Happenings on the Ranch

Honestly, I had no idea when we bought our greenhouse that it would take a full year to get it up and functional.  Mind you, there have been a myriad of issues related to this project, including timing and weather.  I’ve briefly mentioned it here and there in previous posts, but now I’ll tell you the complete story.  It’s a long one, so I’m breaking it into multiple posts.  But, oh, what a story.

Last May, we went to an auction.  This was no ordinary auction.  It was taking place at a nursery that had shut it’s doors and was selling off everything.  And I mean everything.  Items ranged from work trucks, forklifts and tractors to rakes, plumbing parts and hoses – and everything in between.  There were also ten – yes, ten – full-sized greenhouses being sold to the highest bidder.  We really had just gone to pick up whatever supplies we could for the farm, knowing full well there was no way on earth we’d be able to afford one of the greenhouses.  These things were in great condition and sell for at least $10,000 new.  I was just hoping to pick up pots, planters, sprayers and maybe some rolls of greenhouse plastic we could use for building our own – eventually.

The auction started with the contents inside one of the greenhouses.  The wood was mostly pallets, along with metal table stands used for displaying the plants.  I bought the entire lot for $50, again anticipating that we would build our own greenhouse from scratch.  We’re famous for taking free or dirt cheap items and turning them into something functional.  We definitely farm on a budget!

The auction continued with selling some benches, concrete blocks and other miscellaneous items.  It was announced that they would begin auctioning the greenhouses in order from one to ten.  If you bought the first one, you could pick any of the others for the same price.  I hung around the crowd gathered outside the first structure, just out of curiousity to see how much they would go for.  The auctioneer started the bidding at $2500; rather low, I thought, but he’s the professional.  He called for bidders but, amazingly, nobody spoke up.  After about a minute of asking for a bidder he dropped the starting price to $1800.  Wow, I thought, what a bargain!  Still outside our budget but I was amazed at what I was hearing.  These greenhouses ranged in size from 20×96 to 30×96.  We’re talking full-sized commercial greenhouses.  The frames alone were worth at least $3500.  The auctioneer still didn’t have any takers, so he dropped the starting bid to, gulp, $900!  Finally he got some takers as the bidders began to wave their bid cards.  The final price for the first greenhouse?  $1695.  The buyer ended up taking two at the price (I would have, too!).

Now, of course, my mind was going ninety miles an hour.  See, the auctioneer had made a statement before he began selling off the wood in the first greenhouse.  There were posts and framing pieces in there that were not included with what he was currently selling because they were the extra parts that went with a greenhouse all the way down on the end.  I noticed that the crowd around him wasn’t very large when he made this statement and half of them weren’t paying attention.  So, as he began to auction off the next structure, I wandered my way down to the other greenhouse he had mentioned.  This one seemed smaller than the others at first glance.  It was 20 feet wide, but only went down about 72 feet, instead of 96 like the others.  If you know me, you know I can be very shrewd when it comes to business and finances and I’m always looking for a bargain.  I began to think about what I could find in the budget to buy a greenhouse.  And, I thought that if most of these people didn’t realize the additional pieces to extend this greenhouse to the full 96 feet were included when you bought it, the price for the structure may go much lower than the others.  So, I mentally moved money around in my head and came up with a figure: $700.  Incredibly low for a greenhouse, I know, but they were going for so cheap I thought that maybe I might have a shot.

I shared the number with Arcenio who thought there was no way on earth it would happen but, knowing my bidding skills, had faith that if anyone could do it I could.  We patiently waited as the auctioneer moved through item after item, making his way down the row of greenhouses with the crowd pressing around him, moving in a mobbed wave like a school of hungry pyrahnas.  As he sold off each structure, the price remained around the same as the first.  He sold smaller items in between the sale of each greenhouse and it was about an hour later that we reached the end of the row where the small structure sat.  It was time for me to move to the front of the crowd.

The auctioneer again announced that the additional poles for this greenhouse were located in the first structure and went with the building.  I was a little worried about this announcement, which could throw a monkey wrench into my plan, until I realized that most in the crowd weren’t really paying attention.  Good, I thought.  And then I spotted her.

There was another woman who had been watching quietly throughout the auction, rarely bidding, who had also moved to the front of the crowd.  I instantly recognized her as my competition.  I’ve been to many auctions and can tell when there’s someone who operates the same way I do.  Darn it, she was my monkey wrench.

The autioneer started the bidding at the same level as the other greenhouses – $1800.  When he didn’t get any takers, he dropped to $1500.  Still no movement.  Now $1200.  No takers.  It was exactly what I’d hoped for.  Even though the parts to the greenhouse were all there, buyers were visually seeing a smaller greenhouse and deciding it wasn’t worth as much.  The auctioneer seemed stumped by this as he dropped the starting bid down to $1000 and asked the crowd what was wrong.  Still no movement.  Then I made my move.  “500,” I called.  The auctioneer looked at me like I was crazy but said, “Okay, we’ve got 500 dollars.”  Then it started.  He called for $550 and my monkey wrench waved her bidders card.  $600 and someone else waved their card.  “625,” I called.  My monkey wrench hesitated and waved for $650.  This was awfully close to the number I had set as my max, but her hesitation was a good sign.  Time to make the increments a little smaller.  “660,” I called.  The auctioneer smiled and asked for $675.  There was a long hesitation and I almost thought I had it when monkey wrench waved her bidder card.  Darn it!  I immediately called for $680.  I wanted to wear her down and let her know I wasn’t backing off, but I had to slow down the increments before they got to $700.

Monkey wrench was having a serious discussion with her husband.  I knew we were close.  They took their time, then waved their bidder card for $690.  This was it, my final bid.  I couldn’t lower the increments any more, but I couldn’t show any hesitation either.  I had to show that I was willing to keep going and that the other bidders had no chance of getting this from me.  I confidently waved my bidder card and announced, “700.”  Monkey wrench looked at me, leaned in to her husband for some more discussion and I saw him shaking his head, no.  I held my breath.  I kept my focus forward at the auctioneer for fear if I looked at the others in the crowd they might see I couldn’t go any higher.  The auctioneer was practically begging for bids at this point.  I could tell he couldn’t believe this greenhouse was going for this cheap.  I stared him down and waited.  Finally, he said it.  “All in, all done.  Sold, 700 dollars!”  He shook his head in disbelief and said, “Now, that’s the deal of the day!”  I put my hands on my hips and, with a big grin on my face, said, “I know.”

Part two next time!

~Karin