The Street Will Provide

This does not refer to garage sales. No. It means the literal street will give you what you need. "The street will provide" was a part of the Kartchner family philosophy. One item the street proffered comes immediately to mind: toilet paper. My dad loved it when ours or any house was toilet papered. He'd collect as much as he could salvage for his personal use. If a spare roll was left in the gutter, all the better. Once, on our way to church he spotted such an unappreciated roll. An entire roll! "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa," he exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes and leaped out of the car to retrieve the white bundle of gold. "Two-ply, even!" he would have beamed, silently praising the acts of juvenile delinquency that allowed him to be the recipient of such bounty. Meanwhile, I'm slouched down in the seat, trying to avoid eye-contact with all the neighbors who are passing us on their way to church.

As I got older, I learned the benefits of this philosophy, however. For example, on my mission in Taiwan, my companion and I found an abandoned wicker chair. We looped it onto the handlebars of my bike and carted it home for the beautification of our apartment. A couple years ago I was jogging in Heidi's neighborhood and passed a wooden bookshelf set out on the sidewalk. A bookshelf! Must've been worth a hundred bucks. "Free", the sign said. I nabbed it.
Just think of all the savings living this philosophy assures, not to mention getting to use two-ply instead of single-ply during the prime-time summer toilet-papering months.

Thanks to modern technology, "The Street Will Provide" has an expanded scope. There's a Yahoo! group called "Freecycle" where people advertise their unwanted stuff. All this stuff is there for the taking, just as if it were sitting in the street. Today, we acquired this beautiful, rustic (read: rusty) wheelbarrow from Freecycle. What are some cool free things you've found on the "street"?