Off to the mountains.........

.....To see what I can find. The first American Gold Rush happened here some number of years ago. We even had our own mint. If you happen to own a genuine Dahlonaga Gold piece then you problbly have something valuable.
Me I prefer not to get all wet and dirty playing in the creeks looking for the yellow stuff. I'll let others do that for me. They pay big bucks for jewelry for themselves and loved ones, and then sell it for .10 cents on the dollar.
Folks, to me the other metals in the piece and the workmanship mean squat.
But, still people believe that whatever they paid for something is what it's worth, even a new car.
Marooons


UPDATE; Back from the mountains. Nice trip shared with the better half. She wanted to get out of the house and see the fall leaf colors. We also bought some sorghum syrup and a bag of mtn. grown apples.
I did find one treasure. If anybody is interested in a very nice 3/4 ct round diamond, which may grade as good as VS1 or better, at a very reasonable price, let me know.

Update; Pictures of contented cow and a few shiney rocks.

GO READ THIS

Go on. Go to........ www.ejectejecteject.com

And read all of it. See if any of your opinions take a shift.

.....There will be a TEST

A view from the front

I think that every one who has read much here knows that I am 110% behind our troops either stationed in a combat zone or where ever they may be serving.
Perhaps it is time for us to hear more from the people who have actually been deployed on the ground and have seen it up close and personal.
In Vietnam we called those who sat back in the rear and supposedly ran the war REMFs. That's Rear Eschelon Mother F****rs. The military is different now that it's smaller. Many of those running the troops are either with them or communicate in real time with them so they have a better idea of what's going on. My suggestion is to get the word out to as many people as possible so They can actually see the good (of which there is quite a bit) as well as the bad (of which there is also plenty).

I have bookmarked www.michaelyon-online.com . Look him up. This is a letter from a colonel who is soon leaving Iraq and some of his thoughts. I think they're worth considering.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/one-colonels-final-thoughts.htm

What do you think?

As Promised

I'd love to know how to put my pictures mixed in or down below the text of the blog. Maybe I'll figure it out at a later date. I tend to jump in and do the easy stuff and if it works well enough, then OK by me.

The Pic above is of two maple leafs I bought to resale the other day. One is .999 fine and the other is .9999 fine. Any thing that is more pure than Ivory soap is pure enought for me.

It's nice to pick up pretties like this. Mostly what I buy is scrap jewelry that has been broken or people just don't want any more. Amazing thing guys, sometimes when the lady is angry or scorned, they just want to get rid of whatever reminds them of you. Even if they get very little for it. Maybe shows what they think of you at the time.

I pick up a few nice diamonds that way sometimes.
Just had 5 sets of earings made up from about 1/4 cttw to almost a carat tw.
I'll try to sell them, but people tend to shun an individual, even with GIA training, and go the the established stores where because of overhead they have to triple the price just to come out a little ahead.

There is a fever like disorder that attracts you, once you start dealing with it.
Something about taking an adulterated item and render it to .999 pure gives a satisfying sense of accomplishment. And as Robert Service says so well, sometimes it's in the finding, more than the having.

I wanted the gold, and I sought it,
I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.
Was it famine or scurvy -- I fought it;
I hurled my youth into a grave.
I wanted the gold, and I got it --
Came out with a fortune last fall, --
Yet somehow life's not what I thought it,
And somehow the gold isn't all.

Robert W. Service, The Spell of the Yukon


"There's gold, and it's haunting and haunting; it's luring me on as of old. But it's not the gold that I'm wanting, so much as just finding the gold."-Robert Service, 18-th century miner/poet.

Some times life is like that. A constant searching for something, we know not what.
We shift from partner to partner,
home to home,
job to job,
Church to church.

Always looking for that next big deal,
That next opportunity that's going to make you rich, and you never stop to think that, if you just save a little as you go along, after a while you can stop searching.

But as the poet says, sometimes it more about the looking than finding.

Read the whole poem here if you wish.

http://tobi_wan_2.tripod.com/SpellOfYukon.html


For Thirty years I been looking just over the next horizon, and now the horizon is not as far as it once was, and I'm afraid to look over it because I fear what might, or might not, be there.

But at least for a little while I can look at the lady above, and see her as she once was and as she later became. And get a sense of stability from her.

And still, I know, that there is kudzu around her soul, too.

Thanks to http://straightwhiteguy.com/ for leading me to Services' poems. I once heard that there is a scottish saying that 'money is flat and meant to be stacked up'. Maybe Eric can ask his bride if that's true.

Sometimes........

Sometimes.......

A girl just wants to be held in the arms of an older more experienced man.


Some of you.......OK 1 of you (thanks Jean) wanted to see an updated picture of the grand daughter.

What can I say. I just seem to have the knack of putting pretty girls to sleep.

Probably my bubbling personality.

Or my ability to find pure gold.

Pictures of that lady tomorrow.

THIS MIGHT MAKE SOMEONE THINK !

This will make you think



Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and
sleep for another 10 minutes.

He stays up for days on end.
_________________________
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.

He goes days or weeks without running
water.
__________________________
You complain of a "headache", and call in
sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps
moving forward.
__________________________
You put on your anti war/don't support the
troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
__________________________
You make sure you're cell phone is in your
pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain
next to his dog tags.
__________________________
You talk trash about your "buddies" that
aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies
again.
__________________________
you walk down the beach, staring at all the
pretty girls.

He walks the streets, searching for
insurgents and terrorists.
__________________________
You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take
off his helmet to wipe his brow.
__________________________
You go out to lunch, and complain because
the restaurant got your order wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.
__________________________
Your maid makes your bed and washes your
clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but
makes sure his weapons are clean.
__________________________
You go to the mall and get your hair redone.

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth
today.
__________________________
You're angry because your class ran 5
minutes over.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2
months.
__________________________
You call your girlfriend and set a date for
tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a
letter from home.
__________________________
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you
do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his
love's perfume.
__________________________
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new
child, and wonders if they'll ever meet
__________________________
you criticize your government, and say that
war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by
their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
__________________________
You hear the jokes about the war, and make
fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of
the wounded.
__________________________
You see only what the media wants you to
see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
__________________________
You are asked to go to the store by your
parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told.
__________________________
You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call,
write home, sleep, and eat.
__________________________
You crawl into your soft bed, with down
pillows, and get comfortable.

He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5
minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.
__________________________
You sit there and judge him, saying the
world is probably a worse place
because of men like him.

If only there were more men like him!

If you support your troops, re-send this to
everyone you know,

If it gets to another veteran who hasn't
received it yet, it will bring back memories.

Only two defining forces have ever offered
to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G I.
One died for your soul, the other for your
freedom

Bruce Cherokee Perry
usabiker1@earthlink.net


Shamelessly stolen from and email my sister sent me.

I will be emailing Mr. Perry to make sure it's ok.

As I came out of the Franklin County, Georgia courthouse today my eyes were drawn to the marble obolisk outside which pays homage to those who died for their country in all the wars since WWII. There was a wreath of red and white roses placed before it.

I thought of the approximately 70 - 80 soldiers of all ranks killed in my unit in the short 1 year in Vietnam, and the thought came to me that I can only name a handful of them. Those I was close to or spent some time with. And I remembered seeing their names engraved for the ages on the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C.
and I felt ashamed that I could name so few.

But I'll never forget that I came home to my family and they didn't.

I was raised to believe that a man doesn't cry. I didn't shed public tears at my fathers casket. But, to see those names on that wall and to think of their sacrifice is more than the kudzu can hide.

Wherein I have been blessed

Behind a Fathers Mask

To a small infant child, behind the mask of a father
is a person who is never wrong

He seems to know answers to all of her questions and
he is powerful and strong.

With a kiss to a boo-boo or a pat on the back, he
takes pains of the body away.

He makes pains of the heart disappear with a hug
and the words "I'm here to stay".

As the child grows older and independent, she also
grows away from the man she calls dad.

A relationship with him is just something she
holds in her heart that she once had.

Now a rebellious teenager who claims to know all
Dad never seems to be right.

And the long talks they once had now take the
form of a never ending fight.

So she leaves the masked mans arms to see the
world on her own

And learns too quickly life could have been easy
had she only known.

After fighting the battles with him and saying
things that weren't meant

Thru all of the madness and tears only his
love was being sent.

And now a full grown woman, independent and
free

It is understood he was trying to be what she needed
him to be.

So she no longer tries to see behind her
fathers mask

Now answers come without effort about a good and
bad past

And she sees him thru different eyes than a young
infant child and his identity comes thru

He is not just my father, nor is he my enemy,
he is my dearest friend - forever true.



Written by; My oldest Child
on 6 -17 - 90



I have 4 children and 6 grandchildren, and they are all, and each, my favorites. Completley different and each unique. I am in awe that they are on loan to me.

I thought for a moment the kudzu had cleared from my vision.

Well, I've ......

..read all of my favorite blogs tonight.

We finally got all of the grand children to sleep.

I am amazed at how many fine writers there are out there. They all mostly, put yours truly to shame.

This is just a sort of stream of consciousness type of blog for me. I read & see some many things and topics to write about but, if someone else blogs better about it than me, why should I try to exceed their lofty heights.

I trying a CPAC machine tonight in an effort to reduce my snoring. We'll see if I feel less tired in the morning.

Wish we had broadband of some kind. I have to download a couple of things tonight thast will prob take all night.

Off........to breath.......perchance to dream.

Where is the wisdom?

Brush your teeth after each meal.. Floss after every meal. Use this toothpaste or the other to never have a cavity. See your Dentist twice a year.........

...Oh! By the way. Be sure to have your wisdom teeth extracted as soon as they come in.

Every body hears these messages from the time their young. Toothbrushes are one of the most highly advertised items in the world.

They put flouride in the water to strengthen teeth.

Does any of it do any good if you don't heed their advice (whoever THEY are)?

I've been fairly lucky with my teeth over the decades. A few cavities. One or two crowns from trying to open bottles or crack nuts with my teeth. I brushed, rarely flossed. And never had my wisdom teeth all pulled. One came thru the gums, and three are impacted, but never gave me any real problems....

.....until now.

Whoa boy can those puppies hurt. Inflame the gum. Bleeding when brushed. Very sensitive.

May have to bite the bullet and find a cheap jawbreaker to pull it out.

Their called wisdom teeth, because if your smart you'll have them yanked out when your young.

Need to chew some kudzu to see if it has any medicinal properties.

Just sitting here.......

having read all my favorite blogs, commenting on a few. Mostly lurking.

The motivation to write seems to be weak, but a guy once told me that if you didn't feel like praying, thats the time to get on your knees.

Perhaps the same with blogging.

We have the newest grandchild for the next two days. Boy is that a shock to our old selves. Thankfully tonight I had taken my medication before she got the colic and started screaming, so I was reasonably calm about it. But, Lord that child has a set of lungs on her. The world champion hog caller of 2020 is going to have a run for the money if she enters.

Finally she has drifted off to dreamland where hopefully she'll have pleasant dreams, while I stand watch with garlic, a silver cross and Browning Hi-power to ward off any boogymen.

Need to put together a flyer for our business to take to a luncheon tomorrow.

550 realtors, hopefully a few of them will be babes so as to make the rubbery chicken go down a little easier.

For a shy retiring type such as my self it'll be a trial, but somebody has to do it and there is no one better than me for buttering up the ladies.

Off

to work

to help hold the kudzu down to managable levels.

Helping one another

LL just helped me recover my temporarily lost archives. Don't you just love it when they can immediatly see and know the answer to the problem.

This brings me thought that have been running thru my head for a while. (They run because there are no chairs there, so they can't relax.)

Years ago, I had a vision.

In the middle of the night, a person stood at the end of my bed and told me to believe and be baptised.

I did, but always felt that there was some reason that wasn't revealed to me then.

Years later a man told me, in response to my question of, 'what did that person in the vision want of me? "He wants you to attend church." I have for the past 12 years.

But I still feel as if there is more that I should be doing. Some way to make a big difference in a lot of peoples lives. But I have not a clue.

Is this a common thing. Are we desirious of being much more than we currently are?
Are People willing to expend the effort that it would take? Am I???
And in what direction should that effort be directed?

11:45 pm and the kudzu seeks to draw me down.
To Bed