Playing tourist is fun on vacation, but when you do it every day it’s hard work. We’ve been on the go since we got to Titusville and even before that, and we were getting tired. So yesterday we had a stay at home day.
But that didn’t mean it was a do nothing day; we seldom have those. Terry was busy catching up on laundry, filling orders that came in with our latest mail delivery, and bookkeeping.
While she was doing that, I was parked at my desk. A while back I pulled all of my print books from Lightning Source, the print on demand outfit that I have used for over 12 years, because I was tired of paying their $12/year "cataloging fee" per book, so I spent the day getting the last of them uploaded to Create Space, Amazon’s print branch. We have a slow internet connection here, so it was an all day job. So much for the writing I had planned to do.
I also caught up on my e-mail, replying to several people asking advice on RVs they were considering purchasing or the deal being offered, a couple who wanted suggestions on places to stay in Arizona for the winter, and a man who wanted to know if I thought he could comfortably fulltime with a monthly retirement income of $3,600 with no debt and owning his truck and fifth wheel free and clear. I told him I didn’t know about him, but I sure could!
There were also two e-mails that made me scratch my head and wonder if anybody could help the people. One was from a couple who recently took early retirement and want to fulltime, but their 19 year old son and almost 21 year old daughter refuse to move out so they can sell the house. They wrote that neither “child” is going to school or working, they just have it easy and don’t want to give up their easy life. According to their e-mail, the “kids” have run off every real estate agent they have brought in to list the place and they feel stuck. I wrote back that I’d kick their butts to the curb and tell them it was time to stand up on their hind legs and grow up. The mom did not appreciate that and sent me back a curt reply that “everybody” from the grandparents to their neighbors is always putting the “kids” down. Okay then, stay home and pamper them until they’re senior citizens.
The second e-mail was from a couple who have over $70,000 dollars “invested” in Longaberger baskets, collector plates, and commemorative coins from places like the Franklin Mint over the last 25 years. They were sure their “investment” would have at least doubled and possibly tripled by now, but they find themselves ready to retire and have received a rude awakening. Their “nest egg” is worthless. Coin and antique dealers are not interested in them at any price, and the RV dealer they approached about trading the “collection” for a new diesel pusher laughed at them. Yet they are still “investing” $400 a month in more of the same crap because the sales rep pushing this junk assures them that the dealers they have talked to are idiots who are trying to rip them off. How is somebody trying to rip you off by telling you they don’t want your stuff at any price? And why are you still buying more of it? I hear old P.T. Barnum chuckling from the netherworld saying something about suckers being born every minute.
Today is your last chance to enter this week’s Free Drawing for an audiobook of Big Lake Lynching, book 2 in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on the Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening.
Texas author George Wier is one of my favorite writers, and I was delighted to hear that his newest book, Ghost of the Karankawa, is now available. This is book 10 in George’s excellent Bill Travis mystery series and I’m looking forward to reading it. Get your copy today.
Thought For The Day – A word to the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need the advice. – Bill Cosby
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Nick Russell
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Hahaha….OMG….Some crazy people out their….Yes suckers….All those Lonagerger baskets and commemorative coins…..worthless money. At least the coins don’t take up space. We did play that game for a short time, but not for investment. We bought Franklin Mint Harley Davidson bikes and plates….Pretty to look at, sure not practical. Gave them to the kids. lol. Their inheritenance. And don’t expect anything else. lol.. Maybe the other parents need to just start selling off the furniture and giving away their things. Soon the house will be empty. lol. Time to go. Our kids were just glad we did all that so they didn’t have to have the big Hay Rack sale when we died. 2 weeks and counting…..
Nick, you get the most interesting emails!!! Your reply to “mom” hit the nail on the head!! The other couple definitely had the wool pulled over their eyes. There are unscrupulous salesmen out there who can convince you to spend good money on worthless crap, and unfortunately they took the bait. If they stop buying now, that would be admitting they were duped and have lost all their “savings”. I hope they see the light and cut their losses!!
it irks me when kids rule the house, these folks have spoiled probably doing something illegal and think they have a right to what everyone else has. Our oldest son moved out at 18 since he did not want to go to school, unfortunately we made the mistake to letting him move in. Long story short, we moved because of our jobs, he thought he was going to continue to stay with us he got a big surprise when as bad as it sounds we served him with an eviction notice. He was over the age of 18 and need to know we were there for him in emergency the free life was over. Best thing we could ever done for him. He got a job with UPS and has worked there now for 22 yrs. Parents duty of supplying them ends at the age of 18 period. This couple should start selling everything off starting with the free loaders beds
So sell all the crap back to the sales rep if he says it is worth so much.
Nick send them my address(I feel so bad for them) so They can invest that $400.00 a month or even $399.99 in my DTDF Investment fund or “Down the Drain Fund”. They will float the payments to me directly with no cap but very high INTEREST on my part.
Kicking those kids to the curb may not be possible. I married a woman who had a 26 year old son who had a good job but lived at home so he could afford a motorcycle and Corvette and all kinds of other toys. But he never paid one red cent to help with the household bills. His mom doted on him and I had to force the issue and make her understand that it was way past time for him to take some responsibility for his life. I finally called the cops to get him evicted. Guess what? In California we couldn’t do that, it was his home too since he lived there! He said the house was his inheritance and if his mom sold it he was being cheated out of his due. Five years later when I got fed up and left he was still there and I’m sure he is now, ten years later.
With my mom and dad it was Avon decanters. They had a house full of them and just knew they were rich. When they died all of it went to the dump because they were worthless and nobody wanted them.
As they say, “There’s no fixing stupid.” The couple with the “investment” in an extensive collection of “collectables” reminded me of several friends who still are holding on to closets full of Beanie Babies. Unless the items being collected have some significant intrinsic value; collecting them is nothing more than pulling the lever on a slot machine (perhaps a little bit more entertaining). Thanks for sharing interesting messages.
And I thought that I had problems with my kids and grand kids. I’m a piker compared to those guys.
man change the locks put a restraining order on them and sell the joint, go have fun.in your RV. Tell them the party is OVER. and learn a little respect if possible