Monday, April 27, 2009

The Apple Core

I ate a red apple before playing tennis Friday night to raise my blood sugar and give me enough energy to hit the ball.

"I should have thrown it into the bushes for the animals," I told David as we pulled into the Bainbridge Island Athletic Club parking lot.

"That's what I did earlier with my apple," he told me as we drove past the woods. It was too late for me, I wasn't about to throw an apple core into someone's front yard. It brought back terrible memories of when I threw a banana peel in the woods to compost several years ago. A lady pulled up angrily next to me at a red light.

"That's littering. You're lucky I didn't call the cops right now and get you fined 300 dollars!" She frowned at me, her expression filled with disgust.

"It's a BANANA PEEL!" I told her, and turned the corner. It's not like I was throwing styrofoam, or disposable diapers to rot between the trees.

Fast forward to this morning at the ferry terminal. The apple core is still on the floor of the car, brown and stale.

"Why didn't you throw that away?" David asked me.

"I'm saving it for the animals."

"Okay," he said, like my neurosis makes all the sense in the world. I know that when I get home from work, it will still be there, and I will have the satisfaction of giving some squirrel a rotten treat. Yes, this is another reason why David and I are perfect together. We value the importance of an apple core.

5 comments:

Pam said...

Too funny. I really should be throwing my apple cores outside too.

andrea said...

That's interesting. This country is all about recycling, but when it comes to compost, we see it as littering. And I must say, I'm guilty of that. I've had to re-learn a few things as I grow up and now I see how composting is very good for the environment, but at the same time, it's really hard for me to throw a banana peel or an apple core into the woods, it "looks" like littering . . . maybe if I buried it, or put it under a bush rather than just randomly tossing it. I dunno, I'm weird that way.

Kelly said...

I use to be pro-fruit throwing. I'd throw it out for composting and animals and that makes sense, right? But then I heard someone point out that it can actually be bad for animals because it brings them closer to the road, which increases their likelihood of getting hit. I'd never considered this before and now have stopped doing it.

Your post also reminded me that we have composting at work and that I should take advantage of it instead of disposing of my fruit. Thank you Kristin!!

Paula said...

My boyfriend often throws food items - peels and coffee grounds - into his own backyard landscape, into hidden spots. I think this is funny! Why he does this, I don't exactly know, but maybe the plants and animals like some of it. I didn't even know banana peels were "litter" - except my son left one in the driveway the other day and, and after two days of it growing increasingly brown and him being too "busy" to pick it up, I threw it away.

Anonymous said...

hi there, love reading your diaries Kirsten... I am in the UK. but once lived in Washington State in the mid 1970 era... I remember well Bainbridge island, all the ferries, and lovely Seattle... I lived on Mercer island for a while. and then later at Kirkland... I was very nervous about going up the Space needle. but had a few meals in the restuarant up there.. I absolutely loved Washington state, travelled around a lot as I was there for almost three years.. I will never forget the Mount Ranier national park.or indeed any other area of washington state,,its very very beautiful..