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A bit of an update from something I posted in September, possibly a caution to anyone considering an auction to liquidate stuff. I lost out, big time.
I catalogued and boxed up several thousand books. So many hours of work. These books had been listed for 14.99 or more, each, online. Nice, clean, quality. Three truckloads to the auction site.
The auctioneer said he’d advertise. He did, to the local Amish/Mennonite community in their local paper. About a dozen locals showed up. No English.
The customers were very happy. I watched prices, and thought that there would be at least a little profit over the $700 it cost to conduct the auction.
The auctioneer does not respond to phone calls or messages, and I have to go pay him a visit.
So, I guess I got what I wished for. I do have space now for other things, and I don’t have to deal with post office slow downs or financial issues with the government next year.
I thought I was making a good choice, but auctions are risky, especially if you trust others to do as they say they will. I would have been happier, and had a bunch more money in my pocket, just donating stuff.
These books, non fiction, were bringing in about $500/week….
 
We go to a fair amount of amish/menno auctions, and farm sale auctions in our area. Sometimes things are almost given away. Books are like that, the last auction I went to they were boxed and maybe went for $2 a box, mixed books. Furniture was dirt cheap, too. A nice side table about 5 ft long went for $2. Old rockers that needed repair were free, and still they sat. But toy tractors, small and ones a kid can ride went for a crazy amount, So did tillers. I got a box of hand embroidered pillow cases and table runners, like new for $2.
Now if you had a box of books in penn dutch, or amish fiction books, you could get a buck a piece for them.
Going into the bigger town to the awards ceremony for the math competition this afternoon. Little granddaughter in competing. She was nervous, not very good at math, reading is her thing. It turned cold today but the sun is out.
 
These books were geared to those folks. Tractor books, James Herriot, good, quality kids books. Pre ‘60s stuff. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Boxcar Kids. 3 boxes of books in German. I’ve sold a lot over the years, and had a good idea of what to send and what not to send. All family friendly. It just seemed ‘fixed’.
Last fall I set up at a Mennonite yard sale. Over $900 for 2 days. I acquired more books of the same to sell.
Amish fiction went into the dumpster. I had asked that anything not suitable be set aside and I’d take it home. I left the boxes and he set up. Also in the dumpster was Abeka and Bob Jones curriculum, which promotes God and creation. It was science. Biology. i used it for my kids, and Christian schools use it in theirs. But, it’s science.
 
dademoss said:
Annual Physical, so far I am not yet dead, but the results of the blood test aren't back yet :p
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Don't let 'em tell ya otherwise!

At work - trying to find my desk. Making progress, but . . .
The little computer says it's 40* out. This morning it was 30* at the house a spitting rain. It's real rain now. I wanted snow (foot stamp) I'd rather be home baking when it's weather like this.
 
Still on the shop tidying adventure, I seriously need to learn not to just put things in the shop "for now"
 
Back to the remodel hanging drywall until sunset...

20211206_170425.jpg


The second sheet required holes for outlets and switches.

20211206_170048.jpg


Tomorrow I should be digging up some apple trees and maybe some others depending on how will put up with the cold.

Ben
 
phideaux said:
Not that I'm aware of . The company is a conglomerate named LaFarge.

I think the delivery charge is equal to the gravel weight charge .
Not sure

Jim
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It maybe because we have lots of competition here. My uncle owns a quarry and a concrete plant here in the early 2000s I ran it for him.
 
phideaux said:
@hashbrown , $7.50/ton sounds about right.
$7.50 x 26 ton=$195= $390/load.
I paid $375 -$390/load.

Jim
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I was saying $7.50 per ton all in delivered. The quarries here have mountains of it. The big seller here is 1 inch clean 1/2 base is a byproduct of that in the screening process.
 
Tootsie, that is a shame that you got ripped off on the auction. Might have to take them to small claims court to get your $ out of it. I've seen some of those cases on TV. Customers actually won.

Hope you get feeling better soon, Backpacker.

Ben, looks good! What was the spacing on those screws? And what sort of screws do you hang drywall with anyway? I know there are "drywall screws" meant to attach things to drywall, but I know this is drywall going to wood...

Rained most of the day but picked up mail and went to samsclub for groceries. There were some thin cardboard sheets and I was saying to my brother how I was tempted to take them to use for templates. Store employee overheard me and said "Please take them! They are trash! Take them all! If you take them then I won't have to deal with them!" I think there were about 5 sheets-- thin enough that they could be rolled up. Somewhat like poster board consistency. I was going to buy posters for templates but this works out better. I can store them in my bathroom once it stops raining enough to safely bring them in. My brother griped a lot about them being in the way in the truck. I asked him if he wanted some cheese (left out the part "to go with that whine").

Got groceries and packages unloaded. Hips are hurting for some reason though. I'm about to take a nap.
 
I finally had the energy to work down in the pole barn. Got the new partition across the center built. I didn’t think the ground would be that hard, had to dig 3 post holes. That barn has never been a home for cattle, strictly hay. I’d turn in cows in late winter after the hay was gone. A couple days so they could eat up scraps of hay. But the ground was as hard if the cattle had stood on it for 30years.

So I dug 2 post holes, changed my design a little so I didn’t have to dig that 3rd hole. Then there was the rough cut oak lumber from the sawmill, and I thought the ground was hard! I used 30penny nails and a 40oz hammer to drive them.

Anyway, it’s done. I have a temp gate in the middle so I can cross from the calf side to the horse side. I have yet to build an outside fence so the calf has fescue to munch on this winter. But, I can move him anytime into the barn. Unless the weather gets really bad I’ll wait a few more days…

I found this nail chart in case anyone needs a copy.

Nail chart.jpg
 
zannej said:
...
Ben, looks good! What was the spacing on those screws? And what sort of screws do you hang drywall with anyway? I know there are "drywall screws" meant to attach things to drywall, but I know this is drywall going to wood...
...m

g for some reason though. I'm about to take a nap.
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My brother @Firepolice271 decides on the components, I just use them. :rolleyes:

Ben
 
Just worked today in Rockford, Illinois. It was well below freezing until the sun came later in the morning. Drove the gang's equipment up onto the work train, which is always a nerve wracking experience. I can't get used to driving across the jumper rails in between the flat cars. It creeps me out to be driving a 22 thousand pound machine, on a rail car surface four feet above the ground, and then you get to the end of the car and look down and all you see is the ties below you and maybe the coupler. If you derail on the jumpers, there's a good chance you're going over the side. I've never seen it happen, but I don't want to be "that guy" who wrecked a $750k machine...
 
Frustrated. Wiring up electrical outlets and my list of the breaker positions is working out for me. Now, I used a marker and wrote on each wire as I ran it from the breaker box to the first box location, marking each end of the wire the same, such as hallway/bathroom or stairway/pantry. Anyways, I installed the outlets for the bathroom and connected the light switches for the hallway and hall closet. I flipped the breaker and no power. I looked around and there are no outlets or switches missed anywhere in this area, I don't know why there is no power. Now, I could look at all the pictures I took of all the wiring routed all around the house, but so far I haven't found them on the computer.
And that is how I spent my day.
 
Is it just one breaker? One wire connected to that breaker? or the whole house is dark? You have a voltmeter? Start at the first item (switch or outlet) the breaker wire goes to... Start in the middle of the circuit if you wish... but do voltage checks around the circuit in a pattern. Sketch it out by hand on paper helps sometimes...
 
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Peanut, thanks for the nail chart! I saved it to my computer. The post digging is why I got a 6" battery powered ground auger (it was on sale). 80v battery & it works very well.

Ben, I'll have to look up what the appropriate screws.

Spikedriver, that sounds stressful. I wouldn't want to be the one to wreck heavy equipment.

Inresponse, I hate when that happens! Get everything hooked up and can't figure out why something isn't working... Hope you figure it out soon.

Forgot to mention that on my way to the post office an 18-wheeler ran a red when I had a green but I saw him in time to brake and avoid getting hit. I don't think he even noticed the light was red-- and it was red before he even got to the intersection. Just blew right through it. It agitates me a bit bc the wreck that messed me up in 2016 was someone blowing through a red light. I would have been so pissed if I'd gotten in another wreck bc of a careless driver. Probably would have killed or seriously injured my brother on the passenger side.
 
INresponse said:
Frustrated. Wiring up electrical outlets and my list of the breaker positions is working out for me. Now, I used a marker and wrote on each wire as I ran it from the breaker box to the first box location, marking each end of the wire the same, such as hallway/bathroom or stairway/pantry. Anyways, I installed the outlets for the bathroom and connected the light switches for the hallway and hall closet. I flipped the breaker and no power. I looked around and there are no outlets or switches missed anywhere in this area, I don't know why there is no power. Now, I could look at all the pictures I took of all the wiring routed all around the house, but so far I haven't found them on the computer.
And that is how I spent my day.
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Is there a GFCI outlet involved?

If so check the line vs load connection. They don't work backwards.

Ben
 
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