A Roadside Freebie, My Rescued Column

A blog I visited this evening,  Minerva's Garden  inspired me to remember my favorite drive by trash pick up item.  

It was probably twenty or twenty five years ago and Bill and I were out driving when I spotted the column you see in the picture above, just lying on it's side next to someone's trash can.  Not only the column, but a big square base that it sat upon.  It was peeling paint badly and Bill was incredulous that I wanted it. 

I convinced my husband this solid cement column was important for me to own to continue to live happily.  The home owner was approached and she was happy for us to take it, but not to help us load it.  I felt sorry for Bill as we struggled to get it into the trunk of the car.  It was half hanging out and the tires looked dangerously low.   The square solid cement base was equally, if not more heavy than the column.   He always blamed his hernia on this column.

It happily lived next to our front door for all these years, occasionally getting spruced up with white paint, but never too spruced. I found a pot that fit the top perfectly and over the years it dripped impatiens in different colors.  Some years pansies and other years it held huge ferns.  

Sadly it did not make the move to Florida last summer, but I took a picture of it on moving day for a remembrance.  My all time favorite roadside pick up freebie.