Life by the tinier spoon

On May 3rd, we were coming back from Kristii's graduation at Andrews University. On the way down, we were listening to customer service CD from Zingermans. So we thought let's stop in Ann Arbor and visit the store.

The cafe was busy, they were lined up to get in. We decided to try some ice cream.

"Any flavor you want to taste, let us know, we'll give you a sample."

"I'll try the peanut butter." So the clerk handed over a small plastic spoon with a sample.

Okay, so let's have some ice cream. Pay your money and get a small cup of delicious ice cream. And sit at a table to savour the taste. But what kind of spoon do they give you? Well, the same little sampling spoon.

So even, though the price was not inexpensive, you still got the same number of spoonfuls of ice cream taste.

We brought the small spoons home. Now when I have ice cream, (or at least, 2 times for the week-or until we run the dishwasher), I use the small spoons. Don't have to take as many scoops- you still get a lot of spoonfuls of ice cream. In fact it takes a little more work to hit the ice cream with the smaller spoon. and so it takes just as long to eat the ice cream bowl. (or you get to enjoy an ice cream treat for just as long as before) with less calories.

So-- how are you taking life, by the table spoon full or by the ice cream sample spoon full. Do you need to experience it on the 39 inch big screen, or can you experience in real time at the real event with real people?

Do you go for the bungee jump? or the jump off the bottom step with your granddaughter?

Any way to get the full experience, (by the small spoonful) think up your own?

Scrap Metal Prices

Our dryer died the other day. "Greg," I said, "Help me get rid of this hunk of steel. It's just getting in the way in the garage. The weatherman says we could get up to 15 cm of snow and it will be easier if we could get the van in the garage."

I told him how I had once taken some scrap metal to the steel recyclers down the road and they had paid me a few dollars. Appliances are what are known as "white goods." I remembered that the price they paid at that time, several years ago was about $35.00 per ton. But that yard was in the other direction where we'd be travelling the next day.

There are a couple places where appliances could be recycled and dropped off for free. Well, let's see. Even if the dryer weighed 200 lbs or a tenth of a ton, that would mean we might get $3.50 for it as scrap.

Well, let's just get it into the back of the van. We moved the seats and heaved the dryer into the back of the van. Clunk, clink, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle. What was that noise?

Guess what fell out of the dyer vent. A toonie, a loonie and a dime. $3.10. "There you go," I said, "There's our scrap payment right there!" The coins were a little dusty and full of dryer lint, but a nice surprise nonetheless.

So we Reduced our junk, Recycled the dryer, and Reused the coins.

In Hamilton, Ontario, White goods can be dropped off at the CRC Community Recycling Centres.