Some stuff I gave away

K2 gets first pick of all the stuff we are getting rid of. K came by the other day to put her name on some things, a smattering of which are featured in this post. Ks (partners) came by again for another round. It's good.

Featured above is a fern that we found last November when K2 invited us out to pick black huckleberries. Amazingly, this plant stayed alive in our house all winter. I say amazingly, because it is a rainforest plant and much used to being outside in the cold & wet, not in a warm dry house.

In the summer of 2007, soon after I had met Dan, I had moved out of the Fernwood House and into The Stately (where his mom & stepdad live). We were only there for a couple of months, because we were on our way to getting our own place in East Sooke. One night, while out for a run in Fairfield, I came upon this lovely old chair that someone was giving away for free.

I don't know if this happens in other places; I have only ever seen it on Vancouver Island. Put something out on the side of the road with a FREE sign on it, and most items seem to evaporate within the hour.

This here is a wee mango plant. A friend of mine grew this from a pit, and when I was visiting last fall, she offered me one of her houseplants. This little guy had scale all over it when we got it, and within a few weeks of regular tending, Dan had the scale beat.

This plant has come a long way. It was a small baby from the mother jade plant at Dan's mom's house in Victoria. 

A serger we never used. I think it came from Dan's mom too. 

 One time a long time ago, in what seems a past life, I said to the boyfriend of the time "will you build me a bench?". He pondered, then set to work on building himself a bed frame, a dresser, two end tables, a trunk, closet doors, and then he built me this bench. It's not the prettiest thing (it has been pale green, red, and orange) but it is definitely sturdy. It has served as a shoe rack, a plant stand, a bench.

Soon after the bench, the erstwhile boyfriend also built me this. I didn't ask for this, it was a suprise. He had just come back from hunting deer and we were having a conversation about it. I don't recall if my attitude was of being apalled or curious, but he said something about 'don't go into the pink bedroom, that's where the deer carcass is' and I could not resist bait like that. I went straight to the room and found this amazing piece of furniture. There is even writing on the back.

Fortunately, the shelf has lasted much longer than the relationship did. It too has been pale green, red, and now orange. It is extremely sturdy and has served me very well, and I have moved it more times than I can remember. But you know what? It was time to let it go. Let go of the baggage that the memory of that relationship held. Someday my husband will build me new furniture and it will be way better.

This is another piece I bought in 2005. I had just returned from living in Asia a few months before and had very little in the way of furniture. Everyone needs shelving, and I paid full retail for this at Staples one day. It's been a great plant stand and book case. 

I think I bought this piece when I was living on Richardson Street in Victoria. I know I got it at the second hand store on the corner of Quadra & Cook, kittycorner to the Thrifty's. I paid $30 for it in 2005, if memory serves.