ROOM FOR A PONY

Yes, of course we give our slightly used clothes to the thrift shops, but MY old clothes have had a very thorough life.

I only wear clothes that I love, and after many mendings they are eventually pronounced dead by a certain person who is really tired of looking at them, and mending them. And then I can’t even give them to the used clothing stores because surprise, no one wants clothes this raggedy. So I’ve had to throw them away! which feels like I’m throwing a dear friend into the trash. I can’t bear it. So Lindi has to do that for me too, at some tactfully chosen moment when I’m not watching.

But wait! I’ve just found out there’s a better fate for them! They can be made into fabulously useful RAGS! Then they can truly be re-used, down to their last gasping thread.

The place to take them here in Portland is the Pioneer Wiping Cloth Company at 10707 N.Lombard Street.

As to what they will accept: anything that can be made into a rag.  Apply this test question: Is the item made of an absorbent fabric?

They don’t want your spandex. Or your underwear. Or your silk or nylon anything. And no socks.

They take cotton and knits, like T-shirts and sweats, in addition to sheets and towels and blankets. Knowledge of the exact fiber content isn’t necessary. They can tell by feel whether it would work as a rag or not.

Good to know that if I have to give up my clothes, at least they can serve my country as a batch of rags before their final demise.

Exhibit A: This shirt has been on its deathbed for months. All its edges are shredded. But I’m in love. I’m not giving it up without a funeral.