…is often treasure to me! I come from a nice, long linage of cheap bastards. I don’t skimp on things I deem important: cheese, good denim, expensive plane tickets to exotic lands. But I do skimp on an array of seemingly random and vast things.
For example, I don’t feel like I should ever have to pay “real money” for anything wicker, woven baskets, wrapping paper, underwear, salt, envelopes, tupperware, freezer bags, etc. Luckily my loved ones know this odd quirk and give me the necessary items as gifts, or else accept the fact that they will always get gifts from me wrapped in brown grocery bags.
One of the things I feel I shouldn’t have to pay money for is a trellis. In my mind, it’s just metal or thin pieces of wood. Surely one should just fall into my yard. Hence why my garden lacks those lovely arched trellises that act as a gateway to a secluded area. Would love to have one. Absolutely too cheap to buy one. It’s not even an income thing. If I were loaded, I still think I wouldn’t do it.
Well, last weekend I came across quite the score. It appears to be a temporary fencing thing, like what you would use to corral a young, unpotty-trained puppy in your kitchen while you are away. It has now become TWO fabulous new wall trellises: one for a rambling rose and another for our porcelain berry vine.
I knocked some nails into the wall of our house and side of our fence, then hung the fencing stuff. It looks a little ugly right now, but a little time will make it cool. Currently it’s an ugly brass, but our Portland precipitation should have it turned into a nice rust in about two months. And once the vines climb further into the fencing, it should fill out nicely.
Another fabulous score has been some old, metal bicycle rims. They are currently covering part of my vegetable beds, where I have fall season crops planted, to protect them from the chickens. But come winter, I have a lovely plan to nail those suckers onto the fence and trellis up another vine. Jasmine perhaps.
Okay, just kind of a spacey evening for me and felt like sharing. I would love to hear about your fabulous junk treasures too! And I would especially love to hear about any quirky things you think you shouldn’t have to pay for.
Ok, I was with you until you got to the underwear part…! What’s your secret to free underwear???
LOL The underwear stopped me for a second, too, until I realized they are included in your gifted items. 😎
I’m so with you on the thought of buying a trellis. I cannot believe the price of those rickety things. Hopefully, we’ll run across something to create a trellis. I need to block the neighbor’s peep hole…all the slats in my fence.
You guys are funny 🙂 Yes, you guessed correctly that underwear falls into gifted items from Jay. He also buys me fun socks, another thing I love but hate to pay money for.
I feel like a stalker! I’m just really enjoying your posts here…. and have been vigorously nodding my head at the computer while I read.
Excited to find someone else who comes from a “cheap bastard” line! I hate to buy anything, except food from the farmer’s market, of course. Made a trellis last year from some pruned fruit tree branches – trying to train my jasmine up.
You are totally not a stalker 🙂 Glad I’m not the only cheap bastard out there!