Spring Clean-up 2009

It's that magical time of year again. It comes only twice a year... the opportunity to celebrate our hick-ness in a very special way. (Not to be confused with hick-y-ness, which is an entirely different thing--with it's own set of stories--for another time.) It's when we in these here backwoods put out our trash. No, not the usual bi-weekly trash run. (Regular trash day is exciting in it's own way; but it's usually with me forgetting to put it out and consequently storing up 6 or 8 weeks worth of trash in the garage.)

This is something extraordinarily spectacular: twice a year (spring and fall) we country folk get a chance to get rid of all the other stuff that the regular trash collector won't (or can't) take. Not only can we dispose of our old, used, broken-down crap, it also allows us the opportunity, which no one takes lightly, to thoroughly inspect and grab other people's crap.

Yes, folk, that was me that was stopped in front of your house looking at the broken tricycle. No, I didn't know it was broken, I was just browsing....

Memories pop into my head of years past... a Ford Fairlane type car screeching to a halt in front of our house, a mom behind the wheel revving the engine, a young boy hopping out to see if it's the item they really really want... "Mom! It's a whole roll of linoleum!" "Stop yelling and get it in the trunk!" ... before speeding off. My gape-mouthed staring from 20 feet away didn't appear to deter them at all from their road-side shopping.

Another memory, this time of me putting out a pile that threatened to topple over onto Evan any time he got close.



He was such a trooper, hauling it out for me, and at only 2 and a half years old! Okay, that wasn't so much child slave labour, as just keeping him busy.

Which reminds me: they're coming tomorrow. I better get that child moving and load up the wheelbarrow!
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