One column was not enough to write about prairie residents who see possibility in everything around them. Recently, I shared a story about a woman in my grandmother’s home town who turned devil’s claw thorns into art forms. I’m sure my childhood interest in her abilities led to my adult appreciation for those who look at an old piece of wood and see a cleverly painted checker board or a cottonwood branch as a candle holder. Plenty of homes in the area reflect such talents, making it fun to find those inventive personalities among family and friends.

Decades ago, we a met a couple who share this resourceful philosophy. Come winter, they’d flip an old car or truck hood upside down and turn it into a sled big enough to hold the whole family. Attaching ropes or chains, they’d latch it behind a tractor, truck, or horse and toboggan across snowy fields and through big drifts, laughing all the way. Even today, participants’ eyes sparkle as they recollect those frosty adventures.

During warmer days, they’d inflate big innertubes, scrounge for unused boards to serve as paddles, and raft down the Saline after rains. Their family photo albums are filled with photos of Huck Finn wannabes dressed in worn cowboy hats and faded denim. The camera captured beaming smiles as they conquered local rapids. Their joy is so evident you can almost hear the belly laughs as you scan the pictures.

A walk across the pasture or through a nearby cottonwood grove resulted in sticks, rocks, limbs, and maybe a deer shed. Once back at the ranch house, these might sit for a spell before these two artisans turned them into candle sticks, signs painted with clever sayings, or checkers to go with those game boards they’d created earlier. Using old wire, ribbon, or paint, they turn mundane into charming.

I anticipated every visit to their home. It was like Christmas because I never knew what surprises lurked on the porch or in the house. My friend might have some cool auction find that she’d turned into a bird house or lawn art. Her husband was every bit as clever. He could spend a few hours harvesting old vehicle parts and tools, work his magic, and suddenly you might have working equipment or something so ingenious visitors’ jaws dropped when they first spied it.

To this couple, nothing is useless. Last December, I visited my friend to find her repurposing tattered quilts someone discarded. Well trained by the expert, her daughter recognized their potential and knew her mom would give them new life. She rescued the pile, and delivered them to the repurposing wizard. In no time, this visionary possessed a stack of giant stockings to fill for family and friends.

I’ve tried to learn from this couple. While I’ll never be the up-cycler they are, I’m better about considering possibilities of what I’ve formerly considered trash. To remind me not to toss at the first impulse, I keep a checkboard and the antler checkers they gave me on my porch. The Christmas stocking she gave me is waiting for Santa to show up. This couple taught my family that old and worn are synonyms for new beginnings—not a bad philosophy to follow during retirement.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.