It surprises and annoys me how many people will throw
good wood into the trash because they don't have a
current use for it anymore, especially since I am
living with one of those people now.
There is NEVER a good reason to throw out an oak
or "real" wood board in my opinion, because it can
always be taken apart and stored very easily.
My significant other tried to throw out a bunk bed
frame a few weeks ago and now it is sitting on it's
side in our garden, where despite her protests, I am
using it as a support for the tomato plant wire supports.
Last year she frequently complained that the standalone
wire supports were not sturdy enough to support our plants.
Every time there was a windy day, we had to go out
and try to reposition the wire frames so that they
would support the tomatoes again.
But because the metal wire supports were intended for
that purpose, that was all she wanted to continue
using again this year.
Now I have cup holders screwed into the wood frame
at exactly the right positions to prevent the wire
frames from moving. They can't move up or down, left
or right unless someone were to unscrew something.
Our garden runs parallel to our garage and the frame
is wedged between the bricks on the garden perimeter
and the garage. I cut 2" off each of the heavy
end-frames' feet so they are wedged perfectly into
an area 28" wide.
This frame will probably support our tomatoes through
a hurricane now, but because the bunk bed frame was
intended for some other purpose, she is still annoyed
that the neighbors might see it and figure out its'
original purpose.
(This was especially annoying to me, because her
deceased brother built shelves out of particle board
in our basement before I was part of her life
and I detest particle board, especially for shelving.
So I was planning to use this real wood to replace
parts of the shelving when I retrieved it from the
trash and only later decided to use the wood in our
garden when I realized it was already the perfect
height and width.)
Many of our arguments are about me wanting to re-purpose
something she has trashed like this.
-------------------
Last year when I redid our screened porch, I replaced
all the screens but I kept the old screens and reframed
them and now they are sitting under my bird feeders.
When the birds spill sunflower seeds on the ground,
they end up on the screen and when the pidgeons
are done sorting through them, it is a simple matter
to lift the screens and empty the shells into a trash
can.
I now like to empty the screens while she is watching,
so I can remind her that she wanted me to just throw
all the screens out and how smart it was for me to
save them. (grin)
Life is good.
Bill Zardus
Delaware County, PA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WingedFriends/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Recycled_Gardens/
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