Yes, I’ve been reading too much Dangerspouse lately. For the record, rib in the title refers to the BBQ pork variety. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Today my husband was at the peak of his element, as instead of going to yard sales, we held our own. More accurately, he held our own. I cooked the aforementioned ribs for us and the neighbors, along with all the fixins; and earlier in the day, I whipped up chorizo-and-egg burritos for breakfast. (The neighbors also held a sale today.)
The above photos were after a few items had already sold. At the end of the day, we did bring a few items back in – including a pretty respectable wad of money – but have a whole lot less stuff than when we began. G’s tickled pink with the outcome. And we’re both exhausted.
The proceeds are largely earmarked for G to get a second camera. He’s planning on a Nikon D7200. It’s an older camera than his D3400, and still a significant upgrade. Think of it like getting last year’s iPhone instead of this year’s bottom-of-the-line flip phone.
His existing camera did a header at granddaughter’s birthday party a couple of weeks ago, after someone knocked it off the table. We don’t think it did any serious damage. However, it now has something on the sensor, which translates to a smudge on pictures it takes. A cleaning might solve the problem. I hope so. I’m not counting on it.
The camera upgrade is also a de facto consolation prize.
I’ve been bugging G to go with me so we could order a shed kit for his workshop. But a few days ago, he sat down across from me and told me he decided against the workshop altogether. He said he can’t be on his feet long enough to do any serious woodworking any more. So the revised plan is – still a shed, albeit a smaller one. This one will be primarily for storage, and replace the tin can he built last year.
Too late, we discovered the tin-can storage building sits in the lowest spot of our yard. Every time it rains, the tin shed sits in the middle of a lake. It’s standing on cement blocks to keep it above the water line, but you can’t get there without wading through water and mud. Furthermore, we’re not positive it sits high enough to guarantee it will remain above the water line.
The revised plan is:
- New building, slightly larger than the tin can and of different construction
- Position building directly behind the house’s back door and a short distance from the fence
- Double the block foundation, plus it’ll be on higher ground.
- Add pavers from the back door to the shed.
That’s the plan this week, anyway.
The aforemention plan might get scuttled by current events. My campaign to move to the midwest got a couple of big ol’ bumps from different and unexpected directions.
We live in the middle of nowhere, Arizona. However, the middle of nowhere is home to the intersection of a couple of Interstate highways. You literally use the off-ramp from one of those to take the turn to our town, where we’re only three more miles down the road.
For who knows how long, the rumor mill prophesied a new Disney, or Disney-esque, theme park going into our proverbial back yard.
There’s been nothing significant to back up the rumor… until this week, when it was approved unanimously by the city council of the nearby middling-ish town. 1500 acres has been slated for the project, to be built between the two communities. We’re talking about the actual park being 2-3 miles, or less, from us. It will mean something like 6000 jobs, which is obviously welcome. You bet your sweet bippy as this project moves along, it will put an end to our one-stoplight status.
If this goes through – and looks like it will – guess whose house value is going to skyrocket even more? Any guesses?
And guess whose spousal unit loathes living in an urban area?
My brother-in-law was here today to help G with our yard sale. BIL brought up how I’d said something about moving to the Midwest. G countered how the cold would mess us up, but that housing was so cheap it was immensely tempting. I reminded G how our doctor said the heat was dangerous for us, too. The light bulb moment was a beautiful thing to see. It was also something I’d forgotten until that moment. Gotta love flashes of inspiration.
How exciting! Every thing from a good garage sale to changing plans for the shed and it’s location. And now, a possibility that house values could sky rocket in the next couple of years. And then, the light bulb moment! Maybe Karma is finally on its way.
Well we aren’t ready to go anywhere just yet. We’ll see how it plays out over the next couple of years. But I’m just worn out. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep working. I could technically retire now. If I can hold out until I’m 67, though, it would mean a larger Social Security check and more in my 401K and Roth IRA.
We realized today that G should be eligible to file for SS within just a few months. That will be a stupendous help.
WHEEEEEEEEEE! Welcome to the world of REAL cameras, G! I’m absolutely thrilled for you. (And you would be surprised at how well a professional sensor cleaning can restore even the most gritty and smudged sensor. Bring it to a shop. It’s worth it. That D3400 is still an excellent camera.)
Look at all that junk – er, stuff – you managed to offload on gullible yokles! Good for you, and I hope the $$ helps you fullfill the Plan. Or at least fight the Mouse (or whichever theme park may be in the works). Good luck!!
And thanks for the mention. You have very good taste in blogs 🙂
I’m not worried about a smudge on the sensor for the 3400, only that the smudge could be a sign of other damage from the fall.
Most of the things sold were working power tools. G’s still keeping the tools he’ll use to do home repair, but sold the things he really needed a workshop to use. He told me he didn’t even miss not doing any woodworking this past year, and is excited to do more photography.
I wish I lived closer, I would have purchased a bunch for NewWifey(tm). I myself don’t even know which end of the screwdriver to use, but she’s a real husband. There was probably a ton of stuff laid out in your sale she would have snapped up in an instant.
Could be. Let her know among the things we sold were:
A biscuit joiner (the woodworking tool, not a rolling pin)
An arc welder and helmet
Several routers (woodworking type, not Internet type)
A 3-gallon air compressor
A reciprocating saw
A couple of bench sanders (dual belt and circular units)
That’s not all, but it gives you the idea.
Actually, it gave me no idea at all. I have no clue what any of those things are, other than the bisuit joiner (although not sure why you would include a kitchen item in with a bunch of tools). But I’ll pass on the list to her anyway 🙂