Musical Chairs

I'm kinda sad...

This weekend marked the last of the "Clean Sweep" Unlimited Refuse Collections in our town.

These were held annually for many years, then semi-annually for a few years 

and alas, will now no longer be held.  

It's like a Carnival weekend here 

and the streets are clogged with lookers and pickers and metal scavengers.

It's all very green if you think about it.  

And I do think about it.  

In fact, it's one of my favorite weekends in this town. 

Several years ago, we had a party on Clean Sweep Weekend  

and asked everyone to bring the coolest thing they could find at the curb.  

We saw lots of amazing things that had been cast aside by their owners 

only to find a new purpose with someone else.  One man's trash ...  

We scored a cement garden statue that once graced our neighbors living room fountain.  

It's nestled in our own garden now.

One year, our son and his friends spotted a pair of white swivel tub chairs at our neighbors' curb. 

They managed to drag them home and put them in the basement man cave.  

One was a bit damaged but the other one was pristine.  

And we knew they came from a good home, so... I allowed them....

Fast forward a few years. 

The neighbors who had put the chairs at their curb had moved 

to a new house just around the corner.

When it was finally time to redo our basement rec room and the chairs had to go, 

we decided to have some fun with them...

We waited until clean sweep weekend and set them in front of the neighbors' new home 

with a note tacked onto the chairs saying "We found you at last!  It's so good to be home!"  

Good clean fun...  

Never heard what they thought...

And then there were the peach velvet chairs.

Two years ago, on the last clean sweep weekend, I spotted a pair of these beauties 

as they were being lovingly set at the curb, complete with a clear plastic tarp 

to protect them since it was sprinkling.

Yes, I did. 

 I put them straight into my Jeep and I brought them home.  

Mr. Grand was not pleased. 

In my defense, they are a nice size for wing chairs - kind of petite.  

I could see them as head chairs at the dining room table 

 or together in a bedroom corner or... 

Oh, I had ideas.  And a good upholsterer...

Unfortunately none of the ideas worked out  

and Mr.Grand has spent the last two years grousing about storing them in the basement 

(where they were harming absolutely no one at all...)

So this year, I relented and we agreed to set them at the curb.

But they are kind of ugly and we really didn't want them in front of our own house, 

because, you know, people might talk...  

What to do, what to do? 

Where could we put them????

We had a brilliant idea!

We took them to the home of our good friends and set them up there 

for everyone to enjoy. 

(Image blurred to protect our friendship)

We knew our poor, unsuspecting friends were off at a Prom Picture Party 

and would be helpless to defend themselves 

against this tasteless display of exterior decorating.

:^)))

They do look nice there, don't they?

(Image blurred to protect our friendship)

I was so thoughtful, 

I even sent them a picture from my phone so they could see what they were missing 

while they were at the party...

The chairs didn't last long in front of their house, because other people have ideas, too...

And while I was out cruising around, looking for treasures, 

I spotted this puppy just begging to be relocated: 

Enough mischief for one day, I decided.  

But then, right next door, there was this beautiful mirrored desk....

I almost put it in my Jeep, but thoughts of Mr. Grand blowing a gasket prevented me.

But someone, somewhere got a great find!

Treasures are everywhere!


Linking to:
Inspire Me Monday at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style