As you may know, I’m one of those people who, on occasion, pays attention to things that are written where they’re not supposed to be. Graffiti can give a far more honest appraisal of what a place is like than all the travel posters in the world.

Of course, for this amoeba’s no money, the best graffiti is none at all. Shows that the people of the place have some remaining vestiges of respect for other people, and for property. On that score, the Friday Harbor Labs rates very highly. Mostly wooden buildings, many of which date back to the 1920s, and there’s hardly a scrawl, a scrape, or a spray anyplace.

But in one stall, there’s a shelf which, some years ago, folk began using as a stash for toilet paper. A lot of toilet paper. Which had moved someone to write, in block letters on the rim of the shelf, REMEMBER CONSERVATION?

Those words had been there for years, unmolested. But this year is different. Someone had added to the original slogan, in words that spilled from the rim of the shelf to the adjacent wall, OF MASS.

Someone else had made an effort, only partially successful, to erase the graffiti. The tops and bottoms of the letters still remained, though their middles had all been wiped away. All, that is, except for the last two letters, which were overwritten - replacing the final O and N with S and M.

REMEMBER CONSERVATISM?

And dear Quilly’s been so happy that the Friday Harbor Laboratories are green. Well, they used to be …

- O Ceallaigh
Copyright © 2007 Felloffatruck Publications. All wrongs deplored.
All opinions are mine as a private citizen.

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