Looking Forward to 2014

I don't usually look ahead to "next year" but so many of the economists are saying that the US (and the World) economy is very likely to rebound next summer.  I look forward to that happening.
The state of our economy usually doesn't affect me much because I am on a fixed income and my wife's income is pretty much the same regardless of economic conditions.  Actually, when the economy slumps it is a little better for us because prices tend to be lower during times of recession.  So, why am I looking forward to a surging economy?
I have just recently begun to try my hand at selling my hand-made (mostly from available parts) bird feeders and accessories on eBay and I am in the process of trying to set up a small online store of my own.  I doubt I will ever be able to sell as much merchandise on my own website as I can sell on eBay but at least what I sell on my own site will not be subject to eBay's 10% auction hosting fees.  That extra 10% could be nice if I can get some sales off of my own site, but even if I only get eBay sales a better economy will mean more extra money for my buyers.
Right now sales are generally slow all over eBay.  I see Sellers discussing this on the forums and I think it is mainly due to family vacations that so many people take during June and early July.  They are saving every extra penny for that family outing and their mind is not on buying other things right now.  I think sales will begin to pick up again in a couple of weeks after most families have returned from their annual summer vacation.  That will be nice.
And it will be even nicer if the economy is doing well this time next year.

More BBQ Tips from a Pro

Here are a couple of recipes I saw on CNN's website.  They are from a world-famous BBQ Chef and are really simple.  Also, take a look at the tip at the bottom of the page.

The Only Barbecue Rub You'll Ever Need
Makes just under 2 cups
1 cup packed light brown sugar
 2 Tbsp chili powder
 2 Tbsp mustard powder
 2 Tbsp onion powder
 2 Tbsp garlic powder
 2 tsp cayenne pepper
 2 Tbsp kosher salt
 2 Tbsp freshly ground pepper
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir thoroughly to combine. You can store this rub in an airtight container for up to one year.

The Only Barbecue Marinade You'll Ever Need
Makes 1 quart
3 cups apple juice
 1 cup distilled white vinegar
 3/4 cup sugar
 3/4 cup kosher salt
In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the apple juice and vinegar and whisk over medium heat. Whisking continuously, pour in the sugar and salt. Continue whisking until the seasonings are completely dissolved, but do not allow the mixture to come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely. If reserving for a later use, use a funnel and pour the marinade into a large bottle or container. You can store this marinade in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to one year.

Tip:
To get that all-important glistening look on your ribs, smoke them for 30 minutes then spritz them with a simple solution of half water, half apple juice at 15-minute intervals for the duration of the cooking time. It keeps them sweet, moist and beautifully mahogany.

Busy with Bird Stuff

I haven't written anything for a while because I have been pretty busy with the bird stuff.  I sell a few of my wild bird feeder (hummingbird) designs on eBay and have been working at getting a business license so I can sell legally at the local level.  I have a renewed respect for small business owners because I now know how many things a person must go through to open even the smallest and simplest business.  I plan on doing business online with an option for local pickup and maybe supplying a few stores with wild bird accessories.  I'm not going to get too ambitious because this is a competitive business but maybe I can pick up a little pocket change down the line if all goes well.  For the moment I am pretty much treading water with the expense of buying office and shipping supplies pretty much draining my little budget.  Obviously the State of West Virginia is not getting in too much of a rush to mail my new business certificate to me and until I get that I can't get my wholesalers lined up but it should be in the mail pretty soon.  I am hoping to combine my creations with some of the better low-cost bird feeders and next boxes so that my customers will have an affordable choice of wild bird accessories.  I will be staying away from the higher-priced ornamental items and will focus on form and function rather than style, although I am hoping to incorporate style at a low price when possible.  I will be catering to the po' folks and not to the rich unless they are really budget conscious and tight with their money.
I never realized how much time would be involved in even the smallest business venture but since I am basically doing everything myself it is very time consuming.  I have been designing business cards, letterheads, and a new website (arbucklestore.com) as well as learning html programming.  I piddled with programming years ago with machine language and some Basic and Pascal, but my programming skills have escaped me and I am having to relearn everything.  I can't put any products on my new website until my business certificate gets here but I hope to get it going in the next month of so and intend to be in full swing by time next spring gets here.  I have a few new designs I want to get out but right now I am pretty much pressed for time to do anything except the basics. 
Anyway... just wanted everyone to know that I am still around and don't plan on going anywhere for now.  I'll be updating you on occasion and maybe even sharing an opinion or two from time to time but right now my little brain is pretty much in overload mode.  Did someone say "nap time?"  Sounds good to me!

http://arbucklestore.com/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php

http://www.ebay.com/sch/arbuckle_bill/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Online Selling "For the Birds"

Over the years I have dabbled at online buying and selling... mostly just buying things for around the house but occasionally selling things I no longer need.  I never actually made any money selling but it was fun when I was able to get a little bit of money for something I would otherwise just have thrown away.  If only I could sell something in quantity at a price that would give me a little extra pocket change I would really be happy.  It used to be pretty easy to sell stuff online but nowadays it has become really competitive because a whole lot of folks have the same idea that I have.  I figure I need to come up with something new to be even a little bit successful at it and I think I may have some ideas... maybe.
Last month I was getting my bird feeders ready for the season and I thought maybe I would upgrade my feeders since they were all so old and in need of retirement.  I was looking at hummingbird feeders when I noticed these big domes that hang over the hummer feeders to keep the midday sun from getting the nectar too hot and to also keep the rain off of the feeder.  I thought this was a great idea but the prices are outrageous.  I began to wonder if maybe I couldn't put something together myself that would do the job and save a few bucks.
After giving it a lot of thought I came up with a design that I figured would work and ordered some parts to make a few.  I would try it out and if it didn't work I wouldn't have lost too much.  And who knows?  Maybe it might end up something I could sell on eBay.
I made a "Big Red Dome" and it worked great.  It cost more than I had figured it would but I had enough parts to make a few extra and put them on eBay and they sold pretty quickly.  I ordered some more parts and sold some more.  Then I came up with a design for keeping the rain off of my dry feeder and made a few of them.  I found that both designs also are pretty good at keeping squirrels from getting on the feeder and that the folks that bought them loved them.  So, I will try to see if I can get the parts at a cheaper price and maybe make enough to pay for the gas it takes to drive the two miles to the Post Office and back.
Enter the ants.  We have a lot of ants around here and I guess that just about everyone else can say the same thing.  I built some ant moats a few years back out of empty tuna cans but I figured if I could come up with a better design that might be something I could sell online also.  I spent hours and hours looking all through the listings on eBay in search of something I could use as a basis for a new design and the only thing I found was a stainless steel cup that holds 2.5 ounces, but it looked great.  The only problem is that stainless steel is VERY difficult to work with.  I bought some of these, some stainless steel tubing, some stainless steel hooks, and some silver solder and went to work.  I finally succeeded in getting some made and, if I do say so myself, they came out pretty nice.  I put them on eBay and they sold immediately.  In fact, the folks who bought them wanted more... so many that I couldn't keep up with the orders.  In fact, I soon realized that I had created a monster because these things are a pain to fabricate.  Maybe I could just patent the design and sell it but I doubt it.  The manufacturers these days don't care about quality... they can make big bucks just selling plastic ant moats that need to be replaced every year or two, so why make something that will last for years to come?  Oh well... like I said, I have created a monster.
Anyway, I will continue to sell my "Big Red Dome" and my aluminum "Rain Guard" and maybe the occasional "Stainless Steel Ant Moat" on eBay but I don't think I will be getting rich any time soon.  At least I have a hobby that will benefit the birds, and when you think about it maybe that makes it worth more than a few bucks.

A Boy, A "Fanner 50", and a Horse Named Charlie

When I was a boy I loved to ride horses... especially George Eager's horse named Charlie.  Mr. Eager said that it was good for Charlie to get ridden occasionally but I don't think that Charlie would necessarily agree with that.  Any time I could get away from town and ride my bicycle out to George Eager's farm I would saddle up Ole Charlie and away we would go.
At that stage of my life I also liked cap pistols.  My favorite cap pistol of all time was the "Fanner 50" I got for Christmas one year.  It was nice and shiny and came with a great holster.  You could pop the caps either by pulling the trigger or by fanning the hammer.  It made a kid feel like a Wild West Gunfighter.  It was awesome.  You could really make some serious noise with a "Fanner 50."
Shortly after Christmas that year I rode my bicycle out to the farm and took Charlie for one of our more memorable rides.  Of course, I had to take my "Fanner 50" with me... I took it everywhere I went.  We were inseparable.  So off we go for a nice horse ride... Me, Charlie, and my "Fanner 50."
After a bit we got out to the part of the farm where Mr. Eager had put in a little lake he named after his wife.  He called it Lake Laura but we always just called it Eager's Pond.  I spent a lot of time fishing and swimming there as a kid.   It was just across the road from JoRee's Mill Pond... out of sight because it was down below eye level and you couldn't see it from the road.  That area is a subdivision now from what I hear.
Anyway, after a bit it was time to ride back to the barn and get Charlie in the barn and ride my Schwinn Wasp back to town.  I got on Ole Charlie and we began the ride back to the barn at a leisurely pace.  Something came over me and I just had to whip out my "Fanner 50" and pretend I was chasing outlaws or something and so I began popping caps and hollering like a wild idiot... which on that particular day I guess that was a pretty apt description of my actions.
How was I to know that Charlie didn't like cap guns?  Heck, I thought everybody liked cap guns.  Even the horses in the movies don't seem to mind them too awful much, or do they?
Anyway, when Charlie heard that "Fanner 50" popping caps, all heck broke loose.  If we'd been in the Kentucky Derby that day we would have Secretariat look like a pack mule.  I mean to tell you that Charlie was "putting it in the wind."  It was the most fun I'd had in a while, but when I looked up ahead of us I realized that I had a problem.  We were coming up to the highway (Jerry Jones Road) right in front of the dam at JoRee's Mill Pond and our little dirt road dead-ended (came to a "T") right there and there was no way that we were going to be able to turn when we got to the road.  "Whoa Nellie!"  Charlie had no ideas of slowing down and I wasn't about to jump off that horse... not as long as he was going 90mph... no way.  I guess I was going to just have to ride this one out.  Or so I thought.
When we got to the road Charlie dropped down about halfway into the ditch on the right and used it like the banking on a race track and made a very, very sharp high-speed turn to the right.  Yes sir, that horse made one fantastic right turn.  The only problem was that the kid on the horse, me, didn't make the turn with him  Nope, when Charlie turned right, I kept going straight.  All of a sudden I was flying through the air with my "Fanner 50" still in my hand.  It wasn't really so bad until I landed.  It knocked the breath out of me and I thought surely I was dying.  Really.  I thought this was the end.  All because a horse didn't like cap guns.  I surely never thought this was the way I was going to die.  Actually, at that age, I thought I was pretty much immortal.  Oh well, what a way to go.
After a bit I was able to breathe and so I stood up.  I found my "Fanner 50" and put it back into it's holster and decided that I was going to have to walk back to the barn.  My vision was just clearing up and my brain was beginning to function somewhat and that was when I saw Charlie standing just a few feet away from me waiting for me to get back on so we could go home.  I think that inside he was laughing at me.  In fact, I KNOW he was laughing at me.  I guess I deserved it.
Charlie took us back to the barn and I unsaddled him and threw him some fresh hay.  Then I got back on my bike and rode the long ride back home.  I didn't tell anybody about our famous ride for a few days but I had to tell Mom something because I was so sore I could hardly move for a week.  If you have ever busted up your ribs you know what real pain feels like.  I was never going to do that again.  Nosiree, not me!
Who knew that horses didn't like cap guns?

Grandma's and Grandpa's Aren't As Old As They Used To Be

Funny thing about how much younger Grandma's and Grandpa's are nowadays...  I remember when I was a kid how old all of my friends' parents were and I was really glad that I wasn't old like that.  I'm telling you, these folks were ancient!  Miraculously it's not like that anymore.  These days the parents all seem to be adolescents and most of the grandparents are just kids.  It must be science or something.
I am in my 60's and I will tell you that if I didn't have a mirror I would think that I am still just a kid.  I mean, I see things a little differently these days but it still seems that I am looking at the world through the eyes of a youngster.  The only difference is that everybody else the world seems to be younger than folks were when I was a kid.  It's crazy.
When I watch a college football game and the quarterback on the sideline takes off his helmet I think to myself, "Why this guy's just a kid!"  Wow.  And the other day I was watching a show about fighter pilots in the military on one of the Discovery channels and I'm telling you, they have little kids flying those jets nowadays!  What is the world coming to?
Surely it's not just me.  Has anybody else who was born in the 40's or 50's noticed this?  Heck... by the time my grandkids grow up the astronauts will probably be wearing diapers!
Go figure...