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31 Days of Decorating with Junk: Proof that I’m a Hardcore Junker


Have you ever slammed on your brakes for a garage sale?  Or turned around to pick up some junk on a curb? 
I’ve done that, too.  Once, I even passed a garbage truck so that I’d beat it to a wicker loveseat next to a dumpster.
But today trumps that.  Today, I was the ultimate crazy junker.  And I’ve got the grease marks on my face to prove it:
greasy

Today, on my way to a breakfast with a bunch of amazing food bloggers from around the country who were visiting Iowa as part of CornQuest, I came up behind a pickup full of junk.
It was going about 30 miles per hour on the county highway, so I passed it.  As I carefully pulled around the truck, I got a pretty good look at some of the junk in the back and the driver.  He was an elderly man who was just taking his time with a truckload of junk.
My brain started spinning.  I wanted his junk like Miley Cyrus wants attention – b.a.d.


So, I did what any creative business woman would do.  I slowed down in front of him, pulled over, and flagged him down.  When he tried to go around me, I stepped further into the road and held out my hand like a crossing guard.  He finally got the picture and stopped a few yards ahead of me.
junk truck

I jogged through the wet grass on the shoulder of the road in my new gray suede loafers, and walked up to his passenger side.  He rolled down the window two inches; just enough to hear my voice.
“Where ya’ going with that junk?”
“To town. To sell it.”
“Well, I have a little shop where I sell junk that people use as home décor.  Could I buy some of your junk?”
After deciding I wasn’t going to rob him, he climbed out of the truck and we started bartering.  I ended up with 3 items, including an antique, cast iron well pump with amazing RED paint and an indescribable patina.
I gave him all the cash I had ($23) and he invited me to his farm to look through more junk someday.  You see, he’d just gotten married and they were combining households and had a lot of stuff.  And come to find out, he’d grown up with my husband’s grandpa (who would have been 84 this year.)
It wasn’t until later that I realized I had greasy well-pump marks on my face, but trust me, it was completely worth it.

This post is part of 31 Days of Decorating with Junk: Vintage, Antique and Unique for your Home and Garden.

decorating with junk

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See you tomorrow!

i'm doing it! 
31 Days of Decorating with Junk Posts:

31 Days of Decorating with Junk Introduction
Farmhouse Style Front Porch 
Modern Farmhouse Design 
Repurposed Upright Piano 
Our Exterior Makeover Reveal
Adjustable Game Table Makeover (In a Ballard Designs Whitewashed Style) 
The HomeShed's September Sale & Fall Decor Inspiration 
Proof that I'm a HardCore Junker
My Gallery Wall
HomeShed Sale Preview and Christmas Inspiration
Cute Green Dresser with Chalkboard Labels
My Favorite Paint for Antique Furniture
Kris's Cabin Tour
Essential Tools for Repurposing
Making a Custom Glaze
Fixing a Stripped Out Screw Hole
How to Make Your Home Your Own
Spray or Brush?
Five from the Archives
Owning a Junky Business Part 1
Owning a Junky Business Part 2
1840 House
Simple Vintage Halloween
Five (More) from the Archives
Crib Spring Repurpose
Owning a Junky Business Part 3
Quick Chair-Do
Pallet Wall Art
Not So Junky Basement
Owning a Junky Business Part 4
31 Days Wrap Up


Shared at: Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk 

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  1. I'm going to take a lesson from you here, Miss Katie, and be brave enough to flag down the next fascinating truck bed I see-watch out elderly guys hauling junk-the ladies will be out there to get you!!! LOVE this story and I swear I will do the same in the near future!!

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