More Set Up at Gypsy Lea's

I brought a 9 foot tall wrought iron garden gazebo to Gypsy Lea's yesterday. I then went to an auction at Dave Miller's. (Nothing special at the auction but a social treat as always). I then returned to the shop and set up the gazebo in the center of the shop. It looks great. We will certainly have a different look for the April sale. I am getting motivated to get things done. (Photos in a few days).

Mr. Flannery

I Scored Some Pieces Online

I entered the world of online auctions this week. I even scored some items that are antique or in a style that will fit into the shops where I sell.

My favorite piece is this mahogany newel post with a one step banister.

Other pieces include:

Bell Jar and Plate
Small Cabinet
Mercury Glass and 2 Iron Candelabra

I am going run the route today. Flannery Bay to Buffalo to Edina to Bloomington to Sauk Rapids to St. Cloud and then back home to Babe.

Mr. Flannery

Love these Postcards

I love these postcards. The first shows the kids in the new tin Lizzie while old Dobbin is in the pasture in the background. The second one is embossed bathing beauties.




We had a heavy, warm rain last night. The ice on the bay in front of my house has turned from hard white to a mushy gray-black. I saw 12 swans today while driving to the post office. They will be on the lake as soon as the ice opens even a little. The geese, ducks and loons have appeared and I have seen two bald eagles on the ice picking at the fishermen's leavings. (Maybe one eagle at two different times).

Mr. Flannery

Ideas for April

I am getting excited about our April occasional sale at Gypsy Lea's in Sauk Rapids. I have decided to bring in some of the early Spring items for the sale. I have a six legged black wrought iron garden gazebo (about 9 feet tall) and a small metal barn cupula. I will have two fancy oak single beds, one painted yellow and one painted pink, plus some home made steel hog feeding troughs to bring in too.

The Spring weather is starting and I will be able to get some painting done outside. I also decided that some of the of the tambor doors that I bought last month will make great wainscoting on the sides of a counter. I will be able to cut a piece in half and have a 3 foot wide piece to use as facing.

I have a metal chick brooder. It is like a metal hip roof on 4 short legs. If I can assemble the pieces it will become the roof of a potting table, just in time for Spring gardening. I will also have a small steel wheeled garden wagon (with a frozen bearing on one wheel) and a metal siding piece from a 1920's prison made manure wagon marked "Minnesota" in 4 inch letters.

I have lots of ideas and maybe even some good weather. It will be fun to have some special Spring items and some project items in the shop for sale.

Mr. Flannery

Spring??

Well we have now come to that indeterminate period here on the tundra. It was -15* on Thursday morning and 59* by Sunday afternoon. The ice is still covering the lake, but the snow and frost are out of the ground turning the yard into a nice mooshy mix of dead grass, mud, a winter's worth of Babe's work and ice pieces.

I too have survived. I worked at Gypsy Lea's on Thursday and Saturday, but pooped out pretty early. We had lots of viewers but sales have started to slow. March is traditionally a slow month so we are hoping this a seasonal and not an economic dip. I sold 1930's floor model radios and all the smaller tables moved out of the shop. I think that Spring and outside and gardens will get us back on the upswing for April.

Mike and I attended an auction in Wisconsin on Sunday. I bought two things of note. An 1890's general store rolling ladder and a cast metal popsicle mold. They will be at Gypsy Lea's for the April sale.




Mr. Flannery

Boy Have I Let Gypsy Down

Last Sunday I was feeling better. I hauled two loads of hogs to Gypsy Lea's. By the time I finished with the second load I was pooped. Monday morning I just about stayed in bed. I finally went to the doctor. I have pneumonia. I am taking antibiotics.

I made things worse at Gypsys Lea's. I ended dropping a pile of hogs without doing anything else. Kris has hurt her back, Mike has the same crud that I have. Two of the other dealers are South on vacation. Set up is going to be very tough and I feel that I have really let everyone down. I hope to get there on Wednesday to price a few things. Damn!

Mr. Flannery

Out of the Grave and Headed to Gypsy Lea's

Well, I am finally in a position where I am pretty sure that I am not going to die or even cough up a lung. I ventured outside of my house for the first time since last Wednesday. I stopped at Gypsy Lea's to see how things were going.

Its going to be a great sale. There were only pieces here and there, and nothing was set-up, but the stuff looks great and we are hoping for our biggest sale ever. Here are some photos of the prelims. (We are holding the vestment cabinet for the customer until they get their new art studio to the stage of accepting it, circa August).







Mr. Flannery

My How Time Flu (s)

Your humble correspondent, having put off a flu shot at least a dozen times in the past 4 months, has succumb to the flu. Kill me please, it will be easier that turning my lungs inside out to scrape off the mucus. I am a fairly healthy person and I am not a baby about a little pain of soreness, but damn I want to whine about how crappy I feel. I ventured out of my house for the first time since Saturday and now feel a relapse descending on me.

Last Saturday I attended an auction and started to feel sick. I was pretty sure it was from the stench coming from guy who had not bathed or changed clothes since the 1990's. The auction room was crowded. He'd sit somewhere and a large vacant ring would form around him. Ultimately one of the auctioneers had to ask him to leave. I suggested either the sheriff or Tide, but he finally left. It was terrible, sad and disgusting.

So already starting down the path to flu and with my stomach retching from the smell of this person I drove home in a fog (inside my head, not out in the country). I have been there ever since. Babe has been useless, he still wants to be fed and go outside and play and prod and split my head with his bark. I guess you can't expect care giving from a Yellow Lab. Maybe its hair color, my ex-wife wasn't much better. (Henny).

I still have a ton of work to do to get ready for Gypsy Lea's. I bought a (oh My) blond 1950's serving cart that I must paint and I am going to bring in one of my ladders and one of the rolling doors. Maybe tomorrow, when time quits flu(ing).

Mr. Flannery

The Hog Pen

The last days of February brought me another fun surprise. 8-10 inches of drifting snow. Occasionally I will speak of the upper garage or taking something up the hill. That is because my lot has about a 50 foot vertical drop in the middle of it. The house and lower garage are on the lake shore while the access road and upper garage are at the top. The driveway from top to bottom traverses the lot and then turns on the property line to round the lower garage and dive right into the lake. I spent a couple of hours plowing the drive with my 4 wheeler ATV fitted with a 5 foot blade plow.

Mr. Flannery