FOUND

Use it up, wear it out. Make do, or do without.
          
     This past week produced a plentiful bounty as far as finding things for free in the garbage. A friend was working on a house that had been sided with cedar shakes, but sided incorrectly, so as a result it had to be resided. All the old shingles were almost brand new and in useable condition, so I grabbed a bunch of them, enough to side my future shop. On the way home from that, I spied an almost full roll of tarpaper in the garbage on 14th St. in Surf City, which was the only other thing I need to side the future shop. Noticing a lot of other things thrown at that location, I looked further. I took some stuff home, and found a whole bunch of old tins. 

      Some of them were pretty cool, so I kept them. I also found some pretty cool old kitestring spools, made of wood and painted. I have plans for them...
      But so, realizing that this was probably the leftovers of a yard sale, I decided to go back the next morning to investigate the remaining bags. Long story short, I found some cool stuff. Two of the standout items are the following:

     A pair of leather Converse All-Stars, from way back when they were Made in U.S.A. They fit perfectly. I almost bought a pair of white Vans a couple months ago, but didn't, for which I am glad, because these are way cooler, not to mention free.

     A Leica IIIf Rangefinder 35mm Camera. I used the serial number to date it and found that this particular model was made in Germany in 1951 in a batch of 20000. The body alone goes for upwards of $250.00 on eBay, and with the lens, like the one I have, seems to be worth upwards of $350.00. I feel like I should sell it, what with closing costs on the house we're buying getting steeper every day, but I at least want to shoot one roll of film with it. It'll kill me to get rid of it, because A) it is such a beautiful camera and B) it is something I will probably never own again. But we'll see.
     So, the moral of the story: It pays to go through the trash of others. There is a seriously disgusting mindset in our country that is geared towards waste and the disposable. Within the past couple years, I have noticed that people tend to be throwing out less, but waste is still a huge issue. The saying at the top of this post is a Depression-era saying, and is something that everyone should try to adhere to, or at least keep in the back of their minds. The problem is that sometimes, in feast cycles, we tend to forget the famine, and then when the famine comes it is too late to "use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without," because there is nothing left to do that with. Everyone wastes stuff, it's true (except for maybe my Pop-pop, who I don't think wastes a thing), but it's important to try not to.
     Of course, it is also important to remember: while trying to live as frugally as possible and keeping the famine cycle in mind, don't forget to feast.

 

Oh yeah, meant to post this song the other day. Blossom Toes, "Peace Loving Man," the opening track from their 1969 album If Only For A Moment. A really great bit of late '60s psych. If you listen at 2:25, you'll hear
what could have been, but probably wasn't, the inspiration for a lot of hardcore, punk, and metal vocalists. Take this bomb, drop it on old Hong Kong....