underwear, fairly new, soiled and thrown in the bushes. It makes me blush...I just don’t want to imagine!

Thank you to the Dayton Road neighbors who took time to help in this clean up and to those who have done so on their own and who will do so in the future.!

Thank you to the Town of Potsdam Highway Superintendent for agreeing to picking up the many bags we left when we were finally done.!

P. H. Lennox

Potsdam