There's More Than One Way To Skin A Cat, I Mean, Couch

In the middle of the living room floor, on top of the multi-level green shag carpet that needed to be taken up, was this lovely couch.  It's heavy, it is a recliner on both ends, and because I purchased the home from an estate, no one knew how the previous owner got this couch into the room.  Every way the sellers tried to get the couch out, it just didn't seem to fit through the door.

Well, I was going to wait a few days to line up some guys to try to figure this out, but it didn't take long to get tired of walking around it.  It stared at me like it had won, and screamed that it was something that I couldn't do on my own.

I accepted the challenge.  After my wasp/chimney episode, it was the perfect task to release some stress on something I could do.  I flipped it over, and with a saw, sledge hammer, crowbar, hammer, wrench and screwdrivers, began taking it apart with the back side and underneath so I could see the "guts" of this beast.


This is the pile it became.  It was broken down further with the metal in one pile, cushions and stuffing in trash bags and the mostly wood materials in a can.  I had pulled trim, shelves and other wood and had a stock pile going to burn.

And what better excuse to plan a Saturday night gathering, a "Burn The Couch" Bonfire.  Only in Southern Illinois, can you turn any excuse into a bon fire, as the answer to everything seems to be "just burn it."

So, a few of us gathered in the wide-open sky of my back yard, near one of the largest, coolest trees around, and with a truck playing music and hot dogs and smores ready, we started a small fire.  


We cooked our food over normal wood - logs, etc.  After dinner, we pile on the demo wood as if it was time for fireworks, and marveled at wallpaper walls, trim, shelves, and yes, a couch, as it blazed and turned to ashes.


Whatever works, right?


I tried the same strategy when I could not get this refrigerator out from the cabinet by myself.  I think the refrigerator is sort of retro, cool looking, but it stinks and doesn't work, so off to the dump it will go. 

It wasn't so easy.  I did get the doors off, and then I ripped up the carpet in front of the refrigerator, because clearly it was being nothing but a speed bump for my attempts at removing the refrigerator.  The carpet was glued to a linoleum floor, so it didn't come up easy.  I cut it in about 12" strips and yanked like there was no tomorrow.  I'm sweating by this point, a great deal, by the way.

I finally had to get behind the refrigerator in a dark closet that is behind this wall.  Unfortunately, to my discovery was a very old, dead mouse.  I took a photo of it, but it is sort of nasty, so I won't include it.  


The project almost came to a hault, until I heard that voice of my late father, telling me I was a chicken, big baby, etc.  It worked, I ignored the mouse, and after again yanking like there was no tomorrow, I moved the refrigerator away from the cabinet and in another area of the kitchen.  It awaits a pick-up from the local electric company which will give me a $50 credit on my bill and haul it off for free.

I got some grief from Facebook friends for not making something out of the couch springs and for getting rid of this retro fridge, because they know my love for scrap and old things.  So in their honor, I saved the cool metal kick plate (from the fridge) to the right, and I don't know how I'll use it, but I will.  

Springs, doors, and other metal accessories, however, went into the back of my step-dad's truck that I borrowed.  He's a coal miner, and works three different shifts which would drive me crazy.  I sometimes borrow the truck when he is sleeping in the middle of the day.

Needless to say, here's a photo I took and I know it rates up there with Beverly Hillbillies.  But the convenience is that the scrap yard is right down the road, and they gave me $24 for this junk, and I didn't have to get a dumpster ($$$) and I know it will be recycled.


So there you go.

On to more adventures, all of which don't happen as quickly as I would like. :)

Comments

peace and love said…
Really kool blog....McGiver has nothing on you...lol

Popular posts from this blog

Chunky Tomato Soup and Cheesy Croissants

Christmas Letter 2017

Christmas Letter 2018