Free isn't always a good thing

For example TG called me the other day and it went like this(and yes TG I blame you for this....you will pay)

TG: Hey are you still looking for a sofa set for the basement?
SB: Umm yes I guess, not actively searching but if it's there maybe. Why?
TG: My neighbors are moving into an apartment and they are getting rid of a beige leather sofa/loveseat set.
SB: Really? Ok well is it in good shape, do they have pets?
TG: No I don't think they have pets, it's pretty nice there is a little tear on the back of the sofa but that's it.
SB: Ok great let me grab the truck and I will come take a look at it.


Let me break in to say that we are in the progress of finishing up some rooms in our basement and I was planning on having kind of a man/media room. (mostly I want a place for the beau to play army games while I watch my Mad Men and Pan-am in peace)

We are in desperate need of living room furniture, seriously our current living room set is 24 years old and from my parents first house. We are of the buy good the first time and use it until it falls apart mentality and we are almost at the collapsing point. The beau is 6 ft 3 and over 200 lbs so one good sit down and this stuff is just going to give up the ghost. My plan was to put this newish set in the basement then just worry about getting living room furniture.

So the lil sis and I run a few neighborhoods over to TG's house and take a look and sniff at the furniture. It looks good enough for a mostly man cave so we load it up (you can imagine how much fun it was for two gals less then 5'3 loading it into the suv) and make two trips hauling it home and into the garage. Where it sits for about three days.

Let me add that the previous owner asked us if we wanted help loading it, we said no since we were appreciative of them giving it to us and didn't want to put them out. This should have been a hint. People just aren't that nice anymore.

Next week: the beau goes into the garage for groceries and comes back in and says "it smells like cat tinkle out there"(no he didn't really say tinkle..use your imagination) Now since I asked about the pets and did an initial sniff of the furniture I'm assuming it's some of the paint mixed with the garbage can that's causing the smell so we don't even think of the furniture. The next day lil sis and I grab the steam cleaner and the Murphy Oil to detail the furniture before we move it in.

I cannot begin to describe the smell that happened when the steam hit the fabric beneath the cushions. I have smelled community dumps that weren't that bad. They could bottle this stuff and use it instead of mace because I'm sure it'd be just as effective.

At this point I called TG and said umm exsqueeze me I thought they had no pets. This is the classic and unforgettable reply.

TG: Well they just had cats not dogs, they only peed on it maybe a few times.

It makes it ok because they only tinkled on it a few times??? Come again you crazy person? Is this really coming from the person that won't stay in less then a 5 Diamond hotel because she's so high maintenance?

Then I flash back to the previous owners offer to load it up for us. Oh the laugh they must have had when we left. And to think we rushed over there to get it before someone else could. I never thought I would see the time when free was bad. Now I'm afraid to put it out to the curb. I don't want someone else to take it and find out the awful truth when they get home. I'm thinking I'm going to have to put a sign on it. "do not take...smells like cat pee when heated"


Oh TG I see many 2 diamond hotels in your future you stinker!