Monday Rambles

I'm going to try this week to grin and bear it and get back to my regular routine, despite the weather.  The weekend was a total letdown.  A really good indoor sale was scheduled for Saturday, but we woke up to a fresh three-four inches of snow and unplowed streets, so I just went back to bed.

I ended up not leaving the house all weekend, which was probably for the better.  I got a lot of rest and took care of some things in the house.  I'm still having a lot of problems with my voice and going out in the cold doesn't help things.  I think this lingering cold has turned into laryngitis.  Not a good thing when your job requires you to talk for several hours at a time.  I'm going to call my doctor today for either an appointment or a prescription.  I think getting that cleared up will help my winter blahs.

I'm also going to try my best to follow my full, regular schedule despite the cold.  I've been cutting the booth short and cutting as many corners at work as I can get away with.  I've got another week off coming up, so I'm going to just muddle through as best I can until then.  (And hope for much better weather that week!)

The weather has, predictably, killed booth sales, although I had a really good day on one of the coldest days of last week.  That was the exception to the rule unfortunately.  At least I'm having sales every day, even if they aren't large ones. I am hoping that getting back on my regular schedule with the booth (Mon and Wed after work and all day on Friday) will help me get it all back together.

Not too much to ramble about this Monday, I guess.  Hard to find many topics in the midst of being frozen in, I guess.  I'll try to make it up with some good, meaty blog posts this week.  (Plus, I should have Top Secret Project Phase 2 ready to go early next week!)

I will, however, share with you a little known fact:

It takes lots of Diet Dr Pepper to deal with a particularly harsh winter!

Single Digit Blues

I got the single digit blues!

My toes done froze in my shoes!

Not sure I can make it through

These damn single digit blues!

I think it's safe to say that I am over winter.  I know there are parts of the country that are even more deep frozen than we are, and I feel for them and hope that my friends who live there stay safe and warm as possible.

This is the worst winter we've had in a while.  I'm really glad that I did not have to put up with this last year at this time.  The radiation, surgery recovery, and pending chemo was enough to deal with!  I feel such empathy for anyone who has to get out in this right now to go through some of those treatments.

Even worse than the cold (for me) is the difficulty I'm having getting motivated through all this.  I dread getting ready to go to work each day.  Every time I do have a day that gets cancelled, I get encouraged to think that they'll all get cancelled.  When that doesn't happen, I get sullen and pouty nd even more unmotivated.  Single digit blues, indeed.

For anyone I know who is lucky enough to live where you have temperatures above freezing, take advantage of the opportunity:  live, go out, enjoy, shop, do things.  And think a kind thought or two for the rest of us, okay?

In the meantime, I guess I'll keep singing the blues.  The single digit blues.

I got the single digit blues!

Just wanna stay home and snooze!

That's the way to make it through

These low-down, no-good, single digit blues!

Days of Our Lives Quickie!

I am waaaaay overdue for another Days of Our Lives post, but I am also in a huge hurry because I have to go to a really important training this morning, so it ain't happening right now.

This will have to do instead:



That's Jen Lilley (Theresa), Meredith Scott Lynn (Anne) and the incomparable Alison Sweeney (Sami) on the mike and, cheesy rap posturing aside, this is a pretty good summary of the plots for the last year or so.

Plus, it's fun.  I love it when folks don't always have to take themselves so seriously.

Anyway, Days is still my show and probably always will be.

Giving Chances

I try really hard not to totally write off a thrift.  For one thing, we have too few of them around here.  Savation Army closed all its thrifts a few years ago.  My favorite thrift closed last week.  We have no small, off-brand, ministry-run thrifts where things are always cheap and plentiful, like some people I know.

We've got some decent thrifts, some hit or miss thrifts, and some really crappy ones.  I try to give even the really crappy ones a visit once a year.  There's always hope that things have improved.  If not, there's still the chance that I might make one good find that there is to find.   I don't have that many places to choose from, so I have to give them chances.

There's a thrift not far from our house that's hit or miss.  It's hit or miss enough that I don't go there often.  They have good stuff, with really bad prices.  I can usually find one or two things there, if I try hard enough.  That's not enough to make them a regular stop, even though they're in the same mall asa restaurant we eat at all the time.  They are worth a stop from time to time, though.

Keith had to go to the mall to get something straightened out with his library card on Saturday, so I went to the thrift while he was doing that.  They had signs up advertising a 25% off sale, which gave me a little hope I might find something. 

And I did.  A bag of  kids wooden blocks for three bucks, which would have been $2.25 after the discount.  I was going to pass it by, until I took a closer look at it.  Was that Mickey Mouse I saw?  Indeed it was!  And he had friends:

Bad lighting.  Sorry.

It's an interesting assortment of characters.  All three pigs?  Louie and Dewey, but no Huey?  And who is Frederika?  I saw a set on eBay that had Dopey in it, but another set that came with the original canister had 15 blocks (which was also noted on the canister), so I know I have a full set.  Maybe they made sets with different characters?

They have letters on the other side.  I like the solid colors with white letters.

Not many words you can make with this set of letters

I thought I might have more than the 15 at first, but I realized that there was a standard set of blocks in the bag as well.

I've got a couple of empty jars that I'm going to put each set in to sell.  I sell a lot of Disney stuff, so I know I can move these and make some money.  It's not the largest or best find, but I thought they were cool, so I wanted to share them.

This particular thrift marks vintage toys and most Disney stuff really high, so someone must have not been paying attention when they bagged these up.  Better for me.

I guess this one stays on the "visit from time to time" list!

Linking up with The Thrifty Groove!

Presenting.....

A BOWL FULL OF CUTE!

Would have been cuter if those damn tags had cooperated and stayed out of the way.

FLEE!!!!

Beware the little Dutch girl doll in the plastic wooden clogs!

DO NOT LOOK INTO HER EMPTY SOUL-LESS SLEEPY EYE SOCKETS!

You have been warned.

Holiday Monday Rambles!

Well, last week just about kicked my sizeable behind!  Going back to work for my regular hours just wore me out.  When I get out of a routine, I really get out of a routine.  And the continuing icky weather doesn't help much.

I ended up letting the booth slack a little bit last week.  I usually go three times a week--Monday afternoon to straighten up from the weekend and restock as needed; Wednesday afternoon to price items for the new booth; Friday morning to make sure everything is ready for the weekend and to take a load to the new booth. 

Well, Monday it was pouring cold rain when I got off work and all I wanted to do was go home and have coffee, so I did.  I went on Wednesday and was so tired I barely got anything done.  Friday, I had to stay home for the morning and I was so tired after the whole week, I ended up napping instead of boothing.

I should be better adjusted this week.  I spent several hours at the booth yesterday and am going to spend today at both booths, so I should get good and caught up and even a little bit ahead.  I really need to--sales are starting to pick up from the post-holiday slump and, as we get further into tax season,  will soon be booming.  I have a bunch of chairs and end tables that I am looking forward to moving as folks get their refunds. 

The second booth is a lot slower than I would like, but is picking up.  The quadruple whammy of adjusting my schedule, the bad weather, not having enough stock, and struggling to find the time to price more are having an effect.  My plan for a second space included using my same booth number.  If I had been able to do that, I would have had plenty of stuff already priced and ready to go.  I'd be fully stocked and cruising now.  Having to price stuff with the new number has slowed me down quite a bit.  I will get ahead of it, but it's going to take another couple of weeks. 

We had a bit of excitement in the house last week.  We got something new:

Wassat?

I closed the lid after I took the pic.  The plumbers left it up.  One important rule in a cat household is to keep the toilet lid down.  We're starting to replace things in the house this year.  We've been here almost 13 years and none of the fixtures were new when we bought the house, so it's time.

We're kind of in love with the new toilet.  No more wondering if it will flush this time.  No more waiting forever for it to fill.  No more jiggling the handle.  Plus, it's Watersense rated and it's a few inches taller than the older one--easier on the aging knees and hips!  Going potty in this house has never been so wonderful!

Uhm...how about we move on to another room of the house?  Or another topic?

Can I buy a lot of stuff at the thrift store half price sale?

Why, yes.  Yes I can.

It was a busy day of estate sales and thrifting Saturday.  Other half price purchases include, but are not limited to:

A bunch of cool super-heroes,

a scary head planter,

and a cute blue puppy!

A word about my pics.  I've decided to just take them wherever I am, whenever I have the time.  If I can stage or set them up, so be it.  If not, so be it.  The alternative is a frequently pic-less blog, and I don't want that.

Taking that in mind, I'd like to share some finds from a particularly awesome estate sale.  It was in its second day, so I was thinking there would be reduced prices.  Everything was half off, and it wasn't that pricey to begin with.  I filled the car.  Here you can see some of it  going into the Peddlers Mall:

That would be two sawhorses, one of two stacking organizer bin sets on wheels, and four vintage Samsonite folding chairs.  Nothing was over two bucks.  I also picked up a couple of women:

 

I'm dedicating this pic to Magpie Ethel, because they remind me of some of the things she does.  I'm pretty sure these are hand crafted.  The woman who lived in the house had an extensive craft room.  I'm not totally sure what they are supposed to be.  They have a holiday vibe to them, but they also remind me of Madrigal Dinners.  I'm referring to them as my Madri-gals.  (Get it?)

I did get a terrible shock on Saturday.  My favorite thrift, which is only blocks from the house, has closed its doors for good!  It's really tragic.  It was a good source for religious articles at good prices.  Louisville is thrift-poor as it is.  We can't afford to lose any more.  I'm thinking on wearing black this week in protest.

Well, I need to get ready and start out for the booths!  Lots to do today!

Junker's Serentiy Prayer (Buying Edition)

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change

Like seeing someone else buy something really, really cool

 that I would have really, really loved at a yard sale

Courage to change the things I can

Like buying things I know are re-sale duds over and over again

just because I like them

And the wisdom to know the difference! 

(And help me to remember that it's only stuff,

I won't die if I don't get it,

and there will always be more stuff out there!)

Apologies to Neibuhr

Junker's Serenity Prayer (Selling Edition)

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change

Like those days when the mall is dead 

because it's too cold for anyone to be out shopping 

Courage to change the things I can

Like those days when the mall is packed with people

but no one is shopping in my booth

And the wisdom to know the difference!

With apologies to Niebuhr

What I Wore Yesterday!

 

Okay, I'm attempting to be unnecessarily arty with this shot.  (But I am happy with how it came out.)  Here's more normal-looking shot, so you can see the shirt better.  That is what I'm wearing that I'm posting about.  Just clarifiying in case you thought I meant my socks or something.

I'm not frowning.  That's my concentration face.

That's better.  Brand new, never worn Merona (Target brand) shirt in my size.  And it only cost 2 bucks!  Right from my own Peddlers Mall to boot!  You can't beat that with a stick!

I tend to avoid most clothing booths because they're messy and overpacked, but there's a booth between my booth and the register that I have to pass all the time and it has a small selection of clothes that are well-chosen, displayed by size, mostly new/never-worn, and--most importantly--cheap!

Nothing like finding something you need at a good price while working your booth.  That's why I love being in flea market-style vendor malls.  Woo hoo!

I'm probably going to hit them again over the weekend.  They've got some nice short sleeve polo-style shirts in my size that will be great for work when the weather gets warmer.

 My best ever clothing purchase came a few years ago at a yard sale:  brand new, never worn Eddie Bauer shirt that I love to pieces for only a dime!

First New Friend of 2014!

Meet my new pal!  I'll go ahead and tell you that he's a bit, well, emo.

He's also huge--nearly two feet tall.  I nearly fell over when I saw him!  I was sure he'd be more than I wanted to pay, but he was only five bucks!  (Thanks to Teresa at the Peddlers Mall for helping me find this out.)

I already have a smaller version of this one, but he's going right to the collection.  Except for that little ding in the corner, he's in great shape.  I love him.  There are even little thorns protruding up from his crown!

You can read more about his story here.  It's the kind of mixture of hagiography, gore, and kitsch that fuels my little religious collecting hobby.

We'll have to see how many more friends 2014 brings my way.

BEHOLD!

The Top Secret Project Revealed at Last!

Here you go!  Take a little bit of this:

Many of the items in these pics came from my Arkansas junk haul

Add a bit of this:

And a tad of this:

I'm kind of mad about that window.

And this is what you get:

And I'm nuts about that brown cabinet!

That's a Marx play vanity in the middle there

Okay, it's just another booth.  Not all that exciting, really.  Certainly not worth all the secrecy.  It's actually kind of anti-climactic when you take a close look and see all the holes I need to fill and stuff I need to do.  But it's mine and I love it!

My plan last fall when I left one of the stores I was in was to get into another market as quickly as possible, but be picky about it.  The "vintage" market proved to be not quite my cup of tea on several fronts.  I like the idea of the flea market style mall, with the variety and eclecticism you find there.  There's an energy and a feel in those kinds of places that I think suits me better.

I put my self on this list for another vendor mall that's a couple of miles down the road from the Peddlers Mall.  That's one of the reason I kept it kind of secretive for a bit.  Both malls are kind of rivals, and I didn't want to announce anything until I let the Peddlers Mall know.  It's no big deal to be in both spaces, really.  There are a lot of vendors who are in both, but I also know firsthand how gossipy the junker community in this town can be.  Rumors start and spread seemingly at a whim.  I just wanted to let them know that I'm not changing my relationship with them before I started talking about any changes here.

While I'm curating this space a little more closely than I do my other spaces, I like the flexibility I'm finding here.  There's a wide range of booths and products here and that means a wide variety of customers looking for a wider variety of things.  That I think bodes well for a seller like me, who may specialize in some things, but doesn't fit into a particular niche.

It's still not quite the way I want it to be.  My name came up on the list right before we went to Arkansas, so I did not have a lot of time to prepare.  I also couldn't move in until January 1, when the space was available.  In other words, I moved the first batch of stuff in, then I got sick and the weather went to hell and my little bit of stuff started selling and I could not get out there with any more.  I piled a bunch more in there over the weekend, but you can see I still have a way to go before it's up to snuff.

I'm selling okay there for a new space that's still under development in a month that's been plagued by horrid weather.  The pressure is on for this month, since I've got to make back the rent I've had to pay for January, plus make February rent.  I think once I get it completely ready, I should do okay.  I have plenty of stuff for the space, since I have the items that came out of my closed booth, plus things that were bought for that booth.  Unfortunately, I have to re-tag many of those items because I was not able to keep my same booth number for the new store.  It's one digit off, but that's a lot of stuff to re-tag.  I've been kind of focusing on things that had not already been priced, so I'm not doing a lot of duplicate work as yet.  This week, I'm going to start pulling a few things from the Peddlers Mall that have been there a while.  Hopefully, a new environment will work for them.

The new space does give me some challenges.  I've never had a booth with walls before.  I'm a little intimidated by all that pegboard.  I'm not totally sure what to do with it.  I'm contemplating painting it, but I'm not sure I want to put that much work into a space that's still in its trial phases.  That bare floor gets to me too.  I'd like to put a rug in there, but I'm afraid of people tripping.

I have this marquee over the booth, so I'm toying with the idea of signage.

 
I'm playing it by ear at this point.  We'll go month by month and assess things as we go.  In a few months, if it's not working, I'll cut my losses and get out.  I stayed at the other place about a year too long.  I'm not doing that again.  I've got a good feeling about this one, though.  We'll see, I guess.

 At least I have interesting neighbors!

Now, on to Top Secret Project Phase II.  Mwa-ha-ha!

Monday Rambles

I finally started feeling better towards the end of last week.  I still have a cough and sound kind of raspy, but everything goes right to my chest when I get sick.  It always takes a while for everything to clear up.  I'm well enough to head back to work and back into the booth fray.

It's supposed to be wet and cold this week, which is better than frozen and frigid.  I did brave the sub-zero temps and went to the Peddlers Mall last Tuesday, but didn't get too much done, since I wasn't feeling well.  It was dead there.  Apparently, people don't head out to the indoor fleas when the high is three degrees.  Go fig.

There was a lady there (another vendor it turns out) who wanted to buy this old paperback book rack and the books I was displaying on it.  The rack was priced, but she wanted a bulk price for the books.  Since a lot of them had been around for a while, I was glad to cut her a deal.  If only it were that simple!

To make a long story short, she ends up buying the rack, but not the books!  Now I have a bunch of paperbacks with no rack for them!  I should have nixed the whole sale, but I didn't sell anything else that day due to the weather.  Besides, if I didn't want my shelves and fixtures to sell and create problems like this, I wouldn't price them.

I am so far behind on everything I wanted to do, since most of this month has been wasted for me. I've decided I'm just not going to sweat it.  I'll get done what I can do this week and next and start new stuff the week after.  It's all I can do.

I am jonesing bad for a thrift fix.  I did manage to get some Xmas clearance shopping in, but that's just not the same thing, you know?  I've also bought some things at the Peddlers Mall, but I need to wheel a cart down a vintage wonderland of secondhand goodness and fill it up to the brim!  Of course, that would require that our thrifts here actually be vintage wonderlands of secondhand goodness, which they most certainly are not, but I'll take what I can get. 

I miss yard sales, but we're not too far from a a couple of my fave church sales!  Junking is rough in the winter.  Thankfully, as I am getting my stuff organized and in storage, I'm finding things that I had forgotten that I had bought for the booth, so I've got tons of interesting new stuff (and my backlog is going away!)

I am not looking forward to  returning to my regular work schedule this week.  It was bound to happen eventually.  I've had some extra days off due to budget woes, so I really do need to get back.  I like my job and all, but I'd really rather be watching the soaps, reading comics and going to the thrifts.  Oh well...

Monday Rambles

Crawling up from the wreckage here, folks.  I've been battling a cold since Thursday and have mostly been losing.  I haven't been out of the house since then, which has played havoc on the things  I was trying to get done. 

I'm feeling a little better, so I'm thinking I'll go to the booth, but the weather is truly frightful, so I might not.  I just don't know.

I did manage to get some things done last week before I started getting sick, just not enough.  I managed to get all the Xmas stuff cleared out of the booth last Monday.  I had it all put up, when the manager asked me if I was going to have a sale on my Xmas stuff on New Year's Day.  I didn't know we were going to be able to do that on New Years, which is weird because it's something I first asked about doing a couple of years ago! 

So, I grabbed a tote of ornaments and put them back out (sigh!) for 25% off.  Nothing sold.  Now they're still sitting there, since I haven't been able to get back over there.  I should have quit while I was ahead.  Sometimes, I think life is out to get me.

I got the Secret Project started last week, but it still needs a little bit done before I can announce it to the world.  It started off nicely though.

I have to work two nights this week, but no days, so I still have some time to catch up on somethings.  I'm meeting with one of my college room mates for coffee, which should be fun.  Plus, I need to get my thrift on for the first time in 2014.

Kind of boring, I guess, for a Monday Rambles, but sometimes that's all I got.  I'm going to lay back down for a bit.  Hope you all are doing well.

I forgot someone!

Lordy, but I hate getting old and forgetful!  It seems like I'm forever leaving something out or off or under the bus or something.  

This time, I forgot to include this little cutie in my latest post about the Big Flea.  She was in the bag or ornaments I bought.

Isn't she cute?  She's one of those pieces that I can't tell if she was hand-made by someone or mass-manufactured and sold.  She's very very well-made and detailed. 

She even has her ballet slippers on!

The Big Flea!

Tuesday's trip to the Big Flea was fraught with complications.  To begin with, the alarm I thought I  had set did not go off, so we overslept, making it impossible to get there when the gates opened.  Since we were already running late, we decided to go to a breakfast buffet first, only to find we arrived there right before the buffet closed.

Further complicating matters, I could not get to my Granny Cart without taking a bunch of stuff (and I mean a bunch of stuff) out of the shed to get to it.  Every time I shift things in there, the carts get moved around, even thought I try to leave them close to the door.  Organization will forever be my elusive quest.

Without a cart, I was forced to use a substitute.

Now, a wheeled backpack cannot begin to equal the capacity of my Granny Cart, so I had to make unloading trips to the car at intervals.

Once we got into the building, it was obvious that we had one final challenge to face, lots of dealers were closing up to leave, even though the flea market didn't close until 5.  Instead of ending on New Year's Day, like it usually does, the Big Flea closed this year on New Year's Eve.  I think it had to do with January 1 falling on a Wednesday.  They run the show for four days and always try to include the weekend after Christmas, so that meant that this year they ended on December 31.  Dealers were excited about the possibility of getting to celebrate new Year's at home, so many of them were closing early, even though the organizers strongly discourage that.

On the plus side, that meant that sellers were willing to deal.  On the minus side, it meant that there were fewer of them there and the number kept shrinking throughout the day.

I only took one picture, because I got busy shopping right away, but it was one of the best things I saw.

It's an antique Last Rites cabinet.  I fell in love with it, but the seller wanted a bit more than I was willing to pay, based on the condition.  I debated making an offer, but what I wanted to pay was enough lower than his price, that I knew he would not deal with me.  This guy is at every Big Flea and he can be really grumpy and irritable when people try to haggle.  I wasn't in the mood to deal with him, so I went on.

New Years and Labor Day are always special at the Big Flea, because they have the special antiques wing.  There are sellers with antique and vintage in the regular section, but the antique wing brings in 400 more and they always have special stuff.  Lots of them have markdown tables where they try to move out their backstock, estate sale buyouts, box lot leftovers, and anything else they aren't interesting in selling in their stores.  I spend my time looking at the more expensive things and admiring them and learning about them, but my shopping happens on the bargain tables.  On the last day of the show, which Tuesday was, most of the bargain tables turn into dollar tables.

You have to dig through some crap and you have to check stuff carefully for damage, etc, but you can find some great stuff for a buck if you're willing, which I more than am.  For example:

Stuffed toy with Eat-It-All ice cream cone.

Sexy aftershave bottle

Vintage Knott's Berry Farm souvenir jar

Gorgeous vintage postcard books from Italy

Please pardon my total lack of staging and presentation in my pics.  Laying aside the fact that I totally suck at staging pictures, I was trying to price all this stuff and get it ready to go, so you get my messy desk.  If I let things sit until I have time to stage and arrange, then they'll never get to the booth, which means I never get any money.

I also got a bag of vintage Christmas stuff (for a dollar) that included some gems:

 A bizarre little dog thing.  I can't decide if this was made and sold that way or if someone got crafty with a satin ornament.  I also can't decide whether it's too sweet or tacky as hell.  What do you think?

Best of the bag:  vintage wooden angel ornament, sweet Japan wood Nativity, and a vintage snowman.

Sweet wooden Japan mouse.  It's laying on top of a basket that I picked up at on dollar booth to carry stuff in while I shopped.  I decided I liked it, so I bought it too. 

Sweet felt horse head

Tiny vintage elf head cup.  I know it's really a child in a sleeping cap, but I'm calling it an elf anyway.

Pair of ornaments with school pics trimmed and attached.  I think they were part of some school art project.  Every so often, you get a reminder of the history of the objects you find.  I wonder if these hung on Grandma's tree for years?

I did get more than that off the dollar tables, but I thought those were the most interesting finds.

I got some other stuff too.  There's always a couple of people there who have yard sale stuff at yard sale prices.  I picked up some things from them, since yard sales are few and far between right now.  I got some price tags from a vendor supplies booth.  They have about the best prices around, and I'm getting ready to do some markdowns, so I need some extras.  I'm going to be marking a lot of stuff down.

I also did find some comic books, which was one of my goals for this trip.  One of my favorite comic sellers was at this show.  I hadn't seen him there in a while.  He always has 50 cent, one dollar and two dollar boxes with good stuff in them.  He also has Golden and Silver Age stuff for good prices.  I've gotten some decent shape, low grade Golden Age books from him for 3-4 buck before. 

Interestingly enough, I usually cannot tell the difference between the stuff in his 50 cent, dollar and two dollar boxes in terms of era, content, or condition.  There are a few really ratty books in the 50 cent box, but a lot of the stuff I see could be in any of the three, so their placement seems totally arbitrary.  Unfortunately, a bunch of what I bought was actually for me, although I did pick up a few things for the booth.  You do what you can right?  (I didn't get any pics of my comics haul when I was taking the others.  I might add some later.)

All in all, roadblocks notwithstanding, it wasn't too bad for the first junking trip off the New Year!  I had fun anyway, and that has to count for something.

Looking Back

Happy 2014, everyone!  It's too early to tell what the year will hold, of course, but I can say with all certainty that I'm starting the year out in a better place than I was this time last year.  It's definitely better to be up and around on New Year's Eve than it is to be in a hospital, even if you aren't a big party person.  (I'm not.)

One last super-huge thank you to all of you for playing such a huge role in my recovery.  You can never know how much your emails and comments meant to me.  This blog helped me keep my sanity during a tough time.  I'm glad I had you all to share it with.

I guess I'll never be able to look at 2013 without remembering all the chemo, needles, nausea and such, but other things happened too:

I expanded my booth in one store and made the hard decision to close out at another venue.
I took a road trip and ended up engaged!
My grandfather passed away.
I got a storage space for some of this junk.
Both our vehicles got totaled in front of our house.  (I need to fill you all in on the resolution to that little saga.)
I bought lots of junk.  I sold some of it.
I started a Secret Project, which will be revealed very soon.
I made a friend.
I laid a festering former friendship to rest for good.
I met a junking celebrity.
I got new glasses!  And a haircut!  And older!
And I finally made it to 1,000 posts!

 And that, as they say, was the year that was.  I have some things to say about the year just starting, but they'll have to wait for another time.  I have a Secret Project to attend to.