Another Auction

Sunday found my Mom, my sister-in-law, her two girls and me on a fast-paced trip to the center of North Dakota where we planned to spend the day at an auction sale. The town where the auction was held is the place where my parents brought me following my birth. We lived on a dairy farm that had electricity, party-line telephones and no running water. Civilization has caught up with the tiny community - but the town is much smaller than I remember.

Directions to the auction were not needed as we immediately located the blocked off street and the large number of parked cars. It was the oddest auction I have ever attended.

Once again, the person's belongings were spread out across the yard and on farm trailers in cardboard boxes for anxious bidders to paw over - seeking the ultimate bargain or a perceived needed item. I struggled once again as the auctioneer's helpers held up a knee brace, an entire box of liniment for sore muscles, a miscellaneous Christmas ornament and some pencils - the auctioneer encouraging the crowd to bid for this odd menagerie of items. The odd part of the auction was in watching the bidders. At most auctions the trailers have a crowd of people pressing close the trailers with a straggling of outliers. This auction found people with lawn chairs seated on people's lawns across the street - casually holding up their hand to indicate a bid with the helpers actually delivering the then won items to the highest bidder. It was more a spectator sport than an auction.

Sadly, the extreme heat seemed to take a toll as many items only went for a few dollars. A beautiful oak dining set with six chairs and a table only brought $40 (no, I didn't buy it - we could not get it home). I spent a grand total of $9 purchasing some enamel buckets for the barn, a chenille bedspread and a few other miscellaneous items.

The house was also up for auction. It was a cute little bungalow with a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs, a finished basement and a lovely yard complete with many wonderful perennial plants. The house sold for $13,500. Yes, an entire house. I believe the taxes were said to be about $400 a year.

Once again, I'm not sure if I'm OK with auctions like this. I don't know if I want my personal items spread out for the world to look at and casually bid $1 for something that I cherished. Hmm, more deep thoughts for a cooler day.