Where the Hell is Our Spring?

Rain and snow and clouds and wind, that's Springtime here on the tundra. Damn, I was afraid that the lake was going to refreeze. I have the furnace on and the little electric heater running full bore under my desk. I think that the crocus are retreating back underground. We need our Spring.

I have a ton of projects to complete for the May sale. I have been sanding a few pieces (until the rain washed out that activity) and I have a pile items that need to be shellacked. But it just doesn't work well at 39*.

This is going to be a big month for sales. I have outside garden stuff and inside furniture stuff, even some real antique stuff. I have metal to cut (with a torch probably) wood to cut (not with a torch for sure) and lots of junk to paint. Its going to be great.

Now all I need is for the weather to cooperate.

Mr. Flannery

The Eagle and the Crow

I am sitting at my desk doing some real work. High in the oak tree outside my office I can see a huge bald eagle watching the world go by. This is very cool. And the eagle is very big with visible huge yellow talons. As I am watching a crow flies by and lands about 1o feet away from the eagle. Then it hops branch to branch to about 3 feet away. They are both just sitting there, ignoring each other and watching the world go by.

Mr. Flannery

Still One More Day for April at Gypsy Lea's

There is still time to shop at Gypsy Lea's. The weather is Minnesota crappy, but the shop is HOT, HOT, HOT.

Mr. Flannery

Update: It was very busy today at Gypsy Lea's. Many bare spots started to show in the showroom. Dona ran out of additional items to haul out from the back room. And I wrote and wrote and wrote receipts. I think that every "small" in the place sold this week. It was very good. Its great to have a loyal buyer customer base willing to stop by to see what we have each month.

Violation of Rule #1

I am not very good at following the rules or coloring between the lines (which is interesting given what I do for my real job). But today I violated RULE #1. No working on shop furniture in the house.

It was too cold and threatening rain and snow to finish this crappy little bookcase outside. I was working on it a couple of days ago when the weather was good. I gave up after I put a nail through my thumb with the nail gun. I want to bring it into Gypsy Lea's tomorrow so I did haul it into the house. I glued it, clamped it and punched in a few small nails with the hammer.


The bare wood under the shelves is not visible when the bookcase is on its feet. The cats have all explored it, Willie crawled right inside. Babe has ignored it. And it should be ready to haul to Sauk Rapids tomorrow on my way to another auction.

Mr. Flannery

A True Arts & Crafts Tile

I bought an interesting tile tonight at the auction in St. Cloud. I got it in box of other stuff, but it was the reason that I bought the box.

The tile was made at Merton Abbey works by William De Morgan in conjunction with William Morris. De Morgan and Morris are the Godfathers of the arts and crafts movement. Their studio works from this 1882-88 period are avidly collected by arts and crafts affectionatos.

This 6in x 6in tile was designed by De Morgan as he was experimenting with Hispano-Muslim designs and pottery. The palette and techniques that he developed at Merton Abbey were used in his Persian style tiles made in the 1890's.

This tile was a great find and will stay here at Flannery Bay with the rest of my pottery and tile collection.

Mr. Flannery

The Ice is Out!

I know that this post may be redundant, but the ice leaving the lake is a BIG DEAL for those of us who live on the tundra. The ice was gone by late yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Flannery

Look What Came Out from the Snow Melt

The ice on Flannery Bay is just about gone. It will be ice out sometime today. That's one of those milestone events. A true sign of Spring and time for the hundreds of different types of birds to return or pass through on the Mississippi flyway. The eagles, loons, geese, hawks, swans and others have been circling and landing in the open little ponds or the nearby trees.

My great yellow hunter has been searching too. Deer parts earlier this Spring, a dead fish yesterday, he is such a guy.

In the yard was this relic. Melting out of the snow cover was a clear sign of Babe's big winter adventure. I guess that he is a retriever.

Mr. Flannery

April in ahhh Sauk Rapids?

Well, I guess that it ain't Paris, but it is Spring and we are almost ready for the April sale at Gypsy Lea's in Sauk Rapids. We will have a lot of outside stuff on the sidewalk for the first time this year. The shop looks great, as usual. And Kris, Jami, Linda and the others have really done it again. Mr. Flannery did his usual almost nothing, but it looks great even without my usual insightful help in placing junk on top of other junk. (My designer attitude may explain the lack of interest in my "help").

This great primitive work bench will make a really cool console table in someone's great room.

A very nice tin door panel cupboard.

One of my favorite ideas. Two copper planters turned into hanging lights.

Mr. Flannery

Time to Re-evaluate

I've been doing this antiques, junkin', buying and selling business for a long time. I like the hunt the best. I'd much rather shoot than clean and cook. I have therefore gathered an awful large amount of inventory. I have garages full, and storage buildings full and even storage tents full. It has finally hit me. It is time to downsize. I cannot keep gathering without doing some significant dispersal.

It is Spring here on the tundra and I will finally be able to work outside on my projects. I am going to redouble my efforts to get things into the shops, especially to Gypsy Lea's. But I am afraid that will not be enough. While I have no definitive plans yet, I think that I am going to have to have a couple of sales here at the lake, just to start getting my head above water.

So for the Spring and Summer it will be more real work, more cooking and cleaning my inventory and fewer auctions with fewer purchases. I want to be able to exit my paid storage and work in my lower garage by next Fall. That's the outline of the plan. I sure do hope that I can get it done this season.

Mr. Flannery