Sanding, Looting, & Mattresses

When I don’t understand what is going on around me—the slow rolling disaster of Covid-19, the bloody close of the US chapter in Afghanistan, rhyming poetry in 2021—I either write or sand things. I used to drink, but that kind of medicine only delays having to deal with reality.

Today, I didn’t feel much like writing. So: I sanded down a spool our neighbor put on the curb for the garbage man to take. It will make a nice spot for the printer.

I’m not above looting from the curb. It used to be a favored method for finding furniture we needed. I once scored a dresser, cannibalized the drawers, and turned them into bookshelves I hung on the wall. I’ve steered clear of mattresses, feeling that taking a used mattress from the curb is a different level of desperate. I wasn’t a beggar so I could choose.

I’m now in a financial position where I can afford to buy over-priced furniture from Amazon, but that doesn’t keep me from scouring the curbs and casting an appraising eye over other people’s trash.

- be cool and care