A Dead Ringer

Monday, March 24^th, 2025 – Safeway

The week started out well. The temperature was a warm 52°F (11.1°C) and we went out without our hand warmers for the first time in a long time. Also, Janet found money at her favorite drive-thru.

One penny was just lying there but she needed to tease the other penny and the dime out of a crack. Twelve cents on our first walk, and it matches what we made in the each of the last two weeks.

This weekend, while running errands, we spotted a mess by the apartments on 112^th Ave NE. It was still dark when we came to it this morning. It was a small pizza box, napkins, and some sauce cups. There were also four empty New Amsterdam Vodka minibottles.

$0.99 cents apiece at Total Wine. After we picked up the mess, we spotted something else a few feet away.

A pair of Victoria’s Secret undies. Some woman gave up her secrets for two mini bottles of vodka. New Amsterdam may have a marketing angle here.

Later on Juanita-Woodinville Way, another McUrine cup.

This is getting old.

At the bus stop on Juanita-Woodinville Way, someone attacked one of the windows.

We’re guessing the person was high on something and thought the bus stop was a Tesla Cybertruck. Say, perhaps Metro should put eight cameras in the bus stop like the Cybertruck has. This could be an income point for them. Let folks subscribe, for a montly fee of course, to their favorite bus stop cam. It might be very interesting given the surprising number of condoms and pregnancy tests we have found at bus stops.

Someone lost a sock, tightly filled with something, but we waited until we got back home to open it up.

The sock appeared to be stuffed with a woman’s underwear drawer. But we didn’t find the other sock. Her other sock must have been her wardrobe sock that contained her outerwear. Hopefully, she had an extra pair of socks.

Tuesday, March 25^th, 2025 – Park-and-Ride

Today was again in the low fifties and, based on yesterday, we dropped a layer of clothing. We found neither money nor roadkill but did find a tool.

It’s a half-can of WD-40. Okay, you might say, “That’s not a tool,” the TrashWalking judges would argue. However, look at its uses. It’s definitely a tool, and it hasn’t been run over. If the TrashWalking judges disagree, we will spray WD-40 on their benches to keep them from squeaking. The judges, not the benches.

We found a gadget that plugged into a wall socket.

After a little searching, we found it was an “AVANTEK Wireless Door Bell, Mini CB-11 Waterproof Doorbell Chime Operating at 1000 Feet with 52 Melodies, 5 Volume Levels & LED Flash,” available on Amazon currently for a flash deal for thirteen bucks. So, we only have the ringer, not the button. Okay, here’s the plan, we’ll plug it in and if the is pushed within a thousand feet of us, it might ring then we can return it. But wait, they won’t hear us when we yell “COME IN.”

This morning as we peaked Norway Hill, we got our first nice sunrise in a long time.

The sun is still in the trees. Later when the sunrise is farther to the right, it will be better, especially when the smoke for the Canadian Summer fires waft down to light up the sky. Yay.

Someone came to the park-and-ride to get some exercise.

An electric treadmill. But there is no power available here which would make for difficult running. They need to place it over by where the EV car chargers are. We might even participate. Can they add a feature that drops the occasional beer can or condom?

You’ve heard of the headless horseman, well this is the headless horse.

This was used as a prop in a remake of “The Godfather” movie for children. “The Godpapa” starring Papa Smurf as Don Corleone.

Last night, Chuck was updating this blog when he heard a loud crash outside. Upon investigation, we found that a large, eight-inch diameter limb had fallen and took several other branches with it.

It was blocking one lane of the road, so, with the help of a small chain saw, we removed a lot of debris and made the road passable. As we left the house, here is the scene after we cleared the road.

We filed a clean-up report to the city of Bothell and they are normally pretty good about responding. We’ll see.

Wednesday, March 26^th, 2025 – Safeway & 100th

This morning broke in the low 50s (10.0°C) which made for a pleasant walk. We found no money and no roadkill.

Yesterday, we heard the City of Bothell workers cleaning up the debris from the fallen limb, and we saw the results this morning.

As usual, they did a great job.

On our short walking leg on 100^th Ave NE, we picked up a mess that looked to have fallen off a passing car.

Some clothing, a pizza box and other related trash. When we got home, the clothing consisted of two shirts and a hat.

Two shirts and a Scooby Doo hat and we don’t know who it belongs to. “Ruh-roh! Hat without an owner—another unsolved mystery!”

Thursday, March 27^th, 2025 – 160th to 124th Street

Today was cooler again. We picked up a very mushy roadkill rabbit. We recognized a paw. And we also found money.

A penny Janet teased out of her favorite drive-thru. But that’s not all, we also found a tool.

A socket wrench, but it had been run over and now only loosens. But a while back, we found one that only tightens, so now we have a complete set. SCORE!

We find a lot of these hotel key cards.

People stay at hotels with these electronic room keys. Then, when they leave, they thoughtlessly toss them out the window. The only reason we think this one is picture-worthy is when we had our floors refinished, we needed to vacate our house and we stayed at this hotel. Wait, maybe we’re the ones who tossed it?

Okay, for the last two days, the high temperatures barely exceeded 70°F (21.1°C). Today, our high was 58°F (14.4°C) and rain is forecasted for the foreseeable future.

We think we just passed through the Spring of Deception and are heading into our third winter. Or it could be the mud season. We’ll see.

Friday, March 28^th, 2025 – 100th Ave NE

The temperature this morning was cooler, and we found no roadkill, but we did find some money.

And relatively speaking, a lot of money. At the new food truck on Juanita-Woodinville Way, someone lost a penny. Then on Juanita-Woodinville near the apartments, a not-so-crisp one-dollar bill. Then at Janet’s favorite drive-thru, another nickel. Nice, $1.06.

We found a pack of Camel Cigarettes with a few left in it.

This is a newer package design that does not have the pyramids on it, but it still makes us think about Egypt and that song.

Yeah, we tried that once. We needed to see a “Cairo-practor.” [Insert groan here.]

Saturday, March 29^th, 2025 – Riverside Drive

This morning was colder and dry. We removed a roadkill rat from the street, and we didn’t find any money, but picked up a coin.

It was plastic, but it was plated with genuine simulated gold.

The first thing we found was a lost toy in the weeds on Riverside Drive.

It had been there a while. On our way out of the weeds, Chuck spotted a soccer ball floating in the water.

There was a wall made of large concrete blocks with about a foot of water on each side. Chuck started to walk across the wall to retrieve the ball. About halfway there, he thought better of it and retreated. It was too early to fall into the water. Maybe later.

When we got to the Bothell parking lot, there was a mess.

Four restaurants share these two recycle bins. We normally unload the little recycling we have picked up so far on our Saturday walks, but obviously not today.

We picked up more drug paraphernalia.

Last week we found some items under an abandoned car. This week, the car had been removed but the remaining items were left including more straws and a Bic lighter on the left. In the center photo, one of the items was a pipe bowl of some type used to burn the product. Toward the end of our walk, we happened upon a needle in front of the apartments on 112^th Ave NE.

Under some trees by the Jackson’s gas station/convenience store, we picked up several Heineken beer cans, food wrappers and some cigarette packages including one that was unopened.

But they were too soggy to light. Yes, we tried. After all, we just found the Bic lighter under the car.

Berry bushes.

A Happy Birthday balloon met a not-so-happy ending.

Finally, we found even more women’s clothing.

A shirt and two bras. It looks like someone busted out.

That wraps up another week. Our inventory:

• $1.19.  Even without the dollar bill, it beats the last three weekly totals.
• 11 Articles of women’s clothing: 3 undies, 3 bras, 3 shirts, 1 teddy, and 1 sock.
• 2 Balls.
• 2 Tools, a loosening ratchet and a can of WD-10 to lubricate it with.
• 2 Roadkill, a rabbit and a rat.
• 2 Cigarette packages, one groan-worthy.
• 2 Dumpsters in boxes.
• 1 McUrine cup.
• 1 Long-range doorbell waiting for a ring.
• 1 Treadmill in need of an extension cord.
• 1 Headless horse.
• 1 Scooby-Doo hat.
• 1 Soccer ball still awaiting rescue.

Have a great week and remember to let floating soccer balls lie.