One man's trash... becomes my Scavenger Hunt

Today was a beautiful day and I was able to hang out with my old friend-- the sun. It felt like spring, not just because of the 54 degree weather and the fact that I could enjoy my daily run in a short sleeve shirt and capri pants, but because there was no sight of any snow whatsoever...anywhere.

A naked ground, which looks mostly like mud piles mixed in here and there with some limp grass, would be ugly on any day other than the first true day of spring. However, with the melting of the cursed white stuff, it is also quite a sight to discover the debris that has accumulated underneath said snow during the near four months of winter.

Today during my run I began to take note of all of the strange things I passed along my way. About halfway through, I had already accumulated a mental collection that resembled a scavenger hunt list.

Here are a few things of note:

• About 12 editions of the RedEye newspaper
• A toothbrush
• One... no... two... wait, make that three green feathers.. no doubt leftover from this weekend's festivities
• A muddy black raincoat--clearly someone is going to be screwed when the April showers get here
• The equivalent of three pairs of winter gloves
• A hubcap

Chicago is generally a very clean city. I can't wait until they collect all of this um.. treasure?... from the sidewalks and the new green grass begins to sprout. The sun and this weather are like crack; once you get a little, you want more and more.

However, growing up in New England, I know better than to expect more of it until Memorial Day. It's days like these that give me hope for a brighter future. Or at least a string of spring-like days in a row.

One can hope.