Watercooler Stories

Grandma gets $3,200 bid on eBay

CLACTON, England, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A British girl who put her grandmother up for auction on eBay said the 61-year-old fetched bids of $3,200 before the Web site pulled the listing.

Zoe Pemberton, 10, of Clacton, England, said she listed her grandmother, Marion Goodall, for auction on the site because she was "annoying," the Daily Mail reported.

Pemberton described Goodall in the listing as "rare and annoying and moaning a lot" as well as "very cuddly and loves word searches."

The girl said her grandmother quickly became involved in writing her own listing.

"She was moaning at me when I wrote down that her favorite food was curry -- she said could I change it to Chinese," she said. "Apart from that she didn't seem to mind."

Jenny Thomas, an eBay spokeswoman, said the auction violated eBay policy.

"While no doubt Mrs. Goodall would have fetched a princely sum, eBay does not allow the listing of any human being on the site," she said. "Mind you we were impressed to see a total of 27 bids for the lady in question!"

$13,000 at Goodwill returned to owner

MARSHFIELD, Wis., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Employees at a Wisconsin thrift store said they discovered $13,000 in a box of donated shoes and returned it to its owner using a receipt to track her down.

Marshfield Goodwill workers Jerry Schmitz, 30, and Len Nyen, 55, said they found the $100 bills, which were all from 1981, in a small yellow envelope tucked under a pair of dress shoes in a box of donated goods, the Stevens Point (Wis.) Journal reported.

The pair took the find to manager Dan Linzmeier and the workers used a receipt written for the donor to track down the woman who brought in the shoes. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said her husband commonly saved cash around the house. She said the man, who lives in a nursing home, likely forgot about the $13,000.

The men said returning the money to the woman felt "amazing."

"My partner and I both worked Friday and the following Saturday," Nyen said. "The Saturday morning I said, 'How do you feel?' He said, 'I feel good.' I said, 'I feel good, too.'"

Uncle's ashes among burglarized items

BRADENTON, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Florida woman said items taken from her home during a recent burglary include her Nintendo Wii console, a pair of handguns and her uncle's ashes.

Denise Littler of Bradenton said the wooden box that held the ashes of her uncle, David Littler, who died at age 83 four years ago, was left in its place along with her relative's military medals and dog tags during Friday's burglary, but a plastic bag containing the ashes was taken, the Tampa Tribune reported.

"It's, like, 'Hello,'" she said. "That is of no value to anybody other than me. What are you going to do with a bag of somebody's ashes?"

Manatee County sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said Littler's front door had been pried open. Other items taken included an underwater camera, a flute, a music stand and some collectible model cars.

"It's a typical burglary with the typical things stolen," Bristow said. "Well, except for the ashes."

Littler said her father's ashes, which were stored near her uncle's in her home, were untouched by the burglar or burglars.

Tape-wrapped cat adopted

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Animal authorities in Pennsylvania said a cat found abandoned and wrapped in duct tape has gone home with a new adoptive family.

Liz Williamson, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said a few people contacted the organization to claim ownership of the cat, named Sticky after its rescue, but no one met with officers to prove ownership, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

"They were given the opportunity to come in and meet with our officers and prove ownership," she said. "Only one person even set up an appointment and that person did not keep the appointment."

Williamson said more than 100 families put in adoption requests for the cat, which was found in a Philadelphia yard wrapped in duct tape from the neck down. She said the family that adopted Sticky asked to remain anonymous.

PSPCA officers arrested James Davis, 19, Saturday on suspicion of animal cruelty in connection with the case. Officials said he was arrested by officers who were acting on a tip.