My husband and I were out walking our dogs with our friend Edie the other morning and passed a small table with a sign on it:

“DUDE! You do not realize how awesome this free table is. Owned previously by A. Jolie and B. Pitt. Can be seen in the background of Mr. & Mrs. Smith as well as Lara Croft: Tombraider. THIS TABLE IS AN UNPLEDGED SUPERDELEGATE! Take it now, you won’t regret it.”

I took it. I couldn’t resist the note. Without the note, I most certainly would have left the table on the sidewalk. I think Edie really wanted the table too, but I grabbed it and we hauled it back. We really wanted to grab the person who wrote the note. That unpledged superdelegate part is brilliant. I love great copy-writing and this person has the knack. Problem was, the table wasn’t in front of a particular place, so hard to tell where it came from. The mystery copywriter will remain just that, a mystery.

But this whole episode reminded my of something I read lately, an article about recycling junk. It’s surprising to me how many junk recyclers are in business around here and the kind of “junk” they recycle. Toilets and cubicles, yes, but koi? IReuse found a home for the koi at a school. The New York Times has an article in the home section about people remodeling their almost-new kitchens (they want the latest styles or whatever) and the companies that recycle those kitchens (to the tune of about $25,000 but it’s still recycling.) There are so many ways to get rid of stuff, there’s just no excuse for throwing something out that someone else might want. But don’t forget about the old fashioned way — sticking something out on the sidewalk. I suggest adding a really clever note. In fact, I have a play structure I’m trying to get rid of. Maybe I’ll give it a shot. Mystery writer, if you’re out there, feel free to give me a hand.

Environment