Sock in the Road

Late in the fall 4 years ago, I was walking around our subdivision and noticed a black tube sock laying in the road. I thought to pick it up and throw it away to keep the place tidy but realized the person who lost it may see it and retrieve it. So I left it lay. I did not photograph it - it was just an sock in the road. But it looked about like these.

Right after that we got our first substantial snow fall. Where I live, the snow plows come last, or so it seems, well after folks shovel out and head for work. So by the time the plow rolls through, the snow is already packed down and turned to ice (which remains until spring unless we get an unseasonable thaw) and the plow leaves the bottom layer of ice right where it is - on the road.

So all during the winter, that black sock remained under the ice and snow. Next time the road was visible, there was that sock, laying in the same semi-wadded position I had last seen it. Except now it was surrounded with sand (deposited by the plow trucks), small stones and dirt, along with some vegetation. I left it lay and my curiosity was pricked, wondering what would become of that black tube sock.

It has laid there now for 4 years in the hot summer sun and in the winter under ice. For about a year now it has looked like this:

On my walks, I whiz by and look over at it to see how it has changed. Well, the other day I decided to poke it and do you know what - it is just like a puddle of road tar. On a sunny day it gets soft like the tar on a road does and on a cloudy day, it hardens up. I haven't taken a shovel to it, but I'm guessing that the polyester fiber of which the sock was made has melted and become black goop! It is quite curious.

Another reason why I love wool (and cotton).

Yuck!