Who Took the Toaster?

As you all know, one of my biggest flaws is an active imagination.


I see a dog with three legs, and my first thought is bear!

I see three police cars a block to the right with lights flashing and my first thought, which I quash, is turn right!! But secondly is drug bust! Person now fleeing the scene and then…then they find blood spatters in the trunk! And my little fingers itch for a police scanner to turn on.



This brings me to the headlining story for today’s post.

A childhood friend of my mother’s was visiting with her and me one day, and she presented the following:



On the street where she lived, people would put out things that were being offered “free to a good home,” the progenerater of the free section of Craigslist. It was a poorer area, so there was often a lot of random junk accessible to the street…that no one in their right mind would think of taking.

Cue one special week…in the twilight zone.

“Kelsey” had put out the Christmas tree the day after Christmas. The next day, it was gone.

Other people’s junk had disappeared as well, some working, some not.

Someone’s dilapidated couch that was free to take.

Some lawn chairs that were not free to take.

A toaster that was thrown away because it did not toast.

Someone’s porch rug.

A semi-working refrigerator.





Here’s the fun part.

The next week, the things started appearing where they had been taken from.

Kelsey’s tree reappeared on her lawn, somewhat more crispy than from the time it had left.

The couch. The rug and lawn chairs. The not working and semi-working appliances.

Save me!!!
Wait...waiiit...why are you putting me back?!

Kelsey’s thought was that someone needed their place to look furnished, and then had no further use for them. Who could these people be?, I wondered. Drug dealers that needed a house to look lived in, despite the contrary? Someone who wanted to, after having a toaster, see how many times they actually had the urge to toast something? (I sympathize; I don’t use my bright red toaster nearly as often as my toast-making dreams led me to believe I would)

The broken-down couch to persuade a mother-in-law to stay in a hotel room the next time around?

I suppose it was the returning of the items that really sparked my attention.

Anything like this happen in your area?

Ideas for the disappearing/reappearing tree?