Vocabulary Lesson: 'zip ties'

Hello, zip ties. Nice to finally remember your name.

Yes, it has been a while since I have been on the beach to pick up any plastic. (And, yes, I am going through terrible withdrawal from the crashing waves and soothing salt air.) But it's funny sometimes how unrelated parts of life have a way of relating to each other.

I was reminded today (by a WIRED article advocating zip ties as bike-tire traction for snowy days) of the name for these things that I had been simply calling "plastic ties." I just knew there was another name for them — it has been on the tip of my tongue, but eluding me all this time. What a relief!

World, meet "zip ties" — often found cluttering Montauk beaches, no doubt having some important function in the fishing world, but also great for riding your bike in the snow.