Radiating success

Do you have one of those projects that you put off, then put off again, then try to forget about because you REALLY don't want to deal with it?  Procrastination at its finest.


I do. It is the radiator in my front yard.


I know what you are thinking "seriously, it's still there?"


Yes. It. Is. 


Stop judging me.  I've been BUSY!


Remember me??

OK so I was all gung ho originally to get the radiator out of my front yard, I even dug it out and tilted it.  That is when I realized it was 9000 pounds and that no matter how strong I think I am, I couldn't budge it.

So it sat in our front yard, half in and have out for MONTHS.  I know.  It is gross and really the height of laziness, but I just couldn't get my resolve back.  I wasted it all digging the darn thing out.


Somehow I just mentally blocked it when I looked at my front yard.  I wasn't even embarrassed when people came over.  I would laugh and tell people that if they could move it, they could take it with them.  That was my solution, joke it away.  Clearly not an effective solution.


I am hosting a baby shower at my house next weekend and something about 20 strangers (and family) descending on my home makes me want it in tip top shape, that means the radiator had to go, because tip top shape does not equal a radiator in the front yard.


I kicked it into overdrive this weekend and tackled pretty much EVERY project that I had been neglecting. (Chris also was in over drive, I'll tell you about that later).


I created a to-do list and I have been systematically checking it off, while simultaneously wiping sweat from brow upper lip. Total tangent here, but I have the worst sweaty areas.  Who sweats from their upper lip?  This girl.  Gross.  I know.  It's only slightly better than Swass (sweaty ass), which a man at my gym unfortunately has (I feel for him).


Anyway, I was tackling my outdoor spaces, replanting, re-barking, watering, filling and I finally arrived at the radiator.  Moving this thing WASN'T even on my to-do list. How did I forget that?  That mental blocking thing must have really been working!


Anyway, I got to the radiator and I just knew that it couldn't stay in my yard for 1 minute longer.  I ran inside asking Chris if he could help me move "something, real quick" which was not really a lie..... (I'm not going to dig into the technicalities of a lie right now, but I think it was more of misdirection than a lie).


He happily came outside thinking I needed him to schlep a bag of bark for me or something.  Boy was he surprised when I told him we were going to move the radiator.


When there is a will, there is a way.  We rolled, scooted, and tipped the radiator right out of the garden and leaned it up against a tree on our parking strip.


The radiator was moved, I was happy (and sweaty), and Chris was wondering why he hadn't taken the darn thing to the dump that morning when his brother was at our house with his truck...then I started wondering the same thing.


I told Chris that I would list the radiator for free on Craigslist and Freecycle.  I was sure someone wanted our old lawn art. Trash to treasure, and all that.

 Like how I listed it as "vintage"?  People love vintage things.  I was careful not to call it antique, because I don't know the rules around what is and is not antique. Either way, I put it out there and hoped that someone would want it.


Chris was not so sure that we would get any takers on this "treasure" but to be safe, he moved his car to the other side of the street, lest someone try to move the radiator and bump his car.  After it had sat in front of our house for 3 hours, he was starting to get antsy and worried that our neighbors would get mad that we were leaving it out on the strip.  Really?  Which neighbors?  The jump roping ones or the one who told us about a death on our 1st night?


Anyway, as we were heading to bed, I got an email that verified that I was not crazy!
 

Someone wants it!!!!

Maybe getting one email from someone on craigslist doesn't quite verify that I am not crazy, but 2 emails surely does!  This is what I woke up to this morning:

There was someone out there in the universe that would LOVE my radiator! Winner! 


I wanted Wendy to have the radiator but before I could reply I checked out the window and the radiator was no longer outside our house.  Someone had swooped it up between 11pm and 8am.


To be honest if I was picking up an old, dirty radiator from someones front yard, I would proably also do it under the cloak of darkness (in case anyone saw me).


So, after months of apathy, the radiator is finally gone, I have my front yard back, Chris is pleased and everyone is very happy....except Wendy, she was very disappointed (sorry Wendy).


We went from this:

Early spring

To this:

Late Summer

I am now convinced that I can get rid of anything by posting it for free on CL or Freecycle.  I think I may have to put my theory to the test soon, but if people will take a radiator, people will take anything.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves free stuff (both giving and receiving).  Have you ever picked up something from the side of the road that had a free sign on it? Have you ever freecycled?

Confession: I totally picked up some chairs that were on a corner a few years ago to use in my apartment.  I felt so wrong doing it- like I was stealing or something. Plus, I didn't want anyone to recognize me!!