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.

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.

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...

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Happy birthday Chris!

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...

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...

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...

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 🙂

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...

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.

Happy Birthday to Casinokat!

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!

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.

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.

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

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...

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...

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.

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.

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!

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...

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.

$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.

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.

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.

Happy belated birthday, Clem!!