Sunday, March 2, 2008

Shoes and such.....

Ever been driving down the highway and see an article of clothing laying on the pavement and it gets you wondering what the story is surrounding that? Were a couple making mad passionate love, tearing off each others clothing and tossing it out the window as they were driving down the road? On the other hand, was someone in a fight with someone else and tossing clothing out to be spiteful. A hundred times I’ve seen just ONE shoe lying there. Always one. I remember wondering about that. What the hell is going on with the one shoe? What’s the story behind THAT? Someone decided that they were sick of seeing an odd shoe lying around inside their car and tossed it? I used to wonder if I would ever see a PAIR of shoes and one day I actually did. Let me tell you, it gave me a creepy feeling to see a PAIR of shoes carelessly strewn in the middle of the highway with no person in them. I hoped right then that I’d never see that again. I’ll settle for just the one shoe. Yep, I’ve seen hats, shoes, towels, t-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants, tossed aside like road kill, waiting patiently for someone to scoop them up into a garbage bag for disposal.

Which reminds me about the highways and the people who clean them up. Ever take notice of those signs….this stretch of highway has been adopted by so and so…or something like that. You are supposed to come and clean that stretch of road if you’ve adopted it. Ever seen a stretch of road that has unfit adoptive parents? Litter everywhere. I’m ashamed to say that when you come into the state I live in, on one of the main highways, it looks pretty awful. That particular entrance is near a large city and the city follows suite. I often wonder what people must think….they probably think the same thing I do.

I have visited Canada many times and have found it to be super clean. No litter, no graffiti, no junk. I rode the subway and was so impressed…not even a gum wrapper littered the platforms or inside the cars. Why can’t our big cities look like that? I never litter and when I see someone else do it, it makes me furious. If I have something that needs to be thrown away and can’t find a trash receptacle, I will put it in my pocket until I do find one or else just take it home. So…all of this rambling started just by seeing a shoe on the highway, but I still wonder about that since I see it so often. I’ve also seen a pair of shoes, tied together by the laces and thrown over wires at intersections. I’ve been told that it’s secret squirrel code for drugs. But I’m not sure about that.

I miss the old Burma-shave signs. I think that a lot of advertisers have given up using signs and billboards so much. I imagine they figure that drivers are all too busy looking at their GPS, car stereo, cell phone or DVD player to notice and, furthermore, actually READ and comprehend a sign along the road.

9 comments:

fiwa said...

You know - that is so weird! I JUST saw a pair of pink high heeled shoes on the road coming home, and I commented to Clarke that I wondered what would possess someone to throw out a pair. It made me wonder if the woman had been abducted or something.

I've always heard the shoes tied together and thrown over the telephone line had something to do with a breakup. But I am out of the loop on the drug stuff. :)

Hugs!
fiwa

Karen said...

There has been a pair of really old shoes tossed over the wires near my house ever since I've lived here (4 years). I wonder if it does mean anything or its just kids skylarking about?

I think Billboards are dangerous. The amount of times I've been reading one and I've nearly gone up the back of the car in front is testament to that fact. Like drivers need even more things to take our attention off the serious business of driving.

Have a great day Val.

Anonymous said...

i think the roads and streets are pretty clean here in JP..the only problem is that they're too clean... riding the express freeway and that is very expensive here..but in return we get immaculate roads...

Moohaa said...

I see shoes on the wires at times. I have to wonder if some poor kid is wandering around shoeless.

We have the adopt-a-highway signs too. Sometimes its really done well, others make me want to boycott.

Canada is really pretty and clean. I noticed that too. The other day at the espresso stand a gal spit her gum out of her car onto the ground and it took everything I had to not go over and pick up her refuse and huck it at her pretty bleached head. Come on people.

Have a good one, Val!

Jamie said...

I have often laughed at the shoe on the highway, and like you, wondered what the hell?

Once, I saw an entire set of womens clothes on the highway, beginning with a shoe, then another, then socks, then pants then shirt, then you get it.... it made me wonder, really wonder.

Have a good day today. It is snowing again up there? It is here, holy hell I'm tired of it.

:)

Smocha said...

I usually wonder if someone was hit by a car and knocked right out of their shoes.

The ONE shoe thing...you're running accross the road and your shoe comes off , so you just continue on with one shoe??
WTH?

I was once told by an electrician that when they retire they take their boots and throw them up over some high wires.

As far as regular shoes...no idea about that.

In Sweden they don't clean up or paint over the graffiti . I was surprised about that . Because other than that it was a pretty clean place.

Very interesting post. :)

Maria said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Very nice to meet you!

I see shoes a lot. Once, I saw an entire dresser. I was with my sister and begged her to stop so that I could open the drawers up and have a look see. She refused and said that someone probably put a snake in there or something...

I'll never know.

SOUL said...

this is just TOO FUNNY! and i just don't know how i missed it. i try to go down my list and hit every link on it-- sorry.

i have a "thing" about shoes on the road. always have. my soulfam thinks i am CRAZY. i cannot pass one on the road without asking.. wth. .. or look A shoe ! it's now getting to where one of them will point it out.

i told them a few months ago i was gonna begin a new hobby-- taking pix of said lone shoes on the road. perhaps one day i may make a coffee table book with the pix! LOL.. he i have never once claimed to be sane... have i??? nope.

anyhow.. as for the shoes on wires.. they don't grab my interest as much as shoes on the road... there's much more of story behind the ones on the road. obviously someone threw the ones over the wires.... but really--- HOW did the ones on the road get there-- and where is the wearer of that shoe???

one time, i saw a lone roller blade on the side of the road-- i couldn't help but call soulman...
i said..
"what's worse than a lone shoe on the side of the road?"
he said.. "a foot"
i said no-- a ROLLER BLADE!
i swear they will have me locked up one day and never set me free!

happy SHOESday!

Anonymous said...

I've often wondered about the single shoe in the middle of the road. I;m thinking it was kids fighting and one threw the other's shoe out. That's something my brother would have done when we were kids, except my dad would have really gotten mad.

I remember when I was in elementary school we had good citizenship classes and we were taught not to litter, etc. I bet they don't teach that in school anymore and kids' parents probably toss the McDonalds bag out the car window so they think it's OK-"someone" will pick it up. I've also wondered what it's like to live in a city that is clean, with no trash lining the side of the road.