Curb Merchandise

 I ventured out to the grocery store this afternoon in an effort to stock up on some things before our first snowstorm hits late tomorrow.  I don't get out much, so I try to soak up what I see when I do.  On the way home, I saw a tall four-door wooden cabinet out at the curb of one home.  From the street, it looked like it was in great shape, so I wondered what would prompt someone to discard something that nice instead of making an effort to sell it.  

In communities that aren't under Home Owner's Association rules (like most of Plainfield, IN, where I live), stuff on the curb is an invitation that screams, "FREE for the taking".  If it's on the curb, and you take it, it isn't theft.  It's a gift to both the homeowner and the scavenger.  Americans are all about getting something for free!

Back in 2008 or 2009, I had my garage converted into a bedroom, with a MAJOR financial contribution from my daughter.  When it was done, we moved me and my radios into the garage room, and transformed what once was my "radio shack" into a bedroom for my young grandson, a second bedroom my young granddaughter, and my old bedroom with a half-bath attached for my daughter's room.  The three of them had moved in with me without warning, and for many, many months, we were cramming four people into two beds.  The new situation helped us quite a bit.    

In the garage conversion process, there was a dumpster in my driveway.  At one point, a young man knocked on my door and asked if he could go through the dumpster to pick up scrap metal to sell.  (At the time, scrap metal had premium prices.)  I was reluctant because I was afraid he'd get hurt, but I appreciated that he asked rather than just dive in after dark and scare us to death, so I let him have at it.  He did come up with some stuff and, fortunately, didn't get hurt. 

Cleaning out the garage for the conversion remodeling left many, many things with no place to be.  Some got stashed back on my covered patio.  Some I gave away through freecycle.com.  Some, I just put out on the curb.  Among the latter was a pair of clunky-but-sturdy lawn chairs that my ex had given my daughter.  I put them out on the curb.  VERY shortly thereafter, a man in a truck appeared and took interest.  I happened to be outside.  He said he and his family camped quite a bit and thought they could use the chairs.  POOF!  Gone!  

Later (2017??), I managed to tear the meniscus in my left knee by just walking to the bathroom early in the morning.  I could swear I didn't twist the knee!  What followed was a long story not worthy to tell right now; however, my friend and co-grandma Judy (who is a retired nurse) took good care of me.  Among MANY other things, she borrowed a bedside commode from a local church for me to use, if needed--you know, the seat with a receptacle bucket?  I think I only used it once, and when I was done with it, I cleaned and bleached the bucket, then returned it to Judy to return to the church from which it was borrowed.  I really didn't want to give that up since it is one of those I-Might-Need-This-Again-Someday things, but it wasn't mine.

I swear on all that is holy, just a day later, I was driving down the street and saw one of those commodes at a curb!  I passed, thought about it, then went around the block and came back to pick it up.  It needed to be cleaned up.  Needed new rubber tips for the legs and a new receptacle bucket because the old one was nasty...so it wasn't FREE free, but I brought it home and fixed it up.  Now I have to store it, all the while hoping that I never have to use it!

But my favorite curb merchandise story happened just a year or so ago.  A long time past, I had purchased a steel chimenea for my backyard patio, on sale for $89.  Over the years, we burned trash in it, both to get rid of it and for warmth.  In time, the ash tray rusted out.  (Someone needs to explain to me why outdoor things are often made of materials that rust!!!)  I no longer felt confident to use it, so it was time to trash the thing.  My housekeeper suggested that we put it on the curb for metal scavengers.  I thought she was nuts.  It was full of ashes, soot, and rust.  If anyone took it, they'd have to have a truck and help to pick it up.  (It wasn't light.)  We did put it on the curb.  I just knew I would eventually have to pay to cart it to the dump.       

Obviously, I misjudged human beings.  Within a few hours, as I watched through my front window, a woman in a nice-looking sedan stopped to look that the burner.  She hailed a passing student on his way home from school to ask for help to put the thing in her car, then drove away.  Here is the amazing part to me:  she didn't put it in her trunk.  She and the student crammed that filthy thing into the back seat of her lovely car!  I was shocked, but who am I to question someone who was ridding me of something I didn't want anymore?

One person's trash is another person's treasure.  It starts at the curb!