Selling Stuff and the Coolest Thrift Find of 2023!!

 There is a vintage store in a near by town.  Last time I was in UNIRONICALLY wearing torn up old Carhartt pants and a 25+ year old letterman's jacket, both of which I got at thrift stores years ago, I found the same items in WORSE SHAPE on the racks for sale for lots of money.

80$ish for the pants, 150-200$+ for letterman's jackets.

SO....last weekend I went in with some of my crap.  Some tatty Carhartts that I haven't worn in years because I lost weight.  A coffee pot I got a thrift about a year ago but it makes weak coffee.  It is like a moka pot from the 1980s.  Got 10$ each.  

No dice on the vintage Durango boots (that I got from thrift and they just hurt my feet) and a suede jacket I got for 25cents several years ago and never wear.  It's cute and fits, but I never wear it.  They didn't want it.

Oh well.

Earlier that day before the vintage shop opened up, I was doing a thrift store run with a friend (who also sold some vintage stuff to a different store) and spotted a super cool percolator for 6$ that looked damn old.   Also a columbia shirt in perfect shape also for 6$.  That's high for a shirt but my others are tatty and it's a new color, neon pink, that I can wear on job sites and skip the orange safety vest usually.  Those are handy.  It has zippy pockets too.  

The coffee percolator.  I thought 1930s but the base is skinny and odd so maybe older.....HOLY CRAP!!!

Last made in 1908:

That's it behind the tea cup (also thrifted a while back)

It is super cute.  I used the patent and maker info to google it and last made in 1908.  That skinny base is odd but it works.   

The coffee in that cup was nasty.  I hadn't cleaned out all the bits of antique coffee dregs apparently

Now I'm running plain water through it when the wood stove is in use anyway.  It is getting lighter and lighter.  I've used a few bamboo skewers to pick at the nooks and crannies that are full of coffee munge.  We'll get there.

The same pot in perfect shape is for sale on the ebay for 250$.  Ones in similar shape for much less than that but more than 6$.  Also, looks classy so I'm going to keep it and enjoy it.

ACTUAL Caveperson Food...Kind Of

 Remains of a cooked meal or two or actually several, has/have been found from neanderthal times. While neanderthals are not cavemen, or even cavepeople, still, you know what I mean.

I'm basing this off the report in the Guardian

Oldest cooked leftovers ever found suggest Neanderthals were foodies

 Cool.   They weren't "foodies."  It's more that western academics think everyone remotely different or from any time in the past is a stupid savage stuffing grass and bloody meat with skin and hair on it down their gullets.   

Turns out...DRUM ROLL...      WRONG!

 Anyway, the upshot is, these neanderthals from various eras and epochs were mixing and processing ingredients and cooking them before eating.   Not news to most of the planet but still, fun to hear about for me... a recovering academic.

The food find was a mix of pulses, mustard type seeds, a grass seed (read "grain"), and some nuts.  These were most likely mixed, soaked, then pounded or ground up a bit.   Then formed into a patty type shape and cooked on a hot rock.

I had lying around the wee shed, lentils (a pulse), mustard seeds (duh), cracked wheat (a grain) and some chopped walnuts.  So, I mixed equal parts lentils, wheat and nuts, and a bit of mustard seed and soaked it overnight. 

In the morning, I ground it up a little in my way to small for this job mortar and pestle, pattied it, and cooked it inside the wood stove on a preheated tiny cast iron skillet (got that at goodwill...probably part of some cookie kit nonsense).   

It was really good!  Tasted great.  The outside got a bit dry and crusty and did not stick to the pan even though I did not grease it (there was residual grease likely but not much as it didn't smoke or smell of burned grease).  I used green lentils with the skins on.   The pulses in the ancient food bits had the hulls on. I did drain off a little of the soak water but not enough to get rid of all tannins.

The toasty nutty spicy flavor and slightly crunchy outside with still soft inside was just really nice.  I'm going to make it again...and will make or get a bigger grinding stole.  It was a tad messy but I think I can get the hang of it with a couple of tries.

Not sure how long I cooked it.  I put it in and got on with my yoga and making coffee and things (by the way, it went well with strong coffee).  At least 15 minutes.  The inside of the wood stove was probably about 400F based on how long I cared to have my hand in there.

The walnuts were likely the least authentic item.  Almonds or pistachios would be more like nuts used in the samples found.  But, I wasn't going to drive to town for an almond or pistachio.  Used what I had...which was an authentic approach I believe.  

 

I didn't take pictures but next time...must do that.

 

Words on my S--- List

 Seriously people...stop over affixing your words!!!!

"Dangerousness"...formerly known as "DANGER"

"Resiliency" ...formerly known as "RESILIENCE"

These are the new "irregardless."  

Just stop with the extraneous affixes.