‘misc’ Category

Electronics Recycling

I don’t know about you, but over the years we’ve accumulated broken or outdated printers, computer parts, stereo equipent, etc. We’ve sold anything that still has value on EBay (in fact, we made over $300 last week selling our old PlayStation 2, GameCube, and network DVD player) but for the rest, we didn’t want to just put it in our trashcan and have it end up in a landfill. Fortunately, there are several electronics recycling companies in the area. Last Friday we loaded up the car (and stopped at Scott and Sue’s house so they could load up their junk) and headed to PC Recycler’s monthly free consumer drop-off day in Chantilly. We backed the SUV up, dumped everything, and left. According to their web site, they’re now recycling over 200,000 pounds of electronics per month. If you’re in Northern Virginia, please consider this option the next time you need to dispose of old/broken electronics!

101

Hard to believe, but this is my 101st blog entry! I’m going to keep it short, and just use it to let you know that Kathie has started a blog of her own: http://kathiefischer.blogspot.com/. Check it out!

You’ve got mail(box)!

In other news, two weeks ago our mailbox was knocked over by a car during the night. We found it laying on the ground, its wooden post split in half, and tire marks on the curb and lawn. We were one of the few houses on the street who still had our original builder-installed “El Cheapo” mailbox, so we suspect it’s a plot by the Home Owner’s Association to get us to upgrade :-)

Long story short, we have a new mailbox. Since I’m sure you’re dying to see it, here you go. The most important feature is the little yellow sticker that says “Stop littering our lawn and driveway with free newspapers! Print is dead!”

Mystery bird

We recently spotted this bird in our back yard. Kathie regularly observes the birds in the yard and has never seen this one before. In fact, we’ve never seen it since, either. I was lucky enough to get a couple pretty good photos of it before it took off for other locales. It’s a large bird, probably standing close to a foot tall from head to toe. If anyone knows what it is, feel free to leave a comment here on the blog!

Edit: Thanks to Valerie for pointing out that this is a pileated woodpecker. The red head originally made me think “woodpecker” (no, really!) but I had no idea they were so big, so I dismissed the idea.

Mulch Mountain

Yesterday we got our 12 cubic yards of mulch delivered. 12 cubic yards seems to be about the size of a small car. The weather’s been perfect so we’ve already made a huge dent in the pile (ok, actually it’s a chemo week so Kathie’s made a huge dent, I’ve made a small dent). Re-doing all our landscaping beds this spring has been really rewarding, but I think we’re both really looking forward to when it’s done!