Going The Way Of All The Earth...

 We bought it at a yard sale...not much of a surprise there. And, it served our family well. It wasn't new...it had survived several summers and winters. I assume it was used for the purpose for which it was built, as a spool for some type of cable. But, it ended up being something else, as many of them do.

Growing up my dad bought several spools. My memory says they were bigger than the one in our backyard, but that's probably not true. I mean, we were little kids back then. We kept them under the deck. I think my mom kept them around because we used to set them on their sides and walk on them around the yard. It was fun and required just enough dexterity that I could do it. 

The spool we bought at the yard sale has been used for another purpose. It's a great side table for grilling, as well as a stand for a backyard shade umbrella. That's what we've used it most. What's nice is I can just kick it on its side and roll it to wherever we need it in the yard, then tip it back up and set up the umbrella. 

We really didn't have space for it in the garage, so it's been outside, at the mercy of the elements the past several years. Because of that, the underside basically disintegrated. We pulled off the sections of wood that were falling apart. They made great kindling.

Technically, the spool can still be used as an umbrella stand, but I can no longer roll it anywhere. Since I'm not going to pick it up and haul it anywhere, it's pretty much done. We'll split up the rest and burn it. Like everything, it's going the way of all the earth...

Just a little at a time.