Dumpster Diving

Look at them. These flags are in the prime
of their lives. Not a care in the world.
Happily marking the trail to show the way to
go, the way not to go, and where there is
a fuel line. These are happy little flags.

However...in a few short weeks, they will be
history. Unwanted, uncared for, tossed away
like last year's model. They will end up...
in a dumpster. Yes, a dumpster. To be fair,
they will have served their purpose. They
will have lived a good, long life, but not
necessarily an honorable ending.

Ok...what am I getting at you may ask?

I started dumpster diving this week. No, things
haven't gotten that bad here at the bottom of
the world. We still eat three squares a day,
are sheltered and most of us wear clothes...
I decided that I would gather some (there is no
way that anyone would/could ever want to rescue
all) marker flags that have been discarded into
dumpsters at the end of their brief existence
on the ice shelf. They once marked roads or
trails, but at the end of their usefulness, they
are replaced each season. Often they are raggedy
and torn. Victims of the brutal winds we face
here. Often they are sun bleached...only a shade
of their former splendor. But once in a while...
I find some that are in near pristine condition.
Almost unscathed and "saveable". Shallow and
only caring for things of beauty you may ask?
Well...duh...yeah. What do I want the old raggedy
ones for? I actually plan on bringing the flags
that are in good condition home...so that Lynn
can recycle them into something artistic, and
hopefully useful. Do I feel bad for those that
will not find a home? The torn and tattered?
Not really. Hey, I may be a dumpster diver...but
I have SOME standards.