Working in the LOO

I have been so busy volunteering at the auction that I have not seen hide nor hair of Best Beloved even though he is there too! It seems that his buddy Jim roped him into working in the Lens Department. Now my husband is just the biggest shutter bug so he is as happy as can be messing around with lenses, enlargers, cameras, and telescopes. I heard at dinner last night that there is a mint condition Polaroid Land Camera with its original carrying case in their room. He also said that there is an industrial sized enlarger and a vintage safety light that has been the buzz of all the guys working in the Lens Room.

Frankly, I have been too busy working in the Land Of Opportunity or the LOO! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure or so they say! And nowhere is that more clearly demonstrated then in the quarter acre plot that we have taken over on the side of Woodward School’s East side. All kinds of sport water bottles have come and gone as the volunteers have come to use them to replace the ones they lost or forgot. Cloth grocery bags have been scooped up like gold in the face of the rapidly approaching plastic bag ban. And a teacher came and got a load of mismatched arts and crafts supplies to take to use with students in the fall. And the toys! All the children volunteering have discovered the discarded toys and now they are safely in their pockets and off to new adventures.

Working at the LOO I have met the nicest people who are dedicated to keeping useful gently used items from the landfill. Adults, teens, and children all dedicated to dumpster diving for the odds and ends that are donated to the auction and in need of a second home. This year thanks to the LOO the dumpster is not even half full whereas last year it had to be hauled off full and replaced with a new empty bin by this time in the donation cycle. Go Team LOO! I am so thrilled that they let me join their team. I have learned so much from these young people. Now I look at everything at the curb with an eye to who might benefit most from the item!