Out and riding around on Sunday, buying lunch and enjoying the chilly day’s ride immensely. At Kits Beach, ran into a Xmas tree chipping station, run by volunteers from the Lions Club. I love it when a crew gets together like this and does something good.
And folks, don’t forget the timely admonishment from the Recycling Council of BC’s publicity on the chipping program: “Only naked trees will be accepted”.
The chipped trees apparently become mulch, used by Parks Board among other gardeners. At this station, just before Sunday noon, the crew had handled 113 trees. Saturday’s total was 430. Last year around 800. And the Lion’s Club apparently had 4 other stations in operation around the city.
[Click pix for a larger version]
Though there were umpteen tales of city, business and residential incompetence regarding snow management …. For gawd’s sake Fred, ya just had to binge watch the Walking Dead marathon and yer beloved TSN til all hours and now it’s turned to ice! …. it was heartening to see residents shoveling and chipping away well beyond their own house, often for an elderly neighbour. And to encounter drivers more polite than usual for a change, and oncoming pedestrians giving way when there was a cleared path on the city walk only one shovel wide in front of a real estate office where someone sprayed LAZY BUMS in black paint on the lumpy ice. And to see the city finally clue in during the fourth week to …. cue the drumroll — sand! (Pssst. Every city east of Merrit knows about salt mixed with sand. But let’s keep this handy little tidbit from the 21 engineering departments in the Metro until AFTER 30-year records were broken).
Thankyou to all who pitched in and who exercised small kind acts.
PS: There was an excellent supply of salt in Victoria. We grabbed several bags while on a recent trip. No, it’s not for sale.