Thursday, July 03, 2008

I prefer the term "recycling"

I have a new patio set. Well, it's new to me. I was out walking the dogs and saw a patio set leaning against the side of a communal garbage bin. I've participated on the giving side of this neighbourhood tradition, but I have never seen anything I have wanted to take. Until that day.

The patio set was well used, but still in good condition. It included an umbrella (cemented into a pot -- how classy is that?) a table and 4 wooden chairs that perfectly match the table I have in the backyard. I looked at it and really considered it, but I kept walking. I didn't want to be one of those people. Garbage picker.

I called my sister and posed my dilemma. Do I take it? Knowing it belongs to someone in my neighbourhood who replaced it with a new set from Superstore (the boxes were in the trash, I'm not psychic). Knowing the someone to whom it once belonged could look into my yard at anytime and see I stole it? Well, sister was half asleep and would have agreed to me stealing the Hope diamond. So off I went.

I ran out into the alley before anyone else could get there. (In my head, there is a lot of demand for worn out deck sets.) I didn't want to lose out on my find and forever regret my decision. I grabbed it all and tossed it over my fence into my yard.

I set up the chairs around my table and marvelled at the greatness of the match. I put up the table briefly, but it is a little wobbly. It took me almost three weeks to get enough nerve to put up the umbrella. I figured the umbrella was like a large neon sign pointing to my yard screaming for people to notice I am the resident dumpster diver.

5 comments:

  1. That's awesome. I'm glad you finally put it up... I think dumpster diving is perfectly acceptable (as a matter of fact, I totally just read a post about that today somewhere). I think it's cool that someone can use something that another person doesn't want anymore. I'm all for it. :)

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  2. No joke! It's the same concept as FreeCycle, you just don't have to do more than set stuff out.

    We've got a neighbor that doesn't even try to hide it--even before it was "in." You'd walk out to the car and she'd just wave!

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  3. HELLLLLO, dumpster diving is not a bad thing. Many a people find awesome treasures come trash day. Not me of course :)

    peace
    #2

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  4. No harm in dumpster diving - as long as you do it righ (and it sounds like you did). Scott will bring home mostly broken crapped out stuff and say that he's going to "fix it", which apparently means leave it in the basement until I stumble upon it a year from now and throw it out. Good find!

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  5. Good job. I award you the green woman of the day award!!

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Crap monkies say "what?"