gardenjunkpickergirls: 2 Auctions in 2 States

Inspired by the recent reality TV show Picker Sisters, we are fans of REAL picker shows. We relate to the thrill of finding something cheep. We love road trips and filling the truck with our unique finds. We love the reaction of your husband’s as we pull in the drive w/ junk. Unfortunately, Picker Sisters is like watching a train wreck. You know you should turn away, but something draws you to it. You try to yell at the TV hoping it will STOP, but they just keep heading straight into a disaster.

Monday, October 1, 2012

2 Auctions in 2 States

On Labor Day we went to one of our favorite annual auctions in Michigan- with at least 3 rings going on at any one time - but sometimes it gets a little overwhelming and we ended up only bidding on a few things.

This past weekend we were in Wisconsin visiting my parents, of course we needed to find an auction, my mom, the world biggest picker rarely goes to auctions, so she was excited to go. The Auctin was in the small town of St. Nazianz - we passed an old seminary that had a sign advertising a thrift store, so we had to stop. it was a cool old place, but in major disrepair.
I found this video on its history that I found interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb0SGJF-puM

This find was $10 that included a chair- I sold the chair for $3 on the spot- so I think I made a great deal- but it almost did not make it home. My husband took the door off and anything else he could to lighten the load and it still weighed about 200lb. There was no chance the 2 of us could lift it onto the truck, so he wanted to leave it- it also came with hand wrought fireplace tools, so that was worth the cost. Fortunately, we found 3 strong young guys to help him lift it on the truck. The entire way home he threatened that he was just going to push it off the back of the truck at the end of the driveway and let the scrap metal dealers take it. Well, when we get home he said he would try to drop it in the wheel barrow and go no more then 20 feet. So it is now under the tree right by the driveway- actually a nice spot for it!

The auction had so many things, that it was 2 days long.

Normally the auctions we go to, people do not bring lawn chairs so we had to stand.

The rocks went for $40! I really wanted then - but with no way to get them from Wisconsin to Michigan, I was out of luck.

I thought this might be a nice design for the future.

Our friend Michele gave this to Laura - too cute- just had to have something about trailers!

No comments:

MO

I come from a long line of pickers. I learned from my mom, driving the station wagon around on garbage day looking for stuff others didn't want. She taught me how to search through old barns, and find the items everyone else missed. I was refinishing furniture and polishing silver at a young age, always looking for the diamond in the rough. Her passion grew into a fabulous business, but for me, I am still just a picker who makes a living more traditionally. Many of our trips stem from my business trips that Laura tags along on, or weekend adventures. Laura is more thrifty then I am, we are very different . . . I will always have time for picking, gardening and blogging. I have three blogs, none for money, just to share my interests and opinions. Click on my picture to get to my garden blog. There is a reason I do the driving, do not let Laura fool you- you do not want her to drive! Picking is hard work, not a glamorous Hollywood production. You can call us “the picker girls”, “garden junk picker girls” or “the REAL picker sisters”!

Laura

Picker, gardener, not that good of a driver. . . Is one of the "greenest" people you will ever meet. She uses a clothesline, saves everything, is still cooking with some of the pans we had in our college house in the 80's. It’s not about being trendy, it’s how she lives. . . . OK I need to speak for myself here . . . Mo is definitely the blogger, driver and boss. However, I need to clarify a few things in my bio. First and foremost, I am an excellent driver and have an almost clean record to prove it. Also, my job as co-pilot is equally as important. I am, after all, the navigator through unknown country roads; no GPS in the old pick-up for these gals! I also have to rummage in the cooler and prepare sophisticated hors d'oeuvres. Last, but not least, I'm in charge of tunes. If left up to Mo, all we would be listening to is satellite radio's all Grateful Dead station. Not trendy? Without a doubt. I actually started thrifting and picking to save money. I still do for that reason, but more importantly, I want my surroundings to be funky and meaningful, and am always up for an adventure with my "true picker" sister!

Fender Art - has a long connection to "junk"

No it is not a fender made into a chair, just a fender made into ART! DEFINITION: The Middle English word jonk, ancestor of junk, originally had a very specific meaning restricted to nautical terminology. First recorded in 1353, the word meant "an old cable or rope." On a sailing ship it made little sense to throw away useful material since considerable time might pass before one could get new supplies. Old cable was used in a variety of ways, for example, to make fenders, that is, material hung over the side of the ship to protect it from scraping other ships or wharves. Junk came to refer to this old cable as well. The big leap in meaning taken by the word seems to have occurred when junk was applied to discarded but useful material in general.