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[Viking <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Freecycle is a wonderful thing.  I wish I had thought of it.  It is one
of those contributions to society that will forever change things, but
of course, like anything else, there are abuses because people are greedy.
I put out a request for an old, webber type kettle grill last week.  I
said that rust and broken legs were okay.  I wanted to use the grill
parts, top and bottom, as planters on my deck so that I could repot this
monster aloe plant of mine.  The next day, someone offered me their
grill and I went yesterday to pick it up.  I spoke to the lady on the
phone beforehand, and was amazed to learn that the grill was brand new,
bought at the beginning of the summer.  I asked her why, if it was new,
did she not want it any longer...lol....I almost burst out laughing at
her reply:  They couldn't figure out how to use it, so they went out and
bought a gas grill instead. (!!!!!)
So we went and picked it up, and ended up using it last night to broil
some hamburgers.  It worked fine.  It came loaded with charcoal to boot.
 Apparently, they had been trying to light it without starter fluid and
with the vents closed.  There must have been 30 spent wooden matches in
there with the charcoal.  Ron couldn't believe that there are people out
there who don't know how to grill out without using gas.  I can.  I told
 him that most people don't even cook anymore and when I told him that
they are building homes without kitchens, he did not believe me...lol..
It's a sad world, and getting sadder.
So we have this brand new charcoal grill now. I think, instead of
tearing it up for use as a planter, I'm going to keep it and use it as a
camping grill or during those once a year huge cookouts we end up having
where the gas grill just doesn't hold everything.

You can get good stuff off freecycle...it's amazing what people will
throw away.  I just wish there was more moderation on my local lists.
It is supposed to be only for things that you would throw away-landfill
items-to reduce the amount of debris in the landfills, but sadly, it has
become a place for people to request services.  There is one lady who
first requested a pool for her disabled son...she got the pool.  Then
she requested someone to come out and set it up (it was a 27' above
ground pool).  Someone did.  Now, she is requesting wood for a deck to
build around the pool.  I suppose the next thing will be that she needs
someone to build the deck for her.  Each post tells the story of her
disabled son and how she has to struggle to entertain her kids because
she is a single mom.  I suppose I don't resent these kinds of posts, but
they do get tiresome and IMO, are borderline for what freecycle was
intended to be, especially when you are begging for labor services.
It just kind of rubs me the wrong way, but hey, I don't moderate the
list and apparently people are okay with this type of post.

Bev


--
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm      NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W