Of Mud and Men

​by Kurt Zuelsdorf
 
What is it about mud & men that go together like peanut butter and jelly? Maybe it's the idea that we "think" we can do whatever we want and getting muddy is the most simplistic (safe) way of expressing that.   Extreme low tide at the Clam Bayou launch site exposed some long-lost litter and the Boy Scouts of America were prepared to answer the call! Fifteen in all we set out to do what most people consider a chore -  cleaning up Florida's water ways. Our senses of "good nature" endured as we fought off the disgust of cleaning up someone else's cans, bottles, bags, hangers, and another sign that read  "We Buy Junk Cars".  But in a primitive state of mud and men we became aware that this good deed is meant for the environment.  Even as six  men in mud up to their shins pried and pulled on an old barnacle-covered tire the "Green Thread" endured. Perhaps the bayou's gallery of spiders, snakes & spoonbills, fish & foul provide enough evidence that this place is worth saving. Also worth noting; Enough golf balls to fill a bucket. A hubcap to hang on a wall and a chimney swift's broom were taken home as keepsakes. And maybe for the first time ever... it's a cool thing to be carrying  a spare tire! Our thanks goes out to Boy Scout Group 202 for overcoming the mud & muck and for doing what's right to our environment. 

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