I'm declaring victory.

This is what we should have done in Vietnam. I'm calling off the war and declaring victory. The park, or rather the little quadrant I take care of, looks radically different from when I began this project and likened my progress to Sisyphus'. Last year, I worked my way to what are the remotest parts of the woods I care for and found areas that have long been neglected. I cleaned much of what I found with the help of park personnel. This year, I returned with dread to those neglected areas which are plagued with thorns and poison ivy and so, difficult to reach until the understory dies back in the fall. Definitely, I found some other areas to clean and some which needed additional work, but no where near the amount from last year. Also, persistent scrubbing of problem areas is paying off. I notice these areas are staying cleaner longer like when they remove graffiti from a wall and keep it clean, eventually those who would alter it get the idea and cease. President Obama helped too. Not only did he encourage my volunteering, but by banning the sale of those flavored blunts, he stopped the littering of their foil wrappers. Anyhow, I'm declaring victory. I'm inviting all my Big Gray readers to come to Queens. Take the high trail around the kettle pond with me. Hey, if I can do this, so can anybody. Think globally. Act locally!