Our Viewpoint

Driving to Paradise to see the latest production from The Paradise Players this weekend, there were definitely signs of spring. The grass is getting greener. Residents are doing their spring burning. The snow is disappearing from the mountains.

With the renewl of spring comes something that stands out even more — the trash. Walking trails and roadways are dotted with the cans, paper and other random garbage that was covered by the winter snow.

Thompson Falls is preparing for its annual Beautification Days in April, and as a community we should work together to do some spring cleaning of our common areas. When you're out for a walk, take a grocery sack with you. I bet it won't take long to fill it up. A reader from Thompson Falls will occasionaly come in and show off his bags of trash he picks up on his walks.

Ideally, everyone would keep track of their own trash and we wouldn't have the need for highway cleanups or community beautification events. Realistically, we all need to pitch in if we want our communities to stay clean. Being good neighbors means sometimes we end up taking care of other peoples' messes.

Happy Spring! — Annie Wooden