Why in heaven's name would they DO that?!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm surely not the only one who occasionally notices people doing things that seem to make no sense whatsoever.  But they must make sense to the person doing them -- or they wouldn't do them.  This usually prompts me to think of possible reasons, which is a good brain exercise if nothing else.  And who knows, it may eventually turn me into the world's second-best consulting detective.

So I'm thinking we can share our "why would the do that?" puzzles, so everyone can post their best guesses.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

As we drove past a neighbor's house today, I noticed what I took to be some insulated beverage dispensers in the yard, like this one:
 

Of course those are fairly popular items this time of year in Indiana -- but there were about a dozen of them!  They were sitting near the driveway, divided into two clusters a few feet apart, with about half a dozen in each.

I am not going to post my best guesses for two reasons:  1] I want to give y'all a chance to cogitate first, and 2] I haven't the foggiest.

 

[Hikari]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:19 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

As we drove past a neighbor's house today, I noticed what I took to be some insulated beverage dispensers in the yard, like this one:
 

Of course those are fairly popular items this time of year in Indiana -- but there were about a dozen of them!  They were sitting near the driveway, divided into two clusters a few feet apart, with about half a dozen in each.

I am not going to post my best guesses for two reasons:  1] I want to give y'all a chance to cogitate first, and 2] I haven't the foggiest.

 

They were social distancing?  LOL

[Carol the Dabbler]

OK, maybe we'll have better luck with this one:

The past couple of times we've driven past an old theater (now used for special events), there's been a huge curtain hung from the side of the building.  It's about two stories high, nearly reaching the ground, and is at least as wide as it is tall.  I didn't immediately realize it was a curtain, till I saw that it was rippling in the breeze.  I'm not sure whether it's woven fabric or heavy plastic, but it has an overall print design of some sort.

Any ideas?

 

[J.P.]

Are they renovating the façade? Mesh "curtains" are used to cover the scaffoldings and keep the dust from flying around.

[Caya]

They have these kind of printed covers and/or fences in Disneyworld when they're renovating or building a new attraction, to better fit in with the rest of the environment till it's finished (looking like a typical construction site would kinda hurt the immersion admittedly). Maybe there's a similar reason behind this?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thanks, guys.  Yeah, it's probably something along those lines.

But it's not mesh, so presumably not for stopping dust.  It's hanging right on the exterior of the building itself, so presumably not to block our view of repairs or whatever.  And it's on the side of the building, which I assume used to have another building right up against it, because I don't recall there being any windows or other architectural features that might need renovating.

I'm trying to recall what that wall looked like before.  It must be made of brick, because the whole building is.  I'm thinking there may have been a mural painted on that wall.  It'd certainly be a good place for one, being so highly visible.  So maybe they're covering up the mural for some reason?  Maybe someone defaced the mural so they're hiding it till it can be repaired?

I Googled the theater and selected the News tab, but the most recent items are about the building being named a state landmark and about its precarious status otherwise.  Nothing about any repairs, etc.

I would love to take a peek under that curtain, but there's a lot of traffic on that street, so you can't just pull over and park.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, all of us were wrong!  I finally thought to Google for photos of the theater, which lead me to an article that explains the curtain serves no physical purpose whatsoever.  It symbolizes the community's resolve to see the theater repaired and refurbished, so that it can once more be used. ( I wasn't aware that the fire department had declared it unsafe a while back.)  And it's a curtain because well, you know, the building is a theater and theaters have big curtains.

Here's a sample closeup of the design:

Each of those little shapes is meant to represent a certain segment of the community (but they didn't mention which one symbolizes what).

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 7/26/2020 at 11:19 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

They were sitting near the driveway, divided into two clusters a few feet apart, with about half a dozen in each.

Tsk.. tsk Carol, I'm disappointed in you!

Look around and you should see Sherlock and Jeff Hope hangling about which one to choose.

 

On 8/13/2020 at 1:45 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

Here's a sample closeup of the design:

Each of those little shapes is meant to represent a certain segment of the community (but they didn't mention which one symbolizes what).

I like the design!

[Carol the Dabbler]

15 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Tsk.. tsk Carol, I'm disappointed in you!

Look around and you should see Sherlock and Jeff Hope hangling about which one to choose.

Silly me!  

 

15 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I like the design!

I know where you can get nearly 20 x 30 meters of it in a few years.

 

[Arcadia]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:19 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

As we drove past a neighbor's house today, I noticed what I took to be some insulated beverage dispensers in the yard, like this one:
 

Of course those are fairly popular items this time of year in Indiana -- but there were about a dozen of them!  They were sitting near the driveway, divided into two clusters a few feet apart, with about half a dozen in each.

I am not going to post my best guesses for two reasons:  1] I want to give y'all a chance to cogitate first, and 2] I haven't the foggiest.

 

Family reunion or other big celebration? 

[Carol the Dabbler]

8 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Family reunion or other big celebration? 

Maybe, though their big gatherings never seem to involve nearly enough people to require a dozen dispensers, presumably holding at least 5 gallons apiece.  I would assume that no one person would drink more than a gallon in a day, absolute max, so that'd be enough for at least 60 people, probably more like a couple hundred.  I can't think that I've ever seen more than a dozen cars in their driveway, even counting the four or five vehicles that "live" there.

I suppose they might have volunteered to supply the beverages for a big gathering elsewhere, say at a park.  That might explain why the containers were sitting out in the sun, grouped by the driveway,.  This was July, so such a gathering could have been legal.

 

[Arcadia]

Maybe they got a good deal on them, and bought a bunch with an eye to reselling and making a profit?? Maybe they just like the color?  

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:19 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

As we drove past a neighbor's house today, I noticed what I took to be some insulated beverage dispensers in the yard, like this one:

I happened to get a (brief) closer look at them the other day, and I don't think they're beverage dispensers after all, they're some sort of buckets.  Bright orange buckets (and I think there was pale green involved somehow as well).  But I only noticed about half a dozen this time.

I still have no idea why they're (still) sitting by the neighbors' garage, but I find buckets less puzzling than beverage dispensers.  A bucket has any number of uses.  I have three (bright red) buckets myself.

 

[Arcadia]

20 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I have three (bright red) buckets myself.

Red! Scandalous!  

Re: buckets ... any chance you could just stop and ask the neighbors what they're for? Or would that spoil the fun of speculating?

I thought I had a similar puzzle in the neighborhood I'm living in ... there's giant blue buckets (to me they look like plastic garbage bins) scattered here and there along the roadsides. At first I thought it had something to do with bears attacking garbage cans, but it turns out that's where the road department keeps gravel so the locals can spread it about in the wintertime when it's icy. That's rather thoughtful of them!

[Carol the Dabbler]

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Red! Scandalous!

Oddly enough, that was the only color the buckets came in.  (And they're really good buckets.)

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

any chance you could just stop and ask the neighbors what they're for? Or would that spoil the fun of speculating?

There's that.  Plus I don't know these people well, and wouldn't want to seem nosy.

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

in the neighborhood I'm living in ... there's giant blue buckets .... scattered here and there along the roadsides. .... it turns out that's where the road department keeps gravel so the locals can spread it about in the wintertime when it's icy. That's rather thoughtful of them!

That's a great idea!

 

[Arcadia]

Actually, thinking back on it ... I think I was told the buckets contain sand, which is an even better idea! 

[Carol the Dabbler]

5 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Actually, thinking back on it ... I think I was told the buckets contain sand, which is an even better idea! 

I assumed that was what you meant.    

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

I have better guess, it is used to store hydrofluoric acid, ehm,,, to cover crime and dissolve... stuff.

I watched Breaking Bad.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I've got another one.  Alex and I drove to a nearby park the other day to take a walk, and we noticed a man who had a fire going in the little fire thing by one of the picnic tables.  He was sitting next to his car in a lawn chair, reading a book, with his feet stretched out toward the fire.  I thought maybe he was a traveler who had stopped to cook his lunch.

He drove off just as we got back from our walk, so I had a look at his fire.  It appeared to be the remains of one of those manufactured "fireplace logs" that they sell in stores.  I think they're supposed to burn for a couple of hours, so he must have been there for at least an hour.  The fire enclosure was just a metal "fence" with no grill, so he hadn't been cooking, just warming his feet.  It wasn't a really cold day, but not the sort of weather I'd choose for sitting outdoors either.

Any conjectures?

 

[Artemis]

Honestly, sounds like something I might do.  Maybe he was just tired of looking at his walls.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Artemis said:

Maybe he was just tired of looking at his walls.

Could be.  I remember once when I was visiting my parents, I took a blanket out into their back yard and lay down in the sunshine for a while, even though it was a chilly day.  I got along fine with my parents, I just needed some time alone with fresh air.

I'm also thinking maybe he needed a break from his wife / kids / housemate.

 

[Arcadia]

On 12/1/2020 at 7:49 PM, Artemis said:

Honestly, sounds like something I might do.  Maybe he was just tired of looking at his walls.

 

Same same. I have been seen at local parks on chilly but sunny days just sitting and reading a book. De-stressing, I guess.

[Carol the Dabbler]

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I have been seen at local parks on chilly but sunny days just sitting and reading a book.

As I recall, it was quite cloudy that day.  But point taken.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

He is obviously reading some sort of secret spy intelligence, some sort of enigma level codes, and required to destroy immediately after reading. Since it's a book, it's too much to be digested, he already had his breakfast, so he needs another way to destroy it. Now! It's extremely crucial since he also spot this suspicious couple who seemed interested with what he was doing. Humanity safety is at risk. His hunch was spot on, because they return to check his bin.

In less exciting world, I had seen some kind of burner bin in Asian country, they used to to burn offering for deceased family certain times of the year. 

But since you never provide any picture (tsk!) my guest is the spy thing. Although he is not very good at his job obviously.