Hospital Auction

Whitefish, Montana built a brand new hospital. They moved into it this Spring, and on Saturday they held an auction of what they no longer wanted at the old hospital. I haven't been to an auction for a few weeks now so I decided to go.

The auction started at 10 am, so naturally I arrived a few hours late. There were two auctioneers going and later a third one started in another room.

In one room they sold furniture. Tables, sofas, love seats, desks, filing cabinets, TVs, and chairs - lots of chairs. It felt like I was in a furniture store. After a quick look around I went to another room. I have no need of furniture. At least the bidders had a place to sit while waiting.

The second room had doors, lots of bookcases and shelving units, and odds and ends of other stuff. Another quick look around and I left.

The main auctioneer was in the third room. This room had odds and ends of medical equipment. Shortly after I arrived they sold 17 hand held stretchers (gurneys). The top bidder took two at $12.50 each and the second bidder also bought two at the same price. The rest (13) sold for $15 total. There was nothing wrong with them, they looked very good, but who needs a stretcher?

They had other medical equipment that auctioneer had no clue what they were. They sold whirlpool machines for Physical Therapy patients, crutches ($2.50 a pair), walkers, shower seats, portable commodes, a half dozen hospital beds ($50 each), baby warming cribs, handmade baby quilts, neck brace, IV hanger, and on and on.

They had dozens and dozens of hospital tables. You know, the ones to put your food on when you are confined to a hospital bed. I actually thought of buying one. The winning bidder (who looked to be a doctor or in the medical field) had choice, and bought 6 tables at $100 each. The next go round they sold for $50. The next time $25. The next time at $15. Then the rest (ten to twenty) all sold for $40. I didn't buy any. I thought better of it. Yes, one would be handy when watching TV while eating supper, but does one really need one of these tables?

Another item of interest was a padded Physical Therapy table. That sold for only $10. This interested me as it would come in handy as a massage table. But then I have no one to give me a massage or me to give them a massage. So owning the table would just take up space. I didn't bid on it.

They also sold a chair one sits in when giving blood or when having an IV. Nothing too fancy. But when I saw the chair what came to mind were the women who fantasize about having sex in their dentist chair or doctor chair. Hmmmm? What's on my mind? It's Spring you know!

In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson (line from the poem, "Locksley Hall")

It hasn't been warm enough for the women to start wearing shorts or light summer dresses, but I have been sure noticing the women lately. Last Thursday when I was taking Bob around to do his shopping I sure noticed lots of attractive women. While the weather is not nice enough for light clothing, it is nice enough that one does not need a coat. That must be it - the women aren't hidden underneath winter coats and all it takes for me to see is some womanly curves and I get distracted. You'd think with all the Spring work I have to do I wouldn't get distracted. But I guess it is Spring and I can't help it.

Oh yeah, I didn't bid on the chair. Now if I knew of some woman who wanted this fantasy fulfilled, I would have bought the chair.

I noticed a few "auction regulars" but most of the people at the auction were new to me. A number of people had a "professional" look to them, though they were in casual clothes on a Saturday. They often would focus in on some of the medical stuff and paid good money for it (though I imagine the price paid was far cheaper than buying it new). A surprise to me was a rolly-polly fellow with a beard and baseball cap. He looked more like a trucker or mechanic or logger than a medical person. He bought a number of medical items, and sometimes paid a bit of money for the item.

I left the auction empty handed. While there was the odd item or two that may be neat to own, I am also in the mood that I have too much stuff (junk) and I need to reduce and simply and get rid of stuff - not get more stuff. That impulse won out this day. Besides, I have no one to "play doctor" with.