Random things:

Temperatures have been in the 90s the last couple of days, with sticky humidity. I’m not sure if it’s more the heat or the high doses of ibuprofen I’ve been taking that are making me a little dizzy. Today it’s supposed to storm. Yay.

The groundhogs are still showing up in the yard to eat clover. And it looks like they want to chew on the pine tree too. One was standing on his hind legs near that tree when I popped out the front door, and he decided to freeze in that position, because he obviously thought he was invisible. I had to stand 6 feet away and yell to him that yes, I could see him.

In my next Craigslist ad I might add something hinting that the buyer had better show up with the full amount agreed upon. I just sold an air conditioner, and for the 2nd time someone tried to say they didn’t have the full amount with them. This person came to my house, watched me demonstrate that the a.c. was working — letting it go for 3 minutes so the compressor would kick on — and then said she was 20 dollars short, oops. She didn’t realize. (I waited while she drove away to an ATM and returned.)

The first time it was a man who met me in a coffeeshop to buy an ipod, and he deliberately walked in holding his toddler son, then said, “Is $60 okay?” This was 5 dollars short. His wife was still in the car, and so was the rest of his money. He thought surely I wouldn’t bother to make him go back out with his son in his arms. That was a silly ploy, even a pushover like me will demand all the money I was supposed to get.

That makes me wonder if it’s a CL selling axiom: Unless the condition of an item is unknown/in question, do not expect to negotiate further once you show up at the location to buy. — Maybe this holds, maybe not. The people I meet certainly try to go against it.

I still have a large pumpkin from last Halloween that I was going to put out in the yard filled with birdseed, but then the groundhog thing started, and I didn’t want to put vegetables out that would keep them around. Now I don’t know what to do with it. I guess I’ll have to chop it up for compost.


I just discovered a solution to my basement flood danger. I don't have extra money for plastic storage units, or plastic pallets to keep boxes off the floor. But I have lots of plastic containers, many the same sizes. Most are from powdered coffee creamer, and the latest ones are short, wide and pretty strong. I thought I was going to use these for potting plants, but this is good too. I'm duct-taping them together to make my own sort of plastic pallets that will hold boxes and other bins off the basement floor, and out of any water.