Stuff We Found on the Ground in 2009

This site is evidence of all the interesting stuff that I see while venturing around town. But some of the more interesting stuff is located all the way down on the ground where many people ignore. An unhealthy combination of low self esteem and bad posture allow me to focus on what other people may miss. I don't care about the obvious. Cigarette butts are a dime-a-dozen. The best stuff makes one wonder about the story behind it and how it ended up where it did.

As a year-end treat, here is a compilation of all the great stuff that I found on the ground in the Nazareth area. Throughout the year I put these up on our Facebook page as I find them. But I wanted to share them with everyone. I don't intend this to be some deep anti-littering campaign. In fact, most of this stuff I don't even pick up. I usually just snap a photo and keep walking.

Some of our loyal WeirdNazareth.com readers have even taken part in the fun and e-mailed us some of the stuff they found. So keep us in mind as you survey the ground from now on. For 2010 I hope to have a lot of reader submissions included in the Stuff I Found on the Ground 2010 edition. Anything you find on the ground that is weird, odd, interesting, or unusual can be e-mailed to weirdnazareth@hotmail.com

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

"What I Eat:" July 7, 2009.
I found this newspaper clipping on the ground W.Center near S.Green St. (Nazareth). It is taped to an index card. It says "What I Eat: Everyday I eat an apple, yogurt, cottage cheese, wheat germ, egg whites, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, Go Lean, mixed veggies and romaine."

"Crow:" found on W. Center St. (Nazareth) on July 9, 2009

"Baby bottle:" found 7/13/09 on Broad St. (Nazareth) kinda near Rio's but on the other side of the street. It's been there for a few weeks now...

"Set List:" found at the circle (Nazareth) on August 2, 2009. It was written on the back of some sort of housing lease agreement.

"Squirrel:" found on West Center St. (Nazareth) on July 11, 2009

"Squirrel, a different one:" found near the corner of New and East Center Streets (Nazareth) on August 23, 2009

"Penny and Lens Cloth:" found on Whitefield Street (Nazareth) on August 24, 2009. I moved the penny a little closer to the cloth but I wish I had left it alone.

"Yellow shoes:" found on West Center Street (Nazareth) near Memorial Square park on Sept. 2, 2009.

"Hand:" found on E. Chestnut Street (Nazareth) on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009.

"Magnum:" A Reader Submission...This was found by weird Nicole on Sept. 9, 2009 on a ledge at Nazareth Furniture (Main & Belvidere Sts.) Thanks, Nicole!

"Ball:" Found on Sept.18, 2009 on W. Center St. (Nazareth) near corner of S. Green Street. It says "PB Celebrating 100 Years on it. It is a Titleist.

"Tweezers:" Found Sept. 17, 2009 on Mauch Chunck St. near 5-points intersection (Nazareth).
"Flip Book:" A great find. Found near Nazareth Area High School on Sept. 20, 2009. It appears to be some sort of "rocket ship" flying into a "black hole." This lends itself to the first ever 'Stuff I Found on the Ground" Video. (see below)

"Wrapped Pickle:" Found on South Liberty Street (Nazareth) on Sept. 20, 2009. It is wrapped in a napkin and is almost completely dried out.

"Friendship Bracelet:" Found on Victory Lane (Nazareth) on Sept. 20, 2009 near NAHS.

"Tied Sock:" Although technically not ON the ground, this was found Oct. 3, 2009 at Memorial Square Park on W. Center Street.

"Sign:" It was extremely windy and this foam sign blew onto our sidewalk. Apparently, there is an insane asylum somewhere in the area. Found Oct 7, 2009 on S. Church St. (Nazareth)

NEW! Weird Nazareth T-Shirt on Maker Diaries

It’s time for arts and crafts. If you hop over to the Maker Diaries you can find out how to make a Weird Nazareth T-shirt. We will be having some contests in the near future and these shirts will be part of the prizes. So stay tuned. It is pretty easy to make a swell silk-screened shirt with a little more than household objects and junk lying around. In fact, you’ll never have to leave the comfort of Nazareth in order to do this. The tools and materials list has everything that you need. You can buy silk screening supplies at online art supply places. Or you can try "doing it the ghetto way" (as they say south of Prospect Street) with items that you probably already have lying around the house. The big exception would be the photo emulsion kit, which can be obtained from an online art supply place or on eBay. It is not too expensive and it is an absolute must if you want to get a nice detailed design on your shirt.

Note: The instructable will show you how to make a Weirdnazareth.com shirt. If you wanted to make a News Over Coffee shirt or a Cockeyed.com shirt you are wasting your time here.

The basic principle here is that you're going to coat a mesh screen with some photosensitive goo, apply an opaque template, and expose the screen under light. The light will harden the exposed areas and leave the areas under the template soft and water soluble. Once the water-soluble stuff is washed away there will be what amounts to a very detailed stencil that you can use to print on paper, fabric, whatever.

So grab your smock and CLICK HERE to get started.

Special Feature! LAWN ORNAMENT SAFARI

Lawn ornaments are a great way to personalize your space. They say a lot about you. Some lawn ornaments are very literal in their message; they may say “welcome” or “I love gardening.” They can also be more subtle; a wooden boy-peeing-on-a-tree says the home owner is fun-loving or has bladder issues. A gazing ball says that the owner is likely introspective, spiritual, or is s sucker for those Lillian Vernon catalogs. To the left you can see one of my own lawn ornaments: a ceramic garden gnome with hairy legs. I don't really know what this says about me.

As a special Summer feature on Weird Nazareth we have created a virtual safari of local lawn ornaments*. We surveyed the entire borough’s front yards** to find the best selection of yard chotchkeys in town. Although there are some pretty impressive pockets here and there, the most concentrated and awe-inspiring gallery of front lawn ornaments occurs in the area blocked off by Forrest Dr., W. North St., High St., and North Green St. Those living in this area really know how to decorate a front yard.
So settle in, crank up the volume, and enjoy the video below.

*Bird baths don't count. Neither do flags or decorative stepping stones...
**Some people put their lawn ornaments on their front porch.

Thanks to: Nancy W., for letting me borrow photos without knowing what I would be using them for.