I've talked a lot about the town dump, and for good reason. It's pretty much the only place I shop. That's because the stuff is free.

Even better, I always leave with less than I came with. This is important to a minimalist!

After yesterday's 12 mile trek, my legs needed a rest. But it's still too clear and gorgeous to stay inside all day. So it seemed like the perfect day to head down to the municipal transfer station and walk around there. We had five big bags of household trash and the last of our Christmas debris to haul away, anyway.

The big barn is actually off limits to residents. When they leave the doors open, you can see a pile of scrap metal there that goes all the way to the roof. I thought the building made for an impressive thumbnail with its colorful mural, and the oil, paint, and toxic waste sheds in front.

There's a lot of toxicity packed into that photo, actually. I guess that's why residents of our town get such a break on our dump stickers. All the waste on Cape Cod eventually gets funneled through our facility. We live a good distance away from it, but I wonder if the closer residents are as grateful.

Here's what we're really interested in: Dorothy's Swap Shop.

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The rules here are simple. Take anything you like. Leave anything you don't want. Don't leave actual garbage. (And why would you? There are bins for that stuff just outside the doors.) Don't leave things like broken TVs or fridges that you'd have to pay a fee to dispose of propertly. And be polite to the people around you.

The dump staff is pretty laid back. Sometimes they'll suggest an item would be better tossed in the bin, because anything that's left at the end of the week has to be tossed anyway - by them. Once we arrived with a like-new, four drawer, legal sized file cabinet. It would have cost $250 at Staples. And the guy said, "Just leave that by the metal's dumpster. That way, when no one takes it, I can just push it in."

Let's go in:

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As you can see, sometimes the line between trash and treasure isn't really clear. But this place is always packed with pickers, and everyone enjoys making their own decisions. I actually had to wait a few minutes to capture a scene without people in it.

And like, what's this thing, for example? Some kind of dome-covered cooker? Or a device to keep your space helmet warm?

Now we'll go around the corner and get to the real treasures: the books!

This is where I picked up the hardcover copy of From Dawn to Decadence, featured in my Adventures in Reading post.

You've heard of Little Free Libraries, right? Well, this place is more of a medium-large free library. Look, there's more!

For writers, it can be a little humbling to see so many books just tossed aside. We know how much work goes into every page, not to mention an entire volume. We want our words to have value. And yet here are millions of words, left in a drafty shed.

As a reader, though, how can I resist supplementing my library? My biggest concern when I'm reaching for a title is, Do I really have room for another book in the house?

The staff actually leaves the books a lot longer than the rest of the stuff, which is nice. And I love that they've taken someone's discarded shelving and turned it into a "featured selections" display. Merchandising is alive and well, even in the "free" world.

Ok - just a few more treasures before we head home.

Why not keep some holiday figurines around for next year? And pick up a shock-collar for your noisy dog while you're at it?

We're still close enough to Christmas that you can pick up next year's tree and wreath and wire snowman while you're here, too.

How about a hand painted pillow from 1989? In this PC world, I'm not sure if this object is racist or not, but I'm sharing it anyway.

Here's a crocheted pillow that clearly took someone a long, long time to make. (My grandmother used to knit these squares by the hundreds.) It's amazing that they could stare at that yarn for so long and not start to question their choice of color. But tastes change, I suppose. That's why the pillow is here.

Here's an actually pretty nice headboard and foot-board to go with those pillows. The rails and the slats were missing, but someone with a wood-shop could probably make it back into a gorgeous piece. Or you could paint something on it and turn it into a work of art, or a sign.

Kind of tempting, actually. But no... I will not hoard. And besides, that's too big to fit in my hatchback. (Sometimes I'm really glad I don't own a pickup truck.)

I did come home with a couple of treasures. I'm not sure if they'll work, and I'm not sure if I need them if they do, but they'll not be too hard to throw away again, and I might be able to make some art out of them.

But I'll have to close on that cliffhanger because this post is already getting a little long and unwieldy (not to mention trashy) and it's just as well to have a little something to look forward to. Isn't it?