This, That & The Other: Flags, Fakeries & Freaky Footwear

February ice melt: Well, hello lake. Didn't expect you back quite so soon but hey, welcome. .

By Ken De Laat

Monday Mourning
This past Monday Brooks Township Supervisor Cory Nelson sent the below photo of the Township flag with a note:
“Toby Keith passed away today and that man did more for veterans than entire organizations have done. What an American treasure! Our flag is at half mast today because pro-American stories need to be told to lift this country up and remind us all that we are on the same team.”
Toby Keith had a 3 decade career in country music cut short by cancer at age 62.He performed at both the Nobel Peace Prize concert the year Barack Obama won the award and at a concert during Donald Trump’s inaugural weekend as well.

Brooks Township flag got a lowering on Monday

The Body (outline) at the Brewery.
When a sidewalk situation led to a taping off of an area in front of the Newaygo Brewery, it inspired the creative juices of an unknown citizen to emulate a typical crime scene often witnessed via our television sets.
Rumor has it that despite its eventual removal there was a reappearance in chalk form that was eerily close to its predecessor and a few added tweaks to the artistry as well. Whether it continues to return to the scene of the...uh…walkway woes, remains to be seen.

Shoe on the Causeway
Those who know me might be aware of a long held fascination regarding the abundance of abandoned footwear that regularly appears alongside the road. Long suffering lifetime spousal companion Lil is acutely aware of this near-obsession to the point of making rules regarding reports of said shoes during road trips. I think it was waking her up during a car cruise across South Dakota to point out a wingtip settled into the right shoulder that prompted the regulations.
But I digress...
Just a week or so ago I saw a solitary sneaker-type footwear on the skinny causeway that runs over the M-37 bridge in Newaygo. Each time I was on my way somewhere and promised myself to snap a photo next time through. This went on for several days of course and the day I recalled its presence and stopped to walk the bridge I discovered it was gone.
And whether it was removed via human being or vanished in the same manner it appeared, there is only one thought that comes to mind…
What does it mean?

“What if there were no hypothetical questions?”- George Carlin
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Not the causeway shoe but further proof of the prolification