Hi again, Country Home junkers, we’re baaaack. We had a junk-fabulous season on the junking trail and trust that this communiqué finds all of you properly pleased with your own junking adventures.

One of the benefits of being a junker is enjoying the diversity it provides. There’s never a dull moment now that junking is our way of life rather than just a weekend activity. One moment we’re knee-deep in dirt and other goodies we dare-not-mention, searching for rural treasures deep inside a deserted farm building, then it’s off to make a stage appearance in Los Angeles (a far cry from Minnesota farm land), and finally we are hanging out with photographers (they love junk, too) shooting for a book or Country Home magazine. Whoa, who would have thunk it seven years ago? The best part for us, however, is the opportunity to meet all of the friendly junkers across the country, swap stories (the junk pile was how big?), and make new friends.

During the past few months, the flurry of activity at the JUNKMARKET has sent us scurrying in opposite directions. Ki, donned in bibbed overalls and well-worn sneakers, hit the dusty trail in her truck, which was loaded with bungee cords (she has the world’s largest collection), empty boxes, and plenty of books on CD. She was as happy as a pig in a puddle as she wound her way through the Midwestern and the Great Plains states, filling up the truck with one piece o’ junk at a time. Upon her return, she reported that she had found her new favorite place to find great junk at good prices. The truck was loaded to the rim with things like buggy steps (I had purchased a bunch in her absence; good minds think alike), records, wooden rubber squeegees (something only a junker would buy), and railroad nails. What was the thing that got away? Due to lack of room she had to leave a fabulous old hardware bin for some other lucky junker.

I, on the other hand, was a junker under cover involved in a secret junking mission. Wish I could tell you where I was, but you’ll just have to be patient. Sorry. Are you familiar with the “Antiquing Highway” stories we write for Country Home? My assignment was to find fabulous spots across the country to share with you at a later date. When I became a full-time junker I never imagined that my days as a paralegal, investigating for civil litigation cases, would come in handy. Let me tell you, being a junk sleuth is a whole lot more fun than the other option. Not only do I look for good junk, I get to be the food critic as well. While Ki came back with her truck weighed down, I came back with a “freshman 15” around my middle as a result of junk-food overload. Looks like its back to hauling heavy junk for me. It’s what we do instead of hitting the gym.

The junking forecast here at the JUNKMARKET: T-storms on a daily basis, and that’s a good thing. Just means that the American Junk Club is going like gangbusters, books are being written, magazine articles are going press, and so much more. That’s it for now. We’ll catch you on the flip side, until then, stay tuned to www.junkmarketstyle.com for all the latest.

Happy junking,
Sue (& Ki)