On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:47:00 GMT, aemeijers wrote:


Heh. I'm 51 and still have most of my college furniture, other than the
stuff I loaned out when I left town there (never to see it again, of
course.) I have maybe 4 pieces I have purchased retail- couch'n'chair, a
mattress set, and previous couch (a futon that turned out to be crap,
but I replaced the staples with drywall screws and am still using it.)
Everything else is from auctions and garage sales, or family
hand-me-downs, or crude shelves I nailed together myself. When I moved,
I did get rid of my worktable that was a solid-core door on pillars of
empty Stroh's half-cases duct-taped together.

One of the few advantages of no SWMBO in the house- I don't have to
waste time or money fussing with stuff just so it looks pretty. If it
does what I need, and won't fall over and kill me (or the toys sitting
on it), I'm happy. (And no, I don't have any of that chipboard crap,
either- only real wood or commercial-grade metal for me.)

aem sends...

I know how you feel. I'm 61. I have a beautiful bedroom suite
bought for me when I was about 5, quality and still in almost perfect
condition. My mother used it in the guest room for 34 years after I
left home, until 10 years ago when she died, and my brother has used
it since, except one dresser that won't fit in his house. So when the
weather gets warm enough to put the top down, I'm going to drive to
Dallas to get it. But you know, I like all my junk furniture and it's
all walnut, or maybe walnut color . (But no chipboard either) My
child stuff is ash, which is stained light. It's going to clash with
all my junk. (In the bedroom, a chest of drawers, a dresser, a 1930's
floor radio cabinet, and a 1920's or early 30's record player case
with 1920's or early 30's record player on top, and a bookshelf that
my mother mounted casters on the top and turned upside down, that I
keep next to the bed with vcr's, radios, lamp, etc. ) Not only will
it clash, I have to get rid of the other chest to make room, and even
though it's not much, I like it. And how can I store my spare
wrenches, hammers, and rarely used tools in my beautiful dresser like
I have done in the free dresser someone gave me 35 years ago.

I think I'm going to have to line the drawers I use for hardware with
those advertising signs that are stuck on wire legs on public streets.
I've confiscated hundreds of them.


P.S. I bought a cheap 4x8' trailer from harbor freight, had it
delivered to my brother and plan to assemble it in Dallas, with the
help of my 7-year old nephew when he gets home from school. I was
about 6 when my grandfather came to visit, and he replaced the light
switch on the stairs that went to the basement. I think that and the
Lionel train is what got me interested in fixing things. 55 years
later I still remember what my grampa fixed. I can almost remember
watching him.

On the way down, I'm goint to look for coal miners in W.Va., Mammoth
Caves in Kentucky, drive through Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, go
diamond hunting in that park in Arkansas, check out Hope, Arkansas
(which is only 1 minute off the road to Dallas), and on the way back,
I want to stop at Lake Providence, Louisiana, on the Mississippi,
where my cousin ran the general store for a long time including 1947.
All of these are places I've never been before, despite 3 passes over
the general area.


BTW, total eclipse of the moon Wednesday, at leas east of the
Missisipi, from 8:45 PM, totality at 10:01, ends at 10:51 EST.