This is the week of bulk pickup, and it is always remarkable how much stuff some people haul out to the curb. Here are several piles that I thought quite impressive.
The pile below was just down the block from the first. It was almost as if they were having a contest to see who could have the bigger pile.
The people were still building this one when I took the picture. They had a big yard sale on Saturday and said that they were moving, so they have a good reason for a big pile.
I do not remember where I took the picture below. It looks like there are quite a few bags of clothes, and that gets me to one of my pet peeves about bulk pickup. A lot of what people throw away is trash, but some of it is still very usable. If it is usable, then they can find a better way to dispose of it. For example, Jasper Junction will take it. If that is too much bother, it is good for them to invite others to take what they want.
For example, I talked to the lady who was putting out this pile. She had a sign on the dryer saying that it worked and that it was free. I asked about the string. It came from a factory at which she had worked and she said it would be useful to someone who crocheted. The boxes on the dryer were computer software for the Microsoft Windows as well as a version of Linux. (I use a Mac, so none of it interested me.) There was also an old computer. A few years ago I picked up old computers for parts, but with the introduction of UBS and faster drive interfaces, few parts from old computers have any use.
When I went by this house two days after I took the picture above, most of the items, including the dryer and computer software, were gone.
Below is a couch I saw on Sunday morning. It was gone by Sunday evening. We put out a recliner that has broken springs. It was gone within a few hours. I hope the new owners enjoy it.
Old chairs and old microwaves are the sorts of things that bulk pickup is designed for. I would be surprised if any of the stuff in the picture below was picked up by scavengers, but people do pick up the strangest things.
I was looking for a kitchen sink to photograph, but the closest I got was the broken toilet below.
Here is another big pile of clothes. See the comments above.
A house on Home Avenue had this sign out front. If you cannot read it, it says, "Do not go through the garbage. I will get your license and call the police."
Below is their precious trash that is too good for the scavengers. It looks like there is some clothing and other reusable items there. The city does have an ordinance that stipulates a $50 fine for scavenging bulk-pickup piles. I understand the purpose of that rule--there are some people who do scatter things and make a mess of the piles. However, scavengers perform a useful service by keeping things out of the landfills and by recycling usable items. I would be sympathetic to this household if what they were pitching was really trash and not, judging from the little that is visible, items that could be used by others.
I included the picture below because I thought the tank on the right was interesting. I do not know what it is.
There is always a variety of exercise equipment on the curb. I guess people buy it with good intentions, then find that they do not use it enough to justify the space it uses in their houses or apartments. I would be surprised if the two items below were still there when the city crews come by.
These chairs were once nice. If you had enough time, they could be restored.
When I was near Monnett School I stopped to take several pictures. As I was taking this one, a voice from the house cried out, "What are you doing?" I replied that I was taking a picture. The voice commanded me to stop and to get off the yard, which was strange because I was on the city street. Then the voice told me that she was going to call the police. I told her that that was fine with me. So if the police are looking for the guy who was on the city street taking a picture of someone's garbage near Monnett School, I probably am the guy they are looking for.
Perhaps the lady thought that scavenging meant taking pictures.
When the day comes that it is illegal to stand on the city street and take a picture of someone's garbage, freedom will have been extinguished in America.
On Monday morning the gals and boys of the bulk pickup were out in force. The lead vehicle is the garbage truck and the last is picking up branches. I am not sure what the others are doing, but each picks up something different. (Missing in this picture is the
backhoe that also travels with the group.)
There is a poll on the sidebar. Please vote. And if you have good bulk-pickup stories, share in the comments.
Addendum: I had a poll in the sidebar when this post first ran asking if the city should discourage scavenging. Twenty four people responded: 4 said yes, 19 no, and I did not know what scavenging was. One comment noted that the scavenging ordinance would discourage lawsuits by anyone injured while scavenging, a good insight. Everything seems lawyer driving these days.
Below is a close-up of the flowers. They have unusually big flowers for a tree, though not as big as magnolias, which have now finished blooming.
I learned on the Arbor Day tree walk that dogwoods are one of the few types of trees that have opposite branching, where two branches come off the main branch on opposite sides. You can see some of it below. The other trees around here that have opposite branching are ashes and maples. Did you know that?
Another tree that has begun to bloom is the horse chestnut (or maybe it is the buckeye. I cannot tell the difference. The buckeye is native while the horse chestnut is not. Since the flowers on this one are yellowish, it may be buckeye.) Despite the large flower spike, it is not all that showy.
More of the wind-pollinated trees are also blooming. This may be chestnut oak, but there are so many oaks that they are hard to tell apart. It is in the white oak family.
I was trying to find some of these oaks, which are in the red oak family, closer to the ground but could not. So the picture is not the best.
When the oaks start leafing, it is time to plant tomatoes. So I think that is what I will do.
