Night Night, Sleep Tight, don't let the ....

 ...Yup. The bedbug phobia has come to the Barn of Opportunity.  We saw it coming. This scary guy has been warning us, dangling above the bin of clothes in the "gift shop" for a few weeks now. He's telling those of us who pick from the offerings in that bin to launder them and heat the items in the dryer for 20 minutes on high heat as soon as we get them home. As always, we take items from the Barn of Opportunity "at our own risk."  Now it's just in writing on the wall.  There is a lot of info on the web about bedbugs and it didn't take me long to find an article that addressed bed bugs and the thrift shoppers  like me. We are the ones who need to be warned.  Kathy Durgin-Leighton warned me as SOON as she heard about bedbug infestations in neighboring towns, since she knows I love to find clothing and fabric at the barn. Thanks, Kathy.

  I try very hard to NOT use my dryer, EVER, but if I must, I must. For I am not ready to give up the thrill of finding gems in the bin like this dress, which became my Shirley Partridge Halloween costume a few years ago.

  And as for the matching Size 10 gogo boots that magically appeared in the shoe bin that same October to complete the Halloween outfit? Those would have to have been put into a plastic bag and left in a freezer (or snowbank) for 2 weeks to kill any bugs lurking in those pointy toes. My kids found the costume frightening enough without bug infestation.

Besides the dangling mascot over the first floor clothes bin, visitors to the barn this week will notice the removal of the clothes storage bins on the second floor of the barn.  Bed bug prevention measures again. They may return, but for now it is safety first.  I appreciate the safety measures and the chance to both donate and take clothing.  I know I'll risk a lot to experience the joys of the barn. Today's joy? A hand-crocheted doily that had a small pink stain on it. As we speak I'm dying half of it pink and the other half green. Then who knows what I'll make out of it.

Composters- stand up and be counted!

David Berry and the rest of the town's Solid Waste Committee are putting the finishing touches on the annual report of the town's recycling program and curbside pickup.  They want to make sure they have an accurate measure of who is composting materials at home.  To that end they ask that you stop by the town office or the barn and fill out a slip of paper that asks one simple question: Do you compost at home?

Too bad the paper is too small to go on in detail about how each of composts at home.  They would read things like "Well, outside I have three static piles and one active pile, and in the winter I focus on my vermiculture composting and have two rotating indoor bins for kitchen waste..."  I can hear my pre-teen saying "T.M.I., Mom, T.M.I."  So it's a simple yes, or no, I guess.  And for your trouble, you are entered into a drawing to win this beautiful composter from Brett Thompson, (The Worm Biz), and F.W.Horch.  Good luck. Drawing will be held on the spring equinox, March 20!  Ahhhh, spring....

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.