Boy Howdy!  Is this ever a national day to remember, it’s National Pack Rat Day, how about that!?!  If there was ever a pack rat it is me.  I save almost everything and if I ever decide to toss it out, I’m down to Home Depot buying another very soon.

You know what I’m talking about, “good stuff”.  That piece of shiney metal that surrounds a shower head or the extension hose from the sink sprayer with a still good sprayer end.  The 12 volt water pump you know will only take a minute to get working again.  A perfectly good metal coffee can with the plastic lid.  The aluminum pan you cooked last Thanksgivings turkey in.  The old frayed rope from the flag pole.  Metal grate from the defunct bbq grill or the end of the old twisted garden hose.

I have a garage full of these good things and there are more.  Half a can of screws that came from an old camping trailer and all the light covers from the same.  Not to mention the handles from the cabinet drawers inside.  These are good things!  How could anyone toss them in the trash?  Do any of you need some of these things?  I have them and they are free to you!

How about out in the shed?  Yes, big items like shovel heads and spades with broken handles still inside.  Perfectly good if they just had new handles.

And there are some things that are around just because “Dad” used it.  It’s totally broken, but how can you throw it away?  Pa bought it and wore it out, hung it up because he knew he could fix it someday, but someday never came around…so there it hangs.  Sort of a priceless thing if you know what I mean.  And in the other corner is a atv sprayer tank that will hold 20 gallons of spray…ya it has a small hole in one corner from a leaking mounting bolt, but dang it’s almost like new.  Someday I’ll fix it.

How about you?  Are you a pack rat?  Today would be a great day to have a garage sale and try to get rid of some of the pack rat stuff.  If everyone who is a pack rat had a garage sale perhaps we could all get together at a common location and have a giant happening sale.  National Pack Rat Sale Day!

Anyway, take the screws out of that old toaster before you throw the rest into the metal salvage bin.

Bears Butt

May 17, 2012