Season-end Summary

So, now that the rains have come and washed all the snow away, now that I can see little green plants and flowers beginning to come up through the mud, I sense that gloves and mittens will be used sparingly now. Lost sparingly now. Until next fall.

Observations:
1. Kids are not as irresponsible as we think.
Case-in-point: 82% of the broken pairs were adult gloves/mittens. Only 18% were kids'. Come on adults, keep it together.

2. Careful when you take your glove off to get something.
Case-in-Point: Most of the broken pairs were near parking lots, parked cars, stores and crosswalks. And most of those were right gloves. Which leads me to believe that people were taking off gloves (and most people are right-handed) to get keys out, go inside, grab their cell phone out of their bag or pull their map out (if you're a tourist). They'd probably take the glove off and stick it under their armpit or in a pocket, where it would not stay, and thus be dropped and left behind.

3. Get more adventurous with your gloves and mittens.
Case-in-Point: Over half of the gloves I found were black. Bor-ing. Seriously people, lets get a little more creative. Especially since they are just gloves. Just an accessory. So spice it up a little folks!

4. People prefer gloves.
Case-in-Point: 78% gloves, 22% mittens. I myself prefer mittens because I think they're warmer. I especially like the glove-mitten hybrid ("glittens") where you can flip back the top to expose your fingers; this is very useful when fumbling for keys or a bus pass. And maybe that's why I have yet to have a broken pair of my own - because I don't have to take them off.

5. People want to reunite owners with their broken pairs.
Case-in-Point: A lot of the broken pairs were moved and put on display. There were mittens on fences, gloves in front of T station info booths, mittens on top of T station turnstiles, gloves on railings and even a mitten on a mailbox. One fence in particular had four broken pairs; another had two.

Back Bay Station

When: Monday March 1, 2010 8:37 am
Where: Back Bay Station, downstairs at the exit.
What: Black leather pair of gloves.

Cranmore Mtn, NH

When: Saturday February 27, 2010 11:29 am
Where: Quad lift line, Cranmore Mountain, North Conway, NH
What: Black North Face ski glove, left-handed.