When the Road Floods and the Livestream Doesn’t Start

It's Friday. This is Blog Post Thursday. We don't talk about that.

Jay took the week off, and good — he earned it. We're happy for him. It just meant the rest of us got to help each other a little more than usual. I got to be Jay and Kara. The crew got to be Jay too, in whatever order the week demanded. It has been that kind of week. Next week, the tables turn: I'm headed to the National Auction Association conference, and I am super duper excited about it. Next week, they get to be me.

This morning I woke up to find the road out of my town flooded. Not "drive slow" flooded — actually flooded. My husband Travis works for the railroad, and the railroad does not care about my road. So he took it seriously — swapped vehicles, took the truck, and went to check on his mom first, moving her vehicles to higher ground. He came back up the hill, changed his shoes, socks, and pants, and then just went. I filmed the whole thing and put it on Facebook anyway, because apparently my coping mechanism is documentation. And he still went. You're not supposed to drive through flood water, moving or standing still, and he knows that as well as anyone. Sometimes you just have to.

Today is auction pick up day. If we had a live auction happening, I'd have already been out the door — but the crew has pick up handled, so I did the thing I never do: I sat down and wrote the blog post instead of getting ready. I'm calling it divine intervention. The flood waters are receding faster than I expected, so I don't get to sit here much longer, but for one morning, a road closure bought me time I didn't plan for.

Meanwhile, Yesterday: The Auction Feud Incident

We ran our Ollis Auction Online Auction Feud on Facebook Live yesterday, and I need to tell you what actually happened, because it's better than anything I could have scripted.

I had the phone in my hand. I was asking Kristen and Tiffany the questions, feeling great about it, riding the energy — for nine full minutes. One question left. And that's when I looked down and realized I had never actually started the livestream.

Not one second of it made it online — but it wasn't just the three of us in that room. We were at pick up, with people around listening in while they looked over what they'd actually come to preview.

So we did what you do: hit the button, explained what had just happened, and saved that last question to answer live, on camera, for the people who were actually watching. Kristen had already answered more questions right than Tiffany off-camera, which was worth $10. Then she nailed the final question live for another $20. Thirty bucks total, and the only part anyone but us actually saw was the part that counted. We didn't play it again — a rematch would've been unfair to Tiffany, and honestly, no fun to watch.

That's just how some weeks go. You're Jay and Kara. The road floods. The livestream doesn't start when you think it did. And you sit down anyway, laugh about it, and get the post out before the water's even fully gone.

The Good Part

Here's the thing I don't want to lose in all the chaos: it's been a good week too. Being Jay this week meant I actually got out of the office and did setup — and I like that. I like being out on a property, hands on, making it happen. I also like my office work, the planning and the writing and the parts most people never see. I don't really think of any of it as a job, honestly — I get to do what I love, which is helping people. Maybe some weeks you're just out more, and some weeks you're just in more, and either way, I'll take it.

Happy Bidding!
Kara C. Belcher-Miller