Lemonade, of sorts

I've been having fun playing with something called Pinterest.  It's like a virtual pinboard,or bulletin board, where you can "pin" images that you find online, and organize them on various "boards" of your own choosing. I like it so much better than a "favorites" list since it is all visual, and easier for me to organize. Clicking on a "pin" or image sends you to the original source post.   There is a social aspect too, where you can look in on other people's "boards" and "follow" people whose style you like.  This isn't a paid endorsement or anything, I just wanted to tell you how I came to see this little gem on a friend's Pinterest board she titled "humorous":

 

Well, this week the Barn of Opportunity brought me water, sugar AND lemons:

 My" lemons" came last Thursday, when I heard that someone had dumped a whole lot of canvas and webbing, and parts of LLBean tote bags in Bin #2 at the Barn.  I scurried over and indeed found some great bag handles.

Who was this mystery Bean employee?

Today my "sugar" came in the form of empty feed bags. Lots and lots of them, piled up at the barn, that Ramona was nice enough to share with me. I'm partial to the ones with nice barnyard animals on them.



 I took home a dozen.

And the "water" I suppose came in the form of a rainy afternoon, with some kids who occupied themselves, while I cranked out four upcycled tote bags in one hour!  If you want one, stop in to the Long Branch General Store. I know they sell real lemonade, too.

Another great barn

The girls of East Bowdoinham spent a lovely morning visiting Mini Mt Estates in Bowdoin.  Ramona Stinson (of Bowdoinham Recycling Barn fame) and her family hosted an Open House and showed us  a variety of animals, including Boer Goats. Some baby goats were only a day old.

Ramona has been telling me of the many ways she uses recycled materials found at the Barn of Opportunity. Here are my favorite examples: The baby crib turned into hay feeder.
(Actually there were bed rails and crib rails and headboards in almost every animal stall.) 

...and the kid's art easel turned into a kid's grain feeder. Nice thinking.

Ramona's daughter Amanda put together a great display with pictures and examples of many ways farmers are recyclers.  I loved her tutorial on turning a plastic vinegar bottle into a grain scoop.













 The highlight might just have been the goat meat chili. Yummers.
It was a great spring Sunday. Thanks, pals.

Welcome to the Barn of Opportunity.

I have been dancing around the idea of a blog for so long,  and finally settled on the theme that fuels my muse like no other: the Recycling Barn in my small town of Bowdoinham, Maine.  I go to the barn each week to recycle my mixed paper, my plastics (No. 1-7), my newsprint, Styrofoam and items that I am no longer in love with.  I launch these items and take other things home with me from the barn’s “Gift Shop” or put-and-take area.  For some of us, the "Gift Shop" is the heart and soul of the barn; Open shelving to put your once-loved-but now-not-so-much items, lots of room for books and 3 big bins for clothes, shoes and toys.On each visit to the barn, I try very hard to stick to the simple rule: Drop Off  More Than You Take Home.  Often the rule is broken with the simple justification that I will make something wonderful with what I have found.  In this blog I hope to chronicle that process; what some have called “upcycling” or “repurposing.”  I hope to share with my readers (will there be readers?) the joyous process of finding something discarded and giving it new life.  I am not alone in this quest.  My little village is chock full of people doing the same thing.  I will invite them to share their stuff, too. So there it is, my first post. I dedicate this post to Ramona (pictured above), who was working at the barn one particular day when I was ooohing or aaahhhing over some treasure I had found, overheard my joy and said "Kate, that's why we call this place 'The Barn of Opportunity'!" I hope you will enjoy my posts and join me in the great quest to reduce, reuse, and recycle.