Sometimes you win, sometimes you wonder why you bought it!!

 

                                                                     

     Pat here!!  I'm the first to admit that I don't know that much about certain items such as glassware, ceramics, rugs, paintings, etc.  Well, actually, I don't know much about a lot of stuff, but my friend/fellow picker Judy does.  She has been a picker for many years and is well read on most items.  So when I saw an opportunity to buy a box of stemware I immediately got Judy in on the deal.  It was beautiful stemware and glasses and Judy felt sure we would get our money back plus a profit.  As she dug through the box, she also found quite a few dolls under the glassware.  The owner at first said the dolls were not included, but he backed down when Judy said "No deal without the dolls!"  And so we became the proud owners of a box of glassware and unknown dolls.  The glassware is still in question as to its value, however, here are some pictures of the dolls--you be the judge!

                                                  Here are the lovely 'treasures' in a basket

                                                   This is probably the best one of the bunch

                                                          This poor doll had no arms!!!

         

I didn't even include the picture of the doll with just wires for legs!!  So, this is a lesson well learned---always, always, always check your merchandize before you buy it because you just might end up with an armless doll!!  Until our next adventure, God Bless!!!

Sometimes it's better to lose!

Hello to everyone, Judy here.  Pat asked me to share one of my many UNUSUAL  adventures in picking and this story immediately came to my mind.  So read on and remember, PICKING CAN BE BIZARRE!!:

                                                             The Chevy Van Story

This all happened some time back in '97 or '98 but is one of my more unusual stories about picking.

     My sister, Cherie, and I were really into pickin' at storage units.  We would follow an auctioneer from location to location until we ran out of money or there were no more units to bid on.  We started out one day on a U-Haul Storage circuit, following the auctioneer from place to place.  We had successfully bid on 3 units at various places and were running really low on funds.  We went to the last location somewhere out in the boondocks, our last for the day, hoping to pick up a cheap unit.  We knew everyone else on the "tour" were also running low on funds so we knew we had a good chance for one more winning bid.

     When we arrived, there was a lady and her grown nephew there waiting for the auctioneer & group.  She said she had been busy all day and was so glad she had caught up with us.  We all growled - fresh money and competition!  Cherie and I looked at several units but they went too high for us.  Finally the auctioneer
told us that the next unit just had a vehicle in it.  The auction company had cleared the title and the car, a blue Chevy cargo van, had no criminal record and could be driven off the property, if it still ran and if there was a key in it.  He said we could actually go in the unit and peek in the windows since it was the only thing in the unit.

     All 15 or so pickers including the lady and nephew who had joined up with us went into the unit.  We could see there were some things in the back of the van but they were covered up.  Now I really wanted this van.  It was a picker's dream vehicle!!  The bidding started and, as I remember, I quit bidding at $400.00.  I was out of money.  New lady with the nephew also really wanted the van and she finally got it for $600.00 and was visibly over-joyed.  I was crushed and dreamed about the fantastic blue Chevy cargo picker's van that night!

     A couple of months later I was at another storage unit auction and there was the lady and her nephew.  I said, Hi.  You still driving MY van - haha. She said - Girl there it is sitting over there.  She pointed at the parking lot and there it was, all shined up.  I asked her what she had found in the van and she told me it was full of antique clocks and tools.  She said she sold the clocks and was able to buy her daughter a car!  I told her that, although I was terribly jealous, I was happy for her.

     She then told me, that's not all it had.  She said that the headliner kept coming loose and she kept poking it up but it would just come loose again.  She asked her nephew to fix it or get it fixed for her.   She said he got in the van to take a look at the headliner as she went into her house.  She said he came running in a few minutes later with 4 big packages of pure cocaine!!! I almost dropped my teeth when she said that!.  Here she had been driving that van for over a month with hidden contraband  in the headliner!

     I asked if she had called the police.  She told me - Honey, that would be just like throwing my pocketbook in the dumpster.  She said her nephew took the "packages" and sold them for $65,000.00!!!!

     After I heard that, I didn't feel so bad about losing that van 'cause no matter HOW much I may need money, selling drugs is just NOT an option!!
     Well, this is just one of my many picking stories and definitely one of the most bizarre---but stay tuned, I'm sure there will be more to come!!!!

                         UNTIL THEN, KEEP ON PICKING!!!!!

Ray's Pick

Hello to everyone out there in the blogosphere!!  Pat here, ready to share one of the MANY adventures of my picking buddy, Judy and me.  And, oh boy, do we have some adventures!!  Like the time Judy and I went to a pick where the elderly mother had passed away and had TONS of stuff in box after box after box after,....well, you get the point.  We were going through some old boxes in her barn where 'no man had trod' for many years.  Judy was looking on a shelf and pulled a box out a little farther to open it.  Apparently she had also shaken the whole shelf unit 'cause clumps of.........PETRIFIED RACCOON POOP rained down on her head!!  But did Judy freak-out and run for cover?  NNNNOOOOOO, Judy is a true picker--she simply shook it off her head and kept right on pickin!!  What a champ!!! 

But that's not todays adventure--this story starts with the passing of a dear friend and fellow picker, Ray B who had passed away several months before.  Ray and his wife, Mel were true pickers, great people and wonderful friends--they also had a 'good eye' for picking.  So, when Mel called me to see if I wanted to come picking I was calling Judy, filling my truck with gas and on the road to her house in minutes!  We arrived excited to see our old friend Mel, her daughter Judy (Judith from this point on) and Judith's husband Dennis.  We had a great time visiting with Mel, remembering Ray and enjoying a good pick. 

So here are some pictures of our pick, which we have named "Ray's Pick" in loving memory of a wonderful picker and great man:


This is were we started--one room in the house!

Judy's smiling because she thought she had found a treasure--it turned out to be a dud!

Me digging through a closet--there was some great stuff--purses, bags and...........

this WONDERFUL fur coat!!  Too bad we live in Texas were there is little need for a coat like this.  (I bought it anyway!)

Judy picking behind a door--sometimes that's were you can find the 'good' stuff!!

Out to the garage for more picking!

I found some really cool canisters from the 1970's

Me (Pat), Judith and Judy

Judy and me in our best Vanna White pose!  We filled up my SUV with great stuff.


We had a good pick, enjoyed seeing old friends and remembering a great man.  Be sure to check back often as we continue to share our many picking adventures!!