Where did this week go??? Here it is Friday afternoon and I haven't blogged about the auction, nor have I worked through all the stuff. It wasn't wonderful, but I got a lot of pictures. I mean real pictures - prints and paintings. I do have pictures of them, too. So here's last week's gleamings.

The above picture is stuff from a sale here in town. It was supposed to start at 7:00, so naturally I arrived at 6:20. There was a vehicle I recognized as a fellow dealer's parked out in front. Dang! I can never beat her! (We are friends so I don't begrudge anything she gets. She just gets up earlier than I.) I jumped out of the car and took off up to the house and the seller said in a not so nice voice that the sale didn't start until 7:00. She wasn't letting me in. I mumbled something about people do get here early and looked at the vehicle and said I thought she already had a shopper. No comment. I plunked myself down on the top step and she went inside. I could hear dishes clattering in there and I just KNEW it was Ms. Friend-of-mine. I know the sound of her dish clatter. But maybe I was wrong. Only a few minutes later the seller poked her head out the door and said in the sweetest voice that I could come on in. Really? You're sure? I won't be in the way? Oh no, I could come on in. Ha! I was right! It was Ms. Friend-of-mine. I'm sure the seller told her I was on the step and Ms. Friend-of-mine said it was OK to let me in. That I was harmless and besides, she'd already got what she wanted -- which was just about everything worth getting. I asked her how she got lucky and got in early. She knew them. Hrmph. Oh, well. I really didn't see anything in her pileS that was worth crying over. The greyhounds in the above picture came from another sale.

The rest came from the auction.

A-be-be-da-be-da-be-be-da-be that's all folks!

Today was a 130 mile round trip for practically nothing. What is it with summer? I've temporarily lost my enthusiasm for everything. I don't want to hunt, don't want to sell, don't want to decorate, don't want to create, nothing! Sleep would be nice. Floating on the water and reading maybe. Oh, well. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I will not falter!

Three weeks. Three weekends I've not been able to go to the sales. Well, a couple here and there, but nothing to speak of. I couldn't wait for today. Started on Wednesday looking in the classifieds for estate sales. By this morning, there were three. One 20 miles north of here, the other two 45 miles north west. Totally different directions, but Lena and I did not let that deter us. We hit all three. This is what I got.

That's right. Four things. Pretty cool things, but I'd have like for there to have been forty things! However, I did get a nice step stool for $5 and some printer labels and printer magnet... strips...things....whatever you call them. I'm happy to have all that, but still.

The auction is tomorrow. They have an auction the first and third weekends of every month and this weekend is not typically a good weekend, but I have to go pick up the sewing desk. The pictures on the auction site do not look promising, but who knows? Erin is going with me so we can stay late for the furniture if need be. The auction is an hour and a half from here, begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at late thirty. It's been known to go past midnight. They do smalls first and don't get to the furniture until 7 p.m. Now, if it was more local, I'd absolutely love it, but it's not. Anyway, we'll see what happens tomorrow. I'll let y'all know.

The internet! I has it!

Finally! I have internet at the shop! When you're used to being home all the time with internet just sitting there waiting to be used any time the urge hits, it's hard not to have it. Now I can get busy on the web site, eBay and blogging. And other stuff as the mood strikes. But first....... :-( My point of sale software, which is simple, but a dinosaur, is somehow clashing with the internet or something. It's causing my computer to freeze up. Temporarily each time, but a nuisance. All that work and I'm going to have to do it again with another program. Over 1400 items to be put into a new system. Turning me into a blubbering idiot! No comments from the peanut gallery on that, please.

Thought I'd share some pictures of some rearranging I've done. There was a significant overhaul last week. Some major furniture pieces have found new homes. I was a bit panicky that those pieces held a whole bunch of smalls, but I was able to find spots for the displaced items and make the shop not look so empty. I've basically been grounded for three weekends and haven't been able to shop for more stuff. Look out this week's sales and the auction! I'm coming and I'm HUNGRY!

Hello - Remember me?

What is wrong with me?! It seems like I can never find time to blog any more. I do have a promise that today's the day I get a phone jack at the shop, though I'm not holding my breath. It's been promised for at least two months now.

The kids came for a visit, my son and daughter-in-law. They got here Saturday and left this morning. It was a very nice visit. We thoroughly enjoyed having them and Reggie the Dog. Buster the Cat is glad to see his doggie cousins (Ross the other granddog was here two days) gone, but we'll miss them all.

Things are going well at the shop. Several major furniture pieces have been sold and I haven't been able to replace them, yet. With the kids coming home Saturday, we couldn't go to the auction Saturday night, so Lena and I went Thursday and left bids. I only won one thing, a little, drop leaf, sewing table/desk. Naturally, it was the thing I least wanted and the piece that will not hold lots of stuff. I believe if I had been at the auction I might have managed to get something more useful. I'll show a picture of the little desk when I pick it up at the next auction.

I uploaded pictures of some things bought in June. Much more has come in since then, but those pictures aren't on this computer.

The 2 little chalk dogs have already been adopted.
~~~

Can't resist these baskets.
~~~

This chair has a story. A friend, but competitor was 15 seconds ahead of me walking into a sale. As I was walking up the steps I heard her saying, "I'll take that and that and that......" I was in urgent, is she getting everything, I've got to buy something mode. I'm not very comfortable buying furniture. I always mess up somehow and really don't know what the prices should be. I stood over this chair, wiggling it, seeing that it wasn't very sturdy and asked the price. He told me, then I said it wasn't sturdy, there seemed to be a dowel missing or something, would he take less. He did "since I'd have to work on it". It wasn't until I got it in the shop later that morning that I saw the back leg had been totally broken off and repaired with metal brackets:

You can have this beauty for your foyer - just for looks - for $50.00. Not exactly the profit I was hoping for.
~~~

Large Italian glass vase. How do I know it's Italian? I saw the red Made in Italy sticker before it was washed down the drain. Sigh.
~~~

This lamp has a story, too. Lena and I had gone to some sales in Birmingham. This one was in a small basement and didn't have much. You also couldn't tell what was for sale and what wasn't. I spotted this lamp on a washing machine and tried to get the seller's attention. He and another man were having a lively conversation, so I stood by the table, hoping he'd realize I needed help. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. After being ignored for a couple of minutes, I threw up my hands and loudly said, "Oh, forget it. Let's go." Well that got his attention! He apologized, but by that time, I just didn't care about the lamp any more. Lena was determined then I wasn't leaving without the lamp. She asked him how much and he didn't know! "The kids" were running the sale. But he ended up making me a very good deal and I left with the lamp. Of course, now I realize I'll have to take it apart and try to clean the brass or replace some of it if it won't clean. Some deal.
~~~

She's found another home already, too.

~~~

Oh! It's almost time to open up and my hair's still wet and I've got to fix my lunch and stop by the grocery store! I think these pictures will be too big for the space in the blog. I'll have to fix that when I have more time.