So, the big purchase is out of the way. That was the Kubota tractor, plus the accessories we needed for our purposes. We needed a few other items for the rec room, though. Between Wayfair and eBay, I’ve ordered them. Dad gave me his dart board and darts about six years ago, but he inadvertently gave away the pool table that he promised to let me have when he and mom moved. Although I’m not ready to commit to buying a pool table at this point, the bar had to be outfitted.
The previous owners wanted to sell me their kegorater and bar stools, but they wanted more than they were worth, plus their kegerator couldn’t fit odd sized domestic kegs, or import beer couplers w/o modifications, and I didn’t particularly like the bar stools they had. I measured once, then measured again to make sure everything I ordered was the right size. The bar stools arrive today. They’re really basic solid wood with seats that swivel. Assembly will be required, but if I need to read the directions first, either my spatial visualization skills need some serious work, or I need an eye doctor appointment. I went with solid wood because it’s easier to maintain over decades than steel and vinyl.
Had to get some wall decoration, too. The neon signs were tempting, but I opted to go with classier looking framed w/glass options, and even a metal sign: Yuengling, Blue Moon, and Dogfish Head. Why get signs for some beer that will never see the inside of my kegerator? If we want Yards, or something else, we can buy a case and chuck it in a fridge. Also bought tap handles to replace the black plastic ones that come with the kegerator: a solid wood Yuengling Traditional Lager, a ceramic Blue Moon Belgian White, and, just because it was adorable, a Leinie canoe. The other side of my family will appreciate the Leinenkugel one; it’s from their part of the country instead of mine. Miller owns Leinie, so we can get it here, but they can’t get Yueng there. The last time we visited relatives in Minnesota, and brought a case of Yueng lager in bottles, clanking on the floor of the back seat for the entire 1200+ miles, it was really popular.
All of this would have been so aggravating if I’d had to shop for it in local bricks and mortar stores. The closest thing Ikea had to the bar stools I wanted cost almost twice as much, and still weren’t what I really wanted. Ikea’s fine for some things, but not really for furniture, unless you’re okay with it being mostly made from laminated particle board, and happen to like modern styling.
I personally prefer antiques, as a rule — they are so much better made, and generally are much less expensive, if you bargain with the dealer, and can cart it home without having to have it delivered for an extra fee. I have a ridiculous amount of antique furniture, most of it English, and the rest American; that stuff is nearly indestructible, except for scratches, which can be easily hidden/repaired. It also, unfortunately, weighs a ton, and is a bitch to move, especially up and down stairs, but we can do a better job of it than hired movers will.
Enough, already; it’s time to go over there, unpack books, chuck them in the built-ins or one of our freestanding ones, and free up some boxes to use for packing more stuff!
Leave a Reply