One man's trash ...

The other day Rick and I stopped at the dumpsite. We don't pay for trash service at our home, but take ours to a site which is then taken to the dump. It's free and there's no limit, so we like it. I've blogged about people digging in the dumpsters before. It's a daily occurrence and some people really get into it. The other day we drove up and I saw this pet carrier. Of course, I had to get out and look because it was sitting on the ground next to a bin, not inside it. I was worried someone might have dumped off a pet inside it. I couldn't not look. The guilt would have killed me. It was empty, thank goodness. Upon looking at the carrier closer, I realized it was brand new. It was a little dirty, but for the most part, there wasn't one scratch on it. These things are expensive, so like the white trash I am (snort), I put it in the van and brought it home. Why? I don't know! We already have two large pet carriers and only one cat. But since it was in perfect condition, I decided to snag it. Who knows when some small animal might come into my life. Right? Right? Or maybe I could take it to a pawn shop and get a few bucks. Who knows ... so I took it home and Rick cleaned it up.

Well, Neil flipped out over it. He has a collection of stuffed cats that he's had his entire life and this little carrier was just the perfect size for some of them. He's been carrying this carrier around for days. He even has some of those Fur-Real cats that meow, so it's funny to hear them in the carrier meowing. The other day he took a bunch of his cats up to town with us. Of course, I made him leave them in the car and I was hoping no one would call the cops on us. I could hear it already ... "Some idiot in a big white van has cats in a carrier with the windows rolled up!" Fortunately, our van is high and has dark windows, so we didn't get cited for any stuffed animal abuses.

I had to laugh at myself because I'm not someone who goes digging around in the trash dumpsters. However, this is the second thing I've brought home from that particular site. Last Christmas I found a planter in the shape of a sleigh. It was sitting on the edge of the dumpster, not inside it. Someone put it there hoping someone else would want it. Well, I have these little stuffed reindeers that I got from Burger King way back in the 80s. They needed a sleigh to pull Santa around, so ... I took it. Am I just turning into such a scuz that I take things from trash bins? Or are our stuffed animals playing mind games with us? It makes me wonder ...