Down In The Dumps

Sea BreezesSunday morning I was ALMOST down in the dumps. My spirit was actually down in the dumps.....er....dump, that is. We drive by the county dump on the way to church. We don't live in the dumps, but we live near the dump. Now, our dump is a nice, pretty clean dump, right off the highway. Actually, it is the county refuse drop off point. We live in the county and have to haul our own garbage. We dump household trash there, and then the county takes it away to The Dump. I haven't been there, but back to the story. We locals call where we take our garbage, the dump. It even has a sign that says dump. We were driving by the dump to church and lo, there sat a piano and a rocking chair. I couldn't breathe for shock. Fortunately for Harold, he was driving. I would have turned into that dump in a second to check out that piano and that rocking chair. Let me admit to being a thrift store, other people's old stuff junkie. I love to poke. I really don't like garage sales, I like free, or almost free stuff. I am a junk junkie. My husband does not understand this obsession. I will tell you I have furnished my entire front porch from great stuff from the Salvation Army that I hauled home in the back of my little convertible. Needless to say, someone else got to check out or take home that rocking chair and that piano. Harold had to admit, the other day, that he actually did try to go dumpster diving. He was taking the garbage to the dump, when along comes a truck loaded with outdoor kid equipment. Nice equipment, he said. Good stuff to put outside for grand babies to play on...and free. He almost got there in time. A guy ahead of him in a truck got to the stuff before Harold could. The other guy asked the owner of the kids' stuff if he could have it, and he did get it. Harold missed out on a load of good quality, free kid stuff. So are we both down in the dumps? I have one child who has inherited this gene for reusing stuff. Blake, instead of getting in trouble during his high school years, spent a lot of his time at the city dump and the junked car dump gleaning parts for his cars. He enjoys working on his cars and his home and yard with other folks' discards. He has found some amazing things such as brand new French doors for his home and an almost new barbecue grill in his local city refuse place. A lot of people in his area, he says, put great stuff out at the street for the city to pick up, and he drives by to pick up, for free, some great deals. So in this bum economy, you might want to consider "gently worn" or "heavily distressed". You too, might get down in the dumps and have fun to boot! Let me know about some of your finds!