Thursday 4 April 2013

D as in DETRITUS (A-Z Challenge)

Detritus. A nice way of saying debris, waste, garbage. But there it is.


I Would as Leaf See Something Else

We have a lot of trees in River City. Big stately elms, providing wonderful shade in the summer. So far we've been able to keep the threat of Dutch Elm Disease under control.

When autumn comes, the leaves turn from green to brown, and fall all over peoples' lawns. And the get raked up and put in peoples' composters, or tossed in the garbage (boo, hiss). 

But lots of leaves fall on the city's roads and boulevards, and are raked up by nobody. So lots of them end up on the streets under the snow, and in spring become detritus. And cause problems.




Sometimes, despite the leaf detritus, a drain gets open, to let the water get away in the spring. And sometimes not.


Not crossing at this corner!

Dealing with Snirt

Our city is a "winter city," meaning we have winter at least four months a year, and sometimes six. Temperatures are often -20°C (that's -4F), which is a fresh, brisk, and bracing day. But sometimes -40C (or -40F, so it's the same), and things do feel  bit chilly. Time to put an extra sweater on your body, and an extra dog on the bed at night.

Since we're a winter city, and people need to get around amidst the snow, much salt and gravel are applied to the roads. As spring approaches, city crews start the cleanup process, there are huge piles of snirt (snow + dirt).





But with temperatures scheduled to stay below freezing the rest of the week, this snirt isn't going to disappear any time soon. And sone people may get into a snit.

Thus we shall suffer through our detritus for a while longer.

Sigh!

D is also for desire, dull, destitute, diluted, and Dene (and Dakota, too).

Blessings and Bear hugs, folks

35 comments:

  1. We are in the snirt phase also.

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    1. Condolences on living in snert. As long as most of it stays outside your house, you'll probably be OK.

      BTW, did you get your plumbing problems fixed?

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  2. I think detritus is a cool word, Bear. And I would have to agree with you that you live in a winter city! Must be beautiful during the summer, though. I hope to learn more about that part of the year. Stay out of the snirt for now! :-)

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    1. Detritus is a cool word. But we've been friends for a while, so you know that I like playing with words. And ideas.

      I've forgotten what sumer looks like. We've had snow since mid-October, so winter has been going on for a while. Maybe next week things will look better. We were promised nice weather this week, but it's still a touch cool, and the snirt is slow in melting. Which means no flooding, so that is good.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  3. Four to six months of snow and snirt, oh my! Here's wishing that you soon are surrounded by sunshine and spring temperatures.

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    1. Thanks for your note. We've had winter for about six months this time, and it is getting a bit tiresome. We've been promised better weather for next week, but I'm suspicious. We were promised better weather for this week, and it didn't happen.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  4. I am so ready for warm weather so I can get rid of the Detritus that is all over around my backyard plants. It just seems like winter is never ending this year.

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    1. I understand you. I just realized that, this time, winter started in mid-October — that's almost six months, now.

      I hope you're soon out of your detritus, and back to gardening.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  5. We don't get much snow where I live..but this year got more than most years...about 3-4 inches...lol! Snirt sounds dreadful to me...the weather is warming here some days up to 74 degrees but today is gloomy and it will probably rain! Blessings bud!

    Shannon @ http://runningsurvivor.blogspot.com

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    1. Well, 74 degrees (23°C) with rain feels yucky (at least it does up here). Feels as yucky as snirt looks yucky. Sweaty. Sticky.

      Hope you don't melt in the rain.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  6. I love the word 'snirt' and have shared it with a few friends recently who were happy to have a simple descriptor for what we've seen too much of this winter.

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    1. Pleased to be of service, susan. You know that I like words (and even play with them), so that came pretty naturally. Please feel free to use it and share it.

      Winter came in mid-Octobr; next week is mid-April, meaning six months of winter. Still better than Inuvik, but not much.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  7. I hope you start to see some green soon.

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    1. Thanks for coming by and leaving a note, Lisa. Yes, it would SO delightful to see some green. The only place one sees it now is in the florist's shop. Sigh!

      Hope you see lots, too!

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  8. My, my Bear ... that's a mighty fancy word you're using for nasty old trash!! Rain is on its way to Central Oregon and the high desert ~~ snirt be gone!!!

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    1. Well, you know that I like to be "creative" with words, even inventing one where we need it. So snirt seems to fill the bill — a contemporary writers niche so to speak.

      I'm worried about you. You're so sweet, you might melt in a rainstorm. So please take care.

      And "snirt be gone" definitely gets my vote.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  9. Canadians seem to so careful about garbage that detritus equals leaves. Here in Oakland it makes my blood boil to see all the garbage along the road that stays here for months on end. Its all McDonalds too.

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    1. Yes; we Canadians do try to clean up our acts. There are serious fines in a lot of places for littering. Also, a lot of communities (cities down to villages) have public trash barrels, to encourage people not to deposit detritus on the street. Some of those barrels are quite fancy. That doesn't mean we're all that clean, but we are trying.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

      Delete
  10. First time EVER that I've read or seen the word "snirt."
    Love it!!
    I've heard "snit"...and when I read it, my mind starting turning...(tends to do that!)...and I wondered if perhaps 'snit' could be a combo word... Hmmm. Perhaps not.
    :))
    Hugs to you,
    Jackie

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  11. Snirt does seems to be a big trouble!
    Detritus...sure a polite way to address it all! :)

    Warm regards,
    ~Kriti~

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    1. Well, snirt isn't so much a problem as it is a nuisance. When you experience it every year, you learn to "live around it." It's usually gone in a few weeks. Mostly, "bah; humbug," so to speak.

      "Detritus" is an interesting word. It's an attempt to put the best "face" on a "challenging" situation. (I've learned to engage in circumlocution when I need it.)

      Thanks for visiting. Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  12. It's already warm here. We had to put the window air conditioner in the bedroom. I wish we got snow here but we don't. Hope it warms up soon for you.

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    1. Thanks for your note, Mary.

      The thermometer says the air is at the freezing point, but the wind drags down the temperature to -4C (or 25F); not ideal temperature for rats. It will warm up, eventually. If it doesn't ,we're all in big trouble!

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  13. Snirt huh - I remember it from Chicago -but I have to say no shirt down here in Georgia. But we are having lots and lots of rain! I hope you warm up soon. sandie

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  14. I didn't think you'd have snirt in Georgia. Georgia doesn't strike me as a place that gets a lot of snow. But one never knows.

    I'm a bit overwhelmed with this A-Z writing, and replying to comments. I will be over.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting

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  15. It sure gets cold up there in Canada. Good thing bears have lots of fur!

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    1. You're right, Inger. We wouldn't survive up here if we had thin skins. Or lacked good coats.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  16. Snirt sounds like a teenager with an attitude problem. "Come here you snirt!" Detritus is a word I had read before but never paid much attention to, although I knew its meaning. I sort of read over it. An English word I wasn't going to use ever and now I have even written it down. I will not forget how it is spelled. xox

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    1. Snirt = Teen with attitude problem. That sounds very good, actually. But not my word.

      And isn't it interesting how a word takes on a particular significance because it appears in a certain context. I hope you have fun with "detritus." (No; I'm not talking about playing in garbage.)

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

      Delete
  17. I've lived in London, UK the past decade and am amused every winter when the city falls apart when we have a day or two of 'extreme' weather...something that happens EVERY year! But 'extreme' to us is probably a spring day for you guys!!

    http://www.mydestinationunknown.com
    A to Z Participant

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    1. "Extreme weather" is a blizzard where there's so much snow that you can't see anything, with a high wind and a temperature around -20C. People do die in storms like that. May you never experience such as misadventure, except from the inside of a well-heated building.

      Thanks for dropping by and leaving a note for the Bear. I love getting notes.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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  18. Sorry about the snirt. It's too bad the liquid can't be salvaged and sold to Texas during the summer.

    Sending warm, clean thoughts your way.

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    1. Except that if the liquid were sold to Texas, it would likely be shipped in a pipeline. And right now — how can I say this — pipelines from Canada to Texas are not the most desirable things in the US. Or so it seems.

      Thanks for the cheery wishes!

      Blessings and Bear hugs!

      Delete
  19. We have snowbirds in AZ, some probably from your neck of the woods. Now I know why too:)

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    1. And now you know why the Snowbirds fly south. Sunny and hot, for a lot of people, beats cold and snowy. One simply needs to learn to live with it up here. A good coat, boots, and mitts will set you up pretty well.

      Thanks you so much for coming by, and leaving a nice note.

      Blessings and Bear hugs!
      Bears Noting

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So glad you've dropped by the Bear's den. Please leave a note -- getting notes is such fun, and often informative. I'll get back to you, here or by e-mail, as soon as I can (or, if it's winter, after I wake up). 'Til then, please Bear with me.
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