I again got my car and took them home, the bench being taken to the curb for the taking. Finally, on Thursday morning, on my way back from breakfast, I saw another wooden chest. The drawers worked fine and it looked to be about the right size. Into my car it went. It fit the space available (barely) so out went the last of my plastic chests. Hallelujah!
As for my discarded items? They went in almost the reverse order of my expectations. The bench went fast as did the lawnmower (clearly marked as not working) and the lamp. The shredder took a couple of days before disappearing, and I figured it to be the most usable item there. It was clearly marked as working. Two of the three plastic chests are now gone, the third sits there the night before it will go to landfill. Go figure.
There were a couple of items I almost put out – a microphone stand and a couple of speaker stands, but at this point I’m not hurting for space. I’ll take another look next year. For now, I’m considering this year’s Cleanup another rousing success. Even my back stood up to lifting and carrying the two wooden chests!
Yeah, I own a house in the San Francisco Bay area. I just missed the anniversary of the date I purchased it, Nov. 1, 1981, and I hope it isn't too upset with me. Perhaps having a section of my website dedicated to this fine bit of paradise will make it feel better. Probably not as much as if I cleaned it up real nice, but it's a start.
Shin the Homeowner
The Annual Cleanup
In my music section, I talk about an annual event, the Solano Stroll. This year I actually participated in it. I also participated in another annual event, the Kensington Cleanup. One week out of the year our trash collection expands to allow the picking up of a stated limit of three cubic yards per household, no extra charge. It also allows for items that would normally require special arrangements.
In my case, this included a lawnmower that was no longer working. I also had a table lamp that was fine electrically, but the base was breaking apart and it would no longer reliably stand. And I’d retired a plastic 3-drawer chest earlier in the year. I decided some time ago that these are less than optimal for storage. Convenient, yes, but they look junky and, worse yet, they’re flimsy and not good for holding heavier objects. Finally, the real prize, my small shredder. It was perfectly functional, just undersized and underpowered for the large jobs I tended to do. I had upgraded earlier in the year, but someone with lesser needs could make good use of it.
The best part of having a specific week for this is that people are aware of the tons (literally) of stuff that’s out on the streets during that week and go on scavenger hunts. Not just people from the neighborhood, but from all over. Much of the stuff is said to wind up in flea markets or other second-hand outlets. We tend to think this superior to having it all go to landfill and don’t complain about strangers combing our streets looking to recycle our stuff for us.
Was I looking for anything? Most definitely. I was on the lookout for two wooden chests to replace my remaining two plastic ones. They were for the laundry room so appearance wasn’t an issue, but functionality was. The plastic simply didn’t stand up to the weight. Also, I decided that the bench I had found for my small courtyard at the front of my house wasn’t working out. It was ugly and uncomfortable and nobody was using it even if they stopped by to listen to me play my tunes from the porch. Could I find something?
The good news was that my back had been on the mend. I had graduated from walking the short strip of flat ground over and over to my favored terrain, once again walking around the streets. I lucked out and saw one of the two wooden chests I wanted. It was a heavy sucker, but it was an acceptable size. As soon as I got home I hopped in my car and took it home. After emptying its contents into its new home, I took the plastic version to the drop off point at the end of my driveway. The next evening, I saw two matching plastic chairs of a light green color. Being plastic, they would be suitable for outdoor use (the bench was not and would have had to have been put in the garage during the rainy season if one came) and could easily be moved if someone wanted to move closer to my playing.
Last Update: October 2, 2025
The John Shinnick Web Site
My big score from the 2025 Kensington Cleanup. Hopefully it'll work better than the plastic one it replaced.
This section includes the house, the yard, the garage, the car and environs.
