“The RoseBouquet”

I’ve never experienced one of these before. I’m guessing you might not have either, so let me describe this one to you.

My sister Elsie had suggested a family auction before the household goods, and Dad’s tools, - all that smaller stuff, goes to auction. I wasn’t sure how the Executor of the will would feel, but they gave us a green light. Only, we must provide a list so they can deduct these purchases from our inheritance.

Elsie had also asked for an inventory of Dad’s stuff, so they could all see what there is here at his house. So, as I’ve been packing room by room, I’ve been numbering and itemizing the things, or if a box of smaller things, then as a unit. In some cases I’ve put a label on the box or container, so it can be tracked down easier when someone is looking for an item on the inventory list. This inventory isn’t’ complete by any means, and I’ve already divided it into two parts. The furniture and larger items inventory, and another one for the rest.

So this past week as I anticipated my brother Ernie coming from Winnipeg to sort through Dad’s tools and help me identify them, I worked extra hard to polish up this inventory and typed it into a spread-sheet so that later we can even re-arrange it with a few computer commands.

Late Friday afternoon I emailed these inventories to the siblings, and explained that we had permission to do this, so it was a chance to get stuff at a low price before the public gets their chance. They should look over the list and let me know which items they wanted, and how much they would bid. If there were any items with more than one bidder, I’d phone them on Sunday and we’d duke it out with a bidding war.

My sister Erma wrote back almost right away, pointing out that the mug tree and mugs was hers. She’d wondered where that got to. She also bid on four other items. I removed the mug tree and mugs from the inventory and recorded her bids.

Ernie arrived at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. I’d left the door unlocked for him, so he slipped in without waking me. By about 9 we’d had our breakfast and went down to start on Dad’s basement workshop. I did my best to keep up with Ernie, but he’s a strong, hard worker! Whew, his pace got me exhausted. But by about 5 p.m. we had taken everything down and out of the cabinets, and off the walls. I scrambled to find boxes or containers and to keep updating my inventory, while Ernie kept exclaiming, “Why would Dad need four of these!?” or something to that effect. He started pitching stuff he figured was scrap metal or scrap wood, and also things that were plain garbage.

At the end of the day I dragged up five bags of garbage to our bin - which is now full, and there are several more to go yet!

After supper I went to the computer, while Ernie went to start on the wood working shop attached behind the garage. My T6 vertebrae was japping like a puppy, reminding me that I had reached my limit of time on my feet. I updated the spread-sheets.

Sunday morning we went to church, and after an hour’s snooze time we went to the city to pick up Tom, so there would be at least three of us present for the family auction. We ended up working together at sorting stuff in the wood work shop, both before and after supper. Again, Ernie found oddities to exclaim at.

I feel way-way behind with my inventory! Finally I went in, updated as much as I could, and send Elsie and Erma the revised inventory and phoned Elsie. She had only one bid to place, and some questions. By that time it was too late to phone Erma in a time zone two hours ahead of us, but I emailed her that we had all bid on different things and so there was no competition.

Ernie had made up his mind that he had to keep the total of the estate down or there would be so many fees and percentages taken off that it would not help at all. So he bid only 50 cents on the items he wanted. He’s only out $4.00. Tom decided to follow suit and is out 2.50 for his items.

Being frugal, but wanting to be fair, I bid higher, but still very low and on a lot more items. I think I have now got all the dishes, furniture and tools I will have room for in my little house, and I got it all for about $100. Isn’t that marvelous?