Free Stuff

Free stuff is the best. Especially when it's stuff you need. I try to avoid buying 'new stuff' when I can. There are things - like fishing hooks, garbage bags, and the 2008 Zamami school tshirt - that are just not available on the used market. But fishing lures and poles and clothes and camera gear are all selling right now on auction sites. A little more searching through second-hand shops and classifieds will often yield super deals (ask me about my yogurt maker and my oven).

I've had the word out on Zamami for months that I'm in the market for a used bike. And I'm willing to pay. Preferably something nearing the end of its life, both because I only need it for coasting down hills and I thought my chances of finding a discarded near-death bicycle were better. But nobody was in the market, despite the hundreds of bikes on Zamami. Finally fate relented and a rusty contraption came my way this week. The gears and brakes and wheels work, but it is built for a stature considerably shorter than mine.

I was also the recipient of a healthy contribution of fresh onions and garlic and a head of cabbage. Hurray for generous people!