David and I drove to the Berkshires on Friday. While there, we visited the Williams College Museum of Art where they had an exhibit, "Celebrating 75 Years -- CHAIN REACTION: Rube Goldberg and Contemporary Art." Rube Goldberg created the cartoon character Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, an inventor of contraptions that did simple tasks in hilariously roundabout ways http://www.rube-goldberg.com. It made me look at the procedures I've set up for buying and selling on online auctions to see if I can simplify them!

The trip to the Berkshires was a reminder that things are not the same. State police troopers were guarding the bridges on the Massachusetts turnpike. And the anthrax scare is the latest skirmish in the war on our nerves. But we can take heart in the lessons of history.

My mother was a nurse in London during World War II. If you have ever seen movies or read books about the war, you know that bombs were dropping from the skies for years during the war. Many buildings were destroyed in London. People had to change their routines to be safer, but they carried on. People like my mom continued to work, play, love, dance - all the things that they did before the war.

In the United States, we find ourselves in a somewhat similar situation. We may think twice before flying in an airplane due to the September 11th attacks. We now find ourselves looking carefully at letters before opening them due to the current anthrax scare.

One thing the auction community should do in the new world in which we find ourselves is to be less contentious with strangers. The stresses of today can bring people to a new level of kookiness or maliciousness. Don't let problems escalate. As long as we communicate coolly and calmly with our trading partners, and as long as we deliver what we promise, there should be little reason for concern.

Remember, anthrax is not contagious, is not easy to obtain, and is not usually fatal. If you receive a suspicious letter or package, ABC News has some guidelines on what to do. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/suspiciousmail_guide011012.html. Take a look at what makes up a suspicious letter or package so YOU don't scare the recipient when YOU send them a letter or package! Always put your return address on ALL correspondence from now on, whether it is for work, auctions or personal. Firstgov.gov has lots of information - http://www.firstgov.gov and click on "Protect Yourself and Your Country."

In the week following the 9-11 attacks, auction activity came to a screeching halt. It bounced back. TIAS, an antiques & Collectibles online mall, reported that while sales were down 1/3 after the attacks, their online sales are currently the highest they have seen since Christmas of last year.

There will be further scares in our ongoing war with terrorism, but things will bounce back. History teaches us that.

And my mom? She turns 76 next month. And she is still dancing.

Ina Steiner, Editor email: ina@auctionbytes.com