cooker karma

The younger boys and I haven't had too much adventure this summer. Secondo is usually working or at cross country practice, and any spare minute I get at home, I am frantically trying (and failing) to catch up with the backlog of work. A few days ago, I had some errands to run, so we decided to combine it with a few fun things as well.

First up: the thrift store. The adventure bar is set very low around here. We haven't been in ages, and we used to get there at least every other month. Secondo was on a work clothes mission, and I was trying to find supplies for my farm booth. My particular goal was a turkey roaster oven, the kind with the temperature control that works like a giant crock pot. My crock pot bit the dust just before Maryland, and it was way too small anyway. Too much work for too little result! I have one on loan from Robin but even that one was a little restricted. I needed to pull out the big guns.

Amazingly enough: this one was on the shelf, in excellent condition with every part present. It didn't appear that it had ever been used. The price was a problem though. $25 for a used one? I may as well buy one new! I walked away for a minute, to think about it, but started to second-guess myself almost immediately. I am forever penny-wise and pound-foolish. What I needed was on the shelf. Why not just buy it?

I walked back and started to pick it up, then heard an employee behind me.

"Looks like someone beat you to it."

I turned, and found him talking to an older woman next to him. She looked disappointed. "It's the price, you see. I was just asking someone if they could lower it a bit, because the one just broke at the group home where I work, and we don't have any stoves to cook on."

I know when I'm beat. Any wool that I would have tried to dye in that cooker would have immediately discolored and felted to boot. I handed it over, with a smile. Always good to be gracious in defeat.

The next morning, I took a quick look on Craigslist. Two older local listings popped up, one for $10 and one for $20. I e-mailed them both, to see if either was available. The $10 got back to me immediately and I made arrangements to pick it up later that day. Soon after, an e-mail came through from the owner of the $20 cooker. She was leaving town for three weeks, but if I could wait until her return, she would sell it to me for $15.

And that's how I ended up with two used cookers for the price of one. Cooker karma.