New Arrivals To My eBay Store AnuDirection

New Arrivals to My eBay Store

I have just added a new section to my eBay store "Art Glass Decor". Here are just a few of the many selections

Just Out Of Reach Cat & Birdhouse Spun Glass Figurine

Eloquent Swooping Patriotic American Eagle Glass Figure

Elegant Art Deco Inspired Frosted Glass Flamingo Figure

Fascinating Fairy-Tale Glass Dragon Collectible Figure

Those are just a few of these glass collectibles that are available.

Go to my "on Sale" Page

You will find over 80 different items on sale

Thanks for looking at AnuDirection

Hello: Back From My Break or I Have Been Slackin' Off

Hello. I have been remiss in posting on my blog. In fact I didn't post anything in December and here it is January and this is my first one. Me Bad. I do hope that all had a fine Christmas and a happy new year. My wish for 2011 is that it will be better than 2010 which was pretty bad in a lot of ways. I had a break from my "Edumacation", over the holidays, but returned on January 4th to resume my "learin'" ways. I and my classmates are ending COM/170 in which we will have spent five weeks reviewing sentence structure, adverbs, adjectives, superlatives and so and so forth. The teacher is excellent the subject matter is borrrrrrrrrrring. The next class will be some kind of psychology course. Perhaps that may be of interest. I will see and keep you posted of transpiring events.
  During my down time I have been working diligently on my eBay store AnuDirection. You may want to check it out since I have added many new and exciting projects. The weather in Albuquerque has been very chilly so I have not been able to do any upholstery projects since my work area is unheated and I am getting to the age where I appreciate the creature comforts in life such as heat and being warm when I work.
  Some of you may watch and are entertained by the History Channel's "American Picker" program. The other day I had the opportunity to meet the "First American Picker" who is located right here in Albuquerque. The gentleman's name is Dale Groder and he has been "picking" well before ol' "Mutt and Jeff" ever came along. Dale always has some interesting items and so I have purchased a few items from him that I would like to share with you.



Western Union Resonator With Double Pivot Arm

The hood is attached to a double pivot cast iron arm which was manufactured by the D.C. White Company of Worchester, Mass. There is a patented date of August 1, 1911, stamped on one of the arms. On the inside of the hood is a remnant of a label which states "Railroads are vital to National Defense...Do your part....Keep them rolling. This is an interesting find and the resonator is in remarkable condition. I am pretty sure that it still works if installed correctly.

Antique Western Electric 160AR Oak Box Telephone Ringer

 This antique Western Electric telephone ringer, model 160AR, is equipped to accommodate two incoming lines. I researched this ringer and was not successful in finding any other information about it. The ringer comes equipped with  a "spark killer" "for use on a "fone carrier ckt". This information is on the schematic inside the lid.

Antique Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Oil Dispencing Can

 I was able to determine, on the bottom of the can, stamped "ToSF" So from my research that would indicate Topeka & Santa Fe RR.

Antique Atcheson Topeka & Santa Fe Handlan Coal Oil Can

Made by Handland of St. Louis Mo. USA. The can is stamped AT & SF on the bottom. This black screw top can would make a fine addition to anyone's collection.

These are just a few of the antiques that I purchased from "The First America Picker" I have some more for another post but I need to get them cleaned up first.

That's it for now. My news years resolution is to be more diligent in my postings to my blog.

Until then

Happy Trails

Duane

My University of Phoenix Experience or The Ol' Fart Just Shakes His Head

Hello all. I hope that, those of you, that celebrate Thanksgiving Day had a pleasant day. Those of you that don't celebrate Thanksgiving I hope that you had a pleasant day also. For the two of us, in this household, that have been battling crude that has been going around, it was a day of laying around, watching TV and trying to get better. I finally went to the store and purchased  a bottle of vodka to see if that could get rid of this crap that I have had. Nothing else seemed to be working.
   On Tuesday evening I and my classmates finished the last class of HUM/186. The evening was, to say the least, enlightening, interesting and really illustrated to me how ignorant that some of the "whipper snappers" that attend class with me are. Let me give you an illustration. The subject of art (not Carney) came up in our discussion. Two of the brainyacks piped up and commented on how the arts really didn't have any value in our society at all. They went on to comment on how if a "fagot pussy" came up with some art form and how this "fagot pussy" was a "fagot pussy" really didn't have any rhyme or reason to be on the face of the earth and how these "fagot pussy's" and their art was irrelevant in the whole scheme of things. I sure was glad that I was in college at the moment. I have told you before that the Ol' fart is 61 years old. I have been around the block a couple of times but can anyone tell me what a "fagot pussy" is? Now I know that a "fagot" is a derogatory remark about a gay man and a "pussy" is either a kitty cat or a vulgar slang term about a certain area of a woman's anatomy. So what the hell is a "fagot pussy? A homosexual male cat? A gay man that has had a sex change? See what you all are missing by not being a Phoenix. I get to pay for this edumacation. Fear not it gets better as the evening rolled on. The one idiot, that shall remain anonymous, shortly after he declared his disdain for the arts, homosexuals and women got up and walked to the door and proclaimed he was dropping out of the UoP. Well thank God for small favors. One less moron that I have to listen to.
  In retrospect I should have spoke up but I didn't. For one thing I was in a state of shock that the instructor did not say anything to these homophobes but he may have been in a state of disbelief also. The class is around twenty people and at least half are women and not a peep from any of them. I am constantly reminded that I am attending a class of albeit only twenty something "whipper snappers" but I do find the level of homophobic rhetoric and disregard for women quite amazing. But I must keep this in perspective that the class is only twenty people and we are in New Mexico.
  The other jaw dropper that evening was a classmate whom I refer to as "knowitall". I anointed this classmate with this tittle because he knows it all (just ask him) and it kinda rhymes with his name. His brilliant comment was the "flowers don't have any value in our society". WHAT, could you please repeat that remark? I am old and my hearing ain't what it used to be. So the asinine remark is repeated. I shake my head. My question to him was "do you like to breath? Do you ever eat honey, tomatoes or strawberries? How about those jeans ya have on...where did they come from. Duh. His retort was that he was talking about flowers that you put in a vase and look at. Oh "so you have never received or given flowers to anyone to express gratitude, grief or joy"? I have told you about the "deer lookin' into the headlights" response that I get when I sometimes voice my opinion. His response was that I would need to take a psychology class to understand. My response was I didn't need to take a psychology class to understand that flowers do have a value in our society but that I may need to take a psychology class to understand his idiotic remark. About that time the teach changed the subject.
  I shake my head. I am constantly amazed at the level of disconnect with this group about our environment, our Constitutional rights, respect of women, homophobia and a lack of grasp of the English language. It will be interesting to observe if this changes as we progress in the University of Phoenix experience.

All for now.

I wish you all the best of the holidays.

God be with you and yours.

Until we meet again.

Happy Trails

Duane

Collectibles I Have Found or I Got Out Of The House And Found Some Stuff

I found some more interesting antiques and collectibles, the other day, that I would like to share with you. all of these items are listed for sale in my eBay store.



Dere Mable Love Letters From A Rookie

This WWI book contains illustrations and humoures, unabridged letters from the war front back home to Mable. The interesting thing that I found about this book is that it has an ownership inscription, on the inside cover, with the owners name, including his battalion and company that he was with. 

 

Fifty Two Sunday Dinners

A cookbook printed in 1913 and compiled by Elizabeth O. Hiller. The book has recipes and cooking hints from that time but was also promoting "Cottolene" as a substitute for butter and lard. The cookbook has endorsements of Cottolene from cooking experts and eminent physicians.

Vintage Battery Operated Marx Bengal Tiger

This is a hard to find collectible. The Marx battery operated toy was produced in the late 1950's or early 1960's. The made in Japan toy was a must have for many kids of that era. For a full description and price click on the link and it will take you to the eBay listing.

Vintage Happy Santa Battery Operated Toy

This is a very hard to find vintage battery operated toy from the 1960's. For a detailed description and price click on the link.

Antique Diamond Match Company Tin

Antique Diamond Match Company Tin

This tin is a very rare find. The tin box was produced in the late 1800's to the early 1900's. For a full detailed description and additional photos click on the link above.

That is all I have found of late. I wish you all the best of the holiday season.

Until we meet again

Happy Trails

Duane

The Learning Team Experience or The Ol' Farts Edumacation at the UoP

I have touched on the University of Phoenix's socialist concept of the "learning team" to further our edumacation at the UoP. I r a Phoenix. I have also stated that we are in HUM/186 with Mr. Kolander "Sonny" as the instructor. I again reiterate that 'Sonny" do make it at least interesting. In all seriousness he is a very good teacher. If he is reading this I am not stating this because I am "brown nosing". I am old enough to know where my nose has to go in order for it to turn brown. So JK take it as a compliment and realize that I don't hand them out very often.
  My learning team "Learning Team E" the E stands for excellence is made up of myself, the old and wizened one, and three 'grasshoppers". Actually they are all good young folk that desire to learn and excel. The team members consist of Evan, an ex Marine and Irag veteran, Jerrad an unemployed banker and the vivacious Clarie a hard working single mom. Evan is 24, Jerrad is 27 and Clarie is old enough to know better. You know that a guy isn't supposed to ask a gal her age so I am guessing thirty something. One thing about the socialist learning team concept is that we all have a life and schedules don't always match up. I have to write my blog and list on eBay, root around looking for crap, excuse me antiques and collectibles, Evan is a disabled vet and stays home and takes care of his new little baby while his wife is off to work, Jerrad is, ya know I don't know what Jerrad does and Clarie works full time and keeps her hands full with a 9 and 11 year old. So you see we are varied people with varied lives. So this schedule thing can get complicated but because the team prescribes to being academic professionals, and we have a team charter to prove it, we seem to be able to work thing out.
 So that gives you a little background on the particulars in our learning team. This weeks assignment is to take a position of the ethics and legalities of online content. Which in my intital research is a pretty big deal in the online world. This issue includes copyright infringement, first amendment rights and monetizing through using other peoples work and so on and so forth.
  As the story goes working the schedule thing out got a little complicated but through some extra effort on Jerrad and myself we were able to work through it. What the team was going to present was how online blogs are a part of this society's daily routine in receiving news, how these news aggregators have had a tremendous impact on the traditional news sources, namely newspapers, how this translates into violations or skirting of copyright and the use of intellectual property, defining copyright laws and how they relate to the digital world, how host sites protect themselves from user content and how the laws can affect people like me that are bloggers and how this all affects our first amendment rights. Quite a mouthful to be able to present within a 12 to 15 minute period huh?
 You need to keep in mind that I haven't ever made a presentation like this and it has been awhile since I was in front of a group of people and made some kind of speech. I have had a little Toastmaster experience and I am full of bull shit so I usually don't have a problem communicating my thought. I was able to research this issue and came across a dot org site that had a wealth of information about online news blogs. I also found some information about copyright laws, terms of service agreements and an article on how blogger's can protect their first amendment rights and avoid penalties and pitfalls from what they blog and the content in which they use.
  Jerrad and I met on Saturday evening and discussed out approach and divided up the assignment between the members. I was to do the intro and give some background on news aggregators, Evan was to compile some information about copyright laws, Jerrad was to give examples of terms of service agreements and Claire was to present information about the penalties associated with user content and how to preserve your first amendment rights as a blogger. The team met on Monday evening, at the University, to prepare for our presentation at the Tuesday evening class. Now keep in mind that this is a power point presentation, which I know nothing about, but fortunately some of my team mates do. Our power point presentation included animation, graphics and bullet points as we all made our presentations. I thought it turned out pretty cool. The team practiced our various assignments. We even discussed how the presentation should flow even down to oral cues for the next speaker and to the point of where we were to stand and how we were able to not cross paths as the next speaker came forward. My point is that the team did put a great deal of effort into this presentation.
  So last night (Tuesday Nov. 16th 2010) we went to class to make our presentation. This presentation is of course graded and critiqued by our instructor (Sonny) on several different facets. We were to be graded not only on the subject but also presentation which included how we were dressed. Which meant slacks, dress shoes and ties. I had to dig deep in my closet to find a tie but I was able to access the appropriate attire to make this presentation. I must say even at 61 I clean up well. The entire team was decked out for the occasion. I reminded Clarie about how lucky she was to be associated with such handsome men. Of course she agreed.
  Our class has four learning teams so there was to be four different presentations. After each presentation the instructor escorted us out into the hall and gave us his analysis of our performance. My learning team took the occasion to be the first to make our presentation. Which in hind sight I am glad we did, because in my opinion, we set the bar for the rest of the evening. I went first, followed by Evan, Jerrad and Clarie. I was a little nervous but I had taken the time to memorize my portion of the presentation. We all did very well and the presentation went off without a hitch. When were were through we followed the instructor into the hall to give us his evaluation. Other than some very helpful suggestions his critique was that we did very well and we received high praise from JK. His inspiration only encouraged us to do even better next time which will probably be fairly soon.
 The advantage of having the first presentation was that we got to sit back and watch the rest of them. Learning team E had set the bar and it was my impression that one team came close but the other teams walked under the bar that we had set. It was obvious of who put effort into their presentation and who did not. Of course these other teams don't have the advantage of having the "wizened Ol' fart" on their team. Some of my teammates refer to me as "an over achiever". So be it. We did hit a home run last night. Nest time we will be looking for the shut out. But I guess that is why we all are in college and receiving our edumacation at the University of Phoenix. I r a Phoenix.
  Well that's 'bout it. I hope that you found it interesting. There will be more.

Until we meet again

Happy Trails

Duane

 
 

Platt & Munk Animal Friends & Farm Animal Vintage Jigsaw Puzzles

You now me, well some of you are getting to know me. At least know me on this blog. Because I am the grouchy ol' fart, people person that I am this is probably about as close as you want to get. I want to share a "find" with you that I thought was kinda interesting and artistic. Now these items that I am going to share with you were made at a time when art was appreciated and children were kept entertained with doing something. Like putting a jigsaw puzzle together instead of spending countless untold hours in front of the mindless television or playing some sort of shoot 'em up video game. Which in itself is interesting due to the fact that we are discussing the subject of the effects of video games upon our society at the University of Phoenix. I will have an update of the outcome of that discussion in an upcoming post. Now back to the subject at hand.
 I came across a bunch of Platt and Munk children's jigsaw puzzles the other day. Like I have told you before I attempt to research most vintage items that I find to get a grasp on as much of the background of the subject as I can. That is one thing about the Internet is that it provides you with the ability to find out about "stuff" at the click of a button. What I found is that Platt and Munk were publishers of children's books. One series of books that they published was "Animal Friends" and "Farm Animals". These books were delightful. colorful picture books depicting different animals and their young ones. These books were published back in the 1940's. The artist for these books was C. M. (Clara) Burd who was a renowned children's book illustrator. Today her work is highly sought after because of her talent to combine color, shading and graphics to various children's themes. Platt and Munk used the illustrations from these two books to manufacture a series of children's jigsaw puzzles. That is what I am showing you here. One interesting thing about these puzzles is that the center pieces created a different design or outline of a cat, duck, star or rooster. To me and you may find also is that for one thing they ain't makin' these anymore and they really are a unique American piece of art. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Horses



Rabbits

Pigs

Sheep

Chickens

Cows

Donkeys

Turkeys

Goats

Dogs

Ducks

You can find these collectibles and many other items in my eBay store.

Until we meet again.

Happy Trails

Duane

Collectibles I Have Found or Duane Has Been Rootin' Round Again

Yep, I have been rootin' round again. Kinda like an old pig snortin' round the trough. I have my favorite spots here in Albuquerque that I go in search of various "stuff" to peddle on eBay. Sometimes I am able to find some good stuff and other times all I find is a bunch of Ka Ka. Do you notice how much I have cleaned up my language since I started to get my edumacation? So when I decide to wander outside of the compound and endure the crazy ass drivers here in Albquirky I usually head to two or three spots where I have some fairly good success. Some ask "do you go to yard sales" and my reply is "hell no". I know that there are good deals at yard sales but I hate driving all over Gods creation lookin' for crap. Oh er ah vintage collectibles and antiques. So I go to a couple of different flea markets or antique stores and look at the stuff that other people have picked up after driving all over God's creation to find. I take my pen and note pad and wander around the store jotting down information about various things to take back home and do a little research on why the dealer was asking ten prices. They know me at these stores now so they don't follow me around asking why I am writing stuff down in my trusty little note pad. One time I told a gal that I was an undercover cop and was investigation stolen items. "Oh my" was her astonished reply "we don't allow dealers to sell stolen merchandise here ". As I peered into her anguished face I said in my most authoritative voice as I looked at my note pad "we shall see Miss". Fortunately the owner of the store knows me and clued her in. Her panties were starting to wad up a bit. You know a guy has to have a little fun once in a while.



Solid Brass Lyre Shaped Stand

I found this beautiful brass bell stand. The lyre shaped stand is beautifully etched with a flower and leaf motif. The stand is about 17 inches tall and in very good condition.

Landers Frary & Clark Coffee Grinder

This Regal all metal coffee grinder is from all indications from the 1920's or early 1930's. This is back when this country made things that would last. That is why you find so much of this old crap ,er ah mumble mumble hurmph cough antiques and collectibles still around. The icons of industry at that time weren't a bunch of money grubbing, anti American bail out takiin' bastards. Manufactures at that time made things to last and had a concern about their customers. On unusual thing about this coffee grinder is the little tin receptacle cup. The handle fits into the little slot and catches just the right amount of coffee to make a pot. Most of the time the cups are long gone.

Vintage Swingspout Oil Can

Here is an moldy oldie. A vintage, probably from the 1950's, thump activated oil dispensing can. Remember back when gasoline was 25cents a gallon and the attendant had a tie on and a white cap that would run out to your car and wash your window, check the air in your tires, check the water and oil levels? Then when he was through filling up your tank he would hand you some green stamps or some other kind of promotional gift. After all of that you would thank him and hand him a five dollar bill for filling up your twenty five gallon tank and then you would roar off in your 17 foot Oldsmobile that had enough power to provide electricity for half of the town that you lived in.  Boy those days are dust huh? Well this oil can is from that era. Wonderfully used with the dents and corrosion to prove it.

Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Oil Can

One thing about living in Albquirky is that there is a significant amount of railroad memorabilia around. Albuquerque and really what made AAlbuquerque is that the city was a central hub for the Santa Fe rail lines. Even though parts of where the rail repair shop and other areas of the rail yard are now a Super Fund site the city of Albuquerque has transformed that area into an attractive urban renewal site. This old oil can, which has stamped on the bottom" ToSf" is from those old rail yards. Wonderfully patinaed the can is a reminder of days gone by here in New Mexico.



AT & SF Handlan Coal Oil Can

This is another remnant of that bustling area in the history of Albuquerque. This is a can manufactured by Handlan of St Louis. This can is a great collectible for the railroad enthusiast.

Well that is all I have to show you today. I did go look at some other junk, er ah humph cough mumble antiques and collectibles today. Yes I took my trusty little note pad with me and have researched some items so I will be contacting the seller tomorrow to start the negotiations. Just how much do you pay for these fine examples of Americana?

Well until we meet again.
Happy Trails

Duane