YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out my window on Main Street, and I want apologize for repeating part of a column from 2010 this week instead of giving you something original and clever. I have a good excuse — In the huge rainfall of last week, some water got into my house and some carpet got wet. I’m dealing with that right now, so I hope you’ll understand.
So here is the repeated gem:
A DUMPSTER TALE
IF BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder some people might look at a trash dumpster but instead see a treasure chest.
Beverly Starr and Sue White are in the latter category. They are already working on the Operation Christmas Child project for 2010, and they’ve been gathering little things for the Christmas boxes and for their group’s annual gigantic garage sale that helps to fund the project (Beverly told the crowd at the chamber of commerce awards banquet that OCC’s local goal for 2010 is 5,500 boxes to send to underprivileged children).
They’ve established a relationship with several local stores which notify them when they have some surplus stuff they’re willing to give to the OCC program, either for the gift boxes or for the garage sale.
Recently a Nashville store called and said they had some leftover Christmas wrapping paper. Beverly and Sue rushed to get it. It’s great stuff for the garage sale. There was some other stuff, too but unfortunately it had already been tossed into the store’s trash dumpster.
— FORTUNATELY there was enough stuff in the dumpster to make it worth their effort to salvage it.
— UNFORTUNATELY they would have to ‘fish’ it out.
— FORTUNATELY it wasn’t raining or sleeting.
— UNFORTUNATELY half of Howard County was driving by.
— FORTUNATELY there seemed to be lotsa Christmas thingys and neat stuff that would bring in some money at the garage sale. Or fill a needy child’s Christmas shoebox.
— UNFORTUNATELY there were hundreds of patrons and employees at the nearby pizza place who were trying to act as if they weren’t watching these two dignified ladies dumpster diving.
— FORTUNATELY the store manager loaned the women some giant tweezers to grab stuff from the bottom of the dumpster, and he even brought them some big boxes of candy canes.
— UNFORTUNATELY the candy canes got spilled all over the parking lot.
— FORTUNATELY the candy canes were individually-wrapped and didn’t get dirty ….. more or less.
— UNFORTUNATELY the other half of Howard County drove past while Beverly and Sue were bent over picking up hundreds of candy canes.
These two wonderful women came forward with their version of this story because — unfortunately — this is the second time they’ve been caught in the act of dumpster diving, all in the name of Operation Christmas Child. And they knew word would get around. Someone might blab to grandkids.
The first time they were caught by a certain plump newspaper guy who happened to be next door picking up a pizza.
One of the women — we mercifully won’t say which — had just remarked that wouldn’t it be terrible if the newspaper guy came by while they dumpster diving.
FORTUNATELY, ladies, the columnist understands that you were digging in a treasure chest, not a trash dumpster.
UNFORTUNATELY that might not be the way he tells the story.
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ANIMAL CRACKERS. (This is not from the old column) I remember promising I wouldn’t bore either of you with another story about my Bluebirds, but I frequently break promises.
Saturday afternoon I noticed that the entrance hole of the bluebird box was blocked with a thick wad of straw and twigs. I commented that I hadn’t seen Mom or Pop Bluebird in several days. I sent visiting granddaughter to clear the hole, but the stuff just kept coming out.
There were at least four nests stacked on top of each other.
I started pulling them out until I came to one that still had some itty bitty blue eggs. Final count, five nests built on top of each other and the rest of the space inside the box was crammed full of nest material.
Now the nests are all gone and I’m anxious to see if the bluebirds come back to start a new family. There’s room in the penthouse now.
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MORE THINGS I LEARNED from opening an email: “We live in a time where intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won’t be offended.”
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WORD GAMES. They’re the Outright-Lying twins: New and Improved.
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HE SAID: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States
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SHE SAID: “I’ve seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are.” Michelle Obama, First Lady
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
