January 13, 2011
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“He died as he lived…”
Greyfox and I were conversing via his Bluetooth and my not-so-hi-tech headset this morning. He was outside, retrieving cats’ feeding dishes and other objects that had blown off his porch. It’s another windy day in Wasilla.
A sudden increase in the wind noise from his microphone signaled that he had stepped away from the relative shelter of his cabin. It became evident which way he had gone when he started talking about what he was seeing in the dumpster. He said there was a lot of interesting-looking stuff, and apparently, some other dumpster diver had already been there, tearing open trash bags.
Then I heard a few grunts of effort and sounds indicating physical exertion. Greyfox explained that he was having to manipulate trash bags one-handed as he held the lid open with the other. The wind was threatening to blow the lid shut on him.
Immediately, I was all, “Be careful, Darlin’! Those lids are heavy,” at the same time he was telling me that the lid was heavy. We both started laughing, and went on talking over each other, speculating about the possible outcome of his having a dumpster slammed shut on him.
Occasionally, one or the other of us has the other on the line as a sort of remote ground support when we’re engaged in some hazardous activity, such as when I’m shoveling snow from the roof here. We’ve speculated in the past about having to explain to a 911 operator that we’re reporting an emergency that has occurred fifty miles away.
Between grunts and guffaws, he told me, in the event of catastrophe, to log onto zoklet (a bb site where he moderates several forums) and report that he had died doing what he loved. I said, “Yeah: ‘He died as he lived — dumpster diving.’” That brought a guffaw from Doug, who had been giving me puzzled looks as he listened to my laughter on this end of the conversation.
Comments (5)
It’s important to have a life line when in extreme conditions, but those extremes can be indoors too. I’ll never forget the conversation I had with Teen Dude when I had fallen in the kitchen after nearly knocking myself out on an open shelf door that was at head level. No one showed up from the back of the house when they heard the “thud” sound. I made it clear that we were each others life lines when together and apart. “If you hear a thud, come see what made that sound,” was my main point. You and Greyfox are wise to take it seriously with some humor thrown in to release the tension that can come from holding on for someone else. What a fine team. Love the profile picture K. Back in the good ole days of Avila Beach, there was a lady who was our resident dumpster diver. If she found something she figure out who in town needed it and the two would come together. She told us tales of out running the police and others about when she didn’t make it. She was required by many of us to let someone know where she was diving so we could go looking for her if she didn’t return home. She had community support.
@Jaynebug - I love that story about the dumpster diver’s “community support.” Greyfox doesn’t limit his collecting to just things we can use. He donates to individuals, thrift stores, libraries…. wherever the mungo is welcome. One of the most plentiful items he finds are kids’ clothes, and they are also in great demand. He knows the sizes and sexes of the kids of the women who work in his local laundromat, the supermarket, and many of his neighbors.
@SuSu - That doesn’t surprise me at all.
That is really great of Greyfox.
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