Apparently I am the patron saint of basketball hoops. Who knew?

Over a year ago my son in law mentioned that he’d like to have a basketball hoop so he and some of his friends could shoot some hoops in my driveway. He and my daughter and their kids live in a duplex with no convenient place for a hoop and I agreed that this was a good idea. Shortly thereafter I found a free set up on everyone’s favorite website for used crap  trash  stuff thats’s too big for the regular refuse collection  things that no one, and I do mean no one, wants  stuff.

(I would like to just mention as an aside that I have furnished my entire house and patio with stuff I’ve found on this site. I have two disclaimers:

1. We have moved frequently recently, and we didn’t want to ship a bunch of stuff cross country that would, A: end up as kindling when it arrived and B: cost more to ship than replace, so we unloaded just about everything before each move. Also, I’m not super picky…I mean, I like nice stuff as much as the next person, but I’m not over the top about it. I do not form attachments to my furniture, and I have no need for expensive stuff. I’m not materialistic and I’m easily satisfied with whatever is presentable and clean. I’m not even overly concerned for quality at this stage of our lives because we like to remain mobile and flexible. We’re not wandering gypsies, but we like to remain available to step into a ministry situation at the drop of a hat should there be a need. Not that we are looking to move again…please, Lord, no! But we remain open.
2. I live in T.H.E. M.O.S.T. E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E. zip code in this nation, according to recent rankings. Some studies rank us as second, but first or second…it’s a very very expensive place. Insanely expensive. Unbelievably expensive. This means that when people decide to redecorate their homes, which happens often, or replace certain household items, often the things they tend to get rid of are nice. So I’m not really dissing this website at all…it’s just that usually you have to sift through the literal garbage to find the good stuff. Vintage pink porcelain toilet anyone? What exactly to you mean by “vintage” in this case? There are three available, actually. Ew. Just ew.  I’ve actually seen these come up several times so the owner is clearly having trouble finding them a home. I can’t imagine why…. Upholstered recliner that someone’s cat lovingly dismantled? How about thirty five “collectors” issues of TV guide? Who collects TV guides?? Or maybe an old kitchen sink that has been in someone’s backyard so long that the picture shows it rusted and tangled in vines of brambles. It’s an interesting dynamic that in the state of California you can’t just dispose of this stuff like you could in most other states. There are Laws. Regulations. Ridiculousness and guidelines that dictate what, when, and how much stuff you can dispose of, so folks end up having to hope that someone will come along who wants their trash stuff. Thank you liberal greenies. I’m all for being good stewards and whatnot, but seriously. Some stuff is just plain trash. It wouldn’t even make a good planter. Unless you like old pink toilets with things growing out of them cluttering up your yard.)

I digress. I grabbed this used basketball hoop online and my son in law collected it and brought it over. He and his friends bought a new net and used it for a couple of weeks until someone hit the ball against the backboard just the right way to punch a hole in it. They taped some cardboard over it for while but it was never the same for obvious reasons, the novelty wore off, and the thing languished in my driveway for over a year becoming a haven for every spider in the neighborhood.

Fast forward to last night: I had grown tired of it in my driveway gathering cobwebs so I took a couple of pictures and joined the ranks of the vintage pink porcelain toilet owners. This morning I actually received a response.

A very pleasant guy came, took it all apart, called it “Awesomesauce!” and hauled it away in his SUV. He even swept my driveway for me, after taking all morning to disassemble it due to it having become rusted and the bolts having seized. He was thrilled with it! I guess he planned to replace the backboard, buy a net, and give it to his ten year old daughter. My loss is his gain. Win, win!

Upon his departure, he patted my arm and said he’d be sure and let his daughter know that I am the patron saint of basketball hoops, and told me to have a good day.

So there you go. I’m a saint!

I wonder if he’s picking up some vintage pink toilets next. Maybe he could plant some flowers next to his new basketball court…