Plastic Bag Update
Fun, Windy, work September 5th, 2008It’s been almost two months since my last plastic bag update. For those new to this blog, I’ve been monitoring the status of a plastic bag that got stuck in a tree outside my building at work. It’s been hanging on for 167 days.
Incidentally, a few people have asked me if it has a name. I’m partial to Windy, which was the name suggested by longtime reader, Alan Bamboo.
The bag hasn’t moved from its original spot, but take a closer look now. Notice the split down the right hand side through the "T" in Wal-mart?
We’re expecting hard rains this weekend, so maybe it’ll cause the split to continue and at least pull down the right handle from one of the two branches it’s stuck on.
Thank you, Rich T., for helping me move a gigantic piece of furniture away from the window to the roof so I could get outside for up-close pictures.
To the woman who saw me walking back into the building from the roof, don’t worry, I wasn’t going to jump. Although I might have if my work week had gotten any worse than it had. TGIF and all that.
Have a good weekend, everybody!
Stumble it!
September 5th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Regan -
It’s STILL in there? Maybe it’ll come down this weekend. Oh, and no one took that bag of birthday balloons so you can have them.
Brooke -
first again
wow ive been here reading this blog that long
September 5th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I’m surprised it lasted so long! I bet it will be a while yet before it comes down – if ever!
Babs – beetle’s last blog post..On a lighter note…..
September 5th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
So…is anyone still in the running for the contest? Hurricane Hanna may finally be what releases Windy from her branchy grip.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
This is pretty funny. I’m going to have to check back in. Looks like it’s on there pretty securely.
frogmama’s last blog post..Junior’s first security blanket should totally be a hand towel
September 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I’m sure one of the hurricanes will move it along. It is time for others to enjoy the journey.
Joe’s last blog post..Much ado about a ‘do
September 5th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
ugh, I lost my comments and they were so witty. Here goes again.
Thank god (I guess Kathy) for the update! I’ve been wondering what the status was!
It will be the “Fall” soon, so it stands to reason that the bag will fall to the ground soon, yes/no?
I know it’s driving you crazy. I have visions of you out there with a chainsaw … bringing down the tree just to free the bag. LOL!
DrowseyMonkey’s last blog post..Mom
September 5th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Oh yeah, I’m stealing your cool # of comments widget…over 7000, that’s a lot!
DrowseyMonkey’s last blog post..Mom
September 5th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
“Everyone knows it’s WINDY!”
“Cuz Windy has stormy eyes, that flash at the sound of lies!”
I think tha’s a great name! Instead of “Hang on Sloopy!”, I’ll be singing “Hang on Windy!” tomorrow!
“hang on windy, Windy hang on!”
Don’t drink Rolling Rock and Blog. It’s not pretty, especially after you just took your wife to dinner for your 12th wedding anniversary.
Chris (Casey)’s last blog post..Ethel Mae Casey, Super Consumer!
September 5th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
It appears to hanging on for dear life. The plastic will probably degrade before it falls.
Curtis’s last blog post..Microsoft Ad that has all talking
September 5th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
You know, this whole topic of watching this bag would have made a good Seinfeld episode. You may be on to something here.
Kris’s last blog post..My Silly Husband. Once Again
September 5th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Maybe this is a little off topic, but what kind of tree is it? And how does the tree feel about all of this? Is it embarrassed to me made such a spectacle of online? Are it’s friends laughing, or just trying to ignore the bag like we would a piece of broccoli on someone’s teeth?
Tim’s last blog post..Workplace Violence Just Doesn’t Work For Me
September 5th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I’m thinking we should all reset our guess dates. Unless someone is still in the running. Is there? I think this tenacious old bag surprised us all!
Careful on the roof, Kathy. You worry me. I can just imagine you looking into the camera viewfinder and walking right off the roof. Promise me next time you’ll wear a harness and a safety rope. And be sure you take a picture of that!
Ferd’s last blog post..My little voki dude
September 5th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I’d wager that the other trees can only look on enviously, all wishing they had such a fascinating accessory.
Lord Likely’s last blog post..Everybody Likes Likely
September 5th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I don’t even remember if I am still in the race??
windyridge’s last blog post..The Amazing Glass Spinning Wheel
September 5th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I’m starting to grow attached to that old bag. It’s going to be kind of sad when it finally leaves home. I wonder where it will go… maybe Pittsbag?
Jeff’s last blog post..In Your Face!
September 5th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Have you heard of the world’s record for the oldest continuously burning light bulb? Guess how long?
107 years. http://blog.feefifoto.com/2008/07/age-107-years-and-counting-as-of-2008—installed-first-installed-at-the-fire-department-hose-cart-house-on-l.html
Wouldn’t it be great if your bag endured similarly?
September 5th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Amazing! I have stuff that stays in corners of my place for a long time, but that’s because I’m lazy. The Wal-Mart bag is something else!!!
September 5th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
No one can ever tell you that you don’t have patience and staying power.
Lauren’s last blog post..For the Brain, Remembering Is Like Reliving
September 6th, 2008 at 12:13 am
167 days.. wow. And WOW at the fact that you have kept track of it this long.
Monique’s last blog post..Paging Dr. Monique
September 6th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Having had my own Gardening / Landscaping business and rather smart about the pruning of trees and such, this tree is quite ready for a haircut.
The problem with a tree this size is that with it being as full as it is, it will act as a sail with the wind. A smart pruning job would reduce the limbs by a third or maybe a half and let the wind flow through the tree.
Or it can remain untouched, and you get enough wind at high enough velocity, stuff starts breaking, especially if they are not watering the poor tree properly, encouraging deep and solid root growth.
That and nice shots. Glad for the update on the bag as well.
Beamer
Beamer’s last blog post..!930 Hot Rod
September 6th, 2008 at 12:29 am
At my house, we use Wal Mart bags to do poop patrol.
We also use them after our little man (now 17 months old) has a “stink stink.”
And yes, you wanted to know that!
September 6th, 2008 at 5:44 am
HER name is Windy…
….now if we can only get Kathy to stop calling her IT ???
Alan’s last blog post..Make your PC more Green ?
September 6th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Hi Kathy,
Your plastic bag reminds me of when we went down to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina to do relief work. There was a WalMart that had been hit. It was totally empty with no doors or windows left and all of the contents of the store were gone, scattered for miles. There were thousands of WalMart plastic bags hanging everywhere! I hope they aren’t still hanging there but it wouldn’t surprise me.
September 6th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Regan and Brooke — I do believe this is the first ever duel comment! Regan: I’ll take the balloons if your Mom hasn’t thrown them away yet. Brooke: And you’re probably the only one who’s read every single one of my posts!
Babs beetle — It’s possible it’ll be there for years. I don’t think it’ll come down whole. I think it’ll be in pieces. We shall see.
ann of the shampoo bag — I have to go back and look if anyone is still in the running. The driving rains are supposed to start this afternoon with 40MPH winds. Let’s see if it helps our Windy out of the tree.
frogmama — It’s funny, yet sad. I look at it nearly every day and I feel sorry for it, so stuck and all.
Joe — I don’t know, Joe. There have been storms and it just keeps hanging on. I’m thinking winter might do the most damage. I’ll report back in the fall and then in the winter.
DrowseyMonkey — Oh, you can never not be witty! The only good thing about fall is I’ll get better pictures when the leaves come down. I expect winter storms to really do a number on it. Maybe it’ll be down by the new year. Oh, and I found the comment counter on Lee’s blog. Thanks for the idea, Lee!
Chris (Casey) — I like it! Now I’ll be singing it every time I look at the bag. It’s catchy! And a Happy Anniversary to you and your wife!
Curtis — You’re right. Since it developed a split, it’s only a matter of time before parts of it start coming down, or at least moving to other parts of the tree.
Kris — I could see that, actually. The story is oddly captivating, isn’t it? Weird, but captivating.
Tim — I think the tree feels guilty for being in the way when the bag blew through the air. If you want to know how the bag got there, read about it here. If the tree were just a little shorter, we wouldn’t being going through all this stress.
Ferd — Of those who named an actual date (some said “never”), there are exactly 10 people still in the running. Please don’t worry about me on the roof. There’s a nice 3 foot tall wall between me and certain death. And I don’t walk within five feet of it. So I’m good.
Lord Likely — It does make a nice accessory, doesn’t it? That tree is fierce!
windyridge — You are still in the running. You guessed December 10th.
Jeff — You know, I’m attached, too. If a piece rips off and drops, there’ll still be plenty left to be sad about. Pittsbag. Oh, that’s good. Always thinkin’, Jeff.
feefifoto — That light bulb is amazing! Thanks for sharing it. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll have some kind of celebration each year to mark the date the bag got stuck. I’ll even have cake. You know I’ll do it!
Sherry Martschink — It is amazing. I stopped feeling so weird about having blogged about it when people started emailing me and asking if it was still there.
Lauren — That’s me alright!
Monique — I’m dug in. I’m in for the long haul. What I want to do some day, if possible, is to have a Bag Cam so people can click on a link to see how it’s doing in real time.
Beamer — Oh, wow. I had no idea you could see so much in this tree. Thanks for the education. I don’t know who takes care of trees on our campus. All I know is people get very upset when they’re cut down to make room for buildings, and rightly so.
PaulsHealthBlog — Don’t get me started on Wal-mart. Or my sister, Ann of the shampoo bag. Poop on Wal-mart!
Alan — I’m so sorry. I shall, from this point forward, refer to our dear bag as “she” or “her”. I’m sorry. I should know better.
September 6th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Ah, so bit by bit, Windy is coming apart at the seams, the poor dear. I’m sure it never imagined starting it’s life as a simple shopping bag, but getting a second-wind career as a wind-sock and blog media sensation.
Jenn Thorson’s last blog post..Remedial Gym and the Fourth Grade Kickball Miracle
September 6th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Nope, she hasn’t thrown them away yet. And that would be me and Brooke and maybe my mom who read all your posts. =)
September 6th, 2008 at 8:30 am
when i saw your commentluv link, i got all excited thinking the bag was out of the tree, had to come over and read.
kathy, that bag is like a speck of white paper on a dark brown carpet, only thing is in my mind, objects appear bigger than they actually are. it would drive me crazy!!!!
how do you not climb the tree and get the bag out. i would toss a cat up there and call the fire department.
we were going through PA a few weeks back, to bradford actually, and as we were driving through other areas, i remembered you worked/lived in PA and I was looking for ANY plastic bag in a tree, lol. good thing i didn’t see it because i would have been like: stop the car, stop the da** car!!!!!!
we’re expecting rain here too, i’m going to pray that bag either gives up or the tree falls over. yeah that’s it, call a tree cutter and ask them to just remove that branch. O–>–< (me passed out)
okay i’m going to leave now or i will need therapy over this plastic bag. cheers!
Natural’s last blog post..Butt-to-Gutt Ratio Gone Wild
September 6th, 2008 at 8:30 am
OH MY GOSH!!!! That is so crazy!!!! Who would have guessed it would’ve taken a tropical storm to jostle that stubborn bag!!! Thanks Hannah!
KFJ’s last blog post..Positive Post Tuesday
September 6th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Maybe in a past life, the tree was a walmart shopper who dropped dead at the counter while mistreating an associate because the associate would allow a return or refund? Now, because of Karma, the tree must spend eternity with a Walmart bag caught in its branches as punishment? It would make a great Twilight Zone episode!
Chris (Casey)’s last blog post..Ethel Mae Casey, Super Consumer!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I meant to say “Would Not Allow” a refund. I sprained my index finger, and it still hurts a bit to type. I also have an inordinate fear that I will be reincarnated as a fire hydrant, and think subconsciously that may be why I am so good to all dogs.
Chris (Casey)’s last blog post..Ethel Mae Casey, Super Consumer!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I can’t believe he (?) is still there…
September 6th, 2008 at 10:21 am
That gotta be some bag..
September 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am
How do we know the bag is a “she”? Has anyone actually looked inside?
JD at I Do Things’s last blog post..I Research Kittens so you don’t have to
September 6th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Im awesome i have read every single post
September 6th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I can’t believe it has been there so long. That would drive me crazy to look at!
Ginny’s last blog post..Weight Loss struggles
September 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I love this whole stubborn bag deal.
Shamelessly Sassy’s last blog post..Bloggy Swap:Things I Like
September 6th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Ferd: I’m still in the running, so no resetting!! And the rainy, windy weather this weekend will have no effect. So I have said, so shall it be written!!
September 6th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Data Entry — That’s my worst nightmare. I’m picturing a scene in a horror movie with nothing but Walmart bags tumbling around. Everything is destroyed, but the bags live on. Fade to black.
Jenn Thorson — Ah, yes. She needs a second wind. A very strong second wind. She is a media sensation, isn’t she? (Alan, see, I’m calling it a she now!)
Regan — Oh, good. I’ll have to pick ‘em up this week. I’ll feel like I’m still having a birthday. It’s been extended, since I got a nice birthday gift in the mail today. Hmmm, maybe I should get another cake.
Natural — Oh, no! Sorry you got excited. It’s hard. I see it all the time and I do want it out. Some days it looks beat up, and other days it seems to bounce back. I love that people still think of our Windy in the tree. Don’t worry. If you need therapy over this bag, so do I!
KFJ — It’s rainy and windy right now. I can picture her flapping around in the tree. I’ll have to check her out on Monday and see if she split more. It seems like we’ll need a full-blown hurricane to get her out. Not sure we’ll get enough thrust from Hannah.
Chris (Casey) — It does have the feel of a Twilight Zone Episode. It’s just crazy enough. But I’m afraid it’ll have an unsatisfying ending. My worst fear is that the bag gets out, but I can’t find her.
Helen Mills — It’s a she, actually. Alan’s all over me about that. Her name is Windy.
Turnips — Yeah, who knew?
JD at I Do Things — Her parents, Wally and Martha, confirmed for me she’s a girl. Get it? Wally and Martha? Oh, nevermind.
brooke — You are awesome indeed! And I’m glad to have you as a loyal reader.
Ginny — I used to see it 10x a day in my old office, but now that we moved to another floor, I don’t see it as often. But still at least once a day. And, yeah, it drives me insane.
Shamelessly Sassy — You and lots of others! I never thought it would take off like this. I especially love it when people, out of nowhere, ask me how she’s doing.
Lee — No worries. There are ten people still in the running. Gotta keep the contest legit. I believe you and StephanieC have the latest guesses, so you’re probably in the best shape to win.
September 6th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Thank goodness for the up-date on Windy, (although I perfer to think of him? as “High as a Kite Bag of Wind”.)
I’ve been so worried that he might have gotten caught up with a roving band of bad plastic.
September 6th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
You do know, once Wal-mart comes to town, they don’t leave. After today’s storm, your Wal-Mart may be a first.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
That thing has been up in that tree far too long. It’s time to chop the tree down and get rid of the old bag once and for all.
Happy trails
Swubird’s last blog post..GHOST KITES!
September 7th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Carol — You can think of it as a him, but Alan’s gonna kill me if I call Windy a boy. So far, she’s alone. Maybe I oughtta throw another bag up in the air on a windy day and give her company?
Mrs. C. — I hate that it’s a Wal-mart bag, and I love that it is. It makes quite a statement, doesn’t it?
Swubird — Not until the contest is over. If it’s still there by the latest guess (May 15, 2010), I’ll get out my ax.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Kathy, Please give us an update Monday whether “Windy” survived the attack by Hannah. We are all waiting breathlessly! Thanks!
Chris (Casey)’s last blog post..Ethel Mae Casey, Super Consumer!
September 7th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Wally and Martha! Snort!
Elle’s last blog post..My Week in Pictures
September 7th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Chris (Casey) — No problem. First thing I do when I get in is check the bag. I don’t even get coffee first. Am I dedicated or what?
Elle — I kinda thought it was funny, too
September 7th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Walmart is every where you turn…:))
robert bourne’s last blog post..Somewhat Worse for the Wear
September 7th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I was thinking about this bag just the other day, and wondering how it was doing up there on its lonely branch, and whether it felt like coming down any time soon.
I *think* I said my guess was October. I await the continuing saga with interest!
Jay’s last blog post..Conversations with a husband: No. 11
September 7th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
This post was so interesting to come across. Last year, we had a plastic bag in a tree that we watched also. I thought I was the only one that was so fascinated by it. I was also perturbed with it hanging there day after day, month after month, in it’s unreachable place. It was captive for 8 long months.
Cy’s last blog post..Cut Residential Heating Costs
September 7th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
i love plastic bags
p’tit praince’s last blog post..Pékin, me voilà!
September 8th, 2008 at 11:29 am
QUICK UPDATE: The bag is still there today, Monday, Sept 8. Hurricane Hanna didn’t do a thing to it.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I believe my guess as to it’s removal was Sept. 15. I’m crossing my fingers. Do we win something? Someone probably asked that already huh? And I haven’t read all the replies…sorry.
Lori’s last blog post..Hopefully there’s no porn
September 8th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
robert bourne — But we don’t have to shop there. My sister had a horrible experience there once, and ever since, has vowed not to set foot in one again. I’m trying to do the same, but occasionally I slip up.
Jay — Your guess was November 8, 2008. I love that the bag is on the minds of so many. My dream would be to enable a live “Bag Cam” so readers could go take a look at it in real time. If my office faced it, I’d figure out a way.
Cy — It’s hard to ignore them once you know they’re there, isn’t it? So your bag ultimately made it down? Did it shred to pieces first, or did it come out whole? Inquiring minds want to know.
p’tit praince — We all love them. Until they get stuck.
Lori — You don’t have much time left. You guessed September 15, 2008. Don’t count on winning. I’m assuming no one will win, except perhaps StephanieC, who guessed the latest date: May 15, 2010. But even that’s debatable.
September 8th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
They are hard to ignore especially if you can hear them. I first noticed ours because of the flapping noise it would make on a windy day. Flap, flap. Silence. Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap. It almost drove me crazy. The bag, last time I saw it,(sniff, sniff) was badly tattered. I betcha’ somebody is going to suggest a little therapy. That bag and I did have issues! LOL
Cy’s last blog post..Made In The USA Monday
September 9th, 2008 at 6:13 am
love the bag section, you must spend many hours waiting for something to happen, takes great patience, I would be tempted to go and get a Mcdonalds or something and miss a big development……great patience, great reporting…..Mr B.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Cy — I would have gone out of my ever lovin’ mind if I had to hear it flapping in the wind. Seriously. Two words: chain saw.
Mr. Bastard — I do, actually. I check on it often and it’s always in the same place. We thought perhaps the rainy and windy weekend would have displaced it, but that thing ain’t budging. I’ll report again in a few months.
September 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I’m just glad that I’m not the only one in the world that notices things like this bag! Kathy, after this long, I would have totally wanted to shoot one of those high powered water gun things to try to get it out of the tree!
September 16th, 2008 at 1:25 am
hilarious.
and yet strangely compelling. :O the drama and the suspense… am rooting for the bag. 
kouji’s last blog post..captivating Capiz, a haiku poem
September 16th, 2008 at 6:19 am
kat — Believe me, I want to shoot it out, too. But anyone who’s still in the contest would shoot ME then! I might start thinking of ways to get it down after the contest is over.
kouji — It is strangely compelling, isn’t it? I root for the bag, too. Every day, when I see it in the same place, I wish for a strong wind. But it’s going to take a lot more than that, I think.
September 16th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Today someone asked me “what’s that white thing in that tree”?
Turned out to be the top of a lamp post growing through a tree….for a minute there I thought it might be Windy.
Alan’s last blog post..Resize a Photo FAST
September 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
That’s too funny! Maybe you should send Shadow,Stinky, or Lucky up after it. Then if one of them gets stuck. You can call the fire department, and have them get the cat(s) down along with the bag. Another great story to blog about. It would be a shame to see the bag go though.
Excellent post! I never would have thought about something like that.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Alan — Oh, that’s just great! I love that we’re all thinking about Windy from time to time. I think she would appreciate it. You know, if she had a brain.
Ben — Trust me, we’ve thought about it. I seriously do NOT know what I’m going to do if I find it gone one day. We’ve grown very attached. For the record, I think (and write) about a lot of stuff no one else thinks about. Come back. I won’t disappoint you.
September 20th, 2008 at 9:41 am
You are such a obeservant person who always can find something interesting to share.It is a pity that the tree has no fruitages in it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
replica designer handbags — Yes, too bad. If it had fruit, maybe when they fell down, they’d knock the bag out. Alas, we just have to wait.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Hi Kathy, I came across your blog while I was searching for drawer pull templates! I really needed the chuckle I got from reading your recent entries. I could relate to the verizon store fiasco and laughed pretty good while reading about the plastic bag in the tree.
Have a good day.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
karen — Glad you found your way here, though unexpectedly! Glad you like what you found. Do come back. It’s really fun here, especially in the comments section. Always a party in The Junk Drawer! (Hope you find your pull templates!)
October 9th, 2008 at 10:42 am
LOL. I LOVE this…probably because I can relate to it so well. There is a stain on the carpet at my job, his name is Stan. Stan the Stain. They have someone come in and clean the carpet professionally every few months, and Stan disappears for a few days. He slowly returns…darker and darker everyday. We even dressed him for Halloween last year. I love it when the little things entertain us the most.
Ava’s last blog post..Pad Your Resume with NAPP
October 13th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Ava — I love Stan the Stain! This is so great. And you dressed him for Halloween? Oh, that’s precious. I’d love to see a picture of it. If you think of it, send one (you can find my email address on my About page).
April 8th, 2009 at 5:35 am
It’s been quite sometime since I last visited this blog. Look like you have another great post entry again. lol. When are you going to stop posting good stuffs?
May 15th, 2009 at 4:19 am
I can’t believe how long that plastic bag has been there!
That is certainly no good for that tree, let alone the environment!
June 14th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
someone should retrieve the bag and frame it or something.