Red Box Machines

I had the getting it while the getting was good idea in mind. I've had my place going on 39 years and I piled up quite a collection. Most of the value is in my hobby collections, but there is plenty of value in the piles of post consumer goods around the yard. The piles of microwaves still have the cords on them as do most other items with cords. There are many old computers that are complete as well as boxes of computer parts and such.



I was in one of the bigger towns near me the other day and stopped at a few yard sales. Hauled home a car load of electrical and electronic items as well as many cords and hardware. Bought a box of new data cable that's 4 pair with about 800 feet or more of the wire in it for $2.00. I won't scrap that as it's still usable.

I'm always on the look out for copper fittings, wire and other interesting hardware, have quite the collection of that stuff after all the years of hauling it home.

I have got rid of some of the copper pipe and wire over the years, as well as the cats and rads out of most of the vehicles and spent the money I got on my hobby collections.

I've sold off a few of the vehicles that were in my way, but still have about 80 or so at last count. Had over 100 vehicles here years back.

I'm in no great rush to scrap what's here as I have no reason to, but I do enjoy taking things apart now and then.

I see it as I'm 100% debt free and in better health then most that are my age.

I remember years back after I got out of the military I got a job building silos and the pay was GREAT. But anywho, I met a man that did handy work for the company I worked for that was in his 70's and still in good shape. I asked him what his secret was and he told me that staying busy doing what you enjoy and avoiding things that caused you stress.

That's what I've done and still do and hope to do till the day I die.

People will ask me what will happen to all that I have when I die and I tell them I won't care.

Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

I had the getting it while the getting was good idea in mind. I've had my place going on 39 years and I piled up quite a collection. Most of the value is in my hobby collections, but there is plenty of value in the piles of post consumer goods around the yard. The piles of microwaves still have the cords on them as do most other items with cords. There are many old computers that are complete as well as boxes of computer parts and such.

I was in one of the bigger towns near me the other day and stopped at a few yard sales. Hauled home a car load of electrical and electronic items as well as many cords and hardware. Bought a box of new data cable that's 4 pair with about 800 feet or more of the wire in it for $2.00. I won't scrap that as it's still usable.

I'm always on the look out for copper fittings, wire and other interesting hardware, have quite the collection of that stuff after all the years of hauling it home.

I have got rid of some of the copper pipe and wire over the years, as well as the cats and rads out of most of the vehicles and spent the money I got on my hobby collections.

I've sold off a few of the vehicles that were in my way, but still have about 80 or so at last count. Had over 100 vehicles here years back.

I'm in no great rush to scrap what's here as I have no reason to, but I do enjoy taking things apart now and then.

I see it as I'm 100% debt free and in better health then most that are my age.

I remember years back after I got out of the military I got a job building silos and the pay was GREAT. But anywho, I met a man that did handy work for the company I worked for that was in his 70's and still in good shape. I asked him what his secret was and he told me that staying busy doing what you enjoy and avoiding things that caused you stress.

That's what I've done and still do and hope to do till the day I die.

People will ask me what will happen to all that I have when I die and I tell them I won't care.

Sounds a lot like me in many regards. I don't have that many cars and am selling off a few 1965 and 1966 barracudas that I collected.
I have piles of scrap that I'm cleaning on that collected the past 30 years or so. I also have a large collection of clean scrap.
I'm retired now so I can sit on my milk crate ,listen to the radio and take as much time as I need to scrap something out. I've been doing it a long time so I pretty well know what to do and what not to do , but always looking for easier ,faster ways of doing stuff .

Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

I've sold off a few of the vehicles that were in my way, but still have about 80 or so at last count. Had over 100 vehicles here years back.

People will ask me what will happen to all that I have when I die and I tell them I won't care.

Whew boy .... you don't want to say that too loud in this day and age. The outside world has changed a lot since you were a child.

Stop and think about it. You get an old car sitting out in the back 40 .... it's slowly rusting out over time. Brake lines. Coolant hoses. Oil lines. Old gas tanks. Transmission fluid lines. They all fail at some point and dump all these toxic fluids on the ground underneath the vehicle.

I get it ... you don't care ... you only think about yourself. You will eventually die and then it will eventually be someone else's problem to deal with.

Maybe .... but 80 cars is an awful lot. An illegal junkyard that size is big enough to be seen from space. Every part of the U.S. has been photographed from above. All you have to do is go on Google maps and your property is right there if you don't believe me.

Trust me ... you don't want the state or federal governments looking your way.

Jeez ... we're looking at at least a couple of million dollars in cleanup costs where i work. "The powers that be" let the problem run for 35 years and now it's come time to pay the piper.

Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream

I've seen the satellite pictures of my place. I also had run ins with the EPA and law in the past, but they learned that it was best to leave me alone. I had them out testing the water and they found nothing wrong. I don't have many vehicle leaks of fluids and I do my best to keep the yard in good condition. It's a critters paradise as I have plenty of wild life living in the yard.

The authorities are VERY aware of me and my place. I studied the laws well enough to keep them out of my little world. Been here almost 40 years now and it's been a adventure that suits me just fine and dandy.

You are just unhappy that you have to play make believe and pretend to try and make your little world seem right.

You are letting your programing get in your way.

Figured I would add this little tidbit of information that you may not be aware of.

Did you know what they do with the dirt they dig up from old fuel stations where the fuel leaked from the tanks for many years?

They spread it on farmland.

Well ... there's the internal reality. That's what's going on inside your head.

Then ... there's the external reality. That's the reality of the world around you.

It's best if the two are relatively in synch with one another. That way you are fully functional. It seems like being out there in the real world everyday really doesn't work for you. You don't function very well out there. You've said so yourself on many occasions.

I'm not surprised that you have had run in's with the law and the EPA. Kinda thought that might be the case.