by Peggy Robin
This used to be the easiest category to do. I jsut scroll back through all the messages hashtagged #free or #FFPU and then winnow it down to five really good ones. Some things stand out right away: A baby grand piano that's been well maintained (Message #217005, winner 2024); a splendid dollhouse (Message #209012, winner 2023); an 8 foot ficus tree (Message #108618, 2015) that had already been given away on the Listserv three times before, and each time it outgrew its space, it was passed along to someone with taller ceilings; and the potted ivy plants grown from cuttings that had once graced the mantelpiece in the Oval Office during the Obama years -- which Trump quickly replaced with a shelf-ful of gold trophies to himself (Message #196424, winner 2022).
This year I was flummoxed. Oh, there were plenty of fabulous giveaway items -- far more than in most other years. The problem was, the best giveaways of the year were all from the same list member.; she was cleaning out her house and offering up a bounty of interesting and exotic items to her fellow Listserv members. And writing lushly romantic accounts of how she had acquired each one. Bind them all together, they'd make an excellent collection of short stories -- maybe call it "A Lifetime Told Through the Things We Loved"
But it seemed wrong to nominate the same poster five times. Anyway, she could easily have had 15 or 20 nominations -- she was that prolific. And every single one of them eminently Listy-worthy.
So we needed another path, to give all the other great freebie-bestowers a fighting chance. And then it came to me: There's a separate award for stellar message writing -- Poster of the Year. We don't give it out every year. In fact we've given it out just twice before (to Eleanor O. in 2022, Message #196424; to Meghan K. in 2024, Message #220839).
You will have to wait until the next installment of the 2025 Cleveland Park Listies -- coming on the heels of this message -- to have the curtain drawn back to reveal our honoree.
Now on to the best oferings from List members who are NOT our Poster of the Year:
1. Fig jam and more fig jam! Alfred A. had way too much of a good thing. In Message #229116 on September 15 he wrote that he wanted to "give away some of the 72-plus 8-ounce jars of fig jam made from my three backyard trees on Macomb Street. My Christmas list shortens every year, and the trees haven't stopped producing."
2. The Piano. On the giveaway list this year, posters put up not one but FOUR pianos for the taking. The one that gets the Listy nom is this beauty (posted by Sonya H., Message #225651 on May 29).
3. Lava the bearded dragon. To help out a neighbor experiencing "logistical difficulties," Hilary B. posted (May 1, Message #224799) that a new home was needed for "a 4 year old female orange-red leatherback bearded dragon. Her name is Lava. She comes with a 40 gallon tank with ceramic tiling on the bottom, a perch, food and water bowls, and other terrarium decor. Also included are heat and UV-B lamps and bulbs. If you or someone you know would appreciate having a bearded dragon as a pet, we can get Lava to you."
When I emailed Hilary to let her know that her message was up for "Best Giveaway," I also asked if she knew how Lava is doing now. She replied: "Her new owner loves her so much. I'm ecstatic."
And she sent along this photo of Lava, whose serene expression seems to reflect how well she's loved.
4. Big Dog. Here's a dog even a toddler could love and care for -- and it doesn't need to be walked, fed, or have its poop picked up. Here he/she is!
5. Historic headlines.
This was just one item in a giveaway message by Deb N. on July 17th (Message #227252) -- but far and away the best one!
On December 5, Message #231696, Susan A. offered up some old Washington Posts: "Newspapers of Aug. 7-10, 1974. They are the papers with the articles about Nixon and the Watergate and resignation. Before I toss them out, I wonder if anyone would like them."
She didn't have to wonder very long. A short time later she posted:" The papers generated a great deal of interest. I have replied to the first request. If that person does not come tomorrow then I have a wait list of 15 people." [Emphasis added.]
----------------
The 2025 Cleveland Park Listies will continue today, with our POSTER OF THE YEAR. The full series of nominations is available on our blog, All Life Is Local. Click on THIS LINK for Best Giveaway.
No comments:
Post a Comment