Friday Night Auction, a whole lot of Worry, and a dash of Frustration!

There are many reasons I chase estate auctions and, this is one of them...

                                     photo credit here

I've been hunting the perfect antique Mora floor or wall clock for longer

than I care to admit. My darling mother has one in her kitchen, which also

chimes Westminster. Every time we're on the phone and I hear the clock, it

reminds me of one of the things still missing from my life. So when I receive

an alert from auctionzip letting me know of an upcoming estate sale that may

feature any sort of chiming clock, I go out of the way to ensure I get myself there!

Chiming clocks, vintage crystal and sterling, antique furniture and Rolex

watches were all part of this sale last Friday afternoon! This auction gallery

was new to us. We don't normally venture quite that far, mostly because there

are plenty of other terrific auction houses closer. Also, there's the matter of their

outrageous fees. Not only do they charge a 13% buyer-premium, they also ask for

an additional % for payments by check or charge. And, if you write a check, they

require a credit card to guarantee it. Crazy! I mean, I get passing along the 4% or

whatever it is today that MasterCard and Visa charge their vendors. However,

charging me to write a virtually local check is beyond. Especially when so many

other auction companies charge no buyer-premiums at all. Frankly, were it

not for the ridiculous fees, my buying would have been far less restricted!

Although I did not find my Mora this time, there were two vintage clocks with

the Westminster chime put up for bids. However, both clocks were in severe

shape. Much too severe to even be considered, regardless of the bargain they

might have been. Nonetheless, I managed to drag home a few other goodies...

First, these heavy, vintage American pressed glass plates
embossed, It is Pleasure to Labor for those we Love

I think they make a perfect serving dish for the little appetizer plates I put

together to enjoy by the pool. A little hummus, warm pitas, melons, salami...

You see it, don't you? I picked up both plates, plus a pressed glass pitcher in

a box-lot for only $15. After I won the bidding, the lady sitting in front of us

said she was after the pitcher for a friend. So before we left, I gifted it to her!

Most of the estate auctioned belonged to the former President of Duke University;

however, other pieces came from the estate of a couple who lived in Germany. This

was proved true by the AAFES price tags still on the bottom of many of the Goebel

figurines and some of the crystal. I keep fresh roses on the table in my living room,

so as soon as I spotted this cut crystal rose bowl, I knew it belonged home with me!

Especially for only $30! Unfortunately, the weekend got away from me and

I never made it over to my florist for roses to fill it... But this weekend, I will!

Army dad went a little nuts-o when the book collections came up for bid,

which earned him a trip to the ATM for cash because throwing away $100

for the privilege of writing my check wasn't happening! To thank me, he

snapped up this cute set of Shakespeare books to display under glass on

the console in my living room. Only $15 and, he got to take back the set of

little red books I originally nabbed from his library to create the display!

In the end, the auction was a good time. Especially after SpaBoy joined us and we

ended up goofing off until just past one o'clock in the morning. Unfortunately, the

next morning delivered a bit of frustration and a reminder of the worry that's always

bubbling, both in my heart and in my mind. You see, the Ranger's off to a four week

training course that will help better prepare them for the next deployment. This will

be deployment #4 in less than three years. Despite the worry, there's so much he's

accomplished in the short time he's been enlisted. Look at me saying, short time!

Good God, it feels like forever! Nevertheless, there is a major promotion he's just

earned... Faster than his father and much more quickly than anyone else I know

who has served this country. There's also a new job, which like his previous job,

you'll never catch me discussing. Because while there is tremendous pride that

comes with all he's achieved and for all our Ranger does... Fact is, when your

loved one works as an instrument of foreign policy, whatever bragging you

might feel compelled to do, ranks so very far behind keeping them safe!

So for those of you that have so kindly asked... First know how much I

love you for your appreciation of him and, especially for your prayers. And,

know too that our Ranger is amazing and continues to work as hard as ever!

So allow me to share a dash of frustration with you... After the accident

and because I added the Mini, we decided to replace the crashed F-150 with

a newer model with more interior space, which made keeping my Expedition

a little silly. I mean, I haven't driven it in three months and a few weeks ago,

after lifting the hood to add wiper fluid, I noticed the mud-daubers had

taken up residence and built creepy-looking nests near the battery!

So I cleaned it up and put it up for sale. The photos you see above and below are the

very ones I put in my listings placed with Craigslist and Autotrader.com. I priced it

fairly and quickly received calls! The first couple I met two weeks ago offered me a

thousand dollars less than I was asking so I dismissed those low-ballers... Because

no one here is desperate. Plus, to prepare my truck for sale I invested in a few items
I'd want a seller to do for me, if I were buying their vehicle. I had some rock-chip

damage on the windshield repaired and bought two PPI's, (pre-purchase vehicle

inspections) one with Ford, just to ensure there are no mechanical issues now or

that might pop up five minutes after I sell it. Lastly, I had the oil changed, put new

brake pads on and replaced all three windshield wipers as well. Not to mention the

fact that I washed and waxed the truck and got rid of the mud daubers under the
hood too! So last Tuesday, a guy calls and after I e-mailed the CarFax report, both

PPIs and the past 18-months worth of maintenance records, he called me back to

say he already loved my truck. Then, he asked if I, would ever accept $500 less

than I was asking, if I knew my SUV was going to a good home. I told him that

his offer was in my ballpark so we made arrangements to meet. Don't worry, no

axe-murderer story coming up... Of course, I arranged to meet in the parking

lot of our local police station and, I brought Army dad along with me too. But

what happened next floored me. I still can't be sure what the real reason was,

but the reason he gave for not wanting to test-drive it, even after examining

every inch of the interior of my truck and admitting that it was spotless, is the

tires/rims weren't clean enough. Really! Now, I am the Captain's Daughter...

My father has forever been meticulous about keeping his cars clean. Before I

could even drive, my dad had trained me in the fine arts of washing, waxing

and Q-tipping every inch of the family cars. I raised the young man you see

wrapping his own car in painter's tape to protect it from road debris during

long trips home too! As much as I believe I am not built for manual labor,

keeping my cars clean is something I find therapeutic and actually enjoy. So

to hear someone wearing remnants of lunch on his t-shirt tell me my rims

weren't up to his standards made me want to pound him into next week. But

instead, I politely declined his offer to buy my truck only if I agreed to have

it professionally detailed and sent him on his way back to Greensboro. After

the experience, I went home and broke out not the toothbrush or the Q-tips...

Nope. I broke out my camera to take a few new photos to update my ads...

Paying particular attention to the rims...

And, the mud-dauber nest-free engine compartment...

The rear end...

And of course, the interior as well!

Because apparently, the one thing I missed about showing a vehicle for sale

is how very important it is to spit-shine rims and, provide glamour-shots!

And clearly that's what it takes... Because today I sold my truck. And, for a tidy

little $500 more than dirty T-shirt guy offered! Which will come in handy for

paying those pesky bidder fees at this estate sale scheduled for this Friday!