A drop in the booklet

I didn't sign up for Blog Action Day, but this does seem like an appropriate time to tell you the best recycling idea I've had all year.

Prior to shifting the center of the universe, I went through the file drawer in my desk and got rid of things like the 25-page Terms & Conditions for a lease on an apartment we moved out of four years ago. No offense to the fine folks at The Villages, but their no doubt painstakingly photocopied document is pretty much gonna end up with large hearts drawn on it in red crayon.

Another thing I figured I was ready to let go of was the half-inch thick book of instructions for filling out the 2005 1040. I didn't request or willfully obtain this book, of course; it arrived unbidden on my doorstep (well, gatepost) sometime in early 2006. Its fleeting usefulness has long since fled, so onto the pile of recyclables it went.

Until I had a better idea.

Loren (the Red-Lored Amazon Parrot) spends a lot of time up here in the office with me, most of it sitting on the conveniently perch-shaped back of a barstool I brought up for her. Since the floor is tile, the inevitable evidence that accumulates below her is easily dealt with, usually with a swath of toilet paper.

Or so it used to be. Now, I simply open the IRS publication to a random page and lay it below the stool for her pooping pleasure. When we go back downstairs, the book is sanitarily shut and saved for next time.

Unfortunately, the stool does allow her a rather *ahem* wide stance, and aim is still a bit of an issue, but all in all I'm quite pleased with the results.