It's Always Sunny In Arizona . . . .

Until it isn't.  Today brought a rare occurrence for us,  it snowed.  Cactus just don't look right with snow on them.

It won't last long.  The weatherman says 70's this weekend. That's Arizona for ya'.

 

 



Why Do Auctioneers Talk Like That?

To put you in a trance.  They talk like that to hypnotize the bidders. They don’t just talk fast, they chant in a rhythmic monotone so as to lull onlookers into a conditioned pattern of call and response, as if we were playing a game. The speed is also intended to give the buyer the sense of urgency:  Bid now or lose out. You will never see a poor auctioneer, they usually take 10 % of the sales price home with them. Even if it’s junk, it’s 10% cash from junk.

 

 

My Dad and I have made it a tradition to go to our favorite auction every February.  It’s usually held the weekend of my birthday so it’s a great chance to spend time together. This auction is held at a horse stable and with parking so far away, they bring you in on a wagon hitched to a team of mules. Being the mule lover that I am, I asked the young guy handling the team if he would let me sit in the drivers seat and see how it was done and he agreed.  This is the view from the top of the wagon. Love it!

Then it was time to look over all the goodies, from wagon wheels to Amish quilts. The covered wagon is a shepherd's wagon. It reminded me of the old gypsy wagons.

 

It takes two days to get through all of the antiques and then it's on to the mules and horses.

They bring in mules from Tennessee and the ones with spots are always popular.  This one was a beauty.

This was a lineback mule. A beautiful freak of nature. I mean that in a nice way.  This was nature's science experiment that came out well.

 

This little colt happened to be in one of the nearby stalls.  He wasn't for sale but I couldn't get over his two blue eyes and dark hair.

I did buy some old tractor seats because they go from this......

To this with just a milk can and a tractor seat. Most comfortable seat in the barn.

Then they start bringing the wagons.

This Amish buggy was fancy. It had working lights and turn signals. It had all the leather covers for winter too. The owner lived in town and said he took his grandkids for rides all the time in it.

The wagons were all lined up to come in the sale barn.

This cute little veterinary wagon had little tools on it and signs for all the ailments that a vet might cure.  It was a steal at $700.00

This was a jewel.  I called it the Suburban - 1898 model.

 

It's not only fun to watch and hear the auctioneer, it's exciting to get a deal. I don't know why I love this old stuff so much but I have a feeling there will come a time that we won't see very much of it. Now go enjoy an episode of Gunsmoke and see some of this ol' stuff.