Recycling, Re-using and such

This is the time of year when our neighborhood has the Semi-Annual pick up of brush , big limbs, crap from the garage and most everything except paint and flammable stuff. Since our house is sort of in a cul-de-sac, the cul-de-sac is the dumping ground for all the houses around us. I have been watching these 2 piles on the north and south end grow for the last 2 weeks. And I have been watching the usual people drive around and pilfer through said piles. Not great pickings this time. I don't know, maybe with the economy people are holding on to their garage crap?

Also, since we bought this house (Feb. 2005, the same time as when my brother The Mouli married Princess Sara who calls herself The Queen, that's how I remember when we moved here) I have been slowly updating most of the original 1977 decor. The first thing that came out was the horrid shiny silver wallpaper in the master bathroom with big white, black and gold butterflies all over it. It was just about the grossest wallpaper I have ever seen (that didn't have flocking on it) and it had to go. The next thing was the ORIGINAL AVOCADO GREEN SHAG CARPET. This stuff covered both staircases and the whole upstairs. 30 year old carpet with as many years of Chihuahua pee on it was more than I could take. Personally, this was an item that I didn't care if it went to a landfill. Then recently I found a light fixture I wanted for the entry way and Jonathon, Rachel Pie and Kenneth a.k.a. Tennis helped me hang it. It looks really nice. But if your eyes followed straight ahead you would then see the gross light in the family room. So now it becomes the priority to get that eyesore out of the house. It is not so easy trying to replace light fixtures. The point I am trying to get to is that I have finally found a light fixture for the family room. Damn near 4 years of looking and I finally came across something I didn't hate at Costco of all places. Who would have believed that?

Mr. Big Ed and I hung the new light yesterday. I think I like it. So here is the deal, now what do I do with the 2 old 1970's lights? They still work and are serviceable, just ugly as homemade sin as they used to say. We were debating about Goodwill or Freecycle or Craigslist and Mr. Big Ed suggests we take them out front to the huge piles out at the street. So out he goes with them and comes back and says they are gone. What do you mean gone? Someone was trimming trees across the street and asked if he could have them, so the hand off was made and the ugly 1970's lights have a new home. And it is NOT in a landfill. And I don't feel guilty for spending money on the new one now that my house looks better and hopefully the tree trimming guy's house looks better with his new-old lights.

Oh, and guess what? I only spent $37.00 for my new light. I love that.

On to the next project!