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It looks like she’s putting on her hat. Also, I’m not sure if it is cross-stitched. Are the stitches in a “x” shape? If so, it is cross stitch. If they are in a diagonal like “/”, then it’s needlepoint.
It may not be patterned after a famous piece of artwork. I would leave the backing on and list it as a framed needlepoint of a young blond woman adjusting her hat.
Sell it. Most people looking for that book are wanting it for their collection, not as an instruction manual for evil-doing.
You might consider grouping them by brand and “age”. I could see a prop department wanting vintage, new-in-the-package items like that.
I think there were a few factors for getting fiber out here.
-The internet service is provided by the electric company, and we’re only 2 miles from their dispatch operations center. There are about 30 houses in my “neighborhood”, so they had a little pocket of customers to work with. If it was just one or two houses, I doubt they would have run the lines.
-We are in an area that is projected to experience large growth. I’m only 2 miles off the interstate, halfway between San Antonio and Austin. Getting lines in the ground now is prep work for when bigger developments start going up, which will probably happen within the next 5 years. Everyone is just waiting for one of these farmers to cave and a housing development will pop up.
-My husband and the neighbors complained incessantly about the crap satellite service, lol.
The water main in my area also broke today, and I need to do laundry, wash dishes, and wash the eleventy-billion things I bought at Sunday’s auction. *sigh* I think we’re just going to get Whataburger for dinner, and hope for a better Wednesday, lol.
You definitely want electricity. And a backup generator. We are lucky and live only about 2 miles from our electric company dispatch center, so our power tends to stay up, (we only lost power briefly during Harvey). A backup generator is nice insurance, however.
We have city water, but we have drinking water delivered. The water here is very hard, and the softener makes it takes kind of salty. It’s fine for cooking, cleaning, etc, but not great for drinking after it goes through the softener, and it cannot be used on plants after it goes through the softener. We do not have sewer access, but a septic system instead.
Also, you have to think about trash disposal. Will companies come out to haul your garbage? If not, you’ll have to take what you can’t compost to the dump, or burn your trash. We do not have any recycling services here, either. The nearest recycling center is 30 miles away. I used to save cans and take them in once a month, but it’s just too far.
Up until about a year ago, internet was only available via satellite. It was ok-ish, (heavy on the ish). We have fiber out here now, which is fantastic!
Our mailbox is about 1/4 mile from our house. I wish they delivered to my door. :/
What are the natural disasters that are likely to happen in your part of the country? Plan your services with them in mind. If drought is a problem, the city water might be a better option (will a well run dry during a prolonged drought?)
I have just under an acre, which is small compared to my neighbors. Most people have 2-5 acres. I wish I’d gotten more land and a smaller house.
There’s something about Back To School season that ups people’s anxiety and fussiness, I think. Or maybe the planets are misaligned, I dunno.
This week I’ve had questions for measurements from people buying books. One of these is a repeat question from the same buyer.
I also had a guy buy an educational game at 7:45 Sunday night and message me that he wanted it overnighted so he would have it first thing Monday morning. Then got a little peeved when I said there was no possible way he was going to have it by Monday morning since USPS is closed Sundays and FedEx’s cutoff for overnight shipping was 3 pm and FedEx closes at 8 pm. I don’t think he really believed me. He still had me ship the item, but I’m anticipating a return request, (of course after he opens all the packaging, plays the game, and then says “Nah, not as described”.
Yesterday, I had someone buy a briefcase for $40, and then message me that they absolutely did NOT want it sent requiring a signature. Okaaaaay…a little concerning, since the buyer has 0 feedback on a 2-year-old account. Before I get a chance to pack the item today, the buyer opens a “return request”. Then 15 minutes later they close the return, and message me saying “Cancel this sale!!!”. I then get a message from eBay saying the buyer has called them and wants me to cancel the sale. EBay’s CSR was very polite in their wording, but I could tell the subtext was “This buyer is crackers and I’m messaging you to make them go away and to cover my butt”.
Except I can’t cancel the sale, because now the buyer has opened an “Item Not Received” case on Paypal. Their message is “I don’t want this item! Cancel this sale!!!”.
All of that by 9 am. Let’s place bets on whether they leave negative feedback complaining they had to open multiple cases to get their money back.
I admit to getting a little snotty in my message to the buyer when I refunded them on Paypal.
Simichrome for testing bakelite
Barkeepers Friend for polishing brass
Mr. Clean Magic ErasersIf it’s veterinary, it’s not anything I’ve ever used (was a small animal vet tech for 10 years). But it’s also older, so it might be an instrument that seemed great back in the day but fell out of favor in exchange for a new, improved version.
Pediatric is a good guess. It might be a pediatric mouth gag. It reminds me a little of this one:
It looks like some type of speculum or retractor. The end with the red rubber tips would be the handles. You squeeze them together and the other end opens to hold whatever open/out of the way.
Any info stamped on them, like manufacturer name?
I’m glad he’s ready to let go. In light of the previous leaks, I would anticipate there is some degree of mold in the house. Make sure your breathing gear can filter for mold. Once you get everything cleaned out, you might consider doing a mold treatment paint on affected surfaces to help keep your friend healthy going forward.
I would talk to the physical rehab facility about meeting with a social worker before going forward with cleaning the house. If the rehab facility doesn’t have a social worker they work with, talk with the hospital about meeting with one. It can be REALLY psychologically hard for a hoarder to part with their things, even when every outside person can clearly see it’s trash and a health hazard. A social worker can help you chart a path to helping your friend in a compassionate way.
As for the actual clean out, I have been to a hoarder house, and it was unreal in a way that will probably never leave me. I will never do it again. If you watch shows like “American Pickers”, they make it seem so fun, like “Ha ha, we’re just crawling all around this dirty, leaky barn and having a great time looking for fun things!” What they don’t tell you about is what a hoarder house/barn smells like. It’s 30 years of rot, dampness, mold, rodent piss. There’s a decent chance you will find something dead on the property. You may also find evidence of a drug or addiction problem. That can go hand in hand with hoarding. I stumbled upon several cases of cheap, cheap vodka hidden in different areas of the property. (And yes, I also found a dead thing amidst the stuff).
Have you been in your friend’s house before, or are you going into this situation blind? If you’ve been inside, have you seen all of the rooms or just ones that your friend was willing to let you see?
Does the plumbing work? Is there electricity? Air Conditioning? Do the windows open? Even if the place is clean but merely jammed full of stuff, it will be incredibly dusty. I’d bring a cooler of bottled water, hand sanitizer, flashlights, bug spray, and breathing masks to handle the dust.The thing that surprised me the most was the psychological impact the hoarder house had on everyone that was there. This was an estate auction I went to, so none of us had any personal connection to the homeowner or property. Every single person at that sale was upset, agitated, overwhelmed, and stressed from being on the property. Even the auctioneers were overwhelmed, and these were very, very experienced people. Being around a huge volume of stuff plus having to make endless judgment calls on all of it, (does it have value? Is it too damaged to salvage?), plus having to keep to a schedule was exhausting, physically and mentally.
I don’t know if that helps at all. I feel like I just rained down negativity, but yikes. Hoarding situations are really hard.
