Cave Woman

Field of soybeans against a Michigan summer sky - on the corner, up the dirt road from my home

I've been out-of-pocket for a couple of weeks, which included a stay-cation.  During that time, I had company for an overnight visit. My guest room is rather small so I gave up my room for the night. When I moved in a couple years ago I felt it was important to have a comfortable place for guests. During all this time, there's been no other overnight company.   So while I was off work, the guest room was dismantled!  I donated the furniture to a good cause and went to work!

Heavy duty shelving took over the spot left vacant by the dresser.  It filled quickly with all the new boxes created during my recent sort-a-thon. Up went two 6ft CARD tables for various stages of sorting work. No more cluttering up the den!  The two shelves under the binders hold the Tiger collection. The next shelf contains PCs, working sets and binder cards. The bottom shelf is full of cards for trading.

The Tigers' table - predominantly for team set and Tiger organization. Underneath there are two crates of albums.  I'm a vinyl junkie as well.  The window faces east which means no afternoon heating!  I may miss that in few months!

Dragging out the MANY several thousand count boxes and putting them away three or more times a year was getting old.  The inability to dedicate a permanent place for the hobby contributed to the disarray of my collection.  I had no place for scanning when packages arrived. Instead they stacked up on my desk for some other day.   This table is for scanning and trade package prep.

Lifesized Altuve  4/10

A jumbo Finest Altuve propped on the tray behind the laptop keeps me company - and sometimes I have a helper:

Today a comfortable breeze is keeping the room cool. There's a little feeder out front with a weeping cherry just outside the north-facing window, which always holds a little winged friend or two. The house sits back about 125 feet from the road so the yard is deep and gorgeous.  It's a grand view from the table!

I also have baseball and music memorabilia, and 70s pop culture for decor - and a little stereo to hook up. Gotta have tunes while working on cards!  Once it's a bit decorated, I'll show off the whole room. It won't look like the man cave so many of you lucky guys have but it's cozy!  

A new hobby room means the study is reclaimed!  No more piles on the desk with boxes stacked against the wall in what is the smallest room!  At one time, I'd considered an addition to the house. The space needed was already here and available! I'll gladly sleep on the couch if guests need to stay over.

This can only mean the time has come.  With the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaching, it seems only fitting -

THE TRADE BAN IS LIFTED!

I'll begin putting trade packages together over the next three weeks.  I have a handful that remain to be shared and I'll do that with the next couple of posts. Expect another giveaway of sorts.  I am still purging!

THE NO-TRADE CLAUSE

Knock, Knock.  Who’s there?  Anyone?

Many months have passed since last posting. I never thought my absence would be so extended.  I can't begin to say how much I've missed you guys!   I haven’t read more than a handful of posts since March or opened my email in almost as long.  Initially, work kept me from being here which wasn't unusual for March and April but soon summer was filled with overtime right into the fall and holidays.  During this time, trade packages kept coming.  I had a stack of at least 20 by the end of August.  This just added to my shame and frankly I felt quite intimidated by the sheer amount of cards multiplying like hares. September and October are the busiest months of the year at my office. I had high hopes for November and December but then repeated rounds of illness dashed those plans.

I had to make choices this year with the free time available so spent a good part of it at the new ballpark in my area - Jimmy John's Field.  I'd purchased a season ticket plan the first part of 2016 before realizing work would steal some of my fun.   Having only spent the previous summer here, I hadn't had the opportunity to explore my new world.  That time was for moving, unpacking, improvements and organization.   I'd like to tell you organization was accomplished.  I’d really like to.

Another long day at the office.

I have a room designated for quiet space with my books, desk and a closet for my card collection. This is the only room that has remained unfinished.  In fact, I have several monster boxes plus additional packed boxes of unsorted cards in another room.  Since throwing myself headlong into collecting again, I've managed to accumulate "five-digit" thousands of cards - probably an underestimate.  My collection had always been meticulously sorted.

Of these, the only cards sorted have been Tigers received in our many trades.  None of my player collections and sets are together. More shame.  I haven't had the time to truly enjoy the cards. There is no joy to be found when one has no idea what's owned or needed.

                                                                   

CARD SHAMING:
No idea what's
in these boxes.  All accumulated since 2012.  

My goal is to sort all of these cards.  It will probably take most of the year.  Of course, new releases are on the horizon.  I've committed to Flagship Jumbos and a couple boxes of GQ.  More sorting.  There's a card show this weekend.  Such a rare opportunity - should I go?  What's a few more unsorted cards at this point??  

Over the past weekend I was able to finish long overdue trade packages. I've been collecting these cards since spring.  I felt a weight of guilt lift from my shoulders when this project was completed. For those of you who have been patiently awaiting a return package, thank you.  

MLB has given us the no-trade clause which allows players to block trades to specific teams.  Ten years of service with five consecutive years on the same team allow a player to veto any trade.   I want to continue our trade relationships but know that I simply can't right now.  To read the many worthy blogs here, to share cards as I am reacquainted with my collection -  something else must go to make time for these moments.   You have all been so generous.  It is a hard thing to ask but please, hold off on sending anything for now.  Your trade packages deserve to be shared and I can't promise the time for doing so.  This is my no-trade clause.   With this in mind, I regretfully submit my resignation from Supertraders.  It isn't right to hold a spot in this ELITE group right now.  I am honored to have been included.  

To those of you who sent cards, I will share these over the next few posts.  There were too many cards for scanning once I began to attack the piles.  I grouped these by sender and relied on my phone camera.  Not my usual method but the only one which allows me to thank each of you before another year slips by. 

Without doubt, during the nine months spent away from here I’ve missed out on your life events, great cards and new bloggers.  I plan to catch up on my reading and meet a few new folks here.  I am so looking forward to it!