April 2013 – Page 4 – Things I find in the garbage

First come first served

April 8, 2013April 8, 2013 garbagefinds6 Comments

The weather today was really nice. It didn’t feel cold even with the occasional strong gust of wind. I went on a long walk and managed to avoid all the rain as well.

I was gone for about two hours. It wasn’t trash day but I did see a few things out for tomorrow’s pickup. In an alley in Rosemont (next to St-Hubert I think) I found a bike tire that looks to be in good shape. I hope it fits my bike because my front tire is long overdue to be replaced! If not they can use it down at the bike co-op.

I came across this trash heap back in the Plateau. Three of those bags are just full of (French) books. Another bag was full of CDs and another had some other random stuff, including an old Xbox and a cool faux-gas lamp. I took the CDs and the Xbox (I haven’t tested it yet, however). There was also a nice teapot that I left on the street for someone to take.

I invite anyone interested to check out these books and etc! Trash day in this area is Tuesday evening, so they should be around for a day and a half yet (assuming no one else finds them first). Based on the profile of the trash I think someone moved or is moving very soon and decided to leave this stuff behind.

If interested you can find this trash on the corner of St-Andre and the alley just north of Laurier on the left-hand side (the alley runs adjacent to Laurier).

Trees I find in the garbage

April 6, 2013April 6, 2013 garbagefinds18 Comments

Yesterday was another slow one. It’s been chilly which may have delayed spring cleaning for some. I’ve always figured that people generally get out and enjoy the first couple heat waves; it’s when the warmth loses it’s novelty that they get to work.

I didn’t go out for a morning run all week. Most days were too cold or windy or rainy and I just didn’t feel like it. It’s looking like next week will be warm (double digits!) if rainy so I expect to get out for a couple of morning “shifts.”

I found this sad looking pine tree on St Hubert near Marie-Anne. The branches were mostly dead but the top was still growing. I decided to bring it back and give it a chance to come back.

I gave it a hair cut! I trimmed off all the dead branches leaving only the top. I’m optimistic about this tree making it – I’ll keep you posted as to how it progresses.

I also came across this cute side-table (and former tree). It looks like an older piece. I thought it might come it handy and I took it home after a (passed) inspection for bugs. I’m not sure what kind of wood it is but it was a bit heavier than I expected it to be.

It fit perfectly in this little space. I put some plants on it and it looks great – a nice addition to the apartment!

All this green talk is reminding me that I need start planting some herbs for the summer. I already planted tomato seeds (5 different varieties!) but I’d like to have some cilantro (among other things). It’ll help me eat well and cheaply – a necessity if I’m going to live comfortably during my “summer of garbage.” I also find growing things fulfilling and haven’t done enough of it in recent years.

Anyways, on that note I’m going to go find some seeds!

Slow day (and some jewelry from Monday)

April 4, 2013 garbagefinds14 Comments

I didn’t come up with much today in my explorations of the Plateau’s west-end. I found a few nice hand-crafted bowls and dropped them off with some other tool-stuff at the Give Box. A few of the bowls were taken before I even finished putting things in. One woman was positively excited to find one of the bowls, which was rewarding to see.

Otherwise, I came across some shot glasses in a box in the alley adjacent to St Denis. They’re destined for the Give Box as well.

I sorted through my jewelry last night and this is the stuff I don’t want. Pretty big pile eh?

It still reeks of cigarette smoke but that can be cleaned off (I’m not sure if I’ll do it myself). Some of it’s in good shape and some is busted or missing rocks, but all can be useful for people who make jewelry (especially because they’re vintage).

My plan is to bring them to my friend’s yard sale and try to sell the pieces for bargain bin prices. It’ll probably be near the end of the month – I’ll tell you more when I know it. I’ll bring a few other finds as well.

It looks like I’ll have to find some ammonia to clean the other pieces (the ones I want to try to get a bit more money for). There’s some really nice costume jewelry and a few nice sterling pieces. I tried using dish soap but it wasn’t effective enough; if I’m going to sell any of this stuff on Etsy it’ll have to be perfect.

Speaking of Etsy, I’ve had a nice influx of sales in the last week. All in all it brought in a few hundred dollars, which is awesome. You can see what I sold – and for how much – in the “Things I’ve sold” section. I also added a couple of new giveaways.

Hopefully tomorrow is a bit more exciting!