When other people's trash talks

Hubby is an amateur chef who loves to cook outside. Food tastes great and heat stays out of the house! But we really needed more work space out there.

One morning last year, Marilyn and I were driving alleys. We saw a battered wooden cupboard that was obviously headed for the landfill.



















Even though the cupboard didn’t look very promising, I immediately knew I had to have it. It was telling me that it wanted to be part of our outdoor kitchen. When other people's trash talks to me, I know I’ve found a treasure.

We loaded into Marilyn’s truck and took it home. Sometimes Hubby does not see what I see in other people's junk, but he knew immediately what this piece was saying. It must have been yelling. He was excited.

We replaced the rotten wood with sound wood — all scraps of course —, primed and painted it to cover the icky crayon marks on the front.



I didn’t quite know what to do about the top. It was made from two boards and had a gap between them. Gaps are not good in an outdoor cupboard. I got some free large tiles that a home center didn’t want, but I hated the way they looked. Another friend suggested that we use black and white tiles in a pattern. I loved the idea. I already had the tiles, which were left over from someone else's project. She cut the tiles and helped me grout them. I later sealed them.

Hubby was delighted with the final results and started using the cupboard as soon as it was finished.

I was delighted that he was delighted.