I will try to simplify this story for you.  It goes back a few months to when a man came in to the shop and asked if I'd be interested in some framed prints and things they were cleaning out.  I told him I would and so he brought them back in.  I purchased them and we visited about their plans of preparing their home for sale and moving out of state.  As it turns out, they had already taken 3 pickup loads to the dump.  Included in those loads was a bear collection and a doll collection.    He said, "You don't even want to know what all we've taken to the dump!"  That's when I told him he was right and I didn't want to hear any more.  It just makes me sick.  Think of the charities that could've benefited from those collections!  UGH!  I begged him to stop at the shop on his way to the dump the next time. 

That brings us up to yesterday morning!  He stopped and told me he had a couple of things he thought I might be interested in.  I went out to look and one was a beautiful stained glass mirror, made by his wife's mother.  The other thing was a stained glass lamp, also made by her.  They were both just "ridin' high" on the back of his flatbed pickup.  He did have it tarped.

Along side these items were several black plastic bags and some rubbermaid containers.  I asked if it was all going to the dump because I could put the containers to good use.  Then I asked what was in the black plastic bags.  He told me he didn't know because he wasn't allowed to look.  I said, "Ok, I will!"  The first bag I opened contained a doll.  I asked him to set that bag on the sidewalk and told him I would take care of it for him.  The next bag I opened was a bag of board games.  LOTS of board games.  The list just goes on.  There were probably 6 bags total.  I am constantly amazed at what people will just throw away!

You've heard the saying a million times before, one man's trash is another man's treasure.  I had it said to me on Monday as I was standing on the running board of a trailer headed to the dump!

It all started with a little trip to the post office.  I needed to mail some things and get a few stamps, so I headed out of the door of my shop and to my car. A weird little truck went by pulling a trailer just as I was about to cross the street.  Inside the trailer, strapped down on top of a bunch of junk was what appeared to be a curio cabinet.  My heart just sank as I watched it go by, knowing they were on their way to the dump.  (It's about 8 miles up the road from the little town my shop is in.)  I got in my car to go to the PO and the truck had pulled over.  I didn't turn right to go to the PO, I just kept going straight and gawking at the trailer.  I flipped a U turn and gawked some more.  Then the driver got back on the street, but pulled over once again, only into a parking lot.  He was on his cell phone, so I pulled up next to the passenger side.  You can see where this is going!  So I said, "You may think I am nuts, but are you headed to the dump with that stuff?"  He said they were so I asked if I could take a peek at the cabinet in the back.  He laughed, shrugged his shoulders and told me to go ahead.  I simply said, "I think this brings me to a new level." 

As it turns out, it's a locking gun cabinet with glass on 3 sides.   The key was still in it, riding high like a flag flying in the air!  Amazing!  They even turned around and brought it right to my shop!  I helped the guy haul it in!  The only thing wrong with it was the back was loose! 

I am continually amazed at what people throw away!  I see it go by all of the time.  This time I couldn't let it go!