The Cool House: Iron Moan

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Iron Moan


Yesterday at twilight I dug up the iron form around the rear driveway, bent it into a small hoop and hauled it to the trash collection point. Today is plastic and metal recycling day and I'm hoping it gets picked up, otherwise it'll sit there until the regular garbage collection. Even after five years of separating the trash I'm still not sure what gets recycled where. In Europe we had a list, a long long list and woe betide you (in the form of big fines) if you put the wrong garbage out or left a yoghurt pot unwashed in the regular trash. But at last I knew what went where on which day!
Of course the solution to my dilemma was to leave the freakin' form where it was but frankly I'm fed up falling over it (when I don't remember to carefully step up) every time I walk the dogs. In 2004 the owner's son had mentioned we should get the landscaper to knock it back in and I'd hoped he'd volunteer or magic elves would take care of it, but that never happened. Fast forward five years to when I told the landscaper we were resurfacing the drive and he suggested I get the asphalt guy to rip it out. Nope that didn't happen, either!
As I walked up the drive with the dogs in the late afternoon there was a chill in the air and I knew the warm weather we've had this week wouldn't last. If I didn't do something about it right now it would have to wait until Spring. That was the breaking point. I fetched a shovel and took all my frustrations out on 50 feet of metal. Why was I so miffed? The lovely deep asphalt you see in the photo that we had laid a couple of weeks back, on a sunny day with no rain in the forecast so it would have time to cure, well the weather guys got it wrong and it poured and poured, leaving puddles of sealant and exposing holes in the drive - in general it's a big gray mess. Actually it's a big gray mess covered in leaves and acorns and it will stay that way until March when the asphalt guy will come back and redo it. Until then I can look forward to it being covered in several inches of snow and impenetrable ice... and of course I have that lovely photo to remind me what it will look like when it's finished.

3 comments:

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

I need a PhD to figure out the trash schedule at the shore. Nearly two years there and I still haven't passed my exams, as evidenced by the crap the collectors leave behind each week.

Sorry about the asphalt. That stinks. At least you have the memories...

And p.s. $10 for glass candlesticks will never do. You need to come thrifting with me and that upstate girl. ;-)

house things said...

Garbage can be complicated. Seems to be a widespread problem. See my post on the subject today.

The driveway. How disappointing/infuriating. How long is the typical asphalt cure time?

modernemama said...

UPDATE: the garbage guys took the frame! YAY!

The asphalt would normally cure in two days this time of year, one day in summer but... the rain!