This morning as I was walking with my coffee, I noticed a few things in the back yard.
First the chives are sprouting:
And the parsley wintered over and is starting to sprout as well:
And the side of the picnic table which sat on the north end of the house in the shade one summer has finally rotted to unsafe for sitting:
But I was born and raised in the country, in what I now realize was a very low income level, in a time before “recycle” became a catch phrase. So my first thought was, what can I do with the picnic table….most of it is still good.
I decided to repurpose it as a planter stand. Taking off the rotted bench, and positioning it by the fence line in a way the dogs can’t jump the fence with it, it’s become my new garden area. And the bonus is a garden area I don’t have to bend my back to reach!
Notice the collection of planters? As I was digging through the sheds finding old planters and bent or leaking buckets to use for planters this year, it dawned on me, I was “recycling” or “re-purposing” these items. Hmmm…..really? To me I was just doing what I was raised to do…..use what you have available.
That got me to thinking about other things I have “re-purposed over the years and I quickly snapped two pics:
The old milk jug that is now a bird seed container. Plastic bag to hold the bird feed inside it and keep the seed from condensation and it’s perfect to keep the squirrels away from the seeds until I put them out. (I have another one in the house I polished and use for dog food!)
Wheelbarrow which became a small garden for those plants with vining roots that I don’t want taking over the garden. This year I’ll plant mint in it, and I have another one that is almost too weak to use to haul stuff that will become another garden when it’s replaced.
So, my question to you, is “recycle” a catch word in your life? Or is it a way of life? And how do you recycle?
Just pondering this sunny morning as I walk with my coffee………….
YEP, I grew up like this also….and since we live on a limited pension budget, we still make do with what we have. My brother & DH check out the town dump for leftover lumber, you never know when you might just need a piece of board for something. We save plastic containers for starting seedlings….which will be soon.
That’s a fabulous idea for the picnic table and the old milk jug. Heck, now I want a milk jug!!!! 😀
Thank you for this, Judy. Love the way you re-purpose stuff. That’s exactly what the earth (and her population) needs and needs to do.
beautiful!