Too many?

A good friend teased me today about having "too many" machines/toys. Is that possible? My Dad had a T-shirt when I was a kid that had printed on it "The one who dies with the most toys wins". Well Dad, I'm winning...

Playing with old machines keeps me out of the bars and from chasing women and thus is encouraged by my lovely wife. A man without hobbies or interests is sure to cheat. For almost 19 years (almost 16 of them married) I have been 100% faithful to my wife. She knows when my head turns it's not to look at another female but some rusty old machine and she is the most secure woman on earth. I personally think that is worth a lot.

I enjoy tinkering with machines and always have. I can remember working on cars with my Dad when I was 5 years old. I would sit on a milkcrate and clean brake parts in a bucket of gasoline while he did the rest. Maybe that is where my brain got messed up? I tell people that if I am cut, I don't bleed blood, but 10 weight motor oil. With only a few exceptions, I've never met a machine that I didn't like. I've met lots of people that I don't like.

I come from a long line of gearheads. Legend says that Oakes Garage was the first automotive garage in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine and that my great grandmother was the first licensed female driver in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine.

I will be selling off a whole bunch of my machines in the next few months to raise money for the hanger. 'Ol Blue being the most visible, but at least a dozen chainsaws, my lawn tractor, two push mowers, an old snowblower, and possibly my most prized toy (my hotrod, Zoom-Zoom) will go too. Machines are assets that I liquidate when I need money but I buy replacements when I have money. I parted with two beloved antique motorcycles to start building Little Bird. I parted with another beloved motorcycle and my famous big F-250 to buy the Big Bird and I parted with another motorcycle and about 30 antique saws to help ease the pain of buying the old house at the airport.

But I will never stop tinkering with machines and wanting one of everything. Eventually I get bored with them and sell them and buy a different machine but there will never be a day when I am not "hankering" for some type of machine. And I don't think that is a bad thing.

I have my eye on an old Cat D7 dozer that is the size of my barn right now.....

Cheers!

Sam