February 19th, 2019

What am I so doggone happy about?  Well, let me tell you. Our new garbage cans were delivered yesterday morning!  Yahoo!

(Isn't it kind of sad that new garbage cans is what passes for excitement in our lives?  But oh well, it is what it is.  And I may live a boring live but at least I am always honest about it )

Regardless, the town of Venice delivered one to each house on the island today. Tim and I happened to be coming back from our noon walk (not moon walk) and saw them coming down the street so I just waited outside for it.  

I'm sure that the cost is being built into our garbage pick up bill, but I don't care.  This is an enormous garbage can.  As you maybe can see in the photo above the top of it is above my waist!  It's big.  With an attached lid, that flips back and forth as needed on hinges. There is a big old City of Venice stenciled on the side too so that if someone should abscond with our nifty new garbage can it will be returned not only to the town, but to us.  It is my understanding that each garbage can is someone encoded to the address where it belongs as well.  How very high tech of us.

I'm told that these new garbage cans are a duet with some new garbage trucks that have a lift.  So the workers can wheel these giant cans up to a lift which does all the worst of the work.  Smart! Protect those backs from injury! I am all in favour of that!  

The new cans are sturdy and roomy and the wheels work great!  No more dragging a wonky wheeled garbage can to the curb that is full to overflowing because it wasn't sufficient to the cause.  No more falling over in the tiniest breeze. And hopefully, no more critters knocking over the cans!

When we first moved here, it was up to each individual household to supply their own cans.  There was one already here at the house, but it was more than a little worse for wear.  And, as I already told in another blog post somewhere on here, during a storm it was swept down the street.  Eventually I found the can but the lid vanished forever.  It was then consecrated the "extra" can for those rare occasions when we had more garbage than can space AND it could also be used for lawn and shrub trimmings, palm fronds, piles of leaves and so forth. In Waste Management Speak that would be Yard Waste.  But of course, that meant we had to buy a new can. One with a lid.  One that locked in place.  Off we went to  Lowe's and found something that would suit. It was worked very well, except that the wily raccoons and possums know how to get the lid unlocked.

Not the fault of the garbage can. We have especially smart woodland creatures here.  The Mensa Possums live here.  The new cans, I'm sad to say, do not lock.  They just lift.  But considering the size and weight of them, I think it would be difficult for any critter to manage to knock it over.  However, if  roving bands of raccoon gangs got together, maybe they would be successful.  We shall see.  I need to go look at it and see if there is a way to put a lock on it  now that I'm thinking about it.  Of course I would have to then remove the lock when I take the cans to the curb......

Nope. I see no way to lock it. Dang.  Well I guess I will wait and see if it's an issue before worrying about it.  

This new can is so fancy, it even came with a page of instructions:

La de damn dah! Actually, this is not a big deal.  It's mostly stuff I already knew.  About a week ago I also got a notification in the mail about how to properly recycle stuff.  So if they have to teach us how to do it, perhaps it's trickier than it seems.

Meanwhile the next thing on my list is trying to figure out a way to get rid of the OLD garbage can.  Not as easy as you'd think.  I've tried.  The lidless can here, the original garbage can, is still on the side of the house because everytime I take it to the curb, they do not take it away.  

At this point it's not just bashed up, it has actual holes in it and no lid but still they leave it.  I even wrote a big sign that said, "THIS CAN IS GARBAGE, PLEASE TAKE"  and still they left it.  I thought that was fairly clear.  It wasn't a personal attack, it was a factual statement AND a request. But no.  The garbage guys apparently do not want to throw away an old garbage can So now I'm considering cutting the old one up.  

I know it's too thick for regular scissors.  I asked Tim if he thought I could slice it into small pieces with a box cutter but he felt that me plus box cutter was an accident waiting to happen.  So that's probably not a good idea.

I'm thinking, maybe a sawzall.......?