Another Update in the New Chapter of Life

So, much has gotten done since the last post. Not as much as I would like, mind you. The whole reno process is slow, with some of the tradespeople doing work, then coming back a week later to complete it. That has been frustrating, especially when one set of tradespeople need the work of another set of tradespeople to be done so they can continue their work....the days and weeks in between have been adding up fast.   

The carpenters have been moving the fastest, though with hunting season upon us, they had to take a week off to go hunting. Oh well, they have gotten the most done, really, and have earned their money.

You can keep abreast of the weekly changes by subscribing and watching the videos here. 

Things are slow as far as the shop storefront is going, as I can't do much until the floors are washed, and without running water I can't get that done. The electricians just got the power going to the pump, and now the pump doesn't seem to be pumping water...so, I still can't call the floor cleaner to come and do the front part of the shop floor.

I had hoped I'd at least be living in the living quarters by now, but these delays are not helping the situation.

Trying to have patience, but my anxiety has been rising with the delays, and watching the money go out far faster than it is coming in. I am not bring in to much as far as income goes, because most of my inventory is packed....and I can't unpack much inventory until the shop gets set up.

 Stuck between a rock and a hard place. But that is where I have to operate for now. Anyways, as I mentioned before, to keep up and current, just catch the videos as they are posted.

Happy pickin'!

Update on the New Chapter of Life

It is now October 17th, 2019. Things are slowly moving ahead. The plumber is here, and has jack-hammered out a section of the concrete floor to rough in the plumbing for my new washroom...at great expense. About $2300 of expense, actually. That is a chunk of my budget, but I guess it is a necessary chunk.

The carpenters, meanwhile, are at a stand still because they are at the point they need to do some more drywall. The electrician didn't finish up the electrical that is needed to be done, so the drywall can't be finished in the living space. A week later I finally had to call to see what the holdup was, and now the guy at their office is checking their schedule to get him back here to finish up. I was also told the worker came by on Friday (when there was storm warnings stating travel wasn't advised & I had a lawyer's appointment in a city nearby at 1:30) and on the morning of which I didn't even receive a call saying he was there needing access.  I guess I was supposed to somehow use my ESP to know he was going to be there....

Communication doesn't seem to be their strong suit.

Anyways, I am hoping/assuming their work is better than their communication skills. They were recently bought out by another firm, so perhaps it is growing pains?

All in all, the progress is slow, and my budget is being eaten away quickly....concerned I will still be left with renovation bills to pay and no money to pay them immediately.  As for sales, it is tough to sell stuff when it is all packed, and you can't open the doors to the public. Online sales via ETSY are slow, maybe 1 - 3 sales a week, and they are usually not significant dollar amounts.

Was really hoping to have some funds left to tide me over the winter, but it is definitely not looking that it will turn out that way. 

So, it is a matter of "sell, sell, sell" again...But, at least my expenses will be lower (assuming my heat bills are not outrageous and nothing pops up that I am not expecting), without a mortgage to pay, lower heat bills, and generally lower monthly expenses.

That's about it for today. As I mentioned before, you can follow the ups and downs of the daily progress by watching my videos on YouTube here. 

Safe picking!

A Fall Post

So, been a busy summer, but not much to blog about....well, actually, there has been lots going on. 

The biggest news is that the property has been sold, and I am no longer the owner of it as of September 30th. 

So, where am I now?

The new property is at 230 Cameron St (AKA North Railway St) in Oak Lake, MB. It is just 5 minutes east down the highway of where I was.  

The building is about 3500 square feet, and I am putting in a living quarters at the back of the building, taking up about 1/5th or so of the building. It is a tiny space, but it will do. As a result of my living quarters being so small, my display space is limited...as a result, I have to divest myself of some of my personal collections. So, that will mean some cool items being put into inventory in the shop!

I also had to let go/abandon approx. $200,000 retail worth of inventory at the property. That consisted all of the outdoor inventory, and a fair bit of what was in the basement; internet inventory, "future" stuff, lamp parts, a pinball machine, a 1890s counter top, a 1960s bar that had soda fountain stools on it (which I had planned to use as my kitchen eating area), among other things that I hated to let go, but really had no choice. The time frame for moving the entire 12 years worth of accumulation was 6 weeks, so I simply did not have the time. I technically didn't have 6 weeks to move stuff, as I had to pack, and find a place to re-establish.  I was lucky to acquire the building I did, despite the amount of reno I have to do to get it up to usable condition. 

If you wish to follow/see the progress from "start" to "now", check out the YouTube videos on my channel, under the heading "New Chapter In Life". You will want to start at Update 1, and go from there.  To keep abreast of new videos, click on the SUBSCRIBE button under teh bottom right corner of the videos.

The videos should update you on what has gone on over the past 7 weeks.....or longer, depending on when you are reading this.

Happy picking!

Update!

Been awhile since the last post, so I figured I better do a little writing. Am delving into doing YouTube videos, and have established a channel, which can be found here.  Trying to do some videos of stories I have, as well as picking videos, magnet fishing videos,  metal detecting videos, etc. 

Haven't been inspired to do any blogging as of late, as you may have noticed. I have been writing some, working on my book on the Mad Trapper. To keep tabs on that, I do have a Facebook page for it that you can "LIKE" and keep an eye on. 

Other than that, just have been trying to make money to cover bills; nothing much different than the norm.   I guess the most exciting thing is my starting to do videos.  It is something I should have started ages ago, but better late than never, right?

There is a learning curve to do the videos...practice, practice, practice. So, the easiest ones to make tend to be the stories, then magnet fishing ones. Some of the stories are contained within this blog, but some are ones I haven't written down, so you may want to check them out! 

American Pickers Coming To Canada? Unlikely...

These days Canadian Pickers is existing only in re-runs.

So, the way should be clear for American Pickers to come to Canada, right?

Well, it hasn't happened (for reasons unknown), and now is less likely to happen.

Frank got busted.

 Yep, a DUI....was intoxicated on booze and Xanax, apparently.

So, now he has a criminal record, and thus will be ineligible to come into Canada....

Dark Provenance - Nautical Antiques

The first thing you are probably thinking of by the title of this posting are things like shipwreck artifacts. 

That is, artifacts salvaged from a what was a tragedy.

Frankly, that is an area of collecting expertise well covered by collectors across the world. One associate of mine specializes in items with dark histories; and one of his collections includes artifacts from the Titanic disaster.

Someone has to preserve such items, and I have no problem with collections of items from such events, as it is history preservation. 

The items I have a problem with that have a dark provenance tend to have acquired that darkness of history far more recently.

Nautical antiques, from ship lighting, port holes, ship compasses, furniture, bouys, bells, assorted architectural details, and countless other artifacts are sourced from ships that have undergone renovations, or more than likely have literally been broken up and the hulks pillaged and salvaged until there is nothing of value left.

Ship breaking is the source of the vast majority of nautical antiques and collectibles out there today, especially when it comes to 1950s and newer items from these vessels.

Ship breaking is an industry that is undertaken in several countries, and the business of ship breaking  in third world countries is a scary industry; one responsible for horrid working conditions, pollution and environmental damage, horrific deaths of workers...and in some cases slavery-like conditions & use of child labour.

And, with such unregulated and unsafe conditions, how do you know that item you are purchasing is not in some way been contaminated with hazardous chemicals/substances, radioactivity, etc?

So, you may wish to view these two videos before purchasing that neat light, brass ship gizmo, vintage life preserver, etc, and strive to find out the source of that item first.

Ship Breaking in Bangledesh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4cVGWTzKo8 

Ship Breaking in Mumbai, India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jdEG_ACXLw