Monday, August 25, 2008

Car Shows, Ozark Style

The annual car show flea market was held at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds this weekend. Here are some of the carsI saw out there.

1970's Chevelle Station Wagon
A sharp looking Pinto Wagon, with woodgrain sides and cold air.
Interior of the Pinto
This 1957 DeSoto sold for $1700. It was all there and no rust that I could see. It looked like mice had lived in the seats, but seat covers are cheap. This was a nice car with the hub caps in the back. The seller said it was in a barn for many years and ran when parked.
Primered Maverick, a sister car to the Comet pictured below but a lot more expensive
A dang nice Chrysler, two documented owner car with all the paperwork. Very nice.
This is a 1941-46 Chevrolet --looks like a bus front end and a long bed pickup box. Maybe a safari truck? Or a drive through the fields to the deer camp truck.
1955 Chevrolet station wagon, no motor, set up for 350.
A really nice 1965 Ford Country Wagon. Not a Country Squire, a Country Wagon. Has been repainted and the interior was not quite finished.
I think this car would look better with the stock wheels.
V-12 Jaguar XKE---ever wonder why the British don't make computers? They haven't figured out to make them leak oil.
Plane Jane Long Roof
$6500.00 for this F-6, I don't think it sold. It had a later model V-8 in it.
Oh, Ozark door locks
This car had no floor boards and a $5500.00 price tag, no windows either.
1964 Chevrolet, not a trailer queen.
I saw several Studebaker trucks, this one was owned by an appliance store in Monett, the signage was still visible on the doors. Remember in Missouri when you were required to have your name, town and gross weight on the door of your trucks? And whether you were local or beyond local? "J. Lee, Halltown, MO 6,000 lbs Local"
1962 Chevrolet fodor Impala, I thought it was a Bel Air at first. I didn't know Impalas came in sedans.
Yeah, Longroof, it's the right color and has the small hubcaps. Granny's old car. Didn't you or Jeep Junkie end up with this one?
Chevrolet's version of the Pontiac Chieftan.
A really nice looking Ford half ton, long bed. Joan had one of these that was just gorgeous. Another case of "why did I ever sell this car?"
Cop car.
1955 Pontiac Wagon, red and white.
Stock tires and wheels in the cargo bay.
Nicely done interior.
1965 Pontiac Station Wagon. At first I thought this was a car that was on ebay earlier this summer.
Price and connection details.
Lots of rust in the quarter panels.
1964 Ford Falcon Panel Van. I forget what the price on this one was listed at, but it wasn't as nice as Longroof's Falcon, no windows either.
Look at the seat and there is no heater.
Pretty ragged looking inside, the engine compartment has been altered significantly.
Look at the engine parts.
Horsefarmer, this car look familiar?
Not too much rust on this Mercury and I think the color is the same at Tom's car. Once I was driving on Eye-44 west of PP when I saw Horsefarmer's Comet on the side of the road with the four-ways on and no sign of Tom. Turns out he had met Dad heading into Springfield and walked across the interstate and rode into town with him. Yep, he left his car on the side of the road. Tom's car got stolen out in California, he doesn't like to talk about it much, just to say if you are a sailor, don't pick up girls at a Jack-In-The-Box---they might steal your car when you go in to get her some burgers.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Why Landlords Charge A Cleaning Deposit....

This is the wraught iron porch step railing. It is broken off at the base. Just about the only way to break off a railing is to want to break off a railing. Grab a hold of it and shake and push and pull until it breaks.
Just a small portion of the items left after the tenants moved out. I called the Mom three times yesterday and four times today requesting the return of the key and the garage door openner. I told her I loaded all her kids' stuff in my truck and wanted to know where she wanted me to bring it.
The garage
A bedroom. Icicle lights were strung all around the room, attached to the walls with 16 penny nails.
The laundrey room.
Someone must have forgotten their key and busted through the door, destroying the door jam in the process.

I am not sure I wish to know what this substance is. I will be wearing rubber gloves when I clean it, and probably a mask. Seeing as the tenant is a nurse at a large local hospital, maybe she could tell me what it is. I really, really hope it pink baby lotion. It is all over the floor also.

Cigarette butts were everywhere, in dresser drawers, behind drapes, on windowsills, on shelfs in the closet, on the floor. The tenants smoked Newport menthols and Camel lights.

For some unknown reason, it was important for the tenant's son or girlfriend to put this hole in the wall. The lease holder has two children, a boy and a girl. The boy has a 16 year old pregnant girlfriend who calls 911 whenever they have a fight. The girl has a crack head for a boyfriend who has warrants out for his arrest.

Half eaten chicken in the icebox. The bowl in the back fruit loops in chocolate milk. From the outside, the house looks pretty good, except for teh cars parked in the front yard. I never read police calls except for one day I did and lo and behold, there was the address of my house listed. I went down there and knocked on the door. A man, smoking a cigarette answered, holding onto the collar of a big white dog.
"Who are you?", I asked.
"I live here", he replied, "Who the fu** are you?"
"I'm the fu**in' landlord," I said, " and you don't fu**in' live here and this is a non-smoking house now get the fu** out of here."
His attitude changed really fast.


It was probably too much trouble to hook up the dryer vent.
This was one of many half empty Hardee's cups sitting on windowsills. The pop separated and the syrup seaped out of the cup and sugarized on the windowsill. What a mess.
I don't know what they did to the hardwoor floors, but they ruined them.
Notice the broken glass in the door and the big dog on a chain. There was another dog running around the yard.
Clothes were strewn all over the hose, lots of bras, thong panties and socks.
When I flushed the toilet, fruit flys flew out of the bathroom sink drain.
The lease said a non-smoking house. Cigarette butts were found everywhere, including dresser drawers.
In early July I was driving down the street when cop cars came smoking by. Yep, to my house. I told the tenant that effect July 31, the lease was terminated and she needed to move. Lots of tears, what will she do?, She knew her kids would cause her to get evicted. Well, I said, you were right in that matter, you are evicted.

This is the door jam on the front screen door. The renters fixed it with roofing nails.
My friend Karen and I spent all day today loading everything in the truck, ready to deliver it to where ever the ex renters want it. It will probably end up at the dump.While these tenants had poor housekeeping skills, the house, other than the broken glass, punched out screens, and broken door jams, survived their tenancy well, a testament to the thoroughness of the builder who built this house in 1956.

Before the tenants moved in I put three coats of polyurethane on the floors. I will be able to repair the floors. I will never be able to make this nurse understand she is responsible for the actions of her children and will have to pay me the money I will have to spend over and above her cleaning deposit to fix the house.

I really hope she takes better care of her patients than she did my house.