Fast money is hard money
Eileen Dahill/North America/Minnesota
Fast money is hard money
Yesterday I delivered an eviction notice, received three vintage Beatrix Potter pieces to flip, and found the true value of my mom’s record case.
My Belfast born mom came to America with a steamer trunk. My father, not too long out of the army, did not have much either. But my mom could spot a good wool coat that just needed to be dry-cleaned at a jumbo sale or something that “would fit us later”. She was also not shy about bartering or risking that a piece of furniture might still be there at half the price if we came back at the end of the day. I remember once being on the look-out at a yard sale with orders to run home if there was interest in a piece of furniture she had her eye on. In times of desperation (like Christmas) when everything had to be “new” she would spot out Christmas clothes and put them in a different size rack to deter another potential customer and then return for the sale if the store did not have holiday lay-away. We were also prodded a bit to wait for the after Christmas discounts. My mom would cut a picture of the gift and put it in the box under the tree.
Delivering an Eviction Notice
I am a very occasional processor for a small law firm. I have run documents to court houses, delivered late at night, and one time received a check to get from point A to point B for $80,000. The hardest part is locating the person to deliver said papers to in a timely manner. In the past I had had my Irish mom sit in the car and and avoid expensive city center parking. She always talked merrily to parking enforcement and we never got a ticket.
It can be a bit of a cat and mouse chase. I once staked out and served a man when I located him in a car wash. I did not think it was a big deal to serve an eviction notice for my friend who was the landlord. As I was standing in front of a small tribe of Native Americans who seemed almost overly polite – I knew it was my last time I would deliver an eviction notice. $: My friend gave me a bunch of groceries as I assume she has gone gluten free.
Beatrix Potter Figurines
I have Miss Moppet, Jemima Puddleduck, and Peter Rabbit figurines to sell for a friend who wants to remain computer unfriendly. Knowing more about Belleek china than I ever want to know I am only in for the take on this thrift find. I am flipping them as a small collection. $: 50%
Record Case
When I as young it was popular to bring your record case of 45’s to a friends house for the afternoon. It was my mom’s case before mine. Included in the card index and labels were – ‘Those were the Days my Friend’ by Mary Hopkins, ‘Love is Blue’ and ‘My Boy Lollipop’ by Millie. Surprisingly, on line there was true value in the petite record case. Out of curiosity I asked my mom if she remembered any of the songs. She did – and it was a great craic to sing a few verses with her this fall. Not selling. $: priceless.
