Day 11.242: Exile #2's Sunday Column #219

Exile #2 writes...

Having become a semi regular morning walker with Exile #1, I have been enjoying getting to recognize the others that are out and about at the same time. There are people that we see running and walking, there are the attack dogs round the corner (actually about half a dozen little yorkies who scamper around in a fenced yard but all come and bark as soon as “the lookout” notices you). Then, there are the bottle and can collectors. Our town has single sort recycling and, although you can claim 5 or 10 cents back on certain cans and bottles, few people have the patience to go and feed their returnables into a machine, so they just get put in the recycling with everything else. Other people, however, have the energy to get up very early - even earlier than the garbage collectors - to retrieve these bottles and cans from the wheelie bins at the roadside. One even has a particularly impressive carrying arrangement involving a pole and two large bags. There is the potential for a turf war but, as yet, they seem to be coexisting happily. They’d better watch out for the attack dogs though!