Toss it anywhere - cont. (2009) by Mary
While cleaning out the buildings, we gathered all the paint cans, poisons, etc. in one place. Eventually, the job was finished, and there was enough to fill the trunk of our car. We took the load to a special disposal site, and felt as though the land had been purged.
There was still one last pile of mostly buried junk over the bank just behind the repair shop. We couldn't seem to get to it. This mound also presented a problem for mowing, and the weeds would stand tall, marking the spot that needed attention.
Four of us finally tackled the job that day, but it still seemed endless. This pile had the typical cans, jars, and wire, but it also had items from the repair shop such as old tools, machinery parts, tractor headlights, and used oil filters. "Just take them out and toss them over the bank!" Oh, no! Then we dug into deteriorating tractor batteries. Our son, Todd, said, "Shame on someone."
Nearly the whole time we picked up the rubbish of the past, my mind went back to my childhood on the farm. Mom burned everything she could, but when enough bottles and cans accumulated, Dad dumped them into the river. Gasp! It was quite normal then, and thankfully, most junk of that era disintegrated. I'm glad I don't know what Dad did with batteries.
We have learned there are now recycling places, and designated days when farmers can take in their tires and hazardous waste. There is no charge for this, so hopefully they will take advantage, and be wiser stewards than in the past.
We finished this eyesore, and it is now scraped clean and pleasant to look at. What a good feeling. What an improvement.
