This Week Blew

Monday, November 18^th, 2024 – Safeway

Today was a mundane walk with cool temperatures and light mist. We removed a family of roadkill raccoons from the street. This is the second time we’ve found a collection of three deceased raccoons, and we would rather had not have found them.

We found these three empty packages of 7-Hydroxymitragynine.

We didn’t know what this was, but we found an article that explained:

Mitragynine is the major active alkaloid of Mitragyna speciosa (kratom). In mice, this compound is converted to an active metabolite, 7-hydroxymitragynine, which mediates its analgesic effect via the mu-opioid receptor.

After reading this, we still don’t know what it is. However, the person who tossed these must own mice. Also, the packages stated each had six servings, but there were only three tablets. It must be a mouse thing.

We found a lost TowMate.

This is called a TowMate and is an aid in towing vehicles. It is a portable taillight/turn signal/brake light system. It has two magnets to attach to the back of the towed vehicle and a remote-control unit that is integrated into the tow truck to send signals to the TowMate to operate the various lights. On the plus side, no wires are required. On the minus side, it can fall off into the ditch. The system costs about $400, so we may try to find the towing company that lost this. Who knows? It might be worth a free tow some day when we run out of energy and need a ride home.

Now, this is a great idea given the number of credit cards we find. Someone made a copy of their credit card.

If they lose their credit card, they have a copy so they can still use it. Well, but then you could lose the copy too. Better make twenty copies.

Tuesday, November 19^th, 2024 – Park-and-Ride

Today, we removed a roadkill rat, which was a welcome reduction from yesterday’s raccoons. We don’t have anything against rats, it’s just that raccoons are like tiny bandits with adorable manners and wash the food they dig out of the trash. Rats, on the other hand, never wash their food and spread disease and pestilence. We might be a bit biased against rats, but they are rats, right?

The morning started on a low note.

Yes, a bottle of urine on the freeway off-ramp, but why? Okay, this is a long stop light, but still.

Uh-oh. Someone lost their dog.

In the photo booth.

“Whoa, that was fast, we weren’t ready. Billy, Lana, get it in the picture. Dang, Lana, open your eyes. Smile. Billy, open your eyes… rats!”

Wednesday, November 20^th, 2024 – Safeway & 100th

Last night there was a wind advisory from the National Weather Service for high winds due to a “Cyclone Bomb.” The weather wind map looked ominous.

At our house, there did not seem to be much wind, but evidently there were strong winds in some areas that caused power outages. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, our neighborhood decided to join the others. The power company’s outage map looked like this.

There were over twelve-hundred outages, and in case you are interested, we are probably six deep about a quarter of the way from the top.

When we walked this morning, we spent most of our time clearing small branches from the streets and we only saw one good-sized branch about eight inches in diameter and one tree down that didn’t cause any damage.

The tree had been cut up and cleared by the time we passed.

We picked up a little trash, probably due to the layer of twigs and branches and that it was very dark. But we found one thing of interest. We live on Norway Hill which, rumor has it was visited by the Vikings in the past. And sometimes we find artifacts.

Today we found a pristine Viking sword. From it we can tell they were quite advanced as shown by the design. They also invented plastic. We could sell this to some wealthy private collector, but we’re not selfish. We are sending it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. We have sent them other things, but they have never acknowledged our gifts. But they are very busy.

Thursday, November 21^st, 2024 – 160th to 124th Street

This morning, our power was still out, some neighborhoods had power. We saw about five vehicles sail through dark stop lights without slowing down. Please obey the traffic rules. We are tired of picking up shatter-scatter plastic from “fender benders” that shatter but don’t bend.

The only extracurricular activity we did today was picking a construction cone out of the bushes where it had been tossed.

It was buried in a bunch of Blackberry bushes and Chuck needed to wade in getting snagged by random vines. But we finally pulled it out and placed it on a stack of three other abandoned cones we found. Don’t get us started on abandoned construction materials, we don’t have the time.

Okay! Our power came back on this morning after we got home. Only a thirty-two hour loss which is tolerable. It is below the threshold of neighborhoods pillaging neighborhooding neighborhoods. And we do have a Viking sword.

Friday, November 22^nd, 2024 – 100th Ave NE

Okay, after an eventful week with uneventful trash, except for the Viking sword, of course, we finally found some interesting items today. To start with, we found a nickel.

It was at Janet’s favorite drive-thru and our first money of the week.

The elaborate trap has reappeared behind the switch box on Juanita-Woodinville Way.

It was here a couple of weeks ago and then disappeared. It has a solar-powered camera in it with cellular connectivity. We didn’t disturb it.

We picked up a 925 sterling silver ring.

It had been run over so we don’t know if it is a toe ring or just broken.

We found this in the middle of a street.

It was still sealed and taped close. Uh-oh. Someone’s not getting their Bobo tea. And some Uber driver is not getting a tip.

Another lost wheel cover.

This is a replacement available from Walmart for thirty bucks. This guy should purchase a ten-pack.

Okay, another pair of lost underwear.

They were on the sidewalk at a busy intersection. So, was she trying to flag down a ride? If so, it evidently worked.

This is a first for us.

A discarded Cannabinoids Urine Test envelope. Fortunately, the actual test strip was not there but it’s like the pregnancy tests we find periodically. Why take a marijuana test in your car? Did they hear their workplace is doing random testing today and needed to know if they should call in sick?

Finally, we picked up a mystery envelop, sealed with no markings on it.

When we got home and tore it open, we found a bunch of change. The envelope is a heat-sealable zip lock bag that can be purchased on Amazon. It contained $4.84 including two one-dollar coins. It’s still a mystery, but a nice mystery.

Saturday, November 23^rd, 2024 – Riverside Drive

Today, we expected that most of the power would be restored, but as we went under the freeway on Woodinville Drive, everything was still dark including the apartments. We checked the power company’s status, and they still have 1050 active outages affecting 80,900 customers.

We found more money today. No, not another mystery envelope,

Just a quarter on the freeway overpass. It’s turned into a good money week.

Also, another piece of jewelry, a single earring.

Suitable for one-eared people and pirates.

Our second wheel cover this week.

Clearly, this one is off a Honda, but it was damaged and got recycled.

The park-and-ride provided us with a knit cap.

From the looks of it, it’s been there for a while. The green mold is a tell-tale sign.

Last week we picked up three fruit punch Beatboxes.

Today, we picked up two more. We thought, why do people let their kids toss these out the window? Today, we noticed that they are 11.1% alcohol. Suppose that’s one way to keep your kids calm in the car.

That wraps up our eventful walking week. Our take,

• $5.14 under mysterious circumstances.
• 5 Roadkill including three raccoons. That’s five raccoons in the last two weeks.
• 3 Mouse pill packages.
• 3 Credit cards, one printed and all shredded.
• 3 Caps, two for hubs and one for heads.
• 2 Pieces of jewelry including a toe ring with no toe.
• 2 Child tranquilizers.
• 1 Four-hundred-dollar TowMate.
• 1 Dog leash and harness without the dog.
• 1 Major wind storm.
• 1 Viking sword.
• 1 Returned trap.
• 1 Pair of ladies’ underwear.

Have a great week and remember to pay attention to which way the wind is blowing.