Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

Hi all. By popular request (that’s you, mick silver) I’ll post about the estate sale I attended 9 days ago.

A friend told me about an estate sale in which the owners wanted to clean out the house on order to get it ready for sale. This type of motivation often results from such a scenario. My favorite kind of sale; the owners see the goods as being in the way of a much greater purpose and will sell or give away just to not have to move the items somewhere else.

The sale began on Friday but I could only attend on Saturday. Sometimes this can be good if there wasn’t a large group of buyers the first day.

When I got to the sale there was a very nice man holding down the fort with the garage contents. I could see that it had been picked over but still a lot of small items remaining. I asked if he would give me a discount on a pile of items I wanted. He happily consented. I set about piling all the items I wanted in a corner. When I got done he totaled up everything and gave me a discount as well as no charge on some items. I also had been eyeing a reel to reel Hitachi tape recorder; it was sitting back in a dark corner. I asked if it worked and he told me that they had bought it new, used it once and never used it again. The price tag said $5. I had been looking for one for my stereo system and this looked like a prayer answered. The other items and prices are as follows :

Breakfast in bed light wood table (nice for my laptop) $1
6 pair used work gloves $1
4 funnels free
2 tarps $4
2 pair pliers (old school) $1
6 boxcutters $1
8 yard sprinklers $1
6 rope/chain couplers $1
8 quart veggie steamer $1
4 paint scrapers $1
8 water hose splitters $1
Garden clipper free
Box misc. tools, parts free
Sump pump $5
1 box of rope $1
Set of coveralls free
3 tubs wheel bearing grease free
Box of gardening tools free
Three foot high drum full of washcloths and towels for shop rags $1

With the tape recorder I spent a total of $25. Not bad for a lot of items I could use as well as trade.

I next checked the house but could find nothing; it had already been seriously picked over.

Before I left, my friend and I got to talking to the seller and he told us that he knew of a distribution center that has tons and tons of various items which were donated. My friend and I will be looking into this next month; I’ll let you all know after we go. As you can see, one thing often leads to another which can be much greater than what you had originally intended. This is a good example of why we need to be ever aware and communicative with others. The opportunities are everywhere but the advertising comes in different forms.

In the beginning of writing bartering and horsetrading my motive was to help others in saving money so that they could buy more preps and especially silver (and gold too I suppose). I had read many times that readers posted that they didn’t have any extra money to accumulate silver (and gold too I suppose). And today with silver at just under $14 it looks like a good time to stack some more for the future. I recently read that J.P. Morgan has over 55 million ounces of physical silver; they have been on a mad tear lately and have bought more than 8 million ounces in the last few weeks. This is unheard of (in more ways than one) and they must know something big is coming.

Why Is JP Morgan Accumulating The Biggest Stockpile Of Physical Silver In History?

http://gold-silver.us/forum/showthre...ghlight=morgan

I recently spoke with a friend about buying more silver; he had bought his at about $8 average ten years ago. I told him that $8 ten years ago was like $14 today and the silver bargain is here and now if he will understand the dollar devaluation. I hope that he will take it to heart. There may come a time, perhaps soon, that he will wistfully think of his dollars in the bank as opposed to having bought silver with those dollars. I also told him that the Shanghai commodities market is set to open soon and they trade only in physical silver. No paper promises, no naked shorting, no manipulation, no payoff in fiat currency rather than the real physical silver. You know, the way all commodities should be traded. It is called honesty. If a man sells what isn’t hisn’ he ought to go to prison. Words of wisdom from my deceased grandpa.

Isn’t the paper gold on the Comex about 280 times the physical gold to back it up ? And what is the ratio for paper silver vs. physical silver ? Pure insanity in my opinion. Looks more like a casino than a commodities exchange.

Right now the silver to gold price ratio is 76.7 ounces of silver to one ounce of gold. The historic ratio is about 14 to 1; this was in relation to the quantity mined back then but I have read that the silver ounces mined to gold ounces mined ratio is now about 8.5 to one. So not only is the silver to gold price ratio out of whack, the silver to gold ounces mined is also out of whack, further making the case for silver to head even higher in relation to gold when the precious metals take off. In fact, I have read through the years that financial advisors believed that silver should be about $130 per ounce.

The last point I want to share is that I have been a believer in silver’s medicinal uses, some of which are not commonly known. I read that researchers found that silver used in conjunction with various strains of penicillin increases effectiveness as much as 100 fold. I have given my testimonial of how colloidal silver cured me of a case of genital herpes that I had for about 20 years. That was back in 1998 and I have had no symptoms since then. I had suffered with horrendous symptoms three or four times per year for almost 20 years and never had a single symptom after taking a therapeutic dose three times per day for a couple of months. Coincidence ? No, I believe that the words are “living proof”. I have my health and my life back. Thanks to silver. Is it any wonder that I call myself agnut ?

If you need further motivation, this article should do the trick :

“Scientists have found a new strain of bacteria that is resistant to all antibiotics”

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/hea...c0e50ea4a5f3e0

Let me ask you a question. What happens when we have a pandemic for which there is no cure ? And silver is “rediscovered” to be the only salvation ? Will you call your stock broker and request physical silver from your Comex paper silver investment ? To paraphrase Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat paper”.
And what will the price of silver be in such a scenario ?

Don’t expect the pharmaceuticals to come to the rescue every time an antibiotic falls off the cure wagon. They aren't in it for health as much as for wealth.

My point is that we do not know of all the possibilities silver possesses for humanity. Is the price for an ounce cheap or too high ? You be the judge.

Best wishes,
Agnut

God is in gold and lives is in silver. Or gold has God in it and silver has lives in it.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CknvL_kwmj...Y+PREPPERS.jpg

Wanted to drop in and say hello, been busy as heck, lots of boat deals, parts deals, equipment deals, trailer deals. Been continuing to purge my stockpile keeping the good stuff selling the rest and turning the funds into something that carries its own weight. Past couple of months have been the off season estate/garage sale wise, but its going to pick up soon with winter being almost over. Keep in mind its good to go through your horde once in a while and get rid of some stuff to get new stuff. A friend of mine has 2 of everything in the world, problem is neither work because he hasnt used them in years and stuff goes bad, a real shame.

Hope everyone is doing well, think of yall as kindred spirits.

Hey all, the season officially started today; at least for me. Friday I was driving around and saw a garage sale sign which I hunted down like a lion after a gazelle.
Turns out that the sale was for Saturday and Sunday. The seller had an empty garage which was a bit disheartening at first. Across the street was a guy working on an antique tractor. It was so old that it had a huge drum on the side for a belt power takeoff. Anyhow we got to talking mechanic to mechanic and I found out that the seller across the street was out and would be back soon. He introduced me to the next door neighbor who had a pair of rare VW caddy pickup trucks curbside. Since I had owned a couple in the past we had lots to talk about. We exchanged phone numbers and will meet in the near future. Funny how all this took place in a few minutes.

The lady seller returned and I went over to introduce myself even though it appeared that she had literally nothing for sale (it was a in the house). Turns out that we recognized each other from when she had worked at my favorite thrift store. Anyhoo, she was moving back to Hawaii and would be selling everything in the following weeks. Since it was Friday and the sale didn’t begin until the next day, I offered to come an hour early and help her move the items outside.

Saturday morning I got up at 6:30 and began getting ready. I wore an old Hawaiian shirt and hat and took a container of guava juice. Also took two rolls of quarters and lots of one and five dollar bills in case she had forgotten to get to the bank. I have been supplying her with colloidal silver for some time and tossed a bottle in the truck. I also had a couple of bright garage sale signs that I had gotten at the local dollar store a week ago. We hauled lots of boxes out as she laid out blankets on the driveway for all the items. She had about 45 DVDs and I asked how much she wanted and got them for $20 along with 5 books I wanted. Not a big buy but something I am always seeking for my home collection. So far so good; we were having fun conversing about politics, her moving, economics; most everything under the sun.

The next door neighbor came over and saw me loading up the DVDs and said that he had a load that he wanted to get rid of. Next thing he was hauling this huge tub with a box full of DVDs on top. There were well over a hundred DVDs there. He said that they were almost all scifi which is my special interest. There were complete multi season sets of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Quantum Leap, Firefly, Space 1999, Red Dwarf, Outer Limits, Andromeda and several others. Many are out of print and valuable. Some of the season sets were still new in original sealed wrappers. He told me that one set alone was about $400. I asked how much and was cringing inside, waiting for the answer. He said how about $50 for everything. I couldn’t believe it. I did look on the internet that evening and there is about $2,000 worth of DVDs there.

Now I am torn between wanting to keep these gems for my collection or to sell them for profit. I should stop here and mention that this is often a problem of being an active barterer and horsetrader. Actually it was easy for me since I have never had such a group of items I personally wanted fall in my lap. It was meant to be, I guess. I won’t miss the $50 but I will surely miss the $2,000 potential future sale.

And here is where I can rationalize that I will have a lot of pleasure in adding to my collection. Deals like these DVDs come around maybe once or twice in a lifetime. I know it sounds funny but in my experience I have learned to recognize that such windfalls are to be carefully considered before acting further. At least I have them in my possession and now have the luxury of taking my sweet time while enjoying them. Interesting that at the same time there was an antique piano stool offered at $100 which the seller would let me have for $50 if I really wanted it. That stool needed complete restoration and would be worth at most $200. However, with the DVDs all I would have to do would be to offer them on eBay.

Now I am not rationalizing keeping these DVDs but have a buying and selling style that attains all kinds of items and holds most of them indefinitely. Their time will come when I judge it to be right. Some items will not only hold their value but increase in value through the years.

Another wise strategy is to buy and sell almost all items as soon as possible in order to pyramid up a fortune. I wholly respect this and see many here who do just this. It is a way to not only offset inflation but to build a nest egg for the uncertain future, especially these days what with the way that fiat currency is so uncertain as well as our political system. I know that I cannot be certain that my DVD collection will go up in value through the years but I believe that it will as long as our country holds together and we have some semblance of societal order and security. If this fails, all bets are off. And with this said, what would be the value of money instead of holding physical items ?

This is something for all of us to deeply consider as we go about bartering and horsetrading. What are our long term objectives ? What is the ratio of items we buy that will be used personally to the items we sell in order to rebuy more items ? The answer, and this is the beauty of it, is that we have the freedom to choose as well to change as we see fit.

Bartering and horsetrading provides us with a whole new freedom that unshackles us from financial tyranny. I don’t work but have social security coming in that is enough to pay my bills. Any extras I obtain through my wits and I am happy with this arrangement. It keeps me active and forever outward looking for new opportunities. It must be right; the more I do it, the more I am excited at the possibilities. In doing so, new opportunities are opening up to me; I am looking at a couple of new ones right now.

In my opinion, most Americans are and have been for a long time totally missing “the road not traveled”, as I like to think of bartering and horsetrading. With that said, these same Americans have an overabundance of items that they usually do not value as they should. This is where we come in.

By the way, on the street coming home I spotted another sale. I picked out 15 more DVDs and two blue Ray DVDs for $19 total.

Next I got a mile from home and spotted an estate sale sign. I stopped by my house and unloaded while looking up the address. The items were all too high but I did get 4 DVDs for 50 cents each, two boxes of auto chemicals for $5 and a large tarp for my boat for $5. Not a big buy but still worth the effort. You’ll never know unless you go.

Happy hunting; the season is now officially open.

Best wishes,

Agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

If one will live like most won't early on in life, one can live like most cannot the rest of their life.

"Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash."-- Harriet Rubin

Greeks embrace bartering to survive economic collapse — and soon, you will too

Posted on September 23, 2015September 24, 2015 by Sam Rolley Views: 3,490
1.7K Shares
https://plnami.blob.core.windows.net...isis080315.jpgIn Greece, the age-old practice of bartering for goods and services is experiencing a renaissance as the nation endures the sixth year of its debt-driven economic meltdown. And as bartering has come to mean the difference between starvation and survival for some Greeks, Americans ought to take note.
The New York Times on Monday explained how virtual barter networks are popping up in Greece to help individuals and small businesses in the nation survive harsh capital controls put in place to combat a long-standing liquidity crisis.
Earlier this year, many Greeks found themselves unable to withdraw money from banks for daily necessities or business expenses because of long wait lines or, worse, the institutions’ shutting their doors altogether.
Imagine the frustration of being unable to access basic goods and services because of the collapse of the fiat financial system upon which you once relied to make sure that there was food on the table and a roof over your head.
Even scarier, imagine the anxiety suffered by skilled workers and business owners with something to offer customers but afforded no government-sanctioned avenue to leverage skills and goods to fulfill personal needs.
The Times reported that Greeks, confronted with those very problems, have found ways to survive despite their government’s economic incompetence.
From the report:

As Greece grapples with a continued downturn, bartering is gaining traction at the margins of the economy, part of a collection of worrisome signs for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who was re-elected on Sunday.
Graphic artists are exchanging designs for olive oil. Accountants swap advice for office supplies. In the agricultural heartland and on the Greek islands, informal bartering, which has historically helped communities survive, has intensified as more people exchange fruits, vegetables, other crops, equipment, clothing and services.

And while some of the bartering is taking place in the old-fashioned form of handshakes on the street, technology has also provided Greeks opportunities to barter for a wider range of goods and services than the traditional this-for-that bartering model would allow.
Again from the Times report:

Much of it is being done virtually through online networks that match offers and needs, a digital twist on a centuries-old tradition.
After capital controls were imposed in June, about 6,000 users signed up for Tradenow, on top of 25,000 registered members. Even small businesses that had previously shunned barter networks as unworkable have come aboard.
The system equates one tradepoint to one euro, and lets users barter directly or rack up the digital currency to get goods and services from others in the community. To attract business, users can also deal in a mix of euros and points.
The modern online systems make bartering more efficient. The activity can also have a multiplier effect in the economy, generating new work and business.

In Greece, it has taken six years for even a modest barter economy to take shape in the face of one of the most painful economic collapses in modern history.
Why? Because, much like in the U.S. today, mainstream economic thinking and government denial that economic collapse would never happen made bartering seem a cumbersome alternative to fast-moving fiat currency. Naturally, Greek individuals and businesses faced a learning curve.
In the U.S., you can bet that the barter economy would be much slower to grow any semblance of mainstream acceptance following an economic meltdown. One problem would be that the federal government would do anything in its power to shut down barter networks as the economy worsened. After all, businesses’ and individuals’ abandonment of the dollar would represent the ultimate proof that fiat money has no value beyond propping up those who control its distribution.
But there’s an even bigger problem. Most Americans today can imagine no scenario in which the U.S. would reach point of economic turmoil that has befallen Greece.
In fact, outside of alternative media publications like The Bob Livingston Letter™, there’s been hardly any mention in recent years of how bad the U.S. economy really looks to those with a view from the inside.
Lloyd Darland, in his book “The Emperor’s Clothes Cost Twenty Dollars,” explained how the Federal Reserve’s sins of the past are leading the U.S. toward rapid economic decline.
The biggest losers, Darland said, will be average American consumers.
Livingston has similarly predicted: “Bread will cost $25 a loaf. Hamburger meat will cost $60/pound. Gas will cost $37/ gallon … that’s a $500 fill up. I know this sounds absolutely insane. But you need to prepare NOW because it’s already started …”
And while warnings like those from Livingston and Darland continue to lie outside the realm of mainstream economic thought in the U.S., the validity of those long-standing warnings is slowly being realized.
Consider this report from the Washington Examiner in June:

With all the chaos unravelling in Greece, Congress would be wise to do what it takes to avoid reaching Greek debt levels. But it’s not a matter of sticking to the status quo and avoiding bad decisions that would put the budget on a Greek-like path, because the budget is on that path already.
A quarter-century ago, Greek debt levels were roughly 75 percent of Greece’s economy — about equal to what the U.S. has now. As of 2014, Greek debt levels are about 177 percent of national GDP. Now, the country is considering defaulting on its loans and uncertainty is gripping the economy.
In 25 years, U.S. debt levels are projected to reach 156 percent of the economy, which Greece had in 2012. That projection comes from the Congressional Budget Office’s alternative scenario, which is more realistic than its standard fiscal projection about which spending programs Congress will extend into the future.

That’s right, the past 25 years of U.S. economic policy are almost a mirror image of the 25 years leading up to the Greek collapse.
In other words, it’s probably a good time to start honing your bartering skills and encouraging your friends, neighbors and business associates to consider doing the same.
Don’t wait for The New York Times to publish a story about a surprising revival of barter in America if you’re interested in learning more about how the nation got into the economic trouble it’s in today and how to protect yourself from the coming consequences. Get the inside scoop from researchers and economic experts who’ve been warning Americans about the coming trouble for years and who are already setting up barter networks and prepper communities to hedge against their predictions.

This entry was posted in Bell Ringer and tagged U.S. Economy. Bookmark the permalink.

Thanks mick silver, good article. I printed it out to show to friends and family. Similar to a long term electrical outage, having nationwide monetary problems with high unemployment will wake up the citizenry to begin to think for themselves. So it's back to the 1880s or before. An EMP would be rapidly chaotic while a monetary and high unemployment situation would come on relatively gradually. Some folks have stated that losing electricity would be a good thing but I strongly disagree. The general populace would panic and stampede like a spooked cattle herd in a lightening storm (see how I not so cleverly connected human electric failure panic with cattle electrical overabundance, so to speak, panic . The big difference would be that millions of humans would get trampled. I read a while back that predicted that 90 percent of the population would be dead within a year. So much for bartering and horsetrading, eh ?

Right now I'm writing on an old desktop computer that I got from my nephew for 50 bucks; it has Windows 7 but has no works program. So I am typing this directly to our website. Why am I doing this, you wonder. Well it seems that Microsoft commandeered my HP laptop and changed my windows 7 to windows 10 without my knowledge or consent. I am furious. I wish there was a way to sue them for this piracy. My nephew will check things out soon but I am getting sick and tired of this so called new technology polluting my life. First we had Obamacare forcing their medical system on us while afterwards revealing that their promises were a pack of lies. This windows 10 being forced upon me feels like the same old government crap being done in the business world. I wonder how Bill Gates would feel if folks like me were to picket his home or business and refuse to leave until he straightened out the mess his company had created. Oh well, it'll all work out somehow.

Now on the subject of bartering and horsetrading I have been trading some of my goods with a wonderful lady who makes up Texas chili, pork roasts and cherry pies and lots more. A few months ago I discovered that cherry pie filling costs about $5 at the local supermarket but only one dollar at the local Dollar Tree store. It takes two 21 ounce cans of pie filling so one way costs $10 and the other way costs $2; it's no wonder that homemade pies are so rarely offered. Right now I have 4 1/2 cases of pie filling and have given 2 1/2 cases to my "cook". And even Crisco, another pie ingredient, has skyrocketed to $5.79 a can. A couple of days ago She made three cherry pies for me; I gave one to a couple who are new friends. They are really neat to know and share with, most generous folks. He is a construction supervisor with many years of experience and she can do most anything, including completely rewiring a car ! I met them at a garage sale they had a couple of years ago. Absolutely one of my best deals ever !

This lady who trades cooking and I have become friends over the last few years. I find things she needs and deliver bread and veggies a couple of days a week. She still has at least 6 special ed children at home but her health is a serious problem now. I mention this because there are many ways to be a barterer and horsetrader, sometimes with unexpected benefits that go both ways. I once was considered wealthy but we were using the wrong measuring stick. Now I use my own and couldn't be more happy and enriched. That is why I have the quote below framed and hanging beside my front door as I leave each day. It is to remind me of who I should be. Some people, like Ponce for instance, I can never repay their generosity. Pay it forward.

Best wishes,

agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was out garage saling this morning. At one stop there was a random box of kitchen shit. I spied a couple silver spoons which could've been plate but I offered five bucks for the box. I drove around the corner and went through it. In the end, I had scored nine sterling spoons, three sterling cups which weighed out at 6oz each, two sterling ash trays at a oz each, and a 9 oz plate marked 999 fine silver. Every dog has his day. For some reason I cant post pics.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by milehi

I was out garage saling this morning. At one stop there was a random box of kitchen shit. I spied a couple silver spoons which could've been plate but I offered five bucks for the box. I drove around the corner and went through it. In the end, I had scored nine sterling spoons, three sterling cups which weighed out at 6oz each, two sterling ash trays at a oz each, and a 9 oz plate marked 999 fine silver. Every dog has his day. For some reason I cant post pics.

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Nicely done!

Sterling Silver Values
@ 20.10 [USD] per troy .oz (.999)

1 gram .925 Sterling Silver = 0.60
5 grams .925 Sterling Silver = 2.99
20 grams .925 Sterling Silver = 11.96
1 .oz .925 Sterling Silver = 16.95
1 troy .oz .925 Sterling Silver = 18.59
5 troy .oz .925 Sterling Silver = 92.96
10 troy .oz .925 Sterling Silver = 185.92
1 troy .lb .925 Sterling Silver = 223.11
1 .lb . .925 Sterling Silver = 271.13
1 kilo . .925 Sterling Silver = 597.76

Hi all; been a long time since I last posted. I recently recovered from a face plant into the cement slab. My nephew came over and helped me out; I did not want to call 911 as they would have probably found some way to get me to the hospital for a bunch of tests costing thousands. In other words, I would rather take the chances of self medication than the certainty of having to live my future with financial parasites hanging on bleeding me dry. Like adding insult to injury writ large (in blood money, that is). Finding a Medicare doctor has been impossible where I live. I’ll just have to move slower and be more careful in the future. Funny thing is that the first thing I thought about was that I had fallen on my right eye side and was greatly relieved that it wasn’t on the left side where my only good eye resides. So I was laying there bleeding like a stuck pig and feeling relieved; actually laughing. My eye was protected by my glasses which were deeply scratched. Yet another reason to feel grateful. The bleeding stopped after four hours. I went to town the next day and got a kick out of seeing the reaction from some acquaintances; sort of a Quasimoto without the hunch look. Too bad that Halloween was far in the future. After a few days the swelling went down and I could open the eye to check it out. I now have a scar over that eye but the eyebrow conceals it nicely. And still another reason to be grateful; it could easily have been a lot worse.

So what is the overview of the above paragraph ? Well, I see it as having a positive attitude which carries us into the future more prepared to positively deal with the ups and downs of life. And to be grateful for our very existence on this earth. The older I get the more I see life as miraculous almost beyond comprehension. Life is all around us, in the grass, in the trees, in the animals and especially in us human beings. I am grateful for every new day that I can connect to this world whether it be enjoying the three deer that wander around my home, the rabbits that play in the field, the swallows that nest in the eaves of the barn, my cat who provides companionship, the plant life which provides oxygen so that I may breathe. And I am most grateful for all the other humans that I come in contact with. This bartering and horsetrading I write about is a wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know others in our surrounding communities.

For example, a couple of weeks ago I attended a community garage sale with a new friend. We had already been to a number of sales in previous weeks. He is one of the most positive people I have ever gotten to know, always joking and smiling. The first time I met him he was selling his fresh grown produce in front of the acreage where he lives. We got to talking and hit it off I guess you could say. I invited him to accompany me to the upcoming garage, estate and moving sales (GEM) to which he enthusiastically responded.

A few days ago I was on the way to pick up bakery products, fruits and veggies from a friend. There was an estate sale on the way and I had a few minutes, so what the heck. I was the only buyer there and began looking over all the offerings. The prices were about twice as high as I had expected. There was a large Craftsman 18 bushel chain drive lawn sweeper that was practically new. He was asking $50, more that I wanted to pay since I already had two lawn sweepers, one in need of repair and one which I had recently purchased for $10. Both of them were much smaller than the one I was now looking at. I was about to leave when I offered him $25 which he readily accepted. By the way, this large lawn sweeper may be able to collect the cut grass in the field which has been a problem this year what with all the rain and consequent grass growth. I next spied three 2 1/2 gallon gas containers which I have been looking for. The size is important to me since the 5 gallon containers are too heavy to comfortably use in filling the truck or tractors. I guess I’m becoming an “old geezer”. I ended up paying $2 for all three, practically a giveaway.

What if I had passed on this sale and instead arrived a few minutes earlier to meet my friend with the bakery goods and produce ? Answer : ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ! I would not have known what I would have missed. So you see, it is imperative to listen to that small voice in the back of our heads and stop and think of what it is telling us. Of course, after all these years of bartering and horsetrading this has become a habit to me. So many new things to learn along the way. Besides, the thrill of the hunt gets my blood flowing.

Okay, on to yesterday’s community garage sale. Below are the items and prices :

Ungar circuit board repair kit free. I have a friend into electronics who may really like it.
Table umbrella $5
Stressless style chair and ottoman $25 like new. These chairs are designed better than any I have ever used; I can even fall asleep and awaken refreshed. I already have two Stressless chairs and matching ottomans and had been looking for a third for my den video and audio room ( face it, agnut; it’s a man cave). This new chair and ottoman are not leather like the real Stressless chairs but will do just fine until I find and can afford the actual original Stressless chair. Then I can get the leather couch out of the den and move it to the living room. You see, I have had a plan for months that just fell into place with this $25 chair and ottoman. Voltaire said that God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh. Well, I’m also laughing ! Also, a new Stressless chair and ottoman costs around $1,600 ! Starting to get the picture ?

Next item was a Sony surround sound amplifier with remote. Got it for $20 and the seller said that it worked well and promised that he would find the owner’s manual and deliver it to me. Even on our short meeting I could tell that he is a quality person and will follow through on his promise; he has already called once and told me that he is still looking.

So agnut, what’s the big deal with this $20 amplifier ? Interesting story in that my sons had moved out last November while I had no place to put all the records and DVDs cluttering up the den floor. Even though they had moved out they refused to let me into their locked rooms. One room was recently emptied but one son still refused to let me use the room for storage. I was deeply disappointed in his attitude. I finally removed the locks on the bedroom doors and began stacking the records, DVDs and other items from the den into the empty room. It was only then that I could get to connecting the stereo which I had been waiting a long to hear. I have enjoyed all kinds of music since I was a kid and to have not had music for so long was a big part of my life’s quality. Also, the second room contained my second Stressless chair and the older son said that he had lost the key to the room as well as the keys to his two cars that are in front of the garage. Kids, huh ?
Best to keep a watchful eye on the “entitlement generation”; some of them think that everything is theirs if they can get their hands on it. We used to call these kinds of folks thieves.

Next item : framed Chinese silk embroidery of eagle on tree branch. $5
20 pieces quality glassware for $2 total. Five had VW logos printed on them; a gentle reminder to get back to work on all the VWs around the property. HaHa
20 good DVDs for $2 total (that’s right, 10 cents each) Good stuff too.
Branch trimmer 50 cents
Large lot of shoe racks for closet $7.50 My sister and her walk in closet comes to mind
8 American wrenches. Proto, Mac, Craftsman $4 total
Heavy duty extension cord $2.50
Quessadilla machine $1.25 Don’t ask me why.
Gallon Behr deck sealer $1 Need this for the deck before winter
Wagner deck sealer applicator kit new $5
6 Duraflame logs which weigh 5 pounds each for $1 total. I break them up for fire starter.
Queen quilt hand made like my gramdma used to make $2.50
2 hats $2

Lastly, I went garage, estate and moving sailing la few Saturdays ago. Lots of small stuff and I’ll post all the gory details IF I can find the notes I made. Time keeps slippin’ away……

Keep up the great posting; thanks to all.

Best wishes,
Agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

Quote:

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Originally Posted by agnut

...Finding a Medicare doctor has been impossible where I live....

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One who regularly boasts of paying pennies on the dollar must understand why.

:)

Sorry to hear about your injury, agnut.

Hi all; got a few goodies last Saturday. I went with a friend who never seems to buy many items. So the truck has lots of room for my bulk buying. My friend has 5 acres of flat prime and rich land. He has a large garden and sells produce right out on the street. Problem is that even though his produce is really nice and his prices are half of what the local stores sell, not enough buyers stop by. I told him not to be discouraged and that that he may be a bit early and that in the coming years he may have a goldmine when folks will be wanting his organic produce and better prices. I feel the same way about a couple of acres I have that also have a seasonal stream that could be used to store and feed water as the produce matures. Just a possible option for the future. It is said that you see your doctor once a year but you see your farmer three times a day !


Anyhoo, here is the Saturday booty :

4 DVDs free (one was a bluray)

4 DVDs $4

Stihl weedwhacker (trimmer) $2 (all there but needs carb work. Hey, Don’t they all ?)

6 vinyl records $8 (I thought a Bill Haley and the Comets LP from the 50s would be worth more than $20 but was wrong. Oh well, it’ll still make some dough or trading material.

New heavy duty car battery $5 Crazy, huh ?

2 pair firefighter boots $2

Vaughn framing hammer nice condition $3

8’ grinding wheel $1

Aluminum diamond plate storage box for pickup truck $1 another crazy price, huh ?

3 chimney brushes with 4 extension rods for $5

GE 22’ flat screen TV with remote for $3

Penn Senator reel with Fenwick rod for $20. I got this when I saw a buyer leaving with it and noticed the price sticker of $15. He said that he bargained for it and paid $10. I asked him if he would sell it and how much. He said How about $20 . Not a fantastic deal but I have been looking at fishing gear for years at sales and this rig would be selling for about $60-70 used. Can’t always score a ten bagger but I would rather have good items than paper fiat currency.

Have you seen the prices of gold and silver today (10/4/2016 ? Of course, that is the PAPER price of gold and silver. When this happens, premiums on physical go up, availability goes down and waiting time lengthens until we can have the precious metal in our hands. I don’t like the idea of waiting 4-6 weeks for physical metal to arrive; lots can happen in that time interval.

A friend had been trying to buy a house on acreage but three times he has either been outbid or a lawyer has gotten in on the deal. I told him that it may be a blessing in disguise in that real estate is overdue for a collapse, maybe not in our area for location reasons but nationally I believe that we will soon see falls in the RE market. When the banks start going in the dumper they won’t be anxious to lend. I have even invited him to stay at my place if he wants but apparently he is set up on a friend’s acreage. Always wise to have a plan behind the plan behind the plan.

This friend is in a position to acquire all kinds of surplus merchandise but had no place to store it. So it is being stacked out back of my barn. He and his lady are so generous that I had to tell him that if there was ever a disagreement on any deals with me that we need to communicate and straighten things out immediately. Our friendship is way more important than any deals. I want only happiness and security for my friends.

This friend knew that I have been anxious to finish leveling a drive around circle and graveling before the winter rains and mud pie landscape. My problem is that I didn’t have any money for such a large project and I had told him so (guess I bought too many GEM sale items). Last week he had a backhoe tractor come in and straighten out the road and parking circle. Next he had two loads of gravel brought in and spread out. These were the biggest trucks I had seen of this type with double axles and a third drop down axle for extra weight. He told me to not worry about it since I had helped him with a huge storage problem; we would trade out later for any difference. Now I’m not used to dealing this way and I try to give more than I receive; generosity has its own kind of power.

Note : The above is all that I had written as of Sept 25,2016. Much had happened in my life since that time that took all my energy to hold together. Ponce died in early October and I ended up being the only one to see to his estate settlement. As time passed I was able to find his ex wife and set things on course. It was fraught with many twists and turns and still is not finished; perhaps in a couple of months. Also there have been some serious family problems to address. The loss of Ponce hit me more that I could have ever anticipated.

I will continue with posting on bartering and horsetrading as soon as time permits. Last Friday I attended the first sale in months; it was a good one and I guess kicked off the coming sale season.

Thanks for all who contribute to this thread, especially in my absence.

Best wishes,
Agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body. C.S.Lewis

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jewboo

One who regularly boasts of paying pennies on the dollar must understand why.

:)

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It usually tends to even out. You work to save in some areas to have funds for unforeseen things.

Hi all; here are the results from the April 14 estate sale I attended. As I said earlier, this was the first sale of the season which will stretch out until sometime in the coming October. .After that, it tapers off due to the weather here in the Pacific Northwest. The estate sales do continue to some extent but there are only a couple a week in my area. Besides, the fall and winter slowness give me time to organize what I have bought (not fully true because I am a bit disorganized, lazy and busy with firewood, the cold and tend to settle in with Netflix and the over 4,000 DVDs in my collection. I don’t even have time for the thousands of vinyl records that I have accumulated over the past decades.

I’m making a point here that we all need to be continually aware of. Our time and how we spend it. Most folks work at their jobs and either relax on the weekends or do some activity such as boating or any number of interests. Me ? I’m scouring the papers and internet for coming sales. So while most are making zilch or spending money on the weekends, I’m out there making and saving money. And bartering and horsetrading is such fun that I don’t consider it work. This reminds me of some advice I recently read somewhere on the internet. It is to find what you really love doing and make it a career. This way, you will be anxious to get up in the morning and go to “work”. I realized that this I what I had done for my own career; automotive repair. I began auto work in the early 1970s and retired a couple of years ago now that I am 70 years old. My greatest pleasure was helping customers with their auto problems, both mechanical and financial. Their relief and gratitude was my payoff. I did make good money which allowed me to restore many cars as well as to own cars that I could only dream about when I was a boy. Fifteen Jaguars, ten or twelve Mercedes, Porsches, an Alfa Romeo, a Ferrari, hundreds of Volkswagens and many American cars as well as a race sand buggy, quads, motorcycles and a greyhound that a friend and I converted into a motorhome over a couple of years. You might say that my life has been one helluva ride.

Life has been really good to me and I feel that I want to somehow return the favor, though the enormity of the gift of life is beyond full comprehension. I got to pick up about a ton of fruits and veggies from a local supermarket per week for my cattle but most of it was still in good condition. I ended up distributing most of it to about 50 people. I did this a few years until the deal with the supermarket ended. Next I went to a retirement home. I had met the owner in a checkout line at the local dollar store. She invited me to drop by. Funny how things pop out of the blue at just the right time. This happened about 6 months ago and I have been going there each week to see what they need. I asked one of the residents what they needed most and was surprised at her answer. It was tobacco ! I then learned that this retirement home is subsidized by the government and the residents are only allowed to keep about $60 per month of their retirement income. And then it made sense; these people didn’t have enough money for the one thing that was not good for them. But I saw that it was important to them and putting aside my personal feelings I knew that there was more to this than meets the eye (or ear). I was right; they were holed up without any things to keep them occupied. There were only a few who had a TV or a DVD player. I later found out that they also needed clothing and bedspreads. In the beginning I supplied pounds of tobacco and tubes which I recently told them that I would not provide any more. I have a plan to get the residents to contribute a small amount to bulk buy and share according to their contribution. What is important to me is to get to them the things that will help their mental state. The tobacco thing just got my foot in the door.

Now I am finding and supplying TVs and DVD/VCR machines and setting them up. I have also been finding bedspreads and clothing which they seem to greatly appreciate. This is all new to me but my bartering and horsetrading skills tie in perfectly with their needs. I’ll write more in the next post since this post is about what I found two weeks ago.

Here goes; it ain’t braggin’ if its true :

3 bedspreads $1 each
Computer screen, keyboard, camera and speakers for $5
2 DVD players $2.50 each
175 mason canning jars for 0 cents each
Sears 5000 degree welding torch set with 4 cans solid ox pellets $2
Reciprocating floor fan $5
Huge Sears wet/dry vacuum $3
Allied 80 amp charger $1
Craftsman Rout-A-Sign maker $5
Electric fillet knife with 2 blades new for $1
4 outdoor extension cords $1 each
2 lengths of steel chain $1 each
2 tile cutters, one is electric for $5 each
Craftsman Advance timing light $1
4 pieces, pipe wrench, 3 pliers 50 cents each
Panasonic DMC F28 digital camera in box for $2

Best wishes,

Agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

Okay, here’s what I got last Friday at an estate sale :

2 DVD/VCR players with remotes for $5 each
Flat screen 21” TV with remote for $5
Flat screen 31” TV with remote for $10
Toaster 4 slice for $3
Popcorn air popper for $3
2 old cast iron frypans for $1 each
3 Pyrex casserole rectangular dishes for $1 each
15 old vinyl LP records for $2 total
Electric herb grinder $2
Atari Flashback 5 game console w/92 built in games in the box for $5
5 DVDs for $1 total
16 VCR tapes for $2 total
31 Star Trek VCR tapes for $5 total
2 12 x 16 cookie baking trays. The kind used in a bakery. for $1 each

I wrote in my last post that these DVD players and TVs will go to the retirement home. Funny that I had been lamenting just last week to someone that it was almost impossible to find flat screen TVs and here two show up at the next sale. As Voltaire said, “God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh”.

Another thing is that finding combination DVD/VCR players that work and have remote controls are almost impossible to find. Yeah, and I found two at the same sale that I found the two flat screen TVs; what are the odds of that ? More like a prayer answered. One of the reasons that I need them so desperately is that I had recently made a deal with the manager of a local thrift store to buy a package deal for a couple hundred VCR tapes for this retirement home. She let me pick them out (the best ones among well over a thousand) for a total of $30 ! I had delivered them a month ago, not realizing that few in the retirement home had DVD/VCR players in their rooms but only in the media room that had seating for about 12 people.

Many of the residents are in wheelchairs and some are near the end of their lives and some have Alzheimer’s disease. If I were a resident there and in such a condition I would want some private time to enjoy some good entertainment too. I have seen that many times a resident will have a fellow resident in their room to share movies together. It is this time to be together in friendship that is so important to the well being to these folks.

For the last couple of months I’ve been taking 20-25 DVDs from my collection every week and picking up last week’s DVDs. It’s working very well so far. Right now I have 9 DVD players and two flat screen TVs that have to be checked out before delivery. I don’t have to provide flat screen TVs but it seems that everyone is throwing away their older CRT TVs rather than recycling them. I’m still seeking a source like a thrift store that will take them if I will buy them. They need to work AND they need a remote. I hope that I can solve this with a few contacts.

There is an overview here that could go nationwide. Just suppose if churches would each have a group that would provide similar services to local retirement homes and even to those in need living in their homes. The youth in the churches being involved would show them a part of society that desperately needs help. A real life’s lesson that will guide many of them for a lifetime. Sitting in a pew once a week only helps those taking the message to heart but getting out there and doing God’s work is spiritually uplifting. As the Bible says, “Let your light so shine that other men may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven”. In other words, you are doing this for your faith, not for your personal praise.

If we are to, as President Trump says, “Make America Great Again”, we need to do our part if we want to be part of the transformation. President Trump can’t do this alone; he needs our involvement. Maybe, “We All Need To Help Make America Great Again” would be appropriate for the populace. Greatness has to come from the people; it won’t come from those believing that wealth is measured in dollars and possessions. However, we may be able to enlist some of them to contribute.

Best wishes,
Agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

You got multiple flat screen TVs for $5 and $10?? Unelievable!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by madfranks

You got multiple flat screen TVs for $5 and $10?? Unelievable!

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Hi madfranks; yeah I did and both have remotes. I also got at the same estate sale two of the combination DVD/VCR players with remotes as I wrote above. I sure hope they all check out; there will be some happy people.

I'm running out of money for sales and may have to dip into my change hoard for the next deals. I haven't sold anything for a long time and an hesitant to sell on eBay with their sellers' policy.

Best wishes,
agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

Hi, it’s been a long time and life has gotten crazy busy. I thought I was retired and here I am finding out that there are so many things to be done. In a few months I’ll be 71 . Not that I’m counting the days but it seems as though that the days are flying by so fast that they are a blur. All I can ask is how did I get here so fast ?

Held a garage sale a while back. I called it The Huge Pre Estate Garage Sale. Then I led the header with :
“It’s been a lot of fun collecting all the “stuff” but the money from sales will find a higher and better purpose now. Besides, what will relatives do with it all someday? Yep !”
Then a list of items and a dozen photos.

We ran the sale only on Friday from9-3; six hours to see who showed up and learn what they were interested in. Next week we will be open Friday and Saturday from 9-3. Should be interesting.
With both the words estate AND garage sale I was attempting to get their attention. We sold a fair amount of items; over half of my sales were from selling a couple of antique forge air pumps, a 220 welder and a surfacing machine. They all went to a young man with a dream of learning a trade at home. Now that’s a young man who is going somewhere. I would like to sell him my Foley Belsaw planer – molder. I bought it with the thought in mind to find old broken furniture and planing the good parts in order to save the hardwoods such as oak, cherry and walnut. Probably some other good wood types out there too. Could be an opportunity for the young man. I have his business card and might contact him if I get the chance. I’d need to talk to his dad first so that he understood the dangers of the equipment. One could get hurt on many trades; heck, look at all the paper legislation shuffling going on in Washington. All those millions of papers just waiting for one slipup and then….a PAPER CUT ! Those things can really hurt. Well, I guess there should be some compensation for hazard pay like in the military. Don’tcha think ?

And now thinking of Washington, shouldn’t we get to see what these pedophiles are doing with our kids ? Yeah, they are ALL our kids, not somebody else’s problem. We as a society should be protective toward ALL of the kids in our neighborhood as well as extend our protection to ALL children. Because if ALL children aren’t safe, our own kids aren’t safe either. Additionally, after these kids grow up and we adults have not done anything about it, what should we expect these new grownups to think of us if we had done nothing to protect them when they were helpless and vulnerable ?

‘Nuff said (or is it ? ). It just boils my blood to think that this could all just be swept under the rug.

I once had a camphor wood chest that was not repairable but several carved panels were in good shape. Some of these panels ended up on the walls of peoples’ homes. Nice smelling art; a two for one.
Point is, there are often more uses for an item that we have not thought of. How about a generator tied to a bicycle which powered a battery and inverter that ran a video game and the kids would have to cycle enough to make the game run. That should teach the little buggers just what it takes to run their toys. A little respect here for the incredible technology at our beck and call.

The world shouldn’t be run by parasite control; real honest work has to be done. We don’t need politicians but real statesmen instead. There is a world of difference, one in which we are living today (much to our detriment). Politicians live under the carrot of wealth and power and the stick of blackmail while true statesmen should be motivated by their service to the will of the people they represent. It is supposed to be a heavy responsibility in which the payoff is one of honor and respect for a job well done.

Bartering and horsetrading is a lifestyle of pushing back against the propaganda of attaining all the things we have been told that we have to have. Maybe a garage sale where only barter is allowed. No cash accepted here. Wouldn’t that be a hoot ?

In past times we used to barter a lot more than today. Actually, before there was money, there was nothing but bartering and horsetrading. Reminds me of the Federal Reserve beginning in 1913 and that is all living people know. However, this is only a bit over a 100 year time span within a 6,000 year history of real money, aka gold and silver. It is a matter of perspective in which we are all living within a 100 year bubble experiment. Any machinations which force citizens to accept valuations by fiat is an abomination. I have called fiat currency the Rosemary’s Baby of money and my views have not changed since I began studying money and currency some 20 years ago.

So what does all this have to do with bartering and horsetrading, you may ask ? Everything ! We still use fiat currency in almost all of our trading for the goods we need and want. The regularity of the boom-bust cycle is but a consequence of our using fiat currency. So we live within this cycle, having goods and services whose value against fiat currency has been dictated by the powers that be. Admittedly, pure bartering without using any money or fiat currency is almost impossible in our modern world. This would not be a problem with gold and silver as the intermediary of exchange since the stability of gold and silver has stood the test of time through thousands of years of history. Can you now see that bartering and horsetrading is not workable in a world of fiat currency, a paper debt instrument valued by those who make profit from its manipulation as well as the incredibly huge power we as citizens confer to the bankers ?

I have read that two thirds of the world’s population live on two dollars a day. That is equivalent to a tenth of an ounce of silver and it has been that way in ancient Roman times, Chinese times as well as throughout thousands years of human history. Even back in the 1700s and 1800s it was that way. I remember my father telling me that when he was a young man during the depression that he operated a mule team plowing a field 12 hours a day that he got paid either a quarter or a half dollar. Note that a quarter contained .1808 of an ounce of pure silver and a half dollar contained .3617 of an ounce of pure silver. So my father’s experience was not too far off from historical reality, especially when you factor in that he was working 12 hour days rather than the 8 hours of today.

Eleven years ago I wrote an observation that discretionary income had largely disappeared. I believe that things have gotten worse but have been masked by deeper debt in order to maintain lifestyles. I feel that we are at the end game now in that the general debt burden, even with historic low interest rates, has reached the point where even paying for the interest has become too large, much less ever paying down the principal. I have two economy cars and a rebuilt transmission advertised for sale and have not received even one call ! I had even dropped the price on them considerably but still no calls.

What I am trying to warn is that fiat currency is now so scarce that almost everything is selling for less. Buyers are becoming scarce as hen’s teeth or rocking horse droppings of you prefer. And to put things into perspective, fiat currency has been tried many hundreds of times throughout history and every time it has devolved to being worthless. So what makes us think that it will be different this time ?

I believe that things are going to become unraveled in the very near future and it won’t be pretty, to put it mildly. I just got off the phone with an old friend who makes great money and I strongly advised him to accumulate more silver and watch his expenditures closely from now on. There is a distinct potential for a currency reset in the near future as we lose the dollar reserve currency status. Saving in fiat dollars, stocks, bonds (which, by the way, is twice as large as the stock markets), real estate, retirement funds, art, and luxury items will be the downfall of multitudes of people. Don’t be one of them.

IF YOU DON’T HOLD IT, YOU DON’T OWN IT. Ponce first told me that some 12 years ago and it has become a wise byword to live by, especially since we are at the end game right now. Every day I scour the internet in order to get a pulse on where we are and where we are going. All the financial advisors I read seem to be on the same page the last several months, warning that we are about to experience something catastrophic. Could be war, could be a market meltdown, could be bonds crashing, could be banks going belly up, could be a derivatives blowup and could be things getting worse on a much faster timeframe. It is all an illusion, a house of cards. Their advice is sound and I’m not ready as much as I would like to be. Heck, nobody is fully ready. Our future comfort and security will be in direct proportion to how well we have prepared.

I apologize for not having written for a long time; my life has been crazy busy, both wonderful and challenging.

Best wishes,
agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

Hi everyone; I haven’t written since last November although I have wanted to many, many times. My life has taken me in several different directions within the last couple of years. It seems that as time passes I am becoming more involved in helping with the retirement home I have written about in a past post. This along with new friends, family problems, neighbor issues, developing the 10 acres I live on and health issues. My cup overruneth.

For most folks it seems that they expect to retire with the time to sleep in, goof off, play golf, travel and live better than they did when they were in their productive decades. So what is wrong with my life ?

Heck, right now I have three old diesel Volkswagens in front of my garage that are being dismantled for the engines, transmissions and body parts in case someone needs them in the future. And I sold another three unrestored Volkswagens in the last couple of weeks. In addition, there are four other Volkswagens and a three cylinder Chevy Sprint that need to be processed. After all that being done, I still have to finish cosmetics on my personal VW Scirocco that I have converted to diesel power and a special ratio transmission that should get about 65 MPG on the freeway. Now that Scirocco motivates me to get all of the aforementioned “stuff” out of the way first. I can’t wait to drive it on the freeway to find out just how many miles per gallon it gets. Imagine a license plate that says, 65MPGFWY ! Yep, that is my crazy goal.

We all need something that drives us to get off the couch and pursue a dream. I’m fortunate to have more than one something. This retirement home motivates me to see how much can be accomplished with the little social security money I receive (eight hundred and some dollars plus food stamps). The first day I went there a couple of years ago I opened the door and walked down the hall amidst folks some who were in wheelchairs missing a leg, some had Alzheimer’s, some were on their last precious years and some had their wits and somewhat content with their situation. Their clothing was all too often worn out, with holes. Most of them were depressed and their body language needed no words to express their sadness. For some reason I was not depressed but became angry. Yes, angry that all these were meted out $2 per day by the government subsidized program. Hell, almost half of the world population lives on $2 per day; is THIS how we treat our retired citizens in what is supposed to be the richest nation on earth ?

Here is where my bartering and horsetrading skills kick in. The folks in my rest home were practically in rags when I first arrived. I got their clothing sizes and began to hit the local estate and garage sales and found loads of perfectly nice clothing and shoes; also winter coats and blankets. Each time I had a load I took it to the retirement home where we went through the clothes and they got to pick out what they liked. I also took different kinds of candy and some of my hand rolled cigarettes. We would sit around outside discussing many different topics and have a few laughs. Now I even take a joke book and a quote book along.

Something unusual happened a couple of months ago. One of the first residents who became close to me (and her roommate) wanted a Bible, one with large print. I had already given away about 40 Bibles but they were small print. The next day I was in my favorite thrift store asking for a large print Bible. The people there knew me as “veggie Dave”; I had been delivering fruits and vegetables three or four times a week for the past few years. They were always so anxious to help me that it was almost embarrassing. HaHa I looked through the large book section and couldn’t find what I needed so I went in the back of the store where the loading dock was and talked to the manager who told me that he had recently received some bibles but they were still in boxes and hadn’t yet been put on the shelves. I looked through about 10 boxes of books and found nothing. A stranger came out of nowhere and said that there were more boxes of books around the corner. I looked there and found two Bibles. The personal one had large print as well as was a King James early version with red lettering in the New Testament (you know, what Jesus said). Mission accomplished !

But that’s not all; the other Bible was a bicentennial edition, also with red lettering and large print. Additionally, there was a humongous quantity of reading material and color pictures of famous Christian paintings. I guess these Bibles would be called heritage Bibles to be passed down through the generations. There were even pages for the owner to fill in their lives and four of their childrens’ lives. I got goosebumps ! I felt as though the Lord was smiling upon me.

I couldn’t wait to get home and review the contents of this six and a half pound Bible. As I leafed through the pages I became more excited as I realized that this Bible had everything I could have asked for. I have thousands of books but compared to this Bible nothing could hold a candle (duh). Imagine the word of God put into a Bible that could touch the very soul of anyone who possessed it. Yeah, that is how I feel when handling one of these Bibles. This is the kind of large Bible that would be perfectly happy sitting open on a pedestal (or in a lap).

Next I got on the internet and began buying these bicentennial Bibles, as many as I could afford at the time. They began coming in from all over the country. My mailman even asked what they were so I opened one and offered it to him but he politely refused. A few weeks ago I had bought one Bible that was brand new and the seller said that he had more new Bibles. I contacted him and he said that he had three more new Bibles. I bought them all and they will be here in a few days.

I must also add that when I gave the first smaller large print Bible that the lady was very happy. A couple of weeks when I delivered the large Bible, the lady was the most joyfully excited I have ever seen her. This is the key reason that I am so driven to get as many of these Bibles into the hands of those who will read and cherish them.

Today one Bible arrived; so far so good. But there was a letter containing a check from an annuity; it was thousands of dollars. I hadn’t received a windfall like this for over a decade. It seems that the door has been opened for me.

So now you know a bit of what I have been doing for the last couple of years. If I did not have the skills of bartering and horsetrading I would not have been led to the blessings I am now enjoying.

At my age and health and the uncertainty in the world I have only so much time left to do what I dream of, spreading the word of God and the forgiveness of Christ. One Bible at a time and each time has a story behind it.
If any of you find it in your heart to do the same I will be happy to help you find what you need. If you go to a subsidized retirement home like mine and feel the need to help, your bartering and horsetrading skills will be instrumental. I should also mention that it is deeply satisfying and outright fun to help others.

When President Trump stated that he would Make America Great Again (MAGA), I took it to mean that we ALL should do our part to Make America Great Again. My example is just a small way of doing my part but if millions and millions of Americans together do what we can, the world movement would flourish in a hope for a world of faith, hope and the greatest of these, charity. And by the way, charity means love, not a handout.

I’m just a grain of sand on the beach but together the multitudes make up the beach. Come join me at the beach and we’ll play together while making America (and the world) Great like it should be.

Best wishes,
Agnut

P.S. Has anyone connected that an ounce of silver in the hands of Venezuelan citizens will provide six months of food ? Can you imagine that if we were to each donate even one ounce from our “blessing” to these desperate people; it would also send a message to the world concerning the difference between worthless fiat currency and real money. I have been trying to figure how this could be accomplished without governmental interference. Wouldn’t that be a hoot ? A win-win ? Millions of one ounce silver “grains of sand” would make up a spectacular beachhead that would stun the world.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

Hi all; some of you probably figured I'd keeled over. Well, I had gotten so crazy busy with family and friends (some of whom live with me now; and it's a great way to go if you are fortunate to be compatible). Legal hassles, financial struggles, the China virus and other stupidities in the nuttiest election year yet add up to being like a full time job. Losing Ponce knocked the stuffings out of me and I know I grieved too long. I'm now 73 and not able to do many of the things I used to do without giving it a second thought.

I feel bad to have dropped out of sight but needed time to recover from all the jostling around that should not have been happening at my age. Since last December I have been searching around for anything that would help with this China virus. I ordered enough for several people for about 6 months, vitamin C, vitamin D3, Zinc, tumeric (curcumin), Brazil nuts for selenium, pineapple extract in pill form called Bromelain tablets, colloidal silver, multivitamins, fish oil, and last but not least, elderberry syrup making kits.

I recommend getting this elderberry kit from eBay and also buy some elderberries too. I just follow the directions and when I am through I add some elderberries and cook it all some more. This way it makes about twice as much as stated on the directions.

A couple of months ago I got so sick and weak that I could hardly move. I sat in my recliner all day and into the evening. I went to bed early and woke the next morning as if I had never been so sick . To this day I don't know what it was that hit me but I believe that it would have killed a weaker person at my age. I was on all the aforementioned medicines and attribute the fast recovery to my being loaded with what I must have needed to recover so fast. Zinc is a funny mineral and it reputedly facilitates the efficiency of the other medicines. I have read that President Trump has been taking hydroxychloroquine with zinc to counter the China virus.

I haven't been buying as much or as often as I had in the past; that's something for you young bucks to discover just how much fun it is as well as rewarding.

Just the other day I was at an estate sale and spotted three 5 gallon cans of hydraulic fluid. I noticed that two were unopened and the third was only down about a gallon. I asked the seller how much for all three and he said "How about three dollars ?" I didn't even have to haggle; to do would have been bad karma at that price. Besides, my friend who lives with me has a John Deere 210 backhoe that needs hydraulic fluid. He uses the backhoe around my 10 acres, upgrading the landscape and dragging and cutting up trees for firewood. This would be something that I couldn't afford these days.

I was at a moving sale several months ago and was looking for a powered push mower for my younger son who has a thriving lawn service. He needed a backup since his old one is...well, old. I asked the seller if he had a lawn mower for sale and he said "Follow me". We went around behind his barn and there was an almost new 26 HP Craftsman mower with a new cart attached. It wasn't what I was looking for my son but I could use one for my large lawn areas. I asked how much he was asking and he said $125 with the new cart. It was a steal but the only problem was that he needed it for the next month to take care of the lawn before he moved (going to Alaska). He wouldn't take a deposit but promised to hold it for me. I did get it about 5 weeks later and the wait was worth it.

Since then I had been looking for this push power mower and found two identical Toro Recycler mowers from different sellers at different times. What are the odds ? I gave one to my son and he loves it. The other I plan to fix up and use to mow the orchard and other tight spots.

One of my hobbies is finding large print Bibles for folks who have a hard time with the tiny print of most portable Bibles. The Jerry Fallwell Bicentennial Bibles made in 1975-6 are the perfect solution; they weigh about 6 pounds, have a large print and are red lettered in the new testament. I have been finding them on the internet all over the country. Problem is, most are offered at much higher prices than I can afford. I don't go to church any more but feel that this is my way to tithe. Besides, the pleasure of giving these bibles to Christians who really need them is really hard to describe. It is like a life changing event for many of these folks. I have 12 in inventory and another 9 on the way. I've given away over 30 Bibles so far.

Best wishes,
agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

You don’t have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.
C.S.Lewis

Good to hear from you Agnut. I believe all of us here appreciate your posts. Glad to hear you are doing well. As far as supplements go, I go easy with them anymore. I think that a person can get way too enthusiastic and overdo it. I have made myself sick before by taking too much of something that I am not well acclimated to and perhaps is not biologically compatible with me in my older years.

Sometimes I wish I was in closer to the city so I could take advantage of the many estate sale/yard sale opportunities. Then I come back to my senses. I am out in the woods but not far enough. Sounds like you have a nice spread though, if you have ten acres. Good luck with everything.

It's been almost a year now, agnut. Ya coming back sometime soon?

yer old friend Bottom Feeder

Almost two years.