It's a Bear Necessity!

"The bare necessities of life will come to you. ..."

That is if you consider a wad of blue yarn, a discarded CD and somebody's old socks among the bare necessities. Of course, one man's junk is another's ... well, you know.

Frost glazed the grass and steamy breath fogged my glasses this morning when I failed to exhale out the side of my mouth or turn my head like a swimmer, which was often. Wednesday's dusting of snow, no more than you'd get on your French toast at a restaurant, is mostly gone, but baby blankets remained where piled leaves provided insulation against the sun, though he's been largely AWOL the past couple of days.

I returned to my commercial route today, north on Seminary Street to Carl Sandburg Drive and out to Henderson Street. The return brought me through the residential neighborhoods of Dayton, Academy and Mary streets. First find of the day was a tiny tangle of blue yarn. I almost passed it up, but as my wife is a knitter, I thought there might just be enough to create something -- perhaps a nose warmer for a runner; it could loop over the bridge of my glasses!

It was along Sandburg Drive that I spotted the pile of black socks I'd seen last week. Hmm, maybe I'll take a bag next time and gather them up for a good washing. Ha! No, not for me; I'd stick 'em in a sale or something. OK, maybe not.

Traffic was light between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m. Tunes drowned out whatever sound the cars and trucks made anyway, so I was in my own world, mind a-wandering. The Marlboro Man looked to be making an effort to catch up with Newport Ned in marking the town with his brand name. Ned's still the champion among litterbug smokers.

Coming down Academy Street near the back entrance to Churchill Junior High, I discovered a shiny silver CD in the leaves near the street but in the cushion of the terrace. Maybe it wouldn't be too scratched up to play. I washed it off and dried it; I'll test it's playability and listen-ability later.

The home stretch on Mary Street brought me to a poor frosty bear holding a big red heart. He looked so forlorn lying there in the terrace by the street. But I know the folks who live in that house have children, so it likely belongs to one of them; I left him there in hopes that he'll be rescued soon before he suffers frostbite.

You know, Lyle Lovett tells us "some folks never seen a bear at all" and "some to see a bear would pay a fee." Me, well, "I just bear up to my bewildered best. And some folks even see the bear in me."  

Today's stats:
Temp: 25 degrees F
Distance: 4.5 miles
Weekly Distance: 13.5 miles
Treasure: 1 tangle of blue yarn; 1 sweetheart bear; 1 pile of black socks; 1 CD-R - Billy Talent, "Trapt"; more trash.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Welcome to the Machine - Pink Floyd
Nobody Home - Pink Floyd (oops, backed up the iPod too far and these first two are repeats)
American Pie - Don McLean
Brick - Ben Folds
Don't Panic - Coldplay
World Party - The Waterboys
Laundry Room - The Avett Brothers
Step One - Ryan McCullough
Don't Let Me Get Me - Pink
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits