Myth of the Cul De Sac

I live on a cul de sac.

If I'm not mistaken this is french for "bottom of the sack." The cul de sac probably developed because people did not want a great deal of traffic on their street, strangers driving by seeing what they were doing and looking in their windows. Cul de sacs by their very nature say, "stay back I want my privacy." You would not try to have a yard sale on a cul de sac unless it was part of a neighborhood sale with signs everywhere pointing to the accessibility of your house. You don't "just happen" to "see things" at a house in a cul de sac. (It probably seems strange that a person who believes community and hospitality to be important would live on a dead end but it is where we found a house, get off my back!) Needless to say living on a cul de sac made what happened today seem strange to me.

This morning Erin took the recycling out to the curb. The constant snow and ice we have been experiencing has caused the recycling to pile up beyond measure. In order to get everything to the road Erin used the boys' wagon. She left it there with the recycling inside. Elijah protested this morning in fear that his wagon was going to the trash man but Erin assured him that the recycling people would not take the wagon, a seemingly logical assumption.

Recycling didn't run today. It must be the off week but who could keep track with the rash of recent weather cancellations. I was walking past the front window of our house when Harley (our dog) barked a little. I looked out and there was a man in a truck starting to pick up the wagon to take it away. I stuck my head out the door and informed him that the wagon wasn't for the taking. He apologized saying he thought it was out for the trash and drove away.

I still can't deduce how he happened to see the wagon out by the road or why he thought he might take our "trash." I now never to leave anything too close to the road as it might be mistaken as trash and free for the taking. My eyes have also been opened to the myth of cul de sac privacy.