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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The last pumpkin until Halloween


Some of us probably are pumpkined out.  I should be, but I'm not.


I pulled into the lot one morning this week, and the lead pumpkin was coned off.


Another glance and I could see the pumpkin vine hanging into the empty bin (up there on the right!) had been lifted into back fill bin.

The road super stopped on his way out. "I'm expecting a load of slag. If you're here when they come, will you tell them to be careful of the pumpkin."

I missed the slag delivery.  Perhaps the road super was back when it arrived.  Perhaps the driver is used to doing business with the township.


Nice job, wouldn't you say.  But, what is slag and why is it in the gravel bin. That question amused the road super.

It's not "gravel," it's slag.  They use it to patch the roads. They will be out shortly with the tar kettle and loads of (ahem) slag to make road repairs before winter.


Slag is a by product of smelting ore; this comes from the steel mills in Cleveland.  The road super said tons and tons of it were dumped in the Krejci dump, which the national park just declared cleaned up, with millions and millions of Superfund dollars. 

Now, of course, we pay for it.

15 comments:

  1. I learn something new everyday, unfortunately I forget more than I learn.

    I love how your township respects and cares for pumpkins and sunflowers!

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  2. So much waste. So many of the ones in front kick the problem out of the way so the guys in the back get hit with crap. It boggles the mind. Superfund means the little guy's taxes.

    We have a similar problem with heaps of rocks. This part of the world has deep bedrock made of ancient lava. Any time a big hole is dug for a large building there are truckloads of rocks. The university had all their rocks crushed and sent them off to be made into railroad beds. Some smart thinkers there.

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  3. So glad they missed the pumpkin when they unloaded the slag. Covering it over would have been too hard to bear - especially for your lovely tender hearted Road Super.

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  4. Money, and more money. Hope the pumpkin is safe and sound!

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  5. Actually I buy slag to put in between my Ohio Tumbled Blue Stone patio. If I knew someone that worked at the foundry at the Ford Dearborn plant I could get it for free.

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  6. I come from a coal mining background. Slag to me is the waste rocks from a coal mine... also known as the "gob pile". I rolled down a slag pile when I was about 4 years old and got a deep gash on the top of my head which my Dad bandaged with his red bandana until he could get me home to clean and fix it properly. But... back to the pumpkin... I LOVE it that the whole town folk are concerned for its safety! Hope it's safe from vandals who love to wreak havoc.

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  7. at least it's being used instead of dumped. just think of all the gravel that could have been left in the ground if road crews had used the by product of smelting.

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  8. Oh Please... (sorry I'm off on another tangent)... SHOW us your daisy Georgia O'Keefe sneakers... AND... I LOVE turquoise... haven't even seen yours, but already want a pair. Show us, yes, I want to see! (the heck with Bob... he'll just have to suck it up that we who are 60 (or like me over 70)... wear what we darned well are happy with!

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  9. Where I grew up the town had a lead smelter plant with many giant piles of slag in an empty lot beside it. Before the dangers of lead were known kids from all over town would play all over the slag heaps. Mostly boys. Then one day the heaps were fenced off with twelve foot high chain link topped with barbed wire.

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  10. Here in the UK you see lots of huge slag heaps planted over with grass! It's also a very derogatory term for women of very loose morals!

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    Replies
    1. I came close to using the word slag in the title, but that was before I asked Google. Thought I'd seen it floating around blog land.

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  11. Oh lord, I have so many pumpkins to harvest right now...

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  12. I'm glad you still have your pumpkins AND you're going to get roads repaired. It's a win-win situation.

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  13. It's nice to see people with heart :)

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