Green woman

Wow, I am good at starting projects, but I take forEVer to finish them. Over a year ago, I picked up this mannequin at Goodwill, and intended to paint her and put her in the garden. I had all sorts of fantastic ideas, and with so many ideas I became indecisive - so I painted her a beautiful, solid green!

Was (and still am) considering adding some fake vines from Michael's, maybe some earrings attached with push pins, stencils... but then decided that hats, masks, and other accessories will work just as well. I am also going to keep her indoors.

With this mask and her new color, I dedicate this little photoshop-enhanced image to Ecocatwoman.

Is that any way to feed kids?

This week we received no less than two identical 9x12 envelopes with plastic windows, each one filled with a stack of holiday wrapping paper, sticky gift tags, and pleas for donations to "Save the Children." I know that charities use the guilt approach to get people to donate to them - guilt because someone has sent you a gift and you should be ashamed not to at least send a little something back.

It has the opposite effect on me. All I can think of is "why are you spending the money that people give you for the children on stupid free gifts that I really don't want instead of actually buying food and shelter with it?" It's a big turnoff when a charity does that, especially if there is great need. To me it just makes the sender seem wasteful, not the right message.

And we have so many address labels that it's more than a lifetime supply. Really! We mail maybe one thing a month, birthday card or something.

But honestly... you charities... quit sending this unwanted crap, the wrapping paper, cards, address labels, calendars, or at least check your address database to make sure the same household doesn't receive multiples. This time of year it arrives in stacks.

The price is right - again

I love this kind of shopping. When it's bulk trash day we (and lots of other people) like to cruise around and look for who-knows-what. Two years ago our next door neighbor threw away this very rustic hobbity (that's a word, right?) looking garden bench. I embarrassed myself by transporting the very heavy bench from the sidewalk into our backyard... scraping metal over our concrete driveway (and leaving a scrape-trail too). Well, if I hadn't taken it, someone else would have, and it's been very nice having it in the yard - that is, until it rotted.

Well, no worries. We went out and found this perfectly good wooden bench and matching tea cart (or whatever you'd call it). There was also a table and 4 chairs that would NOT fit in our little car. We were hauling it into the backyard just as someone pulled up and took our old microwave and pair of blown-out speakers we'd put on the sidewalk.

The wood is definitely weathered, but it will be kept out of the sun and rain now (the metal bistro from the porch will replace the hobbity bench outside). I will probably paint it in time. MrB wanted it painted "eggplant." I told him that color is also called "aubergine," (aubergine being French for eggplant) so that was his word for the weekend. Aubergine, aubergine, aubergine... everything that's a little bit purple is pointed at, and proclaimed to be "aubergine."

So here's to recycling... purple paint, and learning a new word every day.

The recycled house

I caught MrB's cold that he had 2 weeks ago, of course (how could I escape?), and also (typical me) followed up with yet another sinus infection, so I have been sick for nearly a week. This is getting sooo old. This one is in the ears. Ugh. Anyway, I spent some of my shut-in time yesterday building this birdhouse. I got the idea on Obamacycle, a networking site that's about reusing campaign materials instead of throwing them away. Last time we went down to our recycling center I asked if they had any campaign signs and they gave me a stack of plain white corrugated plastic boards that somebody had brought in. Here's a post about doing this showing signs that have printing on them, but since mine were plain white I recycled a bumper sticker as decoration and called it done.

Come on, birdies!

The Price is Right

Look what I found! Guaranteed to give your butt a splinter, but it will look cool doing it.

Bulk trash pickup week can be kind of fun. Everybody puts out a real grab bag of sometimes interesting items. Stoves, washers, bicycles, who knows what. Usually we aren't fast enough to get hold of the stuff that may not deserve the landfill, but this time it on the next door neighbor's curb that I got this really rustic garden bench. It weighed a TON. I was trying to be discreet. I mean, it's hard not to feel funny about it... first, it feels like stealing when it really isn't... second, you're afraid you'll be caught dumpster diving... and third, it belonged to the next door neighbor so they will no doubt see it in the yard sooner or later. Anxiety. I tried to be careful, but now we have scrape marks on the sidewalk leading into our driveway. Oh well. Later that day, they saw it sitting there, so there's no mystery. We are exposed as the Sanford & Son of the block.

Matching the bench were two "bar stools", although it looks like they've been the victims of either teeth, tools or termites. I don't think they're fixable for sitting, so we will have to get creative about their ultimate destiny.

It must be the week for broken things because I turned on the kitchen faucet to fill up a saucepan this evening, and the side spray hose device flew apart, sending a geyser of water pounding against the ceiling. It can't be fixed. Another item for the trash pile... or another lawn ornament maybe? The last broken faucet is already out there. [snort]