Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Dirty Ditches and Sweet Finales

Last Sunday was a big day for us at the 1SweetMama household. Following our usual Sunday morning routine of church, brunch, a few chores, piano practice, etc., we loaded up, along with other fellow members of Bud’s, my oldest son, catechism class and set off to clean ditches.

Our church adopts two miles of highway close to Le Mars and it is our duty to clean it up on a regular basis. It is a rewarding experience to contribute to this effort but I can just tell you…..some people just have no respect for nature. What slobs!

Remember that “Please Don’t Litter” public service commercial from the 1970’s? In case you forgot it…I found it (gosh, I love the internet!). I now know how that crying Indian felt. Yikes.

As a mother trying to raise two young men up to be adults in a world impacted by how we treat our natural resources, I implore our nation’s motorists to PLEASE hang on to your fast-food wrappers, cups, and straws, your cassette and video tapes (honestly, who has these anymore??), your dirty shoes, and dirty diapers (what?…are people thinking as they are driving down the road, “Gosh, junior smells….I think I will change his diaper on the road and simply toss the dirty one out the window!” – Puh-leeze!).

Please wait until you stop at a gas station or roadside rest area and throw it all away there. Nice, convenient trash cans are available for your convenience.

But the two miles along Highway 60 are now clean as a whistle, thanks to the dedicated volunteers of my church and Bud’s catechism classes.

And the best part? Following our ditch-cleaning activities, we celebrated Bud’s 14th birthday. His actual birthday was a few days away, yet, but the timing for the family seemed to work the best on Sunday night.

We topped off our day of work with frozen pizza and two scoops of Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip with that hard shell topping that you pour on the top. And the finale? Birthday presents to boot.

Just another day in the Ice Cream Capital of the World…..ain’t life sweet?


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