It never ceases to amaze me how the things I set out at the curb disappear. I'm not talking about being taken with the garbage. I'm talking about the things I've found totally unusable and others obviously seeing potential in them. I can't tell you how many times I've offered items on Craig's List only to have them either ignored or reserved and then left unclaimed. I've found that my curb is a much better venue for getting rid of junk in a hurry.
A few months ago my in-laws gave away a couple of reclining swivel chairs. They asked if we wanted them for our family room. I enthusiastically exclaimed, "YES!" because the two we were replacing with theirs were coming so (ahem!) "unglued" that one of our rockers had to be propped up against the wall lest the person sitting in it flip over backward. It made for some real fun moments when we had company.
After receiving our new-to-us chairs we set our castoffs at the curb with every intention of watching them ride off into the sunrise in a garbage truck. Were we ever surprised when said chairs disappeared a few days too early! I'm guessing the people who took them home were very shocked the first time they sat in the trick one! I'm glad they didn't sue us for any injuries sustained! :D
The next time I wanted to get rid of something I thought about those disappearing chairs and set things out on purpose. Sure enough! One metal futon frame (with mattress!) disappeared before trash day. I was so sure someone would be stopping that I even put the zippered plastic bag full of nuts and bolts with it. But even I have limits on what I think people will take from the trash.
So guess what disappeared now!
Our Christmas tree! The previously living, now dead, needle-dropping fragment we left lying outside to await the garbage truck is gone. I have no clue who took it or why. Can anyone really be so desperate as to need a dead spruce?
The thought occurred to me that perhaps they took it for its mulch value but I don't think this is so. We had perfectly good hardwood branches mounded up at the curb from mid-September until Halloween just waiting for someone to come along with the equipment to chip it. There were no takers.
If you have anything that you need to get rid of in a hurry and don't know what else to do with it I've got the perfect place for you to put it. Evidently, we are a hot spot for obtaining trashy treasures.
Well I know (from experience, of course) that setting the Christmas tree on fire is great fun, especially if it is absolutely dead.
ReplyDeleteAnd I happen to be one of those guests who fell backwards in the chair. :)
So very funny!! We've used our "trash spot" several times to get rid of stuff we just hated to throw in the garbage but didn't want to drag up to Goodwill either. Amazingly it will disappear. One neighbor called one day and said she had claimed something from the trash and thanked us! We got a good chuckle out of that! This week we tried it but the garbage man came earlier than expected--oops someone missed some real treasures! Jane
ReplyDeleteWe live in a high-rise now and don't have the opportunity any more to put stuff out curbside. However, we do have a give-away table in the basement! You should see the brisk business that goes on there! I've been able to drop off lots of stuff and have actually picked up some too! Brand new candles, in my color, or something I know my girls or grands can use. It's just so much fun!
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a TV show with two brothers - Junk Brothers(?) - who shop curbside, turn the junk into something fantastic and return it to the owner who discarded it! Some people are so creative!
Fishermen often tie a concrete block on the stump of old Christmas trees and sink them in their favorite fishing hole. It serves as great attraction for bait fish to hide in and creates structure and thus attracts larger fish. More than you ever cared to know about fishing I'm sure...
ReplyDeleteNephew E