Desert Messenger

December 21, 2016 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 Traveling with Gypsy Jane If there were a Dumpster-Diving Olympics, I would be a gold medalist. Just the other day, I was strolling by the four dumpsters near my home, ca- sually glancing inside. Sometimes there is literally a gold mine there. This one day, there was all sorts of stuff, includ- ing a music box (that actually worked). The problem was the top of the box was on the very bottom of the dumpster, and there was no way to grab it -- not even with the long metal rod with a hook on the bottom that I carry with me in my camper -- just in case. It was a real chal- lenge to fi gure out how to get the top of the music box. I thought for a few minutes while perusing the contents of the dumpster for ideas. I saw a large cereal box. Aha, I thought. I'll scoot the music box lid into the cereal box with my metal hook. Then, I'll lift the cereal box up with the metal rod. It required a lot of patience (and skill), but I did it. That's when it occurred to me that if there were a Dumpster-Diving Olym- pics, I would win a gold medal! That same day I found one of those clips that holds the table cloth on my porch table that exactly matched the other three. (I had been meaning to buy a fourth.) At the same time, I found several of the safety lights that are on the top of my camper; so I could replace the two that had fallen off (one red, one orange). AND, two bottles of silver spray paint that I was also going to buy ($4.99) to spray my awning supports. Not only did I save a lot of money, but time as well. When I lived in the co-op apart- ment I owned in Seattle, Washington, I was amazed at all the perfectly good STUFF people threw in the dumpster behind our building. There was a 4 x 4 foot space at the bottom of the stairs inside the building. I put a table there and a sign that said, "Leave what you don't want; take what you want." Boy, did I reap the benefi ts of that idea. Practically my whole apartment was furnished with other people's throw- aways. And it was good stuff. Again, I can't list it all here, but my favorites in- clude a wall-size, oriental screen with herons perched in trees on a red satin background and a very spiritual black and white photograph of stairs leading through an archway. Priceless! Both hang in my Quartzsite home. This quality of mine - let's be kind and call it frugal - probably stems from the fact that I was a depression baby - that is, I was born during the depres- sion years. My father died when I was seven, and my mother never worked; so money was always scarce, but I al- ways had a roof over my head and enough to eat. I started babysitting and doing household chores when I was twelve. Except for room and board, I was pretty much self-suffi cient fi - nancially from that age on. My home in Seattle was furnished from garage sales and dumpster fi nds. One of my best fi nds happened when I was out for an evening walk and discovered an oriental rug on top of a dumpster. The rose color matched my dining-room valance perfectly. I was thrilled. Now I can't list ALL of my fi nds here, but dumpster diving and thrift-store visits are like treasure hunts for me. Most of my life I've never had "two nickels to rub together," so to speak. It wasn't until I retired that I felt I had ENOUGH. I am always looking for bar- by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) The Dumpster Diving Oympics Quartzsite, AZ 2016 SCHEDULE January 6-15 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show January 20-29 Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama Show February 3-12 Tyson Wells Art & Craft Show F R E E P A R K I N G LOCATION 100 W. Kuehn Street QUARTZSITE, AZ 928-927-6384 www.TysonWells.com F R E E P A R K I N G gains. At grocery stores, I have enough money to stock up on sale items. It takes money to save money. I always tell peo- ple I live like a queen; I have everything I need or want. But I've always watched my pennies; I worked too hard for my money to fritter it away. And now I'm reaping the rewards: RETIREMENT! I NEVER pay interest and paid cash for my home in Quartzsite. Since I sold all my furniture when I sold my home in Seattle, my home was empty. I put up a sign in the laundry room: "I just bought a home in Desert Gardens and have no furniture. If you have some- thing you're not using, please see me at Space 140. Thank you!" A neighbor offered me the sofa off her porch which I used until I bought my beautiful sofa. Then an anonymous person left two lamps on my porch -- a perfect match to the sofa I'd purchased. My darling neighbor Dorothy gave me a coffee table, two matching end tables, a tall gold lamp, and two small square ta- bles. A stranger stopped by when I was working in my yard and offered me a swivel chair which amazingly matched my new sofa! My home was practically furnished. I bought a futon for the bed- room, and I was done. I like what my friend Vernon said, "You're a minimalist like me." That de- scribes me perfectly! ~*~*~*~*~*~ From The Art of Doing Nothing: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself by Ve- ronique Vienne, Erica Lennard : "Like Thoreau, who was a self-pro- claimed advocate of voluntary poverty, the medieval Don Quixotes lived hand- to-mouth -- rewarded for their services with gifts in kind. Don't let mercenary activities take over your life. Show the feudal estab- lishment that there is more to the pur- suit of happiness than a job description, a rigid schedule, and a fat paycheck." ~*~*~*~*~*~ Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Liv- ing the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Sto- ries from the Road). For an update on Jane's travels and writing, visit her website (janefi nley.com) and/or read "Traveling with Gypsy Jane" and "Poems from the Road" in The Des- ert Messenger (desertmessenger.com) beginning March 5, 2014 (contact: janefi nley@yahoo.com). WE'RE BACK!! TRANSPONDER AUTO KEYS (Electronic Chip Keys) Jeep, Chrysler, Ford Chevrolet, Toyota & many more! Betty Crenshaw, Owner C & B LOCK & KEY 41 YEARS EXPERIENCE 928-927-6589 Mobile Service Only

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