Coffee, Stars, and Just a Touch of Magic

I got to chat with a new pantry guest early this morning.

Well, they are not a “new” guest I guess.  I mean, I have seen them before. But this is the first time they were willing to engage with me.

The interaction started like the previous attempt I made had.  I saw them at the pantry, and it was when I had just woken up so I had not been out to fill it yet.  Usually it is almost empty the first thing every morning, so I assumed they didn’t find much in it.

I saw them walk to the corner and stand waiting for the light to change.  “Good morning!” I said loudly from the porch.  “Was there any food in there??”.

They turned to look at me.  But no reply.

“Did you find any food in the pantry?  Do you need something?” I tried again.

They raised their hands and gestured to me.  “Ahhh yes!” I remembered.  “This happened the last time I tried to talk with them…  Maybe they are Deaf…”.

I gestured back.  Hungry?  Food?  Drink?

They gestured something I did not understand – it looked like a number 3, then a “w” drawn in the air.

Hmmm.

I signed, “Deaf??”.

They stared.

And then they spoke. 

But they spoke very quietly.  On a busy street corner.  When I was standing on the porch – not near them.

“What?” I asked, hoping for more volume.

Again, WORDS, but what?

I hurried down the stairs, hoping if I was close and could hear, we might share a common language.

“Are you hungry?  Would you like some food?  Comida?”  I asked, adding in a couple of gestures for good measure.

“What?  Me?  Eat?” was the very quiet reply.

I tried again, and they whispered another answer.

“We have food.  Do you want some?” I tried.

“You have fruit??” I thought I heard.

“Yes, we have fruit!  Banana??   How about a cup of hot coffee?” I offered.

“Coffee??  Are you ok with that??” they timidly replied.

“Yes!  Yes!!  Coffee!  Please wait here.  If you want, sit on these steps.”

“Sit?  Are you ok with that??” they asked politely.

“Yes, yes.  Sit if you like.  Coffee – milk and sugar??”.

“Yes.  Milk.  And sugar.”

I rushed in to make a coffee and gather some food that might work for them.  From their clothing and bags, they appeared to not have housing, so I chose things that could be eaten without heating if necessary, and threw in a can opener in case they needed one.  I also picked up a backpack in case their current bags were too full to hold the food.

When I came back outside they had indeed accepted the offer to sit on the steps.  And they had turned on their phone to listen to music while resting in the sun.

“Coffee!” I said as I presented the steaming hot cup and sat the basket full of food choices down.

“I have everything…  But do not have my passport…” they nervously explained.

Ahhhh, maybe that was the confusion!  They may have thought they needed to register or qualify for help here.

“Oh no!  No passport needed.  No papers.  This is not the government.  Not the state or the county.  This is just us.”

I am not sure that was clear them, but they accepted the coffee and I sat down with them.

We chatted as they very carefully added the sugar and cream to their coffee.  I learned that they have two children.  I learned what country they came here from.  I learned that they are working with a great local agency to get support, but do not quite understand how it all works.

“Do you have employment??” they asked.

“No, sorry.  We do not have any jobs here.  But your case manager will help you with that.”

It was clear that they really want to work.  They were so gentle and sweet.

“I don’t want to go to jail.  When you sit, the people, the people with uniforms, they come to talk.  Mostly the police.  I do not want to go to jail.”

It’s so sad.  Horrible to have to have that constant fear of getting into trouble.

There was some confusion over how things work.  “I have SNAP.  But the card…  The card does not work…”.

I tried to figure out what the problem was, and explained if they walked to the county building just a few blocks from our home, they could get help with their SNAP card.

“No, I go there, but you have to go 5 times.  Always new people.”

And somehow, somewhere, they had learned this:  if you find a penny and pick it up, your SNAP stops working.

“Well, this is not SNAP.  This food is FREE.  No papers.  No SNAP.  Just free,” I explained as I offered them the basked again.

As we chatted, another sweet pantry guest approached.  I made sure to offer our new friend first dibs on everything I had chosen specially for them.  They really only wanted a water, Gatorade, and the coffee.  The second guest then looked thru the loot (I had brought up really special items – a summer sausage, box of Girl Scout cookies, and more).  That person was so happy!  When looking at the cookies, they said, “Ninos!” and I smiled and said, “Si, ninos!”.  Those kids are going to be happy when they come home from school.

I needed to get back inside to start my work day so had to excuse myself.  But not before my new friend told me that I was very nice, and that they really like our “Just Be Kind” sign.

“You see the stars??” they said, pointing at the sky.

“Oh yes!  Every night.  I love to look at the stars.”

“And the moon,” they added.

Ah yes.  The stars and moon.

No matter where we live.  Whatever country.  Whatever house or apartment or street corner we call home.

We can all look up at the stars and the moon.

Before I came back inside the guest taught me a trick.  I will share it here with you.  They tell me it works even better with bigger paper, but sugar packets is what we had on hand.

I love that they shared this magic with me.  Sharing coffee is easy.  Sharing conversation is fun. 

But sharing magic??  Well, that is something very special indeed.

Happy 5th Birthday Little Yellow Free Pantry!

Who could have imagined that 5 years ago, when we cut the ribbon and opened the Little Yellow Free Pantry, it would become the symbol of COMMUNITY that it is today.  I for one would not have predicted how big this labor of love would grow.

In those first weeks the pantry was open, no one came.  No one knew the resource was available.  Cans of peaches and boxes of cereal would stay on the shelves a few days before finding their way to a new home.

We put up signs, oh did we put up signs.  We had signs in several languages asking people if they were hungry, explaining we had free groceries.  We hung signs all along our fence and at the local bus stops.

But still, few people came.  No one knew.

Then slowly, somehow, the word started to get out.  And magically, guests began to come.

And they haven’t stopped since.

I often say that people come to use the pantry 24 hours a day.  That may sound like an exaggeration, but it is not.  People come at 1 am after finishing a late-night shift.  People come at 7 am on their way to work or school.  People come at 3 pm for an afternoon snack.  People come at 6 pm to get food to make dinner for their families.

And the donations – donations for the pantry arrive 24 hours a day, too.  Often when I wake up and check the donation bin on the porch before work, there are new items in it.  Amazon and Costco deliveries come almost every day. 

It is hard to explain what the pantry means.

Of course, it is a resource for food.  That is the obvious.  But it is so much more.

It is a place for friendship.  It is a place for community.  It is a place for gratitude and acceptance.  It is a place for diversity.  It is a place for caring and a place for kindness.

I will be honest - 25-year-old me didn’t picture 60-year-old me sitting on my front porch steps chatting and serving a hot meal to someone experiencing homeless.  Or knowing how a guest who rents a room nearby likes his coffee and running down to make him a hot cup on a cold day.  Or talking with people who live in their cars or at the shelter or in a house that holds multiple generations of family. 

We have met so many amazing people through the pantry.  There’s “lentil man” – big surprise, he loves lentils.  There’s the little baby who has come to the pantry her whole life – first strapped onto her mamma’s back with a colorful cloth, then in a stroller, now walking on her own.  There’s the person who won’t take any money we offer, but happily sat with us on Christmas day just talking for an hour. 

And the donors.  The donors are amazing.  If you follow our stories, you know about E.A. Raven, the patron saint of the LYFP.  But you might not know about Pat Walkup, who donates bag after bag after bag of nutritious, tasty food.  And Whitney Engstrom, who kept sending food even after she moved to Hawaii.  And the kind person who set up an Amazon subscription to shelf stable Almond Milk to be delivered.  And “snack man” – who walks to the pantry on a break from work and fills it with perfectly arranged treats.  There are also the people who get food from the pantry, and also bring what they have to share what they can so that others might eat, too.  There’s Duffy who bakes amazing cookies to share.  The Girl Scout troops who keep us stocked in cookies.  And the many, many others who donate so much to keep the pantry alive.

And the Pantry Crew – the small but mighty group of amazing humans who keep the pantry running when we can’t.  And Danyi – who has spent HOURS breaking down boxes from donations to prepare them for recycling and cheerfully greeting guests and donors.  And the sweet people who seal bag after bag of rice and beans.  And the kind family who pours oil into jar after jar, so that donations of big jugs can help many families cook.

To most people it looks small.  After all, it is just 2 little shelves.  But those shelves feed a community.  Over $87,000 worth of food is donated and given away every year here.

But to me, even more important than the food is the people.

People who come to the LYFP get more than nutrition. 

They get respect.  And variety.  And a listening ear if they want to talk. 

That little box has changed lives.  Lives of donors.  Lives of guests.  And most certainly my life.

Happy birthday LYFP.  Here’s to many more.

Project Warmth 2026 Is In The Books!

Here’s the deal:  at Kindness Activist, we have a LOT going on.

For example, just this afternoon David said to me, “I can’t believe you are organizing THREE EVENTS at the same time…”.  And it is true, I am.  Ugh.  (Shhh, plus another one he has not heard about yet…)

But that’s ok!!  Because there are always things to do, and there is always kindness that can be spread!

One thing we are trying to get better at is FINISHING projects.  Like, actually putting all of the bits and pieces away.  Writing a report on how things went.  Posting a blog to share with YOU, the kind people who follow our work and donate warm clothing.  Really closing projects out before diving into the next one (or two or three…  Or perhaps at the same time as diving into the next one/s…).

Anyway, consider this the closing piece on PROJECT WARMTH, 2026!   I figure, now that temperatures are in the 90s here in South Arlington, Virginia, I should sit down and tell you how the big winter project went.

Our goal for 2026 was to give away at least 200 coats (we counted snow pants/snow bibs as coats, too).  200 was a lofty goal…  So, how did we do…

We blew that lofty goal out of the water!!

Project Warmth 2026 distributed 269 coats!!!! 

And along with coats, we gave away loads of hats, scarves, hand warmers, mittens, gloves, sweaters, shirts, long underwear, boots, some flannel pajama pants, and socks.  Whew – there was a LOT!

We accepted donations January 3 – 10.  We set everything up and handed out the first items on January 12.  Here is a fun fact: the first coat found a new home in just 10 minutes!!  We hit our goal of 200 on March 5, and kept going a couple of weeks after that. 

Things that went really well this year:

-         Storing all of the donations in storage unit at CubeSmart in Shirlington.  We had 3 sturdy clothing racks full of donations on hangers, an overflowing table of MORE donations waiting to be hung, and 2 other tables with scarves, hats, etc. 

-         Setting up a sturdy clothes rack in our basement to bring items over a few at a time as needed.

-         Sorting the racks at the storage unit into women’s, men’s, and kid’s.  That brilliant move didn’t happen until mid-season, but we have learned it is worth the time to do it.

-         Accepting donations for only one week.  We had plenty during that short period, and it was good to not have bags of gear showing up on our porch all season.

-         The new hangers!!  We have always had an issue with people taking the hangers with the coats, meaning we have to keep replacing hangers all season.  But this year, someone on Buy Nothing was giving away metal hangers just like hotels have – the kind that you cannot get off the closet rod no matter how hard you try.  We used those and they were brilliant and solved the hangers disappearing issue.

-         Adding warm winter socks to the wish list for the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  We want new socks to hand out – everyone deserves warm, good condition socks.  Having them on the wish list made it easy for donors to purchase.

-         Being willing to donate most of what was left at the end to charity instead of trying to pack it away for next year.  We only saved a few really good items that never got put out.

Snowstorm during Project Warmth 2025

And things that could’ve gone better and we hope to improve next year:

-         We had a lot of sweaters and shirts, and realized that coats are more needed and get taken quicker.  We may not accept sweaters next year, but stick to coats, hoodies, snow pants/snow bibs, boots, and the other accessories.

-         We need to put sizes on the boots.  It is hard to people to see inside them, especially when it is dark out and cold.

-         We need to ask for more HELP.  One night a neighbor came to CubeSmart and was soooo kind to organize a ton.  It was very helpful.  Next year, we need to ask for help to hang and organize.  People want to help, but they can’t if we don’t ask.

There you have it!  Another successful Project Warmth in the books. 

David jumping for joy at Project Warmth 2025

Special thanks to: 

-         Michael Jones, Sr. at CubeSmart.  You sir, ROCK!

-         Lauren Siperstein – thank you for the loan of the sturdy clothes rack again this year.  I promise we will return it soon (see above – trying to improve actually finishing things…)

-         The many, many kind people who donated items to be given away

-         The neighbor who made the sign for Project Warmth a few years ago – was it Lauren??  I love that sign – it is so effective, functional, and beautiful

-         The neighbor who helped me organize soooo much one evening at CubeSmart

-         The mysterious person who donated the “The Comfy”.  Even though it is kid sized, it is so amazing.  I confess, I kept it.  I washed it up and pulling it out of the dryer…  Oh my goodness…  Anyway, I PROMISE that I put in a couple of my coats and sweaters to make up for taking this donation, but I am now a proud owner of a (kid size) The Comfy.

-         The sweet neighbors who were so thankful to get warm clothing.  We heard loads of “God bless you”s and statements of gratitude

-         And my partner for now and forever, David Gaines, who made trip after trip after trip to CubeSmart with me, repaired the sign for me, put coats out when I couldn’t be here, put up with me obsessively making tic marks for each coat taken, and was/is the most supportive human in the world

And with that – PROJECT WARMTH 2026 IS A WRAP!

P.S. – I just did a bit of research to figure out just how long we have been hosting Project Warmth.  I teared up when I realized – 2026 was our 11th year.  Over a DECADE of giving away winter gear, helping people in need stay warm all winter.  Color me proud.

 

 

 

"Why Are You Doing This?"

“Excuse me, but why are you doing this?”.

Such a simple question really. 

But no simple answer.

We spent about an hour and a half today spreading kindness at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia.  We both had the day off of work, so had time to use to do whatever we liked.  And what we realized we would like is: giving treats to strangers.

If that sounds random, well, it was. 

My partner David had a doctor’s appointment today in the Inova complex.  When it was finished, I asked if he would like to join me in doing something kind.  He’s always up for an adventure, so as expected, he said yes.

We drove to the nearby Lidl grocery store and stocked up on snacks - chips, gummies, chocolates.  Then we headed back to the hospital to find people to surprise.

We started in the radiology department.  My sister got radiation when she had brain cancer, so I know what it is like to sit in the waiting room chairs and hope that your loved one is going to be ok.  Our neighbor is currently undergoing treatment at Inova, and we drove him to a couple of appointments there, so we knew exactly where to head.

The kindness was simple – walk up to people and ask if they would like a snack. 

It turns out, that little act of kindness went a very, very long way.  People were delighted to be given a snack.  The vast majority said yes and eagerly made their choice.

But really, I think it was really about more than the food.

It was about someone acknowledging them.  Being willing to say hello.  Smiling.  Being present.

We gave treats to patients.  To family members.  To care givers.  We even gave a treat to someone who recognized us from a local Facebook group (how random).

If you have never had treatment for cancer or had a loved one who has, you may not know about “the bell”.  When a patient finishes their final treatment, they get to ring a big bell to announce that they are done.  Well, we were fortunate enough today to get to witness a woman ring the bell. 

She was wearing a hat – I am guessing she did not have hair.  She was a tiny woman, but her spirit was big.  She rang that bell and we hooted and cheered from all the way across the room.  And as we cheered, others in the waiting room felt they were granted permission to join in, too.  The patient hugged the person who was with her, likely her daughter or maybe sister.  They cried.  The nurses cried.  I cried.  Another woman in the waiting room cried.

Of course I offered the bell ringer some treats and congratulated her.

As I was walking back to my seat, that’s when someone said, “Excuse me, why are you doing this?”. 

They weren’t judging us or anything, they were just genuinely curious why two random strangers were hanging out in a lobby waiting for new patients to check in for their appointments.

I didn’t have a good answer ready.  So, I just said something like, “Oh, my husband had a doctor’s appointment in the building today, so we decided to pass out snacks while we were here.  We’ve been the people sitting in the chairs waiting, so we understand it is not easy.”

And that was a correct answer.

Sure, I could have also explained about Kindness Activist.  About how we find ourselves in situations like this very often.  How, because of amazing donors to our non-profit, we have money to do random acts of kindness like this and spread joy.

But none of that explanation was necessary really.

I guess the real answer to “Why are you doing this?” is:

Because we can.  Because we love to.  Because spreading kindness has become part of our lives, part of our DNA.  Because the world could use more kindness.

It doesn’t take a lot to be kind.

Just an open heart.

An open mind.

A bit of time.

A touch of courage.

A lot of compassion.

Perhaps some creativity.

And for sure some awareness.

Being kind makes the world a better place.

And sometimes, if you are lucky, being kind puts you in the exact right location at the exact right time, and you can cheer when somebody rings the bell.

Just be kind.

 

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $26.34

Hearts warmed:  around 50 (52 if you count our hearts)

P.S. - if you would like to donate to Kindness Activist, a 501C3, you can do so via Venmo (@KindnessActivist) or PayPal (@KindnessActivist).  Your donation is tax deductible and will be used to spread kindness in the world.

The Myth of the Can Opener

Ugh.

I hate it when we are out of can openers for the Little Yellow Free Pantry.

And no, I don’t hate it for the reason you might think. 

I am guessing you might think that I hate when we run out of can openers because we give away so many, and if we have none, pantry guests will not be able to open the canned food they receive here, so they will be hungry.

 

But that is not why I dislike announcing we need more.

 

I don’t like to ask for can openers because I fear my ask will perpetuate the myth that all people coming to our free pantry are experiencing homelessness.

 

And that in the bigger picture, that all people experiencing food insecurity are without housing. 

 

But from what we see daily, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

Because the people we meet when they stop at the LYFP are as diverse as it gets.

 

They are white.  They are black.  They are Latino.  They are Asian.  And they are everything in between.

 

They speak French and Spanish and Arabic and English and Chinese and so many more beautiful languages.

 

They arrive on foot and by car and by rental e-bike and tied to their mamma’s backs with colorful cloth and on scooters and in trucks and in strollers and in cargo vans.

 

They come on the way to work and at dinner time and on the way home from school and in the pitch black of night.

 

They live in apartments and houses and group homes and shelters and cars. 

 

And yes, some live on the streets. 

 

Some ARE experiencing homelessness. 

 

But honestly, the majority just need FOOD.

 

They have jobs.  They are hard working.

 

But they also have bills.  And rent.  And insurance.  And need to buy gas to fill the tank to drive the kids to school.

 

And a paycheck only goes so far.

 

So, maybe they swing by the LYFP to see what is available. 

 

Maybe they pick up some rice or a cake mix or applesauce or pasta.

 

But most of them, the majority, have a can opener at home.

 

They are hungry.  And they are grateful.

 

Grateful to be treated with respect. 

To have choices (some that they never see in more traditional pantries). 

And to have a resource that is open to all, no questions asked, no paperwork to sign, no red tape.

 

They are thankful.

 

And we are thankful.  Without kind donors around the country, our pantry could not continue.  Which is why I write today to say…

 

We need a dozen can openers.  Please.

 

Other things we are low on and need to restock are:

 

·       Jars of peanut butter of any kind

·       Cans of mixed vegetables

·       Cans of potatoes

·       Cans of beans of any kind

·       Cans of peas

·       Cans of carrots

·       Single serving cups of instant mashed potatoes

·       Cans of mushrooms

·       Dried beans of any kind

·       Pancake syrup

·       Pop-Tarts

·       Capri Sun or other brand of individual juice pouches

·       Individual servings of coconut water

 

You can find our Amazon wish list at the link below.  Everything ordered from the list ships directly to our home and is shelved inside.  We refill the pantry multiple times daily and pull from the storage shelves.  This system ensures there is variety in the pantry so people have choices.

 Little Yellow Free Pantry Amazon Wish List

Our neighbors thank you.  YOUR neighbors thank you.

 

And we thank you.

Being Kind to Mother Earth

We don’t have quite enough going on over here at Kindness Activist (insert sarcastic tone here…) – so we STARTED ANOTHER PROJECT!

We adopted some streets in our county!!

I have always liked seeing the “This stretch of interstate adopted by…” signs and wondered how the programs worked.  I recently decided to stop wondering and start doing!

First, I put out a call for CREW MEMBERS.  I was hoping to get a dozen – we got 17!  And that is perfect, because there will always be times when some people have conflicts and can’t attend.

Then, we filled out all of the paperwork.  Doing that opened up the online map so that we could see which streets had not yet been adopted and…  drum roll…  basically the “adopt a street” program in Arlington County is so underutilized and probably unknown that not a single street around us was adopted.  That is sad in that it means no one is “taking care of them”, but it was good in that we could choose whatever street we wanted!

I had a couple of criteria in mind.  I wanted a street:

-         Near our house so that we could use our home as a meeting place for all volunteers

-         In a busy area so that it would likely need some cleaning

-         Close enough to walk to

It was easy to find a street meeting those requirements.  In fact, it was so easy that instead of adopting ONE street, we adopted THREE!  We chose streets around Sequoia Plaza, a busy office complex down the street.  Here is the map – the blue/purple streets are ours:

The street we adopted

 When you adopt a street/s, you agree to clean them at least once a quarter.  You also agree to wear safety vests.  Today was our first cleaning, and so we donned our vests!!

12 kind volunteers set out to see what this “Adopt a Street” was all about.  We had buckets on loan from the county and plenty of “grabbers” and gloves.

The inaugural Kindness Activist Street Cleaning Crew!

We weren’t sure what to expect.  When you are in a car driving through that area, the streets look pretty clean.  (Shhh, one volunteer messaged me threatening to go drop some litter around there so that we would have something to pick up, because we were afraid it would be a bust!  Don’t worry, she didn’t do it 😊 .)

 

Finding bottles behind bushes

Wait, did you find a plastic bag?

But we quickly learned that even though it may look trash free when looking out your car window, when you are on foot and actually LOOKING for litter, there is a loooot to be found.

 

Clean-up in action!

We found bottles. We found cans.  We found strips of rubber and chewed gum and wrappers.  We found a box.  We found yard signs.  We found a hub cap.  We found broken glass. But what we found the MOST of by far was CIGARETTE BUTTS.

 

This was just ONE area with lots and lots of cigarette butts,
and this is AFTER we had picked some of them up already!

They are disgusting, and they were everywhere!!  You could definitely tell where the workers from the Sequoia Buildings come out on their smoke breaks ☹ .  So that is one thing I will be including in our report: there need to be cigarette butt receptacles at every entry to the offices and at the bus stop.

 

These two worked really hard

The dozen of us worked for about 90 minutes and we got a lot done!!  And do you know what?  It felt good.  I mean, not only was it a lovely sunny day to be outdoors, but bending down and picking up trash felt like a very tangible way to give back to the community.  We were literally making the space cleaner and prettier!  I was very proud of us!!

This little buddy worked all day yesterday perfecting his grabber tool technique!

 

We found a couple of special things while we were out.  Well, I say “we” found them, but really one little helper did.  She seemed to find all of the weird stuff!  First she found a set of keys in a bush.  Then she found a lottery card (not a winner, drat).  And then she found the best thing of all – a wallet!!!

 

The finder of all of the weird things and her mother

The wallet was very clean and looked new, so it didn’t feel like it had been out there long.  There was no cash in it but the driver’s license, credit cards, and insurance card were still there.  When I got home, I posted in a large community Facebook group to try and find the owner.  We had his name, knew his age, and had his address (I just listed his name and age in the post, and said we had found something important of his). 

 

Before long I got a Facebook message.  A woman had tracked the man whose wallet we had down and gave me his address (which matched what was on the license) and his phone number.  We called him and wow, was he happy!!!  Turns out he moved recently and lives near us so he jumped in his car to come retrieve the wallet.  He asked what he could give as a reward for finding it and I told him no reward was needed, we were just happy to find the owner.

 

He came to get the wallet and is so sweet.  He explained that his wallet was stolen just today right out of his bag at a local 7-11.  The thief must’ve grabbed it, saw that it had no cash, and threw it.  We told him that a little girl had found it, and he was very grateful.  He even gifted her some sweet pajamas from the Washington Wizard’s basketball team.

 

Jon, reunited with his wallet

And here is a cool part, too.  He wants to join the street cleaning crew!!  We are technically full, but hey, I think we should make an exception and add him to the list, don’t you?  We gave him our social media links and the website info and he texted to say, “I appreciate the mission your group has and it is a blessing for me.”  Hey Jon, we are adding you to our list of volunteers, so get ready!

 

All in all, it was a very fun project.  In fact, David found it so fun that after we had come home, had a snack, and sorted out the recycling from what we picked up, he went BACK and cleaned up some more on a street we hadn’t even adopted.  He had noticed some garbage in a retention pond area and wanted to tidy it up.  He even picked up a CAR BUMPER (add that to the list of odd items we found…).

 

First round of cleaning – done!  We will be back in a couple of months for round two.  Until then – PLEASE DON’T LITTER!!  Be kind to Mother Earth!

 

 

David in action

So much to pick up

Just SOME of the garbage we cleaned up

John was quite happy to pick up the loaned 
buckets from the county