November 17th

Weather: sunny, clear and quite cool

Remarks: Apologies to readers who were disappointed last week when they didn't find an update. We did go out in search of sales, but in several hours of driving around we only managed to find a single sale. Gail bought some fabric for 50 cents at that sale, but she was the only one who made a purchase. I didn't update the page, not realizing that readers were left wondering what happened. My apologies, in the future I'll try to update, even if it is just to say we came up empty handed. Note: due to the Thanksgiving holiday we are not planning to hunt cuuh next week. Today we found 2 sales, not bad for mid-November!

Amount Spent: $5.00
Felix is helping to ready this week's cuuh for photographing.
A very nice Korean-style stove top grill. We bought a cheap one at a garage sale a couple of years ago and used it a couple of months ago (for the first time) to make some Korean style barbecued beef. The grill was made of such thin metal that we destroyed the grill by the time we were done. The metal got so hot it warped and the barbecue sauce was fused to the top of the grill and there was no way to clean it off. The beef cooked up just fine and was very tasty, but the grill got tossed. We figured we'd look for a better one, and today we found it. This one has a stainless steel water ring (the bottom part), and a very heavy, non-stick grill surface. It is much, much heavier than the one we destroyed and it looks like it will actually hold up to use. Just what we were looking for!! The seller was asking $8 originally, Joe talked her down to $5, a much better price.

November 3rd

Weather: sunny, cool

Remarks: not a lot of sales today, but that was ok because we didn't have a lot of time to shop. Gail and Mick were heading for Salida this afternoon to visit some friends.

Amount spent: $2.75

• black plastic CD rack (didn't photograph well)-50 cents
• painted slate plaque (birthday present for Gail)-$2
• basket of small plastic clothespins-25 cents

And where is Felix? The paltry amount of cuuh didn't hold his interest and he wouldn't pose with it because he was busy rubbing on Joe's legs in the hope that Joe would realize he was desperatly thirsty for milk

October 27th

Weather: partly sunny and quite cool, especially in the shade

Remarks: I was in Florida last week and missed out on the garage saleing, but Joe bought a very nice Oster Kitchen machine (mixer, blender and food processor) for $25. The 2 blender jars we bought this week will work as spares.

Amount Spent: $18.25

• 2 cotton T-shirts (one turquoise, 1 navy)-$2
• old trivet plaque-50 cents
• blue plastic CD storage cube-free
• plastic blender jar-$1
• pink zippered pouch-free
• leaf "chip and dip" bowls-$4
• trapper-keeper notebook-free
• lamp shade-$1
• small notebook with graph paper-15 cents
• thread clippers-15 cents
• 4 glass insulators-50 cents each
• small plastic blender storage jar-$1
• book, soft cover, Golden Guide to Trees-25 cents
• fabric and notions from a jacket kit-$1
• bag of cat toys (little rubber balls mostly)-50 cents
• key fob-free
• 7 glass insulators-10 cents each
• Scrabble game on a turntable (includes the travel Scrabble game board in maroon folder)-$2
• 2 books, softcover, (see below for details)-50 cents each

Felix is helping me log the cuuh, but he kept wanting to mark the propped up notebook with his face, so it kept falling over and startling him. Took some convincing to get him back into position on the chair for the photo--and the first thing he does is start to mark the notebook again--a fraction of a second after this picture was taken the notebook fell back on the floor...
Joe found this muffler for a buck. He is hoping it will work on a generator we have that is a little louder than we would like. A closer look at the books Joe bought today:
Cool cover picture on this one, I like the dog! Actually the book is about building a legal still for distilling alcohol for fuel, not booze. Interesting book in any case.
This booklet is chock full of photos and information intended for Post Office employees charged with protecting the mail from robbery. Interesting.



Here is a close-up of the wall plaque we bought today.


And this is the magnificent chip and dip server. The woman selling it told us she had gotten it as a wedding gift 36 years ago and never used it. I'm guessing she hasn't hosted a luau in those 36 years, because it would have been perfect for that! This piece reminded me of an ashtray I bought at a garage sale several years ago:

This picture does not do the ashtray justice, it is a really pretty (and completely garish!) gold and turquoise. I believe both pieces were made by the same company.



And here is the lampshade we bought today, installed on a lamp we bought for 50 cents on August 18th--a perfect match. The dark part of this lamp is made from smoked plexiglass, we plan to put a string of small Christmas lights inside the lamp, that should look very nice.

October 13th

Weather: cool and sunny, another perfect day

Remarks:

Amount Spent: $2.50











Felix was unavailable to help with the cuuh logging today, he was otherwise occupied (see picture below for details)

• bag of used gel pens-50 cents
• 2 insulated nylon lunch boxes-50 cents each
• space blanket-25 cents
• replacement radio antenna-25 cents
• box of pencils and ??tools-25 cents
• book, paperback, The Black Sheep-25 cents

Not too many sales today so we took a drive to Berthoud to visit their hardware store and generally look around. One thing we saw was a mural that was recently painted on the side of the old feed and grain:

Mick saw this when it was a work-in-progress a couple of weeks ago, the artists he saw working on it were women.


We also saw some very stylish wheels (these were in Loveland when we saw them).


And here is what Felix was busy with rather than helping to log the cuuh:

Relaxing on the bed!! Some cats sure have the life...

October 6th

Weather: perfect!

Remarks:

Amount Spent: $15.50

• Southeast Express hat (bought for patch)-50 cents
• transfer pump-$3
• Reader's Digest book, hardcover, North American Wildlife-$1
• The Worst Case Scenario Escape Game-$1.33
• book, paperback, McCall's British Cooking-25 cents
• VHS, National Geo, The Soronan Desert-15 cents
• sunprint kit-25 cents
• aquarium air pump-25 cents
• 2 extension cords-25 cents each
• box with 5 small avon jars (empty)-$1
• wooden chess set in a can-$1.33
• Yahtzee Texas Hold 'em game-$1.33
• book, paperback, Colorado Wildlife-25 cents
• Pyrex 9.5" pie pan-25 cents
• bag of LAN connectors (in pie pan)-$1
• 7 glass insulators-$1.75 for all
• book, paperback by Clive Cussler-25 cents
• spool of small silver rick-rack-10 cents
• box of 4 corn butterers-$1

Here is a better view of the corn butterers. I've never seen these before, guess they didn't catch on. Judging by the box's graphics and the fact that they were made in Japan (not China) I would guess that they are not of recent vintage. As Joe says, "If they work, they are probably a handy thing to have." Too bad the corn season here just ended! A cool find nonetheless.

Bonus Saturday: Sept 30--part II

Weather: gorgeous!

Remarks: We drove to Bellvue for dinner with friends and stopped at a few garage sales along the way. Also, the woman who sold us the sewing machine on Friday called while we were at the rummage sale (see part I) and said she had found some accessories that went with the machine. Joe had left a business card with her Friday because we had to leave the machine until we could return to pick it up with the truck. Anyway, we stopped by and picked up an instruction book, buttonhole attachment, 4 pattern cams and some assorted tools. It was very nice of her to take the trouble to call and offer them to me, I am glad to have them.

Amount Spent: $10.25

• 2 small speakers: $1
• partial package of cedar boards-$1
• 3 pieces of fabric (9 yds total)-$2.25
• belgian waffle maker-$2
• silverware basket from a dishwasher-free
• book, softcover, Illustrated encylopedia of Animals (beautiful pictures!)-25 cents
• box of Singer cams and tools
• ashtray with a sleek looking cat-$1
• book, softcover, Decorative Paint Finishes-25 cents
• sewing machine instruction booklet
• package of long navy blue shoelaces-25 cents
• partial package of incense sticks-25 cents
• Singer buttonholer
• glass butter dish-$1.50
• kite string-25 cents
• leather key fob-25 cents

Bonus Saturday: Sept 30th--part I

Weather: another gorgeous fall day! Perfect!

Remarks: we were out early to hit a rummage sale at Mt Olive Lutheran Church (next door to G + M) that opened at 8 am, then we stopped in for coffee with G + M, and wound up stopping at a sale on the way home.

Amount Spent: $18.25

Atticus is helping to log the cuuh this morning!
An update for his fans: Felix spent the night in the cat papasan, and as we left to hit a few sales this morning he was basking in a sunbeam coming in through the bathroom window and shining on him as he took a bath in the new chair. The buy of the day is a true hit!

• 3 collapsible display easels-$2 each
• book, hardcover National Geo, Saving our Animal Friends (the cover picture sold us)-50 cents
• book, hardcover, Technical Metals-50 cents
• Crusty the clown watch (green, hanging on easel)-25 cents
• book, hardcover, Robots (fabulous graphics!)-50 cents
• 2 olive lampshades and hardware for shades-$1
• book, softcover, How to Draw Cats-gift from Gail
• book, softcover, Snake (great graphics)-50 cents
• grocery sack full of (wearable) socks-$1
• cloth briefcase (Hawaiian print)-$1
• 3 paperbacks for Joe-50 cents each
• Hallmark oval gift box-25 cents timer-25 cents
• 3 300 watt bulbs-$1 each
• pocket amplifier with headphones-25 cents
• gray silicone loaf pan-gift from Gail
• flowered stationary set-50 cents
• cat barrette (not very visible in photo)-$1
• Folkwear pattern-50 cents

September 29th

Weather: Splendid! Warm and sunny, the perfect weather for garage saleing.

Remarks: Quite a few sales today

Amount Spent: $35.05


Felix is helping with the cuuh-logging again!

• West Bend electric bean pot (1964!)-$2
• ??--don't know what this is called, but it is a little sterno heater, fondue forks and little dishes on a lazy susan-gift from Gail to Joe, she paid $2
• 2 pyrex mixing bowls-10 cents each
• 3 pyrex measuring cups-10 cents each
• book, softcover, The Everyday Writer-50 cents
• crystal ashtray/candleholder-50 cents
• 5 stainless measuring cups-10 cents for all

• The game of Life-50 cents
• 2 plastic boxes-5 cents each
• Singer 501 sewing machine (with cabinet, pictured below)-$20
• Renaissance (fancy plastic pieces) chess set, still sealed-50 cents
• stainless and acrylic peppermill-50 cents
• Moosehead beer glass-25 cents
• 4 books, paperback, by Tom Clancy-50 cents each
• 2 yellow measuring cylinders-10 cents each
• plastic measuring shaker, missing cap-10 cents
• puzzle (in round container) of Miss August 1967-25 cents
• Aggravation game-$1
• 2 scrabble games with wooden pieces, 1 is 3D-50 cents each
• wooden box-50 cents
• Dr Ruth game-50 cents
• bag of round metal containers-10 cents
• CD rack-25 cents

The sewing machine cabinet. It needs a little work, but is in great condition overall. I already have one just like this, the top opens up to extensions on both sides of the machine, the larger section on the left is supported by a metal arm that swings out.

• short sleeve rayon hawaiian style shirt for Joe-$3

And now we get to the BUY OF THE DAY, this cat chair that Joe found and paid $1 for:


It is a tiny papasan-style chair that can fold flat! A little worn around the edges, but quite the bargain for a buck! Joe unfolded it and set it on the floor and Atticus came right over to check it out and then crawled in and settled down, that was when I took the first picture. He relaxed in the chair for a few minutes, then he got up and Felix climbed right in to try it out. A big hit with the cats!! Unquestionably the buy of the day!!

Bonus: Fun with Coffee

This past Friday's cuuh included a booklet from 1956, Fun with Coffee:

The picture on the cover is wonderfully '50s!
I love these kinds of booklets, they are very entertaining snippets of their time. This one is a real gem, the artwork is fabulous and it is chock full of information on brewing coffee and recipes featuring coffee.


Last night we had guests over for dinner and I decided to make a pie using a recipe from the book. I chose the Coffee Macaroon Pie because I had all the necessary ingredients on hand, and of course it sounded like a tasty pie.



This is the "illustration in the center spread":


And there was even a picture of my reaction to the pie coming out of the oven:

The pie was indeed tasty, although no one could taste the coffee. But it is a super coconut macaroon pie. Only half left in this picture:

My pie turned out much darker on top than the one in the booklet, and it was done in only 40 minutes. A very scrumptious, rich pie--I was 100% happy with the results and will be making more from this recipe in the future. And probably trying other recipes from this booklet which I am thrilled to have found and added to my collection.

September 22nd

Weather: cool and overcast

Remarks: The first sale we stopped at was at a house with magnificent grape vines covering the privacy fence surrounding the yard. Gail got chatting with the woman holding the sale, and she invited us to pick some, even furnishing us with a bag and clippers. Gail, Mick and I picked grapes for a few minutes and harvested quite a few (see picture below) very nice, fragrant concord grapes!

Amount spent: $19.35



Felix was back at his old job, helping me log the cuuh, this week!

• vintage light fixture-$1
• book, hardcover, The family of Man-25 cents
• set of foglights (one light missing in picture)-$10
• book, paperback, Creating Unforgettable Characters-50 cents
• book, paperback, about life in Guam during WWII-50 cents
• glasses case for traveling-10 cents
• '70s era classic ashtray-$2
• small squirrel-cage fan-$2
• book, hardcover, Wingborne (printed on rice paper)-25 cents
• book, paperback, Coolinary Art (ice cream, etc)-50 cents
• book, paperback, Cool 'N Frosty-5 cents
• radio alarm clock-50 cents
• silk shirt-5 cents
• cribbage board-$1
• book, paperback, Fun With Coffee-5 cents
• folder-booklet, Helpful Kitchen Hints-5 cents
• book, paperback, 100 BakeOff Recipes-5 cents
• 2 Michener paperbacks-25 cents each

The grapes-free:

I am going to make grape juice with these, using the juicer I bought last year!

Update: the picture above is "before," here is "after":

2 bowls full of pulp and about 6 cups of juice.
The grapes turned out to be challenging to juice, mostly because of the seeds. Joe ran the juicer, and he quickly figured out that he needed to drop a handful of grapes into the chute and then get the red pusher in quickly before seeds started popping out! By the time he finished juicing there were seeds everywhere!! Most did go through the juicer and were ground up with the pulp, but quite a few escaped and I expect to be finding grape seeds in the area for awhile.

The juice is EXCELLENT!! Really, really good!!!

A fun experiment and some free grape juice = better living through garage sales!!

Bonus: Saturday Sales--Downtown

Weather: rainy and cool because a front was coming in.

Remarks: I took MR and Bo to the vet to have Bo's claws trimmed, and saw signs for a couple of garage sales on 4th St (just a couple of blocks south of here) on our way home. Joe and I headed out on foot to check them out, small sales but we still found something to buy!

Amount Spent: $3.50




Metal and enamel key holder-50 cents

Singer sewing machine-$3

and for all you Felix fans, here is a nice picture of the big guy...

September 15th

Weather: a beautiful fall day, afternoon thunderstorms held off until we were done saleing

Remarks: G + M's cousin Janice joined us today, so there were 5 piling in and out of the van at each stop--and it was a very fun day!

Amount spent: $16.90

Both Rita and Felix helped with logging the CUUH today, Felix seems to be supervising and Rita doing the actual work of checking things out. She is doing a fine job!

• 2 wooden boxes containing wooden jigsaw puzzles-$1 each
• 14 volumes of "The Military History of World War II" (published 1962-65, seems to be written for young adults)-$2 for all
• 6 swivels for making lazy susans (on top of books)-$1 for all
• 2 Chilton manuals, one for 70s pickups, one for pre '73 Mustangs-free
• drill bit gauge (on top of books)-25 cents
• bag of Jack Daniels whisky-flavored wood chips for use in a smoker-free (gift from Gail)
• 4 red plastic tubes used for rolling coins-25 cents
• zippered "Charlotte Hornets" organizer-20 cents
• flower pot for baking bread-50 cents
• spiral notebook lined for music notation (not shown)-10 cents
• 2 white extension cords-50 cents each
• can of metallic spray paint-free
• small roll of yellow wire (on paint lid)-free
• package of single sided razor blades (on paint lid)-free
• red/white die from the fabulous Flamingo-10 cents
• can of R-12 freon-free (a marvelous find!!)
• 2 metal electrical boxes-$1.25 for both
• green pepper kitchen timer-50 cents
• electrical on/off timer in metal box-$1.50
• afghan crochet hook-25 cents
• black polyester shirt with interesting buttons and decoration (Rita is sitting on it)-$1
• 2 hairpin lace forks-25 cents each
• silver shirt and black nylon pants-$1/both
• short sleeved cotton shirt with black/white oriental design (for Joe)-$1
• piece of heavy copper wire-free
• manual for a Husquevarna sewing machine-free (gift from Gail)
• kitchen scoop-25 cents
• (pictured below:)
• 4 electric motors-$1 each

2 are pictured here, they came out of Maytag washing machines


Atticus is checking out the other 2 motors

Bonus: Using the Cuuh

On March 17th of this year I bought a needlepoint picture for a buck, thinking it would be useful for something...
Well, I wound up using it as the basis for a picture I recently made. I posted a bit about the process on another blog, if you are interested take a look:

ellen's evidence and impact blog

September 8th

Weather: cool and cloudy with a few raindrops as we hit the last couple of sales. All in all, perfect weather for saleing.

Remarks: again, we started shortly after 9 and saled our way up to Bellvue. We did drive around Loveland for a couple of hours before heading north.

Amount spent: $7.25

• 2 twin flat sheets, 100% cotton-$1 each
• piece of huck toweling with a very fancy design (see detail shot below)-50 cents
• pair of jack stands-$1
• piece of heavy plastic (rolled up)-free
• handful of chromed rods with hooks at each end-free
• "Paint-Mate" hangs on a ladder to hold tools, etc-$1
• Handbook of Mechanical Spring Design (paperback, 1955)-25 cents
• red CD wallet-$1
• Pyrex baking pan-25 cents
• old rotary dialer-$1
• 9-volt battery charger (looks like a plug; in baking pan)-25 cents
• 2 computer cords-free
• blue translucent book light-50 cents
• 4 expansion bolts-free
• small hasp-free

Close-up of the huck toweling design. The stitches in the diamond part of the design consist of thread in 2 layers which adds dimension and interest. The orange thread appears more red in this picture, the actual color is more accurate in the photo below. Bronco colors!

And finally, for all the Felix fans out there, a picture of him checking out the cuuh. I think he was wondering if the sheets would make a good place to nap...

Bonus: Saturday Garage Sales

Weather: cool and misty early, sunny and warmer as the day went on

Remarks: we joined G + M in Bellvue early to do some saleing around that area. We found some good sales, met some interesting people, stopped into a newly-opened recycle/thrift store in Ft Collins, and spent some time looking around Jax outdoor-activity-supply-store. Interestingly, the Ft Collins thrift store is in a building where Mick once worked, making hamburger patties, in 1968,69 and 71. It was occupied by a meat wholesaler at the time and Mick was a college student at CSU. Mick had an interesting conversation with the man running the thrift store as he toured the building and saw the changes that had been made since his last visit.

Amount spent: $19.10 - .35 found in CD case side pocket = $18.75


^ FELIX! (don't want any fans to overlook his appearance!)

• (almost impossible to see in the top left corner) pair of speakers-$6.00 (Gail bargained these down from the marked price of $20! She is a great bargainer!)
• 2 plastic baskets w/ handles (holding books)-50 cents each
• 7 (bright blue) silicone baking pans-25 cents each
• Japanese-style lamp made from wood and paper, needs some work-$1
• round stainless steel holder for???-50 cents
• set of Japanese style paper laterns on a string of white Christmas lights-$1
• spirograph-25 cents
• digital meat thermometer, probe and remote unit-$5
• case logic CD case-25 cents

These books came to a total of $2.35. One sale was offering paperbacks for 10 cents and hardcovers for 25 cents, I bought most of these there. The graphic design and airbrush books were from the thrift store, they were a bit pricier, but $2.35 is still a steal for this haul!


There have not been a lot of grasshoppers around here this summer, so while we were spending some time relaxing in the cuuhcuuh's nest after saleing and lunch, I took a walk around and managed to catch 3 hoppers. I brought them home and gave them to Attie and Rita to play with. They love grasshoppers and had a lot of fun taking turns stalking them. Attie eventually dispatched and ate all 3. Yum!

While we were sitting in the top floor of the "nest" enjoying a beautiful, tranquil afternoon, a doe and a fawn (mule deer) spent some time in the front yard. We had a great view of them, the mother spent most of the time grazing, and the baby spent most of the time bounding around and frolicking in the yard. It was wonderful watching the baby, it would run all around the yard and was obviously having a great time. It seemed to especially like bounding in and out of the "pond," a hole left (and now grown over with grass and shrubs) by excavation of the fill dirt for the house. It would leap to the bottom of the pond in a single bound, then run back up the incline and put on a big burst of speed when it hit level ground. A couple of times the fawn wandered out of the mother's sight, once behind some trees into the neighbor's yard and a couple of times in an area with lots of trees behind the old barn. It was interesting to see how the mother would stop eating and listen attentively when she couldn't see the fawn. It was a very interesting and very touching thing to watch the two of them enjoying a nice sunny, cool afternoon.

September 1st

Weather: partly sunny, cool, very pleasant day

Remarks:

Amount Spent: $22.25

• Book: Quill and Beadwork of the Western Sioux, paperback-$1
• small metal box that says "Just a Little Something to Kill the Taste of Healthy Food"-25 cents
• tubing and float for a swamp cooler-free with phones
• red plastic-framed double-sided mirror-$1
• bucket of hinges-$1
• Viagra clipboard-25 cents
• aluminum and wood message board (pin the message to the aluminum clothespins)-$1
• zippered gild mesh bag for hopper collection-50 cents
• 3 vintage telephones-$5 for all
• plastic knife (for salads)-50 cents
• 3 rolls of tape for "old style" labelmaker-25 cents

**I took several pictures that included a full view of Felix, unfortunately none of them turned out quite right. So Felix was tired of modeling by the time this picture was taken, he had checked out the CUUH and was ready for a nap. So...all I managed to capture was the top of his head. Stay tuned, fans, maybe next week I can persuade him to strike a better pose...**





this is a tiny refrigerator that will work on AC current or plug into a cigarette lighter. It also heats, if you want to keep something hot.-$10


another refrigerator/heater, this one only has DC (cigarette lighter) capabilities.-$1