Saturday, June 21, 2008

The trashman wants a rose

The people here in Philadelphia are so nice! We are living in a little row house and every evening around 6 the neighborhood comes outside for a few hours. People out walking their dog always have time to stop for a minute while the kids pet their pet. Harry and Grace, an older couple, sit out by their front steps and say hello to everyone who passes - and greet them by name. The neighborhood kids play baseball in the middle of the street or basket ball with a milk crate nailed to a tree. Today was trash day and I lugged the trash out to the curb seruptitiously glancing at my neighbor's trash to make sure I was putting the can in the right place. Around noon the garbage truck came up the street and since it is such a narrow one way street the trash collectors have to grab the can, and physically sling the contents into the truck (no automated arms here!). Once they are done they just chuck the rubbermade trash can back in the general viscinity of your house and you have to hope that you get the right lid back on our trash can since can and lid don't make it back to your yard as a couple.

At first I thought the trash collectors were mad for all the rose bush clippings that filled our trash can but when I looked down the street I saw all the trash cans on their side as they had landed. I enjoyed a quiet chuckle until the two "can slingers" up the street shouted at me over the noise of the truck. I wasn't able to hear them so I walked towards them thinking I had done something wrong (paranoid I know). When I got closer I heard one of them say

him: "Why you throw all those roses away?"
me: "Oh, I'm sorry, was I not suposed to put them in with the regular trash?"
him; Why you throw awl those pretty roses away?"
me: Oh, I trimmed the bushes back because they were overgrow and the roses were all full of bugs.
him: Why din't you put those roses on the table or somethin?'.
me: Because they were NASTY
him: next time you cut back yo roses, save me one.
me (walking away down the street) O.k. I'll leave them out on top
him: (to my retreating back) ... an a bottle of wine too!

Did I just get hit on by the Garbage Collector?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Was he at least a cute garbage collector?

Jacquelyn said...

Cute? let's just say I was quite flattered.

joy said...

glad you're having fun in philly. that's a pretty funny story!

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