Mystery on the Walking Path

     While I was on my morning walk not minding the 30 mph winds and near-freezing temps because the sun was out, it started to snow.  It was quite pretty and actually put a smile on my face.  There I was walking in the first snow of the season, temporarily forgetting about all of the leaves that I need to rake.  I don't usually see snow when I'm walking, but I do see this sort of thing:

  

Or this:

Or this:

Today I saw this:

     Very odd, especially since it wasn't on private property.  How did an old boot end up in the middle of a suburban walking path?  Had a dog dragged it there?  Had a hobo made an awkward jump from a train (what train?), and as a result is now wandering around with one boot?  Had someone been looking for the perfect spot to surreptitiously dispose of an unwanted boot and found it?  But then why not the other one too?  Had the woman who lives nearby finally had it with her husband's refusal to get rid of his old boots just tossed one with all of her might, and is she now waiting for a chance to do the same thing with the other?

      These are the metaphysical questions that plague a retiree's soul.