Elephants Can Paint (?!?)

I am avid user of Freecylce.Org which is a wonderful online bulletin board where you can post Offers for things that you want to get rid of, and Wanted ads for things you want. It's sort of like being able to shop at hundreds of private little tag sales and thrift shops all from your computer. There are many advantages to Freecycling. This is a great way to obtain something that you don't necessarily need new. Good examples of this are things that tend to get used just once and then tossed out, like party or holiday decorations . I have also encountered Freecyclers who are contemplating some purchase and want to find the thing used first to see if its going to work for them before spending the time and money to get a new one. If they do decide to get their own, they will probably Freecycle the used one again to someone else. On the opposite side of getting, there's the giving – where you can get rid of unwanted furniture, appliances, or bulky items without having to haul it off yourself (or pay the City's bulky waste pickup fee). That goes for everything that you offer up – the recipient is expected to pick it up from your house or meeting place, so there's even less work involved than taking things to GoodWill or the dump. Speaking of the dump, another aim of Freecycle.Org is to prevent perfectly useful things from landing there unnecessarily. Many times something just needs a minor repair and many recipients are willing to take an object in less than perfect condition if they can fix it up, since, after all, its free. You may think to yourself that you could try to sell something and make a little money rather than give it away for free. In my experience, there is a lot of work there too, in fielding phone calls and arranging meeting times or appointments with people who may or may not decide that they want the item. You have to ask yourself if the money you might be able to get is worth that effort. Freecycling is much easier than all that. There are, of course, a few common sense rules of etiquette for Freecycling. Be polite in your emailed responses, ask if the item is still available before assuming you are the only person responding, post ads in the standard format, describe the item clearly, and leave out unnecessary information (such as my pet peeve, reason why the person wants something or why they are getting rid of something). Above all else, don't be a no-show! The range of things listed goes from typical things that pop up constantly to the rare and obscure. Common postings have books and magazines, things for pets, housewares, kids things like clothes and toys, sports equipment, furniture, and small electronics and appliances. In the not as common category, I have seen antique tools, car parts, items from house projects and deconstruction like fixtures and countertops, and musical instruments.

Recently, I saw the most unusual thing I have ever seen on Freecycle, and something that I did not know existed in the world.

January 10, 2010 @ 6:15 pm

OFFER: painting done BY an elephant

I received a pretty large painting that was done BY an elephant. It's a fundraiser for an elephant sanctuary, where they have the elephants paint with paintbrushes in their trunk (I have the documentation that came with the painting that explains this). The painting is mostly polka dots of pink, lime green, and a medium blue. It is matted with white matting and in a blue frame.

It is still in the shrink wrap. Would look nice in a kid's room or play room.

January 10, 2010 @ 7:04 pm

TAKEN: painting done BY an elephant

I've never gotten so many responses so quickly to ANYTHING on Freecycle like I just did. HOLY COW. The taker is picking it up, and I have a list below her name if she's a no show =)

THANKS!

Seeing this ad made me giddy with laughter. I can't explain exactly why... maybe the image I got of an elephant with a paint brush in its trunk, the thought of what the painting might look like (Jackson Pollack-esque?), or getting started thinking about the concept of an elephant sanctuary. That got me to thinking about the One Book One Middletown book from last year: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, where a circus elephant was thought to be stupid until it was discovered by an observant man that she understood Polish rather than English. Here is the information about this year's One Book book - The Soloist. From an online search I found that there are elephant sanctuaries in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Thailand. I wonder if there are hippopotamous sanctuaries? Giraffe sanctuaries? Maybe I will post an ad on Freecycle.Org and see if anything turns up:

WANTED: Painting done by a rhinoceros ...

Happy Freecycling!