Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Saturday, September 26, 2020

Craigs List


It was time to downsize, I thought.  Simplify really.  At a certain stage of life those thoughts cross ones mind.  Mrs. T wasn’t sold on the idea but with a garage and shed full of unused stuff, my time, at least had come. She suggested a “guys” garage sale. I wasn’t convinced there’d be a lot of interest plus I never went to garage sales myself. I already had too much junk…..

It was then that a friend suggested I try something called “craigslist.”  I didn't know Craig but the fact that it was free easily swung me over.  Now several months  and some six hundred dollars later,  in pure profit,  I’m minus  among other things, two electric trolling motors, a balky chain saw, a wall safe, a kerosene lantern, a hundred canning jars,  a Zeiss Ikon 35mm camera, a giant Christmas cactus, a set of golf clubs, Mr. Coffee Espresso etc….  And one item withdrawn from the market at the express wish of my son.  Therein lies the tale.

It was Christmas Eve 1949. My cousin Prudy and I stood proudly in front of the Christmas tree, in my grandma’s house in St. Paul, holding up our presents for all to see. Mine was a 027 gauge Lionel electric train. It doesn’t get any better than that. Thus began a lifelong interest in trains.  
 
When my sons were young I built a fancy layout on an old ping pong table with switches, train stations, a mountain and tunnel made out of Styrofoam, in other words it had everything. Neither son seemed  to impressed. They were too busy with the outdoor life and school activities.  I played with it myself except when a friend, the high school physics teacher, brought out his American Flyer 07 train.  More recently I mentioned my new found success and interest in Craigs List.  “You can’t sell that train Dad. It’s a family heirloom. I love playing with it….”   This all came as news to me. Needless to say the train and all the trimmings is on it's way by mail to Arizona.  Well maybe the grandchildren  will play with it....:) Some years later know from the original post and with Mrs. T gone to her final reward, I continue with the downsizing project. At the rate its going another 50 years or so the job should be complete!

28 comments:

  1. Oh I love your memory story I am going through something that stirs those good stories in my head . Love yours. B

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  2. My brother in law is a Craigslist fanatic -- only he brings home alot and doesn't give back, unfortunately for my sister. :)

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  3. Memories are interesting in that events are perceived so differently by the involved parties.

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  4. What a great post.
    Loved seeing the picture of you and Prudy and the Train set. I am glad it is being passed long to family.
    Good for you selling the other things on Craigs List and making a few more dollars for traveling adventures :)

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  5. A friend Ebayed his moms stuff and was almost ready to go into business rather that work his day job. I think he is glad I told him not to but made a killing.

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  6. It's odd what items our kids have become attached to. I feel guilty every time I try to get rid of something for fear that someone would have wanted it. That, along with my natural reluctance to part with stuff, makes reducing clutter a real wrench!

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  7. Good for you, and I am thrilled that the Train is passed on down to your Grands! next time you are there it will be a great photo op! Take the picture...and make another memory!

    De cluttering is one of my winter projects. Now you can sell stuff on Facebook with local swap and shop pages:)

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  8. My husband's first wife got rid of his favorite HO Lionel Train set after his divorce. He still mourns its loss. Hey, you give me a great idea. He needs to retire but he has no hobbies. Perhaps a train set and he can build a track and models on our ping pong table?

    And Craigslist=Best on-line selling/buying site ever!!

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  9. My father in law was a model train enthusiast. Had them set up in the pool table room. They had a fantastic setup down at the hospital!

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  10. A beautiful post, Trout. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  11. It always feels good to de-clutter. I need to do some of that myself. Never have tried Craig's list. I only hear the bad things about it. I guess there is a positive side. It's good that your trains will be treasured by family for more years to come.

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  12. You probably begged kids for years to take the train. If your kids are like my kids they didn't want to take their childhood stuff.

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  13. I've never used Craigslist, but have heard about it. That's a great train you have.

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  14. Hum, maybe I will give Craigslist a try though this is a very small town. I'd rather downsize than have my next of kin have to bother with my stuff.
    My brother had a massive train set but the kids showed little interest. They all, with not much enthusiasm, ended up taking one engine apiece which I am sure is now stored in their attic.

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  15. HA HA ---our story exactly, My ex-hubby loved trains --and still does. He even had an entire room in his home with an elaborate set-up for this trains/city… But---none of our 3 sons ever showed much interest. NOT sure what will happen to those trains --or whether the sons will want them kept in the family or not…. Time will tell for sure.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  16. Oh how sweet that your son claimed the train set as an heirloom. I remember my kids playing with their dad's train set but somewhere along the way of moving many time it was sadly lost. -- barbara

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  17. Ha Craigslist is about the only thing that will get my husband on the computer. He finds "great bargains" in places we've never been before. Makes for some interesting trips for me.

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  18. Great job with Craigslist! So far my only foray into selling, ended up with me knocking the price down...to free :/ It is funny how parent and child memories can be so different.

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  19. I think Craigslist is a great way to sell things. And what a good story about that old train! :-)

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  20. Some things are meant to be held onto!
    Often when I clean out a chest or closet & attempt to get rid of something that hasn't been used in ages, I hear "Oh, I LOVE that!"
    Good to have fair warning that this is something that does not go away with growing up. :)

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  21. Craig's list is a great thing, but I'm glad you didn't sell the train!

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  22. The train and the car both will make great family pieces to be kept in the family. I have a lot of stuff like that but my boys don't quite like the pieces as they don't have the memories to go with them.

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  23. I LOVE that you saved it for them....hopefully the grandkids will enjoy it. SO cool to have a photo from then and NOW!
    Have a great weekend!
    Suz

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  24. OMG... the TRAIN! My dad had an O gauge train set that I loved to set up and play with since I was a baby. There were lead characters too--train conductors, ice skaters, skiers....all collectors items now. My dad died when I was 7, so that train was really all we had as a memory of him. All I ever wanted was that train...but that went to my favored brother. Or so I assume. So did all of the tools and Motorola stock. Yeah, I'm bitter and very sad about that.

    I have started a new train set with my family....the HO gauge.And each year, I build new buildings and buy new characters to add to the scenario. My kids LOVE it. I promised them to have an auction when they each have homes....each will pick the buildings to have and enjoy instead of fighting over when we are dead and gone.

    If you are looking for a way to get rid of things free--try Freecycle. It's amazing what people will want for free...and they come to get it!

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  25. Downsizing is a never ending project...at least around here. We just have too much stuff.

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  26. Good for you leaving less for your son to go through! I always worry that the girls will say "What was she thinking!"

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  27. Sadly, I am getting to that point where I have to start getting rid of stuff, but I am putting it off as long as I can. Hey, I like my stuff. It took me a long time to get all my stuff. And, I keep it out where I can see it, much to Liz's sorrow.

    Oh well.

    So It Goes. --RoadDog

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  28. I got a Lional set just like that in 1950, when I was 4. It went away a few years later, don't remember the circumstances. But I loved it.

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