Junkin

It was time to go through the old junk pile. I saw it there toward the edge of the property when we first bought the house. Tucked in among the trees, it stuck out like an ugly wart when everything was winter-bare. But through the summer, when the branches were lush and the undergrowth was its own little wild jungle, it was easy to “forget” about that pile of rusted metal and wood. But lately its been calling my name.

I admit it. I’m a sucker for old things. And since moving in to our house, its felt like our ground is growing this stuff like weeds. Old rusty car parts. Pieces to various farm machinery; augers, elevator chains, things not quite discernible. I even pulled an old headlight out of the flower bed. It was staring up at me like a blind eye.

This junk pile though. Jeez its big. And it needs to be dealt with.

There’s about three more of these piles back into the woods. Its like a graveyard for used things. But is some of it still useful? I was curious…

To get to the junk graveyard, you’ve got to go through this cool gate. Its part of the remnant of fencing that still exists back there. The gate itself is dang cool. You know how much something like this goes for in one of those “junk shops”?

We pulled some neat things from the pile. This chair just needs some color and it’ll come back to life. No holes in the bottom of this banged up metal bucket. Bingo! I immediately think of next year’s pepper plants. What do you think? Is your creativity flowing yet?

If you’re a junker like me, you’re probably salivating at the potential for re-purposing some of this stuff. There’s more to go through; lots of old boards and windows and even a few farmhouse doors. Sure, there’s also enough useless crap that has the practical side of me screaming just to dig a hole and bury it all. But not yet. Not yet.

I haven’t walked the entire property for a while, so after digging through the top layer of the junk heap I went back to where I’ve started to unbury the old hog sheds. Through the woods and around to the south side, I’m still finding old things lying around as I slowly work through the overgrown trees. What would you do with this old skid loader bucket and water trough?

One of the coolest finds on the property is this old Ford truck bed. The wood is rotted out and the lower half of the frame is rusted through, but most of its charm is still clearly there. Anyone know what year this looks like? I rescued it from the trees  that were trying to eat it, and we pulled out the heap of rusting metal that was piled in it. Its got a good bones and will make a nice winter project. A little rust repair, some new wood in the back and some new paint (I’m thinking yellow and green…Go Ducks!) and we’ll have a nifty flower planter that’s sure to catch some attention. I can’t wait to get started on this one.

Something else that came out of the junk pile was this little stool. It’s small and it has unique character. Maybe it was a footstool once? Maybe something else?  It’s already made it’s way inside the wood shop where it’ll get a nice makeover. I’ll keep you posted on its transformation.

So what about you? Are you a junker too? You don’t have to spend a lot of money at the “antique” shops to find cool pieces. Check out your local flea markets or look for barn sales. No matter where you find your junk, get creative, get inspired. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for your soul. And share your creations with others. It’s always more fun that way.

I’m sure we’ll find more stuff as we continue to clean up our property. For now, we’ve certainly got enough to keep us busy. Until next time, keep junkin’.