Catching my breath

The past couple of weeks have been just full of preparations to celebrate with family the doctorate that our son received in April. We had family members from Wisconsin fly here to the eastern shore for a party that was originally for graduation, but ended up with a new marriage as well. We have much to be thankful for! And despite all of that going on, Norb has continued to list ebay items and I have been doing my part as well, shipping and taking pictures and trying to keep the rest of the wildly circling balls from crashing to the ground.

It has been a joy to have our new daughter in law in our home with us for the past week. She fits in nicely with this gang with the rough edges.

Being a parent is a funny job, isn't it? I always say that if we only had to tell our children something once, then it wouldn't take 18 years to raise them. And about the time they stop doing the things that make us say, "Why did you do that????!!!" they are about ready to go off to their own lives where someone else reaps the end results of your blood, sweat, and tears. But I got to enjoy a wonderful husband, so the circle turns full around once again.

Coming Attractions!

We were once again at that grueling auction the other day. After searching through the acre of table tops, Norb let me know that there wsa one box on one table that he was interested in, with some old books in it.
He was able to get that box, and they will be going up over the next few days. There is a cookbook from the 1770's and a set of books covering English history, dating back to late 18th or early 19th century, as well as one (or perhaps a pair?) about the French Revolution and the battles that came about as a result. Very nice antique books, so keep an eye on the auctions.

There are also some folk art items that are in the queue this week.

Norb will be on the road on Sunday with a van full of things to go to live auction in Georgia. It is time for these items to find new homes a few states away. He will meet them somewhere in North Carolina so that will take him all day and at least three tanks of gas.

"QUIRKY - ECLECTIC "99 Cents" ESTATE SALE ON EBAY"

ULine Day!

My dear husband will bring home almost anything to list on ebay, and that has left me often wondering, "Where on earth am I going to find a box for THAT?!?"
Somewhere along the line, ULine began to send catalogs to me, and I can't help but be thankful. They have the largest selection of box sizes to choose from that I have ever encountered.
DH likes art, so finding boxes for framed pictures before discovering ULine was a challenge that would occupy me for days, trying to spot good boxes in the back of retail stores, also known as dumpster diving. UGH!!! When I found their picture boxes, it was a glorious day for me.

Wednesday was the day that I got to empty the trusty mini van of all of those things left in it after telling the boys to clean it out, remove the seats, and hit the road. It was Uline day! Of course, it makes sense to bring back a full load, so I ask the guy who packs some stuff for us if he wants any boxes too, and between us, we make the most of the trip.

Actually this is probably my favorite job in our ebay business. Got the car to myself, AC that I can adjust according to the hot flashes, the radio on my favorite programs, a mug of coffee, it's all good! Too bad it only happens a few times a year.

Arriving at the customer pick up area, it at first appeared that it was going to be an easy trip. One forklift with several bundles of boxes. That will fit just fine. But where are those small boxes I had ordered? Oh, there they are on the OTHER forklift, along with lots of other bundles.
ULine is so great. Their employees will load up my vehicle! And trust me, it is a challenge.







Tomorrow morning, I will lament the fact that a ULine employee isn't here to unload all of this stuff. But that's OK. For the next few weeks, I will be able to choose the box that fits almost anything that finds its way into our ebay auctions.
"QUIRKY - ECLECTIC "99 Cents" ESTATE SALE ON EBAY"

The Auction Life Continues

As professional ebay sellers, we are constantly on the prowl for the next great item to list. Norb has come to prefer auctions as his favorite venue for getting the most stuff the fastest. Each auction has its own atmosphere and ways of doing things.

The auction we went to the other day is a fun one, but grueling. There is no seating and very little is set aside as if to stand out. It is up to the auction goers to dig through tables and tables to sniff out treasure from mountains of junk, and at some points will have 4 or 5 auctioneers calling out the goods at the same time. Norb has become really adept at spotting good stuff amoungst the yard sale leftovers, while I have to look a little more closely.
I have seen tables full of glassware go for $2. I guess those flea market merchants are buying at the same auction.

There exists in the world heaps of homeless stuff that goes from yard sale to auction to flea market back to auction, maybe on to another yard sale and on and on. Norb recently bought at our favorite auction in St. Marys, GA, a painting that rang a familiar bell in his head. He knew that he had seen it before, and thought that indicated a well known piece with value. He paid $77 for it and listed it on ebay, even though he could find nothing about it in his research. Sometime during the run of the auction, he realized that the reason it triggered a memory was that he had owned it years before, determined that it had no value, and sold it, putting it into the auction circuit of homeless items. It sold for 99 cents, and I personally hope that I never see it again.

What's it all about?

I think I have the answer to all of life's questions.

Its all about TRANSPORTATION!!!

Isn't it obvious? We all need to get things from Point A to Point B.
Food has to get from the field to the store, to your home, onto your plate and transported into your mouth! Of course, then the utensils have to be transported into the clean up area and back into storage.

If you buy something from me on ebay, it has to be TRANSPORTED to you in a safe and secure manner. The packages have to be TRANSPORTED to the shipping company, whether it is the postal service or a package carrier.

We have to TRANSPORT children to school and people to work.

As the primary season closes, I cannot even imagine the criss crossing of the country the candidates have done to make their cases to voters all over the US.

Yup, it is all about transportation. Of course, with a tip of the hat to Cliff from the old Cheers program, comfortable shoes go hand in hand with transportation. I am all for them, too.

He is really grown up now!

My oldest son was married two days ago on a beach at St. Augustine. We have always been big fans of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" and the song from the wedding of the first daughter is poignant on several levels.
The line from 'Sunrise, Sunset' that goes
"I don't remember growing older,
When did they?" strikes a strong chord in my heart today.
If you would like to see a picture of Andy and Sara, here it is:


Dr. & Mrs. Andrew Paul N*


Last week I opened a box of photos that had been sealed up since 1997, and there was Andy's childhood in front of me. Those years were a lot of fun with just the three of us when Andy was an only child. However, there were also times when all we could do was to get through one day at a time; when it seemed as if the task of parenthood was long and difficult. Then suddenly, we see that he is ready to begin his adult life.

Was it really as long a time as it seemed durng the battles over food? Or chores? Or bedtime?
Once he went off to college, the parental tension fell away like a heavy backback of schoolbooks. That was a an unexpected development, and a good feeling.

We are thrilled to see him committing to his bride, and his dad and I are tickled to embrace her as a daughter. (Our first daughter.)

We listed some of the items that we picked up at the Amish auction we mentioned in an earlier post. Click here to see them.
"QUIRKY - ECLECTIC "99 Cents" ESTATE SALE ON EBAY"