Book Board Chat

Hi all! Jane just reminded me of this page so I had to stop by and check in. It's nice to "see" all of you again.

I feel really badly for those of you who are flooding. I don't want anyone to be in any danger, but I confess to a bit of jealousy. I'm not sure I remember what rain looks like. It has been years since I've seen a really good rain, other than when I visit my sister in Kentucky.

I've been keeping very busy, working for an attorney Monday through Thursday and then doing estate sales with Pam on the weekends. Have had a bit of a break lately, which has been nice. I can't do the 10-12 hour work days, 6-7 days a week like I used to haha.

A late Merry Christmas to you all! I've been lurking but wanted to drop in with a PG-13 rated funny:

The Pfizer Corporation announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form and this new product will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer.

It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of cocktails, highballs and just a good old-fashioned stiff drink. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day...There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2025, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs, huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

Thank you for the nice comments! I just posted several albums on Facebook for those of you who are interested in more photos. Unfortunately, I don't have a place to host photos anymore, so I don't have a way to link to them or post them here. Please feel free to go look on FB, or if someone wants to host a couple photos I can email them.

I did it! I managed to stay awake until 8pm PST. Now I can get ready an go to bed and dream of no jet lag...

Good afternoon from Southern California where it is (gasp!) chilly and raining. Wow, do we need that!

Well, the whirlwind trip is over.I thought of Jim (dainisjg) today as we flew over Anchorage on our way home. I thought it was interesting that rather than taking the direct route over the Pacific, we flew over land a lot of the way, each way. On the way out it was up the west coast of the US, across Alaska and down Russia, Mongolia and eastern Asia to Beijing. Then south to Seoul. We did the same in reverse on the way home. There is an in-flight entertainment screen on the back of the seats where you can watch movies, play games, or follow the flight information, including getting the names of places as you fly over them. Very interesting!

When we landed my DIL had us hit the ground running so we could stay up until bed time in Korea. It really seemed to help, as I didn't have any jet lag while I was there. We went right from the airport to hotel to drop off luggage and freshen up a bit, then to lunch, then to the Imperial palace in Seoul. It is so beautiful, and has a fascinating history. People who wear traditional Korean clothes (Hanbok) can get into the historical sites for free, so there were a lot of young ladies in beautiful flowing gowns walking around.Korea reminds me a bit of Poland in that it kept getting conquered and absorbed (for centuries) but has fiercely maintained a rich culture and pride in their country.

The second day we went to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) between North and South Korea. The DMZ is 3 miles across so you can't really see the North Korean border. The area is a strange combination of memorial, museum, military instillation and amusement park (there is actually an amusement park there, with rides.) Something I didn't realize was the existence of the infiltration tunnels. Even as the cease fire was on and peace talks continued, the North Koreans were digging tunnels under the DMZ toward Seoul. The intention was to be able to get troops out behind the South Korean troops in case of an invasion. They have found 4 large tunnels, but the suspicion is there could be dozens. We were allowed to go down into one. They are very deep down, and wide enough for 4 soldiers across to run through. They had to be deep to try to keep the blasting secret. Even so, several were discovered because soldiers top side could here 'pops' of dynamite down below. The tour was very interesting in that there was constant talk of the evils of North Korea, seasoned with an equal amount of hope for eventual reunification.

After some shopping back in Seoul we took the bullet train to Daejeon where we checked into our hotel and then were treated to a feast by DILs parents. We talked and ate and laughed and discussed wedding plans until we finally had to back to the hotel where we collapsed, exhausted.

The rest of the time was spent with shopping and wedding preparations. We ordered Hanbok (pronounced Hahn-boke - with a very soft k sound, almost silent like a stoppage of sound and air at the back of your throat), tuxedos and western style wedding gown, all rented.

The wedding was fascinating! Ah Young (DIL) wanted a combination of east/west so she and DS created the ceremony.
Prelude: (Traditional) The parents and groom all stand outside the hall and receive guests as they come in the door. Guests and parents/groom thank each other for coming/being there, bow, and then guest goes to a desk where they give a cash give in an envelop which is provided at the desk (I believe the gift is also counted and logged right there). Guest then receives a meal ticket for the buffet reception after. Guests then file in to the wedding hall. They sit at round tables, not in rows with aisles. The wedding takes place on a raised stage, and the aisle where wedding parties enter is a raised runway. Bride and groom's moms are seated at a bench on either side of the stage.

There are assistants EVERYWHERE, guiding everyone where they are supposed to be, firmly pressing a hand to your back if you aren't walking fast enough, aiding people up and down stairs to the stage, constantly arranging bridal gown so photos are perfect (they are taken throughout the ceremony).

Beginning: The moms (in unison) are guided up on to the stage where we each light a candle in the center floral arrangement, groom's mom first, on the groom's side; bride's mom next. Then we come around to the front of the candles, turn to each other and bow, slowly and deep (90 degrees); then we are guided to the front center of the stage where we turn and bow deeply in unison to the audience. Audience claps and we are escorted to our seats on the aforementioned bench.

Groom and his dad enter down the runway. Here Ah Young wanted to highlight their love for movies and our lighthearted sense of humor, so she had them enter to the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme, and DS smiled and waved the whole time. Dad and son hugged and high-fived at the "altar" and DH was directed to bow at audience (applause). He then was guided to sit down next to me.

Bride and dad enter down the runway (I don't know the name of the movie theme she used - it was a Chinese movie). They hugged, DS bowed to FIL, he put DIL's hand in DS's. Then FIL bowed to audience (applause) and was guided to sit next to MIL.

Next, bride and groom bow to audience (applause). Then they are escorted down to the bride's parents where the bride and groom bow to parents (groom down on knees, head to floor). Then parents hug bride and groom. Bride and groom are then escorted up to stage and down to our side, where we skip the bowing and do a group hug.

Grooms dad (my DH) is guided up and did traditional "Do you, Garrett..." vows for the couple. After each phrase, the announcer translated into Korean. After "you may kiss the bride" there was scattered, confused applause (I'm thinking the Korean audience wasn't used to this part). DH is guided down to sit with me.

Bride's dad is escorted up to the couple, where he gives a moving speech in Korean, which announcer translates into English. He bows to audience (applause) and is escorted back to wife.

Ah Young loves the father-daughter dance we do at American receptions, but they don't do party style receptions so she incorporated it into the ceremony. So first I was escorted up and danced with DS, then I sat and Ah Young danced with her dad, then Ah Young and Garrett dance.

Announcer announces it's over, bride and groom bow to audience to much applause, and the guests file out to the most incredible buffet spread I have ever seen. Bridal party stays behind for photos, then bride and groom change into traditional formal hanbok and we are moved into a traditionally decorated room with floor cushions where formal photos are taken.

After photos we go in to reception room and make the rounds. Some of the guests at the party are the mayor, chairman of local Citibank, owner of the hotel we stayed in, owner of the hotel the wedding took place in, etc. That told us something of the circles they move in. No wonder they take trips to Easter Island, Macchu Picchu, go horseback riding in Mongolia, etc. Wow...

The wedding started at 5:30 pm. After the dinner there is no party, dancing or reception to speak of. Everyone gets plenty of food, beer and soju, then goes home. We had an after-party in a suite rented to entertain all of the guests who came in from other countries. I was ecstatic to see Mikako (our Japanese exchange student from 10 years ago) again. It was like we had never been apart. She also told us she just found out she's expecting. A very happy surprise for us! We partied there until 1:30am, then went back to our hotel room, showered, finished packing and got on a shuttle van at 3:00am to begin the long trek home.

We're settled in, ready for some pizza and try to stay awake until bed time. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I will check in later.

Good morning from Daejeon South Korea, where it is a not-so-brisk-as-Anchorage 26 degrees. We had a lovely two days in Seoul, visiting the Imperial palace, seeing the city and taking a tour of the DMZ (demilitarized zone). Last night we took the bullet train to Daejeon, where my son's in laws live. The mom prepared us a feast and we ate and laughed all night.

Today, wedding preparations! Will check in later...

Good morning from SoCal, where it finally feels like fall. It's downright chilly, and the heater actually came on in the house.

Tonight at midnight DH, DD and I leave for Korea for DS's wedding. First, a 13 hour flight from LAX to Beijing, then a 3 hour layover, then a 2 hour flight from Beijing to Incheon (Seoul). that's 18 hours of travel time. Take into account the time difference and we arrive at noon on Monday. We'll spend the day in Incheon (or maybe Seoul) and then do the 3 hour drive to Daejeon the next day. This is all very exciting, but 13 hours on one plane is a long time! I know Jim-the-board-resident-world-traveler is a pro at this, but I confess to being a bit overwhelmed and anxious. One really cool thing about the travel is when we come home we arrive a half hour after we left. Traveling across date lines is kind of mind boggling.

DS is marrying a lovely girl, and marrying into a great family. They came here a couple of weeks ago and stayed for a week. We speak no Korean and they speak no English. Ah Young (my DIL) did all the translating for 12 people. She had her work cut out for her but did a great job. There was lots of fun and laughter. We also got to take her 4 and 6 year old nieces trick-or-treating. They were VERY excited about that, since they 1) don't do Halloween there, and 2) don't eat much candy. Every time I told the candy-dispensing person at the door they came all the way from Korea to go trick-or-treating, they dumped an extra hand-full in the little girls' bags. Their eyes got so HUGE, and soon they were saying, "Sank-oo!" before running off to the next house. Excellent first English word(s)!

The wedding is on Thursday. My DIL asked if I want to wear traditional Korean clothing (Hanbok)
https://www.google.com/search?q=hanbok+wedding&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS448US448&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=672&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTt6-uk7XQAhUCj1QKHXnzDyMQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=hanbok+mother+dress+wedding
It's so beautiful! It's also going to make my rather large American body look that much more bulky, but I can live with that if it makes Ah Young happy 🙂
Just in case they don't have any big enough for me, I bought a long formal dress as a back-up. If I don't need it I can always return it.

This will be the first time in my adult life I haven't spent 3 days cooking for Thanksgiving. I'm kind of excited about that! With all the excitement we have had this fall, plus starting a new full-time job AND continuing to do estate sales, I may carry that through and not do Christmas either. No decorating, no big meals. Just finish off the year relaxing with family.

FB friends: please don't mention any of this on Facebook. I don't want to advertise online that we will be away from the house for a week. I'll post pics when we get back.

Jane, it's on a local FB group. If your daughter wants it, let me know and I'll try and get it.

Mysteryhorse, I saw this and thought of Sunshine Girl. Someone locally is selling it NIB for $20, twin size:
https://www.google.com/search?q=snurk+equestrian+horse+duvet&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYh57CpdDOAhVDWSYKHYB5ArIQ_AUIBygB&biw=1024&bih=671

Got it, thanks!

Beth, did you get my email sent through the book board chat message system?

Beth, see your messages. I would love to get your student's info to send a card.

As usually happens, my 15 minutes turned into an hour and 15. I got a big pile out of my laundry room and packed up a set of my own china to go to our next estate sale. My family never wants to use nice china, even on special holidays. They contend it's more fun to spend time together and eat on the cheap stuff that we can throw in the dishwasher, rather than having to hand wash. They have a point. I miss the pretty table, but at the end of a long day it's nice to not have so much clean up.

One game of solitaire, then I think I'll try and tackle some paperwork. Or not.

June, congrats on finding your blackjack game. I know how you feel. Spider Solitaire is my time wasting addiction. My house gets neglected when I'm working on so many estate sales. Now I have one day off and I'm battling the desire to sit in my PJs and play vs the need to get organized and get caught up on paperwork. I'm going to hit 'post', set a 15 minute timer, get started on being responsible and see what I can accomplish in that time.

Beth pretty much hit the nail on the head, re end of estate sale.

We used to try and get the remains donated to non-profits so we could present the family with a donation form for tax purposes. That ended up being a nightmare because the non-profits out here have become very picky. They will cherry pick the best items and leave you with a house full of "remains". Then the estate would have to pay to have that removed. The process was very time consuming and the receipt didn't usually make up for the cash loss in the clients' minds.

We offer the option of taking a lower commission on the sale and walk away at the end leaving the family to deal with the remainder, but most families decide against that. The whole reason they hire us is so they won't have to deal with it.

Some estate sale companies in our area have in the contract that the remaining items become their property at the end of the sale and they will remove it. Pam and I feel that's a conflict of interest, as the estate company can then price the nicer items so high they don't sell. Then those items become property of the estate sale people who can sell later at a lower price and keep 100% of the profit, rather than just a commission on the sale. If we want something at the estate sale we pay the same price as all the other customers do. Our only bonus is we get first choice, and we get to shop first on the discount days (the night before).

In SoCal it is getting more and more difficult to find 'buy out' people. Most of them now charge to haul away anything left in the house. We found some wonderful people who pay a lump sum based on what is there and they haul it all away, the good with the bad. If there is a lot of bad they may pay nothing, or even charge. It depends on how much money they feel they can make at flea markets, weighed against their costs of removal and storage. They are very fair, and we try to make sure there is not much "junk" or trash by the time they get there. We do free Craigslist ads for difficult to sell items, and we do many trips to the dumpster during sale prep if there is a lot of trash in the house.

June, Beth, that's a good strategy for estate sales. When Pam and I are organizing estate sales we are trying to keep in mind the best interests of our client, which is to make as much money as possible. We tell them the way to do that is a good balance between higher prices and the ultimate goal of getting everything out he door. Our strategy is to set first day prices so that collectors will be happy to pay full price and dealers will be very tempted. We get a lot of dealers spread out through the day the first day, buying a few things and scoping out what they want to come back for on discount day. Also, later in the day on discount day we have been known to do even a little better pricing if someone is buying a lot. It never hurts to ask...

Beth, the steroids cause their own "stuff". I'm glad your son's doctor is being cautious with them. After some of her episodes my sister said the steroid treatment was almost worse than the disease flare up. She sent her daughter to live with me over an entire summer because they had her on high doses of steroids and she was struggling with being over-stimulated, much like in autism. Sis couldn't handle an active pre-teen and sent her to me.

Happy birthday Chris!

Beth, I'm so sorry about your son's diagnosis. I know the progression is different with each person, but even "devastating episodes" don't have to be completely devastating. My sister was diagnosed 29 years ago. She was only 29. Her first episode (that we recognized as such) back then was horrible. She lost all bodily control and needed 24 hour care for about a week. They treated her heavily with steroids. She has had several episodes since then, sometimes several within the same year, also requiring steroids. She usually recovers nearly to where she started. Though her disease has progressed and her health has declined somewhat, she gets along very well; still walking - just not fast or far. She hates the weekly Avonex injections but they have been miraculous for her.

Good evening from a blistering Southern California. It is in the upper 90s and low 100s and has been for awhile. Not only that, it's actually humid due to storm activity in the Pacific. Even us transplants from the east are complaining, since we can't say "at least it's a dry heat." My electricity bill this month was a staggering $600+. It has been high before, but never that high. The AC runs a lot more now that the adult kids are back in the house. Time for them to foot some of the bills...

It is very common in this area for homes not to even have AC because we are in relatively temperate coastal towns. For those people without AC these few weeks in July through September are absolutely miserable. We live several miles from the ocean so when we bought the house 20 years ago we insisted on the AC. I'm glad we did. I'm also REALLY glad our clients for this weekend's estate sale have AC. They are in San Juan Capistrano, which is about 5 miles up the road from here and a minimum of 5 degrees warmer on a hot day. It's been 101-103 the past few days, so staging and pricing the patio has been a bear. Pricing stickers are wanting to curl and come off. Estate sales are poorly attended when it's really hot out, so all my ads mention the AC in the title - ha! I think I may add "Air Conditioned" to our signs, too. Remember when motels and restaurants along the highway proudly displayed signs when they had AC?

The next estate sale is in a mobile home, also in San Juan. The AC is broken and it was 88 indoors before noon today. We left a message for the realtor because if they can't get the AC working, everything inside that place is going to mildew.

So has everyone heard of the Salmonella outbreak? It has apparently been pretty bad (as Salmonella outbreaks go) in Southern California. Unfortunately, Pam and her family appear to be in the statistics. They had a lovely dinner at a nice restaurant in L.A. on Sunday and were sick by Monday. Her daughter is the only one who didn't get violently ill. Apparently the salmon crostini had cucumber on it, and the DD is the only one who didn't eat it. The restaurant is currently denying any issues, though their Washington DC restaurant has had 9 reported cases. Pam's future SIL called his doctor, who insisted he come in immediately, and then insisted on calling the restaurant and the CDC. Pam and her DH have Kaiser, who told them don't bother coming in since there is nothing we can do for you anyway. Sheesh! Last I heard Pam and the DH were going in to urgent care anyway not because they are THAT sick (the worst is past) but because if it is salmonella they want the CDC and the restaurant to know. That Kaiser makes me SO mad...

I knew my choice of the word 'guilt' might spark some kind-hearted defense but I chose it anyway. Guilt is the first response the women of our family feel to everything. I'm guessing it has been passed down for centuries. My philosophical musings on guilt: It's funny how closely guilt and pride can be linked; you can really only feel guilt over every situation if you somehow deem yourself capable or responsible for the outcome of said situation. Control freak much?

Anyhoo, it is my instintual response and I have learned to allow myself that. I try it on, 'taste' it, process my reaction, take action if the guilt was legitimate and move on if it wasn't. It's part of the process of letting go, so I won't deny it, nor will I allow it power over me. Thank you though, for the kind words.

JoAnne and Diane, what you went through in caring for your family members was very inspirational for me. I deeply admire you both.

Mysteryhorse, I love the pics. They give me such a smile. I'm guessing you will soon be the POINO (proud owner in name only) of a Sunshine Pony.

Jim, so sorry about the course changes. I too would be very disappointed, thought I do hope to visit Busan some day

Wondering about how Ebozo and Dadkat are doing...

Beth, that's difficult to answer. It's an odd mix of missing her terribly, relief at the eased burden and easing of the constant worry about her, and guilt for feeling relieved. I still jump sometimes, thinking I need to hurry to be home by 11:30 or 4:30 to get her meals, only to remember I won't need to do that anymore, ever. Then I get that flash of sadness/relief again. Some days I work from 6:00am til 10:00pm just because I can. And because I can't believe how much got neglected as my priorities had to shift over the years.

My sister is wonderful with mom, and she is so happy to have her. Since she has MS and is unable to work much, she and mom get to spend lots of time together and (bonus) mom has someone to worry about who will listen when she says, "aren't you exhausted? Come sit a while." Mom is also having a great time. The true test will be when the weather gets cold. My sister has a more rustic home than I (made of 150+ year old logs) and mom shivers and bundles up when the inside temp drops below 78. We shall see how it goes when the snow comes...

Diane, that breaks my heart. He has been terribly ill for years, since his last supervisory job here in California exposed him to toxic chemicals in treated lumber. He was never able to go back to work and never fully recovered.

Sandy, that is so scary. The last time mom was in the hospital her 'sundowner' was so bad she completely lost touch with reality. She thought she was in Europe and was being held against her will in a makeshift "hospital" in the basement of her hotel. She was very relieved when she saw me "step off the train" and come to her door. They usually seem to come back to reality like your dad did. I hope we don't have too many troubles with the travel.

Flying to Nashville tomorrow with mom. It will be a long day so we will stay in a motel on Nashville before driving to Kentucky on Thursday. Mom had a last appointment with her doctor here, and then a parade of people in to say goodbye. There is no question this is the right choice, but it is emotionally much harder than I expected. I am not a particularly emotional person, but I'm a mess! I need to pull it together before we leave tomorrow, because mom is like a little child in that her ability to deal with circumstances is directly tied to my level of calm. No tears are allowed until I'm on the plane back to CA a week from tomorrow.

Diane, I knew your mom had been with you a long time. I was curious but also afraid to ask. I did great with mom for about 5 1/2 years, but the last 6 months were really hard and I felt like I was losing myself. Mom is super emotionally (and physically) needy, but we didn't have any really major quirks like you describe. I deeply admire you. And you, JoAnne. It sounds like your MIL was a real challenge. Mom's freaking out a bit about the move, and going through a lot of Valium. I'm glad I will be with her for a week when she gets to Kentucky, but I'm also confident my sister will do great with her. There are two people in the world who can read mom's mind (her most basic need), and my sister is one of them 🙂

Went to an auction on Wednesday and had great fun. We bought 3 lots of junk that will bring in a few dollars. 2 of them were wrapped up tight and were a "mystery" but the junk was stored in good Rubbermade tubs that made it worth our while even if they were filled with trash. Fortunately there was not too much trash, though some did go to the dumpster. We didn't find any real treasures this week, but we got quite a bit of good, general estate sale stock that we can "fluff up" our skimpier estate sales with. We don't normally stock estate sales, but if they don't have enough to generate interest we will dig out things to add. Now we have more 🙂

I'm happy with the decision we made with mom. My sister really misses her and is ready to take this on. She doesn't work outside the home so she will have the time mom needs. Her husband is also onboard. He is a very kindhearted man.

Realtors here want the home decluttered, but furnished and staged. They want some magical solution involving getting rid of anything they think will not add to the value of the house without holding a sale. Maybe I should recommend to the larger firms that they invest in buying storage facilities and offer temporary storage of misc items as an incentive to choose their firm. Hmm...

LOVE seeing pics of the Sunshine Kids!

Big doings at our house. Next week (on her 94th birthday) mom and I are flying to Kentucky, where she will be moving in with my sister. Mom has lived with us for over 6 years and we have loved having her, but I need to work and mom needs more care than we can give her. She has been in a board and care home for two months, but even there she gets depressed and then has physical problems if I don't tend to her every day. It's a lovely private home with compassionate care givers who tend to five senior residents, but for mom, only family will do 🙂

Pam and I are preparing for several estate sales right now, only one of which is actually on the calendar. Unfortunately, that one is scheduled for August 7&8, while I'm out of town, so I'm going to miss the fun. The others are all waiting for the homes to go into escrow. Nowadays, realtors insist on keeping the house staged for sale so they don't want the estate sale to happen until after it's sold. Inevitably, the buyer ends up wanting a short escrow so the realtors try to get us to do the sale with no preparation or time for advance advertising. Most of the time, the seller agrees with us and insists on the full 30 day escrow so we can make the most of the sale. Realtors often don't realize that though the house represents the biggest financial value, the belongings inside represent a lifetime of memories. Though they can't keep everything, the seller wants it treated like the treasure trove it represents to them.

Oh, it is a different Eileen than what I was thinking! My apologies if you are still lurking Eileen! The last time you posted was your birthday, last year so drop in (and Happy Birthday!)

I don't think so; I think that's just my bad spelling.

I think webmaster has Ilene and Kathy's birthdays reversed. Ilene is earlier (the 6th, I think?) and Kathy's is the 27th.

Good morning, all,

Happy Birthday to Casinokat!

Diane, how about Jin Hua for your Chinese lady? It translates as Golden Flower in my Google translate.

Jim, I'm sorry you will miss Busan (Pusan). My son says it is a wonderful city, his favorite place in Korea. My understanding is the food there is outstanding and famous in Korea, similar in fame to Hokkaido food in Japan

JoAnn, haha on the Fels-Naptha mouth wash-out. Scary thought, that!

Hi all,

I haven't checked in for awhile, so I'm off to scroll. First though:
I think we have CasinoKat's birthday wrong in the records. Her B-day is the 27th.

Thanks Sandy, I did that, first as "Estate Sales", then shared as myself. Anyone on FB, I would appreciate any likes or shares of that post, especially from folks near Pennsylvania. I'm hoping some of Mr. Springer's family will see it.

A challenge for my genealogically-inclined friends:

At the house where our next estate sale is happening (this Friday) I came across a military (army?) uniform that didn't belong to any of the members of this family. I was just going to sell it until I found a name and social security number written inside the helmet. I don't belong to Ancestry.com or any genealogy websites, but I confirmed the social security number belongs to a Robert A. Springer, formerly of Pennsylvania. The SSN was issued between 1958 and 1960 and the death certificate was issued 1/23/07. My job at this estate sale is to make money for the heirs, but if I can find Mr. Springer's family within the next week before the sale I'm sure these folks would agree with me it would be good to get this uniform to his family.

If anyone is interested in taking up a quick search, message me and I can also provide the SSN. I don't want to post it on the board.

Hi All,

Well, Pam is off to Cancun for a family vacation and she will miss the best estate sale we have had in awhile. I told her I would be fine without her but she would rather be here than in Cancun, probably because the vacation is with her in-laws, haha. We have fun working together so I will miss her, but I hope she has fun.

Here's a link to the ad so you can enjoy the pictures:

http://www.estatesales.net/CA/Huntington-Beach/92647/836865

Happy birthday, bookdelle!!

Good morning. It has been lovely here for the past week - cool and overcast with occasional drizzle. In any other climate this would probably be considered dreary, but knowing we have relentless, cloudless sunshine and heat coming soon and lasting for months, I am enjoying every minute of this. Truly, from late spring through the fall the sky here has not one wisp of cloud. Strange that that can seem oppressive, but it gets that way, at least for me.

I really feel for everyone in the states with so much rain and flooding. I wish California could take some of that off their hands. We sure need it.

We have been on the hunt for more care for mom. She really feels like she is a burden to us and she wants to move out, so we have been looking at Board and Care homes. I love having her around, but I also feel like she now needs more care than I can provide, especially since I need to work. We found a great place about a mile from my house. The home is lovely; the owners and caregivers are open and kind, and the residents and their families speak very highly of it. We visited for lunch yesterday and mom had a wonderful time. She even sang along when one of the caregivers pulled out a guitar and sang. Now to determine if she/we can afford it...

Paula, re: Miley, I agree. I think that's why I was surprised that there was some actual talent there. I often look at people in that situation and feel deep pity for them. Fame seems to utterly destroy some people. They are a product to be marketed, whatever the cost. I look at her, Amanda Bynes and several other stars raised under the thumb of The Mouse as modern examples. Then back to Judy Garland and what they did to her to keep her marketable as long as possible. I often wonder how some people (Shirley Temple-Black comes to mind) manage to survive and thrive after growing up in show business.

Re hospitals asking about domestic violence: back in the 1970s my mom did what you only see in movies. She actually stepped on the tines of a heavy garden rake, causing it to swing up. The handle whacked her hard in the face, nearly knocking her out and badly blackening her eye. She was too dizzy to drive and I was too young, so she put an ice pack on it and waited for my dad to get home from work to take her to the ER. She laughed as she told them what happened but they didn't believe her. Several nurses asked her several different times to tell the story and they finally sent my dad out of the room and explained that she was in a safe place and they would protect her if she told the truth. They never did believe her and reluctantly sent her home with my dad. I wonder how many, if any, of them continued to worry about mom into the future. Too bad my parents didn't take me along to confirm the story, though that may not even have helped...

Funny you bring up Miley, Paula. DD made me listen to some of her music, including a cover of her godmother Dolly Parton's song, Jolene. I was surprised at her vocal strength and talent.

I had a client once who, whenever she bought a new refrigerator, had it delivered to her local auto body shop to be painted purple and then had it delivered to her. All her adult life she owned a purple refrigerator.

Sandy, retirement sounds great but I can't imagine it happening in my lifetime haha.

Family squabbles are so sad. I can't imagine that happening in my family. My older sister is executrix of the estate and was dads primary caregiver until he passed at the end of February. My other sister took care of both parents for seven years befor we moved mom to CA and my sister had to move out of state. I've been looking after mom for about nine years, the past six of which she has lived in our house. We have all "done our time", loving and caring for our parents. Right now mom feels like she's a heavy burden to me so she wants to be sure I get most of the estate. She forgets how amazing my sisters have been through the years. Rather than arguing the point, after reminding her how fabulous they are I just tell her they have agreed I should get the most. That makes her happy. When she passes we of course split anything left of mom and dads estate equally.

Yay, Beth! Love the updates.

Dan and Paula, have a good time! I expect a full report.

I also don't change based on what I'm told is now in or out. I'm so bad everything is usually threadbare (or worse) before I finally replace it.

Taxes done. What a relief!

Beth, that's fantastic! If he needs anything else, please let me know. I wasn't able to contribute at the time everyone else was.

Mysteryhorse, I hope you feel better soon.

June, I'm jealous. I spend a lot of time looking at the lock or gazing out the window. I sleep much more soundly than I used to when the kids were young. Back then I would wake up at every house creak and sometimes at the sound of the cat walking across the bedroom carpet.

Trying to get ready for taxes. This year we have to figure DH's job, Treasuremomz, Estate Sales by Sam and Pam and Comcycle. Sigh...

Reading all the trials and tribulations of renting and living in apartments and condos makes me chuckle because here in SoCal we have what I call "condo houses". Real estate is crazy expensive out here and houses are built practically on top of each other. Even larger houses. I know some people who are in 4500+ square feet and they are still only about 20 feet from their next door neighbor. It's crazy. We live on a cul de sac so all the yards are pie shaped. We are far from the noise of the neighbor to our right, but the neighbor on the left is very close. Unfortunately, she is the pet lover of the street. She has 2 or 3 dogs and (sigh...) a pair of cockatoos. Not cockatiels (the cute, small ones) but cockatoos - the parrot-sized birds that are very intelligent and easily bored. They squawk and screech all day, and when the weather is nice she puts them out on perches on her patio. Unfortunately they quickly get bored and started screeching/screaming. The neighbors have shut themselves inside the house with the AC on, and I'm trying to get something accomplished and keep cool with all the doors and windows open so I get to hear the screeching, while she doesn't. She's a very sweet lady, but she tunes them out and can't understand why we get irritated. After a long day at work, when the sun is going down and the breeze is pleasant (and we're tired) I would really like to open our doors and windows, sit and enjoy a quiet dinner. That is very hard to do with those birds. She just doesn't get it.

aegbooks, thanks! We have fun with it. Pam and I have been spending mornings tag-team listing. She comes over so I don't have to leave mom. She writes the listings and saves them in drafts (one of eBay's improvements I *love*); I take photos, input them in the listings, double check everything and start the listing. Things go much faster and it never gets boring. We can chat while we work. I don't know about everyone else, but when I'm doing eBay listings by myself I burn out rather quickly and really hate it after about 3-4 hours. When we can both do it it's not bad at all. We still only work at it a couple of hours because we have other organizing, estate sale pricing, shipping and (for me anyway) mom duties. Oh, and we each have our other job lol.

Beth, it's fun to get updates on your Barbie sales. Great investment!

Jane, so sorry about your sickness! That's not fun at all. This is the time of year I get plagued by allergies. I'm not sure what I'm allergic to, but it makes me cough, makes my nose run and really messes up my eustachian tubes so I get muffled hearing, occasional vertigo and lose my balance. It gets a little worse every year, and this year was terrible after flying to Florida for my dad's memorial. My left ear was completely muffled for almost 3 weeks, though there was no wax in it. It's somewhat better now but the GP suggests I go see an ENT. I'm wondering if I should go to an allergist.

Our top 5 for March:

$400 Vtg Estate Custom Men's 14k gold diamonds sapphire X ring
$ 49.99 WWII R-14 Receiver US Army Signal Corps Pilot Tanker Helmet Head Set
$ 39.95 Vintage Amazonian Native Indian Tribal Burden Basket Yanomami Brazil
$ 19.99 Vintage Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Metal Script Emblem Logo Chrome 80-92
$ 14.95 Vintage Amazonian Native Waiwai Indian Tribal Woven Reed Comb

February and March were big months for estate sales. They were fun, but exhausting. It's nice to get a break to get caught up at home and get some listings done. We also have a few carry-overs from the estate sales that we are selling on consignment (like the ring on my top 5 list). We are working on 2 other estate sales now, but dates aren't set.

Beth, that is very exciting! The cool thing about buying big lots is being able to use the same listing template over and over, just changing photos and a few details. Best of luck!

Beth, what a beautiful thing you are doing!

Thank you for the condolences. My dad was a wonderful man. When he heard the news about the attack on Pearl Harbor he enlisted. After becoming a pilot he was stationed at Aldermasten, England (it's now a nuclear power facility). He piloted a C-47, pulling paratrooper gliders. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he told me about the glider pilot releasing from the tow, getting ready to parachute out and my dad realizing he may never see any of those men again.

One time when I was visiting my parents in Florida we visited a lady's tea shop. She grew her own herbs and brewed her own teas. It turns out she was from Holland. When she heard my dad flew in the Operation Market-Garden mission she thanked my dad profusely and broke down crying. She clung to him for at least 10 minutes. It was a beautiful thing.

He will be sorely missed.

I can't believe its the beginning of a new week. This past one has been so disorienting and surreal.

After a very short illness my 94 year old dad, hero and WWII pilot, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday. I flew to Florida Tuesday night to meet my sisters and brother. We had a celebration of life for family and friends on Friday and I came home Friday night to be here for our Hollywood estate sale on Saturday. First thing Saturday morning 2 customers got in a fight over a chair and we had to call the police. I wanted to scream at them, "don't you realize how precious life is!?! Dont waste your time, energy and anger on a chair."

Happily, Sandy (Bookbase) and her daughter stopped by the sale on Sunday. It was really nice to see them, and I'm glad Sandy got some fun and sight seeing in before the rain, though I guess the rain here must be easier than the snow back home haha.

I hope ebozo is OK and checks in with someone. I have been thinking of him a lot lately. I know he used to occasionally read this board.

I'm sorry I dont have Dramlin's address and I haven't chatted with Ken for a couple of years, though I think of him often. I have been following the FB group and hoping all is well, though I haven't posted.

Happy belated birthday, Clem!!

Patsy, so glad you are home and recovering! My sister had been bitten by fire ants many times without any problems, and then one time she got bitten by one fire ant and ended up in the emergency room. They told her venom allergies can develop suddenly like that, going from annoying to deadly, and now she has to carry an epi-pen at all times in case of stings.

Please take care of yourself!

Go Bucks! Representing the B1G

That seems to have changed a lot since 911. The last couple of times I have gone to New York I found the folks there to be friendly, outgoing and delightful. The only nasty person I met was from right here in Orange County, which she was very vocal about as she complained about everything and compared it all to Southern California. She was obnoxious, like she was auditioning for Real Housewives or something. It was embarrassing.

Good morning, all. Thinking of dejavubooks today, as I often do, because it's another blue sky day.

Oddly, our Christmas ornaments are still selling. I guess people are wanting to fill out their collections to be ready before next year. I'm thinking I will leave them up in the eBay store all year. Can't hurt.

I'm going to finish taking down Christmas today. It has been a nice vacation break, with DH off work for the past 2 weeks. Between that and sickness in the house we have been resting and relaxing more than I can remember doing in a long time. It has been nice, but it's time to get cleaned up, organized and back to work.

aegbooks, that sounds like a great scene from a movie. I'm glad you got the little rascal out of the house without a bloody death, or too much mayhem.

Speaking of mayhem, I love the Mayhem Allstate commercials and they had a great series of them during the Sugar Bowl on Thursday. The theme was the dangers of over-sharing on social media, and Mayhem was a thief who broke into someones home. He knew they were gone because they shared on social media they were going to be at the Sugar Bowl. They set up a fake website (mayhemsale.com) and did a series of commercials where he was selling everything right out of their house, updating the sale in each quarter of the game. It was very funny, and a great reminder to be careful what you post.

We bought those Christmas ornaments at an estate sale (not one of ours). We have found Christmas ornaments in general to be a good thing to watch for at estate sales because they don't sell well (and so end up being very inexpensive) but they do sell well on eBay. Any Hallmark collector series or other collector series are worth picking up if you can get them at a low enough price. They are easy to list (this makes me happy), and great to fill out eBay store inventory, especially in October. They are also small, easy to store and easy to ship. We unfortunately got a late start on them, but put the Danbury Mint collections up at a relatively high price with free shipping and they sold pretty well. The Best Offer option is somewhat annoying because people are not afraid to make really insulting offers, but I don't mind because it has resulted in some pretty decent sales. We have made our money back on the Danbury Mint ornaments so if the rest don't sell we will just decline any insulting offers and let them sit until next October.

Good morning! Beautiful chilly day here in SoCal. There was actually frost on the grass this morning. Today is trash day, so when I took out the bins I couldn't resist walking in the front yard to hear the grass crunch and leave footprints in the frost. I'm sure if the neighbors saw me out there walking circles in my bathrobe at 7:30 am they must have thought I was a nut (well, I am haha).

I'm glad people are still posting their top 5 sales. Bob, I really like that you added the sales venue and the destination of the sale. Mine are all eBay:

$98.99 1991 Danbury Mint Gold Christmas Ornament Collection Set of 12 with Box (IA)
$98.99 1986 Danbury Mint 20Kt Gold Christmas Ornament Collection Set of 12 with Box (MI - close to my home town)
$97.00 Vtg 1950s Ceramic NAPCO All Over COOKIE JAR Walnut Knob 5 COOKIE LID (VA - I was nervous about shipping this one)
$85.00 1996 Gold Christmas Ornament Collection by Danbury Mint Set of 12 - 23kt Gold (Ohio)
$59.95 Vintage Shuron Nusir Bouquet Ladies Browline Retro Eyeglass Frames NOS 1022 (Pennsylvania)

I've been down with a bad cold for about a week but today I am up and back to work. I'm really happy mom seemed to do OK with me staying away from her and it looks like we may get by without her getting sick. Whew!

Pam and I have an estate sale in 3 weeks so we need to get moving.

aegbooks, all of the games have been really exciting today. I switched during commercials between the Wisconsin game and Michigan State vs Baylor. Both games were very exciting. I'm still in disbelief that MSU pulled off the comeback against Baylor. Even Minnesota looked pretty good today up until the 4th quarter. So far the Big10 is making a decent showing. Go Buckeyes!

Good morning, all. I enjoyed everyone's Christmas memories. My favorite part was always stockings. There were always lots of thoughtful or clever small things, a few snacks and Silly String. My sister and I 'redecorated' the tree every year with it. I think we may have ruined a few ornaments that way. I was most excited when there were batteries in my stocking because that meant one of the presents was something electronic and fun. One year I asked for Giant Tinker Toys, never thinking I would get them. I did. They were one of the greatest toys I ever received and my best friend and I spent hours building frames for blanket forts, cars (using cardboard boxes and Tinker Toy frames) and other fun things. They were great for rainy days or when our toes got too cold to play out in the snow anymore.

I'm glad Christmas is behind us. Christmas has always been stressful for mom, and now it is especially so because she keeps forgetting I shopped and got presents for everyone on her behalf. Several times a day for weeks before Christmas she would panic and feel bad that she didn't have anything for anyone. She wouldn't believe me until I ran down the list in detail. Then we would replay the same conversation a few hours later. After several weeks that became exhausting. I was very sad for her and I'm glad she (and I) can relax and get back into a rhythm. She is on Galantamine ER to try and help enhance her memory but her dosage is very low and doesn't seem to be making a difference. We see her neurologist on the 5th so he will probably adjust the dosage or the med itself then.

I've been fighting a cold the past 2 days. I'm not used to getting sick so I feel like I've been a big baby haha. Fortunately, Dennis stepped up with cooking and took good care of me. He also did some caring for mom so I wouldn't have to drag my germs into her room. I *really* hope she doesn't get sick. A nuisance cold for me is a big deal for a 93 year old.

Dolores, I'm so sorry for your loss. Hugs to you.

Sandy, you inspire me with your culling. I want to do that in my house, with 'stuff' that has been gathering dust. I haven't had much luck on our local FB garage sale or buy/sell/trade pages. For now I will try to put prices on it and stick it in a corner of the garage. Pam is doing the same thing at her house and we will try to either add our stuff to estate sales or have multiple garage sales this spring. If I can't sell it I will give it away. I really want to minimize so I think I need to set some specific goals and give myself time frames.

Diane, sitting at the beach sounds lovely.

Sandy, how do you find local pages on FB?

We have RAIN!!! I'm so excited. I think it has been 8 years since we have had any measurable rain and we need it so badly. Oh, the sound of it, the smell of it, the chill in the air...I think I may actually have to wear socks today. I know the rest of you have had to deal with cold and snow and miserable weather already, so complaining about lack of weather and drought seems really petty, but THIS IS GLORIOUS!!

I wish it would go on for days, except that with as dry as we have been there is nothing alive with strong root systems to hold down the hillsides. The mudslides will be bad.

BTW, congratulations mysteryhorse and aegbooks on your great sales! And mysteryhorse, I am green with envy every time you share stories and/or pictures of the Sunshine Kids, but I love them.

Dan, happy belated birthday!

Beth, my sister was diagnosed with MS 28 years ago. She takes Avonex, which has been great for her. Her early incidents were very bad but medication has had her nearly symptom-free for 8 years.

Patsy, I'm glad Grant is doing better. Please keep us posted on his recovery.

aegbooks, I saw the photos on FB and enjoyed them again here. I especially love the one of you dressed for the grand ball, with the cool backdrop and the starry effects added. Really neat. I'm glad you had fun.

aegbooks, so glad you are having fun at Teslacon. Color me green with envy. Would love to see some pictures!

mysteryhorse, I confess I envy your weather too. I'm one of those wierdos who has always loved winter and snow. It was 95 degrees here today. I was not thrilled.

jude, I'm so happy that is a farce and I learned about it now. The estate sale we are working on right now has several hundred beanies. If I hadn't read the
Snopes article I would have had nightmares all night.

I also love college football. My Michigan Wolverines have been having some terrible years, and this one is possibly the worst. Today they seemed to desperately try to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but fortunately Northwestern made even more mistakes than they did.

Neat, Jim! I never would have thought of that about sneezes, though I believe I have woken up to sneeze before.

Jim, I confess I do like watching football in the mornings, and really like not having to stay up too late to see the end of the "prime time" games. I'll never get used to College Football Gameday being on so early, though.

Family. I have a brother (20 yrs my senior) in Alabama. My nephew (his son) is only 2years younger than me. I have a sister (16 years my senior) in Michigan. 10 years after her came the first 'oops' ( my sister who lives in Kentucky.) I was the second 'oops', 6 years after her. We all grew up in Michigan, far from the Illinois cousins. It's been great reconnecting with them on FB. Dad (only child) is 94 and still lives on his own in their Florida condo. Mom (93) is the eldest of three. Her siblings have kids (my cousins) but I rarely saw them because of the distance and big age difference.

Patsy, I can't help you, but look forward to seeing an answer.

Jim, I don't know if I need that much daylight lol, but I am a morning girl and enjoy dawn by 5 or 5:30. I can't have that again til at least next June, sigh...
If only we gat some measurable rain this year, that will make up for it.

It has taken a long time, but I have finally come to the realization that I am a big baby. I have been unhappy about the heat, and it has cooled off (at least at night, making for good sleeping weather.) But now as we are heading into fall and winter and I realize it's going to be dark when I wake up for the next several months, this makes me very sad. I miss 5:00am daylight, and here it is still dark at 6:00.

Good morning! It's going to climb back to 90 today. I'm so ready to move to Minnesota lol.

Patsy, those were such beautiful palms. I'm sorry you had to lose them. Everything grows so fast in Florida! Here in California they would never have gotten that big that fast.

Carol, how exciting! Those surprises are still out there.

Re: packing and shipping, today y'all remind me how lucky I am. When DH started ComCycle he set us up with a thermal printer. We can print shipping in bulk and the printer kicks them all out at once, on 4x6 sticker labels. We just peel and slap them on the package. Those printers can be found (used) for a reasonable price on eBay or Craigslist. We always ordered boxes and shipping supplies in bulk from Uline but now that I'm selling out of ComCycle I haven't reordered and I'm feeling the pinch. I think I have enough stock left to justify paying for shipping supplies a time or two more, but I'm always on the lookout for peanuts, bubble wrap, good sizes of boxes and bubble mailers.

Dan, I think if you had a significant snow and I came to visit I would flop in your yard and it would melt so fast it would flood the state. Yes, the heat is getting to me...

Paula and Mysteryhorse, I'm with you. I love the hunt and the learning process. It's like an addiction. I have to say though, the thing I love the most about estate sales is feeling like we are getting to know the person who has moved on. Their treasured possessions tell a story and Pam and I find ourselves talking to the people as we clean, organize and stage their items. Obviously it's a job and we want to earn some money, but it's especially great when a particular item gets matched to a person who really loves it.

Mysteryhorse I guess we always long for what we can't have LOL. I dream of 50 degrees and rain. I haven't seen any measurable rain here in I think about 3 years. If we don't get any weather this winter I may have to do something drastic like go visit Clem and Dawg in February.

aegbooks, thanks. It's a fun one. We will have to have at least 3 sales because there is no way to stage the house with everything at one time. She was quite a collector. A lot of items have condition issues, and so far we haven't found any real treasures, but there is some decent stuff and we should do well just based on quantity. I hope our customers enjoy the first sale (vintage clothes). There are some great pieces and a lot of would-be-great-but-for-the-condition pieces. The house was vacant for quite a while and some beautiful pieces got mold or rust stains. I'm going to bring some home to see if they will clean easily, so I can let customers know. We also made sure to price well based on condition and we are hoping a lot of folks will find some great ideas for Halloween. Cool old wedding dresses in bad condition become great 'Corpse Bride' costumes, and vintage prom dresses with stains can easily become zombie or Carrie costumes.

We will have the same problem with the 100s of collectible dolls she has. Many of them are gorgeous, with ornate dresses or ethnic costumes, and mold. Anyone who wants to put work into them will get a great deal. Sigh...

Our next big challenge will be researching her collection of African items. Some things were given to her by a cousin who was a missionary in Africa in the early 1900s. Others came from Pier 1 and the like. We get to learn how to tell the difference and evaluate them. I'm pretty excited to learn about a new thing.

It is over 90 degrees here. Yay, fall. Ugh.

Jim, I'm not sure you ever would have gotten used to them. I have had the same progressives for 5 years and I never got used to them. It's time to go back to the optometrist so this time I'm going to just have distance correction lenses. That's vital for me with driving, going to the movies or anything else involving distances of over 10 feet or so. I can still read OK by positioning my iPad a little further away than I used to so I'll just pick up some readers for special situations like close reading or trying to see stamps, signatures or inscriptions inside jewelry.

I think we found the culprit in mom's dementia symptoms. She's diabetic, but we haven't been checking her sugar much because it has been so well under control for several years. I was reminded of confusion and dementia symptoms being common in older diabetic patients and checked mom's sugar. It was very high before dinner, so of course it would spike even higher after she ate. We have been checking several times a day since then and adjusting her medication accordingly. Her mental status seems much better already. I'm very thankful.

Thanks Paula, got the message. I will call in the next few days.

Thanks, Sandy. I've been thinking of your dad and wondering how things are going.

Have you checked on the iPad to be sure you are still logged in to this page? Since I downloaded the latest iOS I'm having problems with a lot of websites and I have to re-log in every time I visit.

Thanks for the upgrade, Kurt! I can't wait to see more photos.

Pam and I are enjoying working on another estate sale. This one will require several sales, as the lady was a real collector and the house is too full to try and stage everything at once. The first sale will just be dolls and clothes, since there is so much of each of those. I don't think she got rid of any of her own or her kids clothes since at least 1960, and she has some really fun items from before that.

Sadly, mom is really struggling lately, mentally. Her memory has been slipping for awhile, but she seems to have suddenly developed 'Sundowner's', confusion and dementia like symptoms in the evenings, after the sun sets. Now in the past week she is really slipping during the day, too. I'm trying to rule out medication issues or some underlying medical issue (UTI, etc) since it was so sudden. This is very upsetting for her, and difficult to watch.

Great sale, Jude! That's also a beautiful pattern. I'm wouldn't be surprised it they made copies of the pieces and instructions and used or sold those. Sizes were so much different back then and many of the patterns are tiny. Size 16 was much smaller then than it is now, but is still likely to fit a slim woman, and that it a classic style. I wouldn't mind having that one!

After many bumps in the road Pam and I are almost ready for tomorrow's estate sale. This one is really more of a moving sale because the lady is still alive. She lost her husband a few years back and she is now downsizing. What she left behind is so fun - decades of travel, collecting and art appreciation. As we organized and staged the house and I got to see all of her posters (movies, theater, opera, travel, etc), books, hobbies, shopping bags from nearly every museum imaginable and bits and pieces of her collections I feel like we are getting to know her and she is one neat lady.

Happy Sunday, everyone. I had a pretty relaxing day yesterday, taking most of the day off to loaf (rare for me.) The only thing that marred a perfect day was the abysmal showing the Big 10 made in college football. Not that I was surprised - just disappointed. I was especially hoping Michigan might be able to hold their own against Notre Dame. Coach Brady Hoke is a good man, and pushes his players to be good men. I would really like to see him keep his job, but "the winningest program in college football" will only go so long toward rebuilding with a mediocre team before firing the head coach.

Sandy, Ouch!

Carol, Ouch!

June, bummer.

Diane, congratulations! The first 15 years are the hardest.

Paula, sounds like fun. Can't wait for a full report.

We have another 2 estate sales coming up. Not sure if either will be great, but I'll post links to pics when I get some. Just for fun - not advertising here of course. I always like seeing pics of estate sales and auctions, but if it bothers anyone if I post links here just let me know and I won't do it.

Got home with DD yesterday after a whirlwind trip.
I flew into Denver at 3:30pm on Sunday. DD met me there (with everything she owns packed into her car.) After juggling things around to fit my suitcase in the car we starting driving back the same direction from which I had just flown. We made it over the mountains to Grand Junction, CO where we collapsed, not even caring that the motel we got was a bit of a dump haha.
Monday we drove to Arches National Park and enjoyed an hour or so there sightseeing. After a leisurely and enjoyable lunch we moved on again, to Panguitch, Utah, just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park.
Tuesday was mostly spent hiking and touring around Bryce Cyn. What a breath taking place to visit! Wow. Down among the hoodoos I had to turn every direction every few steps because the view was constantly changing and always spectacular. It is not a place for the faint of heart. Ranging in elevation from about 8500 feet to 9200 feet, the altitude got to me on the hikes back up from the floor. We had plenty of water and are both experienced hikers, but even DD (who has been living at 7200 feet in Laramie) was feeling it a bit. It wasn't bad, but we both started to feel our thinking process more slowly. It's a good thing the speed limit in the park is so low with people who may be driving around with slowed reflexes, not even knowing they are impaired Ha! After a rest we pressed on to Saint George, Utah, where we gratefully showered, ate and crashed in bed early.
Wednesday we were up early and on the road before 7:00. The freeway angles through a corner of Arizona, so by 9:00am we had driven through 3 states (Utah, Arizona and Nevada) and breezed through Las Vegas without stopping. So, no gambling but we won an extra hour when we hit the Nevada state line and crossed from Mountain to Pacific time. We were getting mighty cramped and tired in that little car, but saying goodbye to Vegas reminded us we were only about 4 1/2 hours from home. We powered through and even managed to stay up and be sociable with the family until an (almost) reasonable bed time hour. Oh, and managed to get that package shipped yesterday after eBay's 'issues'. I'm still not sure how I stayed coherent to do that lol.

Sadly, today I had to get up and take my sister to the airport to send her back home to Kentucky. It was an amazing visit, and I'm so sad to see her go.

Diane, no caps on EBay. I was finally able to sign in at 4:00, get postage printed and get to the P.O. just before 5:00. I hope everyone else was able to get in by then, too.

June, I agree. EBay does pretty well with staying up and running consistently.

Airline seats. My back screams, "Recline!" But I try to avoid it if the seats are packed in tight. We have to go to Korea for my son's wedding this fall. I'm really hoping we will have enough points to upgrade to business class so we can fully stretch out, rest and maybe avoid jet lag, especially since we will have to keep the trip very short and get right back to work.

June, I just had the same problem. I'm so glad you asked, because my email had been hacked last week and I was afraid whoever did it somehow managed to hijack my account. When I did a 'search by seller', it said treasuremomz was not a registered ID on eBay. Yikes!

Yikes! Tiny seats, spaced almost on top of each other in this plane for a two hour flight. I feel bad for anyone over 5'10" or over 180 lbs (or so)

DD is coming home and I'm excited! She has her things downsized and only kept what she can fit in her car. Tomorrow I fly to Denver where she will meet me and we will drive home together. The plan is to see Arches National Park, Moab, Bryce Cyn and/or the Grand Canyon on our way. Then when I get back it's time to list, list list! This summer has involved too much spending and not enough selling...

Paula, Chelsea is coming home. I fly to Denver next Sunday to meet her and drive together 8 her car. She either has sold or will sell everything that doesn't fit in one car load.

She struggled with the long winter but, even more than that she realized she is not.passionate about the program she was focusing on. Putting that many years into a PhD and not loving get the field was not something she wanted to do. I confess I'll be happy to have her back.

Looks like we may be going to Korea for a wedding (DS's) in November. More details as they become available...

Diane, no wifi, but spotty 4g. I posted pics on FB, viewable by the public. You can find me as Sam Ordiway.

We just pulled over in time to see whales breaching off the coast. They were launching themselves straight up and crashing down into the water like felled trees.

Diane, it is heaven; even the camping part. The best, most beautiful sites along the river are reserved for tents. We have a big tent and a 12" tall inflatable queen size air mattress. We also brought a down comforter since it gets wonderfully chilly at night when the fog rolls in. We have lawn chairs, wine, olives, good cheese and books. And the nearly indescribable beauty everywhere you turn. Hard to get that in a hotel in Big Sur without spending a fortune 🙂

My sister from Kentucky has been visiting this summer. She is a wonderful guest, helper, and an excellent cook. The two of us have almost completely overhauled my back yard, which went from trash to pleasant retreat. She is now staying with mom so DH and I can have a little getaway for a few days. We put the eBay store on vacation and drove away. We are spending the night at a private guest house/bed-and-breakfast and tomorrow we will be moving on to camp at Big Sur. It is just about my favorite place in the world, and we have a reserved camp site on the Big Sur river. There will be much reading, relaxing and staring into the water over the next two days.

So sorry to hear of the loss of Mim...what a sweet lady.
My condolences to her family, and I'm so sorry you lost a close friend, Helen.

Good to see you posting and back to selling, Casinokat! How very exciting about Brandon. I'm happy for him and your whole family. I hope you get lots of visits from them. Congrats also to Kym (and you and Pat) on her second child.

Diane , sounds like a great visit. Have fun!

My sister from Kentucky is here for the summer. She and I are very close and she is a great help with mom so I am thrilled to have her. DH is very gracious about having an in-law living with us for six weeks, and he also likes that having her here will allow us to get away for a couple of days in August.

I think the birthdays of Ilene and Casinokat are reversed in the book board calendar. Kat's is definitely today and I think Ilene's was a couple of weeks ago.

Happy Birthday to Casinokat! I miss you my friend.

Liz, I'm so sorry to hear that. Thinking of you and Diane during this difficult time.

Janice/headlinehill: I'm glad everything worked out.

Mnewville, how scary for the neighbor! I would get a bit claustrophobic, but would be ok as long as I had a charged smart phone and/or iPad with me LOL

Dupo, lucky you! I have a much better computer now that I got DHs hand-me-down. He's a computer guy and 'needs' much more out of his than I do mine. The best part is he did all the transferring and personalizing so I barely noticed a difference except for the awesome speed I now have.

Good morning all!

Paula, glad to hear your trip went well. Hope Dawg's back is better.

We had minimal neighborhood fireworks here for which I am very grateful. Southern California is tinder-dry and I was worried this week would be the start of a long, scary fire season. This is one of the most beautiful fireworks videos I have ever seen, captured by flying a drone with a GoPro camera right into the center of it:

Irene remember, my advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. I'm far from an expert on netsuke, having had a small amount of experience with them.

Irene, I did get it. Are you sure it is coral? The pictures almost make it look like amber

Irene, they vary greatly in price. Is it a netsuke (has 2 holes for cord to slip through) or okimono (decorative standing item)? Is it ivory, antler or bone? Do NOT put ivory (even faux ivory) in the title or your listing will be pulled. If you want to email me some pictures I would be happy to give you whatever input I can. treasuremomz at cox dot net

Here ya go, Bob:

Top 5 for June:

$270 Antique Japanese Netsuke Carved Antler
$79.99 1980 Sterling MMA Snowflake Christmas ornament
$74.99 1979 Sterling MMA Snowflake Christmas ornament
$36.99 Vtg Sterling spoon ~ J. Tostrup Norway Enamel
$33.00 Riihimaen Lasi Oy Nanny Still Teal Green Glass Bottle

The bottle had a large chip out of it, otherwise it would have topped the list. That's amazing because to me it looked like a nice, handblown-but-not-too-impressive-bottle. Nanny Still is very collectible and those bottles are clearly signed hand signed (etched). Keep an eye out for them.

Pam and I haven't had much time for listing lately. We have a lot of stuff waiting to be listed and were trying to do at least 5 a day, but the estate sale business has picked up, keeping us from being able to sit at the computer. We have had 3 sales in the past 4 weeks, another one scheduled for next weekend (not the holiday but the following) and 3-4 more waiting for the families to finish taking what they want before we can schedule a date. It's fun but exhausting! Organizing and pricing other peoples' items really makes me want to clear out my own place and live a more minimalist lifestyle.