Kicking The Fleas Off Day 2

If you missed Day one, just go back to the last post.  You can view them out of order, so you can finish reading this one first.  Just to recap, I recently made another trip to the Midway Antique Mall and am showing off the items I passed up, but found interesting to take pictures of.  The final day will be the items I did end up purchasing.  So with that out of the way, let's begin.

Just to keep the same amount of pictures, plus the photo looks well when I post this blog on Facebook without giving away all the details.  Anyways, let's really begin now.

We talked about bobbleheads yesterday, and today I wanted to show a bobblehead I really wanted.  I've seen it before, and might have shown it last time I went, but it was higher than I wanted to pay, though I forgot the overall price.  Tom Henke not only was a major leaguer with teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, he also makes his home in the Mid-Missouri area.  When Columbia had a minor league baseball team in the early 2000's (as part of the non-affiliated Frontier League), the Mid-Missouri Mavericks used Tom Henke as their spokesperson.  I really wish I went to one of their games, but I've heard Jefferson City is trying to get a team now, so maybe I have a chance to see a local team play one day.  In the meantime, if I want to see minor league baseball, I still have options.  The Frontier League has 2 or 3 teams in St. Louis, Joplin has the Blasters, and Springfield is the AA affiliate for the St. Louis Cardinals (and I think are hosting the AA All Star Game this year).  Maybe next time I might go ahead and get this bobbleheard.

This was I think about 25 bucks, and to be honest I really wanted it.  I like the overall look, and I dream back to the days of the Big 8 conference.  I was never on board with the Big 12 to be honest.  I think 8 is the perfect number for a conference.  Every team plays each other, and you still have games left for a non conference schedule.  Ten would be my max, but I just think 8 works better.  My favorite basketball was in the Big 8, and this reminded me of the days of Norm Sterwart on the sidelines and the rivalries with Kansas.  I picked it up to look at it closer and really wanted to get it, but when I felt it, I realized it was as my mom put it "made of paper material".  It felt like paper, and I was afraid it would decompose over time, so I decided just to take a picture and move on.  I still have one of those Hardee's basketballs with the Big 8 logo and all the teams on it when I need a nostalgia trip.

The final Mizzou piece for the day, and this might have been purchased if I saw it later in the day. However this was one of the first things I saw and knew I had to pace myself.  This was only 5 bucks, and there were a couple, so maybe next time.  I don't remember this poster, but it has a 90's vibe to it, maybe even 80's.  The posters were in really good condition and as my mom put it, new posters cost the same price, and this felt better quality.  It felt more of a photo stock then a paper stock, so again, maybe next time.  However if I keep saying maybe next time on all these, I'll be in the same boat and won't have enough for it all.  Who knows, I mean I did pass on 3 sets of Lawn Darts so I did resist better then in the past.  *Full disclaimer- At last I heard, Lawn Darts were still prohibited to sell, but I have bought 2 sets at Midway in the past.  Maybe one day I will actually play them.  Just need to find responsible people to play them with.  Also not trying to get the sellers or Midway in trouble, so sorry if I do, just wanted to give people a heads up if they were in the market for them.

Let's move on.  This next piece I found was the most intriguing piece of the day, and while I did kind of want it, I knew I didn't need it.  I didn't even look at the price.

A beat up can of water?  No, I haven't lost my mind.  As soon as I seen it I knew what it was.  By the way, the can was unopened and still had water in it, and on the bottom had an expiration date.  Before I go on, I don't know if I've ever seen canned water, but that wasn't what made this so special.  It is however cool enough on its own to want it.

This was a can of water produced by Anheiser-Busch (sorry if I spelled that wrong, I don't partake in their products).  A-B produced these cans for the volunteers and I would presume the victims as well of the Flood of 1993.  I was 11 at the time, and the flood of 1993 was the first major weather event I really remember.  I was captivated by it.  Boonville is the next town over and on the Missouri River, so they were threatened by the floods.  Recently my mom and I uncovered a couple newspapers we kept from when it flooded.  For those who are too young, and don't remember, this flood wasn't just a couple days, the threat lasted most of the summer.  Boonville wasn't the hardest hit, but it was one of many communities along the river affected.  I wish I could find more on the flooding online when it comes to the Mid-Missouri communities, but the best I can get is St. Louis, and some photos of Jefferson City.  A small community on the other side of the river from Jeff City was completely wiped out.  If you go today a few houses might be there, but none I believe are from before the flood.  Close by there was a women's prison that had to be evacuated due to the flooding.  It was never used again, and it still stands, but no trespassing signs surround it, but few have gone in and took pictures (some were given permission, others not), and the photos are really haunting.

So not only did this can bring back memories, it was also a piece I remember well.  I can't say for sure if this piece was given out in the Mid-Missouri area, but I think it would be safe to assume so.  Since I am downsizing, while this would be a really cool piece to display, I have no room for it, and really its not something you would want to see constantly, so I passed on it without even looking at the price.

I mentioned I don't drink, but I'm not exactly against beer memorabilia.  I saw this light, and it looked really cool.  The way the ice looks is awesome.  This photo doesn't do it real justice, but I knew I couldn't afford it and even if I could, where would I use it, above the dining room table?  So I took a picture and moved on.  If one day I did strike it rich and bought a big place and had a big man cave, who knows, I would be very likely I would get this to place above a pool table.  For now, I'll keep dreaming of that day.

If you seen my Midway posts in the past, you might think I have a thing for cookie jars.  Really I don't, and I'm glad I don't.  If I collected them, I would have no room at all.  I saw this one though and while I had no desire to get it I wanted to photograph it because I've never seen a cookie jar of Grimace.  This seems like a big piece for McDonald's to sell, but who knows.  I didn't take time to research it when I got home, but this would be one piece that could be highly collectable for McDonald's fans, cookie jar fans, or Grimace fans (I don't know if they exist but whatever).  I thought it was a cool piece, so I took a photo.  I don't remember the price, but it was in line with other cookie jars I'd seen in the past.

To be honest, I thought 15 bucks was a fair price for this.  Having said that, I wasn't going to pay that and even if it was 5 bucks I would have passed.  I have a love/hate relationship with Kevin Nash so that made it easier to pass it up.  If it was Macho Man, then it would have likely been bought.  On a side note, I know a lot of wrestling fans hated the Hog Wild/Road Wild PPV's but I actually liked them.  Sure WCW had one headlined by Jay Leno, but the fact that it was an outdoor event and in the daytime intrigued me.  The matches weren't all horrible and aside from the hate from the bikers on the black athletes like Booker T., the bikers brought a unique atmosphere to the event.  I'm just a fan of outdoor wrestling events though, and Saturday Night PPV's, and WCW in general.

I have no idea why this wasn't in the box which was right behind it.  In fact I didn't notice it until I cropped the photo when I got home.  That explains why I didn't see a price on it.   Looking back, at first I thought this was the Hamster that sang the Hamster Song (which for whatever reason I listened to the other day), but now I think this one actually played "Kung Fu Fighting".  I remember when Walmart was selling these, and I never got one, and I don't regret it.  I only looked for a price of this one because I was curious.  I also wanted to hear it sing, but I couldn't get it to play.  I think that was for the better.

This next piece was another piece I wanted to show a friend, but forgot to tell him, so nothing special about it.

This was a really nice display case that would look good at his place.  He has quite the collection of signed footballs, and this I think would make a perfect display case.  I think it cost about 100 bucks, and while I think thats a fair price, I don't really think he or I would seriously pay that much for this.  It would be nice if another glass shelf went with it though to display more.  Maybe if I do hit it rich I'll buy it.  I just need to find stuff to display on it then.

This was the only piece that really caught my moms eye.  I could tell she really wanted it, but was a bit out of her price range.  I forgot the actual price, but I was a good deal we both thought.  I admit it is a cool piece to have, and while I've seen a few before, I don't see them for sale too often.  I didn't notice the Metal Slug name until I got home, but I believe that was a video game series.  I never played the game, but its kinda cool it has the name.  I don't go to casinos, but I'm not totally against it per se.  I just think its an addiction I don't need to add, baseball cards are addiction enough.

Speaking of addictions, I am somewhat of a Coca-Cola collector.  I'm not fanatical about it by any means, but if I did have more money it wouldn't be a stretch to see a room dedicated to it.  This caught my eye, but I knew I wasn't getting it long before I saw the $4,000 price tag.  I think thats a decent price, a bit higher than others I've seen online, but still not bad.  One good thing though is that I haven't been so inclined to pick up any item Coke this year, and a huge reason is that I've been trying to cut back on soda this year.  So far I think I've done fairly well, at the least I've cut back on cola.  I have been drinking Sprite and 7 Up a bit recently, but that is partly due to getting sick of the taste of water.  Once I get over that, I'll drink more water, but for now juices and clear soda is tasting good.  Cutting back on soda is something I've wanted to do for a few years, but my issues with my teeth gave me a good jump start on cutting back.  Hopefully I can cut down to just a few a year soon.  I just hope I start liking water again soon.  Anyways, this piece might have been there last time, but its not unusual to see Coke products for sale, and this was nice enough to photograph.

What would a post be without some cards?  These have been here a few times since I first visited, but I never took a picture of.  I have never been a fan of Garbage Pail Kids, so I can't tell if $5 a pack or $200 for a whole box is a good deal, but I don't really think it is unless it was the first 4 or 5 series.  This are still collectable but even if they were a buck a pack, I would have passed them up.  This was another culture I'm glad I didn't get into.  Much like the gaming craze of the 90s and even today, I'm glad I didn't waste my money on this stuff.  I say that as someone who pondered buying some rack packs of 1988 Topps cards a few booths away, so I not saying I don't waste money on things I shouldn't, you'll notice that more in my next post.

I also needed something with some Royals flair in this post, and these fit the bill.  I really liked these, but I wasn't going to pay $8 a piece for them.  While my mom thought that wasn't bad, I would have likely balked at $4 a piece.  I really wanted the John Mayberry since I met him last year and he was really nice, but at the same time, I didn't want to just buy one, if I got one I would have wanted both.  So it was best to take a photo and move on.  However, again, if I had a man cave, these would have looked great next to the Royals placemats I have from Pizza Hut from around the same time.  I guess I just need to keep dreaming, and maybe one day it will happen.

So its time for the final piece.  I feel bad because I didn't spot this until my mom saw it first.  Not to give too much away, but she could have done without seeing it.

I was so focused on some items that I totally missed what was in front of me.  Earlier I was looking at baseball bats, and was in the area a couple minutes before I looked up and saw a skinned squirrel right in front of me.

This snake was right above the Garbage Pail Kids cards.  I was looking at some Mizzou glasses when my mom let out a hushed yell.  She is deathly afraid of snakes, so much so that she can't even see dead ones, or ones on TV or in magazines.  If you say the word snake she stops you.  Even stuffed animal snakes or toy snakes she hates.  I know how she is, I feel the same way with mice and rats.  I even hated writing that sentence.  Usually when I see a snake though I shield her from it, but she saw this first.

Don't get me wrong, I don't care for snakes either, but they don't bother me as much.  I don't see live ones, but dead ones I can deal with (but then again I'm not picking one up.

Needless to say, even if this was free, we wasn't getting this.  Though it is an interesting piece.  When I was a kid I walked right over a snake, I mean literally a couple inches away.  I'm not sure what kind it was, and doubt it was poisonous but my mom freaked when she saw it.  My dad had to come out of the house and kill it so mom could calm down.

I'm not advocating killing of snakes, but another story popped in my head too.  Once my dad and I was out in the yard, and we saw a snake.  It wasn't big, and probably a water snake or something, but I guess my dad wanted to kill it so my mom wouldn't see it.  My dad wasn't a big fan of snakes either, but he grabbed a garden hoe and tried to cut the snakes head off.  It seemed like ages but he finally did.  However, the snake was still alive (or at least he muscles were still moving because it was still slithering), so he started to cut the rest of the body until it stopped moving.  It still took forever, and it seemed like 5 or 6 pieces but finally it stopped moving.  I think that was one of many reasons I don't really miss living on a farm, but it did have it advantages too.

Just to let you know, my mom doesn't read my blog, so I can talk about snakes all I want, but I don't want to, so we'll end there.  The only time she can tolerate the word is when quoting Home Alone.

"Snakes? Snakes?  No, I don't know no Snakes."

That will wrap it up for today, next time I will show off items I did end up buying.  I also will trying not to mention anymore snake stories, though I think I could tell a couple more if I tried.  Thanks for reading and have a great day.