MAY HAVE 5-GALLON BUCKETS AVAILABLE FOR HOUSTON GARDENERS

Sorry, Guys,
No discrimination here, but can only offer to the Houston-area growers, unless you wanna pay for shipping (which I seriously doubt).

THE BAD NEWS: The IKE renovation building contractor told me Friday they've already gone through 500 gallons of paint and have thrown away all the 5-gallon buckets....

THE GOOD NEWS: He also said they aren't NEARLY finished with our job! There will be MORE 5-gallon buckets available soon, so if any Houston Area gardeners want 'em LMK.

Please be mindful that the contractor is located at my office building, and I have no mode or desire to transport mass quantities of empty buckets from my job to my home for storage. Consequently, If there is REAL, SERIOUS interest, I will approach the contractor about SHORT TERM storage until the requestor(s) arrange for pickup. I'm thinking of asking him to collect them through the week for pickup anytime on FRIDAY. That sounds reasonable, as there is no true storage area on my job, and I don't wanna get in trouble with my employer for having empty buckets piled up on the property. The contractor hauls them away, otherwise. So ya'll will need to work with me.

Again, LMK soonest.

Linda

Linda: I'm on my way to houston. Just kidding of course. I'm picking mine up tomorrow, the finished ones, or should I say partially finished ones, good workers are hard to find here. Did not you say that you had made them, an hour for the first one and 20 mins each one after that? And all you used was a razor knife and drill? Amazing. My guy, had a shop, jigsaw and all, spent two weeks on them and still ain't done. Now my daughter is going to finish them.
joy112854

This is a great resource, Linda! In case there aren't enough Houston DG'rs interested, be sure to check out the Yahoo group, Houston Freecycle, which is a part of a nationwide effort (freecycle.org) to recycle things that would end up in land fills. Folks can post what they want to give away - and willing folks will show up to an agreed upon location to pick them up.

Folks post items for give-away - items like moving boxes, magazines, extra plants, baby clothing, or really anything! I once gave away three years of quilting magazines to a woman whose grandmother was an avid quilter I also gave away a student desk and several pieces of teenager furniture that only a broke college student would have loved. It was great - I set it out on my driveway for the designated person, and it disappeared while I was at work. I really love freecycle. One person's trash is another person's treasure kind of thing!

bookworm28: You wanna hear something really funny? My bedroom which is probably the best designed room in the house, was all from garage sales and clearance stuff, while my other bedrooms were new bedroom sets. Guess which one attracts the most compliments? My bedroom. Amazing isn't it? LOL
joy112854

Joy - the really fun thing about freecycling is when someone comes to pick up what you don't want anymore, and is so incredibly happy to see their dream piece or treasure! I'll just bet your bedroom furniture and decor is so unique and fun, and just "you." The gal that came for my quilting magazines was going to surprise her grandmother with a really incredible gift of many unread quilting magazines, which made me happy I had kept them all those years.

I've also held my last EVER garage sale, so if I have anything useful, I'd just love to give an item to someone who will love it. (and come get it!)

Keeping things out of land fills is a great idea. Recently I drove a bunch of glass jars, etc to our Houston recycling center (they don't pick up glass curbside here), and the car in line ahead of me had many used huge PICKLE JARS. I just walked up to her and said - I'll take 3 of those, and rescued them from the glass heap. I wish now I'd gotten more of them.

Those paint buckets may just be someone's absolute treasure - even if not for HEB's.

Bookworm28,
I can't ever seem to navigate on the Freecycle website. If you could help me out in a dmail (maybe I could call you when I go online), and get me where I need to post, I'd be more than happy to use that site. I've got very many things I could offer beside the buckets.

Thanks for the reminder!

Linda

Linda -
Here's what I do. I have a Yahoo username and email account just to join Yahoo Groups. If you don't have a Yahoo email, it's free and you can sign up for one. Then when you go to Yahoo.com, you'll see Groups as one of your choices on the left side. Click on groups, and search for Freecycle Houston. There are several area choices that will come up depending on where you live. There are over 14,000 people in the Houston group. You have to request to join the group, and after that you're in. Then any time you log in to Yahoo, you can then choose the Groups tab, and any group you've joined will pop up. You can then post give-aways or request to get things others have offered.

Anyway, I don't know about the Freecycle website - it's probably huge, so this is the way I get there. Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks! I'll try tonight.

Bookworm: Out here where I live all they pick up is your normal trash, anything else, you gotta pay to have hauled away. Last week, I stood and looked at all those pallots I had lying off to both sides of my yard, they had originally held the sod I had put in my yard and had itended on keeping them to put my EBs on, alas, they are rotted. But; here is the good thing, a lot of people in this area have bon fires, and I ran across one who has taken half of them off my hands for nothing, he was happy to get them, I was happy to get rid of them, and neither of us was out any money.
joy112854

I love the one man's (or woman's) trash is someone else's treasure thing! Ain't it great?

Yep, and I sure got some trash around here and calling it treasures to be sure. LOOL
joy112854

I freecycle on a pretty regular basis and I love it. Serg would much rather just stick it in the trash but I can't see throwing away something that is in perfect working order when I know someone will take it and love and use it. I've given away Christmas & Halloween decorations, cell phones, kitchen appliances, software, fabric...the list goes on and on.

And in a few weeks I'll give away extra tomato plants...can't wait for that one but boy is the response going to be huge!

Um, Aran, you driving toward Houston anytime BEFORE you give away your extras? LMK and I'll rendezvous for some orphans.

Linda

P.S. I'm SERIOUS....

Linda I know we will be in Houston on March 22-23rd but not before then...if the seedlings are still alive and lookin good then if you'd like some be more than glad to hook up. I'm not sure what hotel we will be staying at as our hotel in Houston was the Sofitel and they have changed to a Crown Plaza which for some strange reason doesn't allow pets...The baby is NOT happy about that. But our appointment is in Northpoint.

Araness,
I think that would be a good weekend for a rendezvous! Just LMK where you guys'll be staying and I'll meet you there. What would you like in trade? (Not that I have much to trade)!

I'll send you my cellphone in a d-mail so you can call me when you get settled here.

Gymgirl - I went to picasa and can't figure out how to do those great photo collages like Araness did. Help - am I missing a feature or just tech challenged???

Also - do you still want some of my extra 'mater plants? I'm going to give the rest to my friend for her garden. The repotting of half of them revealed great roots, and the drier seed starting mix should help the overwatering from my DH. I won't give you any that aren't healthy - don't worry!!

Ok, Nancy! Araness, I forgot that Nancy is right here! I'll rondezvous with you Nancy, ok?

Araness, please forgive me. Please try to give your extras away on your end. Thanks to both of you, for being so giving!

Nancy: I only need about 10 seedlings, if you can spare that many. Lemme know what you've got extras of and I'll let you know what I'd like to try. Thanks, again!

Ok, Bookworm,
I'll go create a collage so I can post the exact instuctions for you. Gimme a minute!

Bookworm28!

Guess what! you can put MORE than 4 pics in a collage in Picasa!!!! Lookie, lookie!

Ok. Here's how I did it:
Go to wherever your pic files are located in Picasa. When you determine which ones you want in your collage, select them one by one. After you select one click on "hold" to put it into your picture tray. After you get all your pics selected, click on "collage" on the toolbar below your picture preview window. The "Make Collage" box comes up. Click on the down arrow next to "type" to determine which kind of collage you want to create. "Options" will allow you to change the background color when you create a collage "pile." Options doesn't come up for every "type" of collage you create. The dropdown arrow next to "Choose a Location" lets you give your collage a name and determine where you're going to save it. Once you've saved your collage (sometimes savin it right into the Picasa program is the easiest, nless you have some garden pic files already created). Once it's saved, you can simply right click on the filename or pic, choose copy, go to the DG browse window, right click again, and select paste. The file address should post in the browse window.

A shortcut for copy and paste is to find the pic, hightlight it, hit your Control+C keys, go where you want it pasted and hit your Control+V key.

Hope this helps! LMK if I missed a step!

Linda

OK then! Thanks SO much, Linda! I'm going to cut and paste those directions so I can use them later. I have a new small digital camera, and I haven't mastered how to take photos that are what I want. I also have a Rebel with a good lens that I use almost every weekend for nature/bird shots. So I do have lots to practice with - just need some TIME (what's that?)

I'll dmail you about how the maters are coming along and if they are or aren't doing well, you will still have time to go to Buchanans or make arrangements with Araness. I will save 10 seedlings for you. If Araness brings plants the 3rd week of March, it would be late for final planting, but better than nothing if all else fails.

Linda,
I am very interested in the 5 gallon buckets you posted in Feb.
I need 100 buckets that I can wash out.
Questions- can the paint be washed out?
Do the buckets have any printing on the outside?
What color are they and do they have lids?
Thank you,
JoAnn

Joannn, so sorry but the replies didn't come soon enough and I had 2 let them go to the dumpster.