Signs of Spring: First Walk of the Season

I'm back from the post office, a 1.5 mile round trip walk. I thought about taking trash and recycling bags along, certain there'd be lots to pick up after 4+ months. But I'm running short of time this afternoon, so I decided I'd scope out the trash today and do the actual picking up when I have a bit more room in the schedule.

I wonder if the two electric hair trimmers will still be laying by the roadside when I return with the bags. They win the prize for the weirdest litter I've seen along Monson Rd.

The resumption of my walks to the post office may be premature. I won't do the walk when the road is snowy or icy, when there's snow piled up along the edge, or when it's dark out. I like having a destination and another purpose -- walking "to the post office" and then mailing something or buying stamps -- rather than simply "going for a walk." But exercise really should be purpose enough, and I hope to do more walking just for the sake of it this year.

Onward!

Match It For Pratchett

It's steam engine time. No, not the fanzine; that Steam Engine Time comes in Initial Caps. This steam engine is the 1-day-old fannish campaign to match the million dollars Terry Pratchett is contributing to Alzheimer's research.

fastfwd came up with the idea. akicif gets the credit for being the first to post the brilliant campaign name. As you can see from this post, there are already two logos.

Terry's donation is to Alzheimer's Research Trust in the UK. While the organization does accept online donations from outside the UK, I followed debgeisler's lead and donated in Terry's honor to the Alzheimer's Association here in the US.

There's more info information about the campaign at AnonymousClaire, especially fastfwd's initial post suggesting the campaign. And, yes, you can already buy the T-shirt, bid on the first edition of a limited, out-of-print book, or, if your pockets are especially deep, there's always The Luggage. (Well, okay, it's a one-off replica. I hesitate to consider how deep one's pockets would have to be if it was real rather than fictional...and up for bid.)

While my donation was formally tagged in honor of Terry, I also did it in the memory of Walt Willis, Joe Haskell (fredcritter's dad), Robert Lichtman's parents, John D. Berry's mother, and kip_w's mother, too. And I did it in the hope that it will help lead to a memorable, memory-filled future for all.

Campaign logo by gillo