Wow, it's March Already?

Sorry for my sparseness over these past couple of months, a couple of blizzards, Mono, and lots of work have kept me from posting any updates and pictures. I found some time tonight so I thought I would let everyone know what was up, and share a neat video series with you. Lately, I've been looking for some neat gadgety projects to do just for the fun of it, and I found this wonderful source--"Weekend Project" from "Make". I haven't been able to get out to detect so that is also why I haven't posted any updates! Here's a sample video from this Make Series:

(My only addition to this would be separating the light from the sound maker so that the light stayed on, while the "cricket" chirped.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opt0E5S1760

Happy New Year and 2009 in Review

Well, I had a wonderful 2009 season, and collected $73.72 in modern clad, a new record for me, doubling what I got last year! I'll try to keep this short and sweet so I'll just talk about the photos. The first few pictures are my jewelry and non clad finds. I collected a total of 15 wheaties, meager, I know, but for my area I feel I managed fairly well. I also pulled two silver dimes, a 62 D Rosie, and a 63 Canadian. My oldest coin to date is now a 1919-S wheat penny that I found on the 31st--what a way to end the year!! This beat my other oldest coin, a 1935 buffalo nickel. I found my first dollar and half dollar coins this year, quite a surprise to dig those up! Also I found two 10k gold rings, my first, and a sterling man's ring. Another surprise was a couple of Euros and Cayman Island coins I found!

















Then here are my relic finds. The doll's head was found while bottle digging near an old house in south Asheville. Included in my relics are civil war bullets, (the bottom two below the three casings) and some 50 caliber bullets and shell casing from WWII! I also found some square nails, a Timex watch that stopped tickin', and lots of keys and knives. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. Happy Hunting!!

Storm Update

Well, with the 12 inches of snow outside covering up all of the good places to detect, as well as the bad, I've remained inside, except for yesterday. Inspired by this monumental amount of snow, me and my family set out to build an igloo. Taking a total of six hours to complete, the igloo has a 12 foot diameter, and height of about 6 feet. So here are a few scenic winter shots of our yard in Asheville, under 12 inches of snow! Enjoy!

It Really Snowed Here....And That's Not An Understatement!

Today we received, and still are, 7+ inches of snow! This is a record for Asheville, for most snow received in one day. The previous record was 3.6 inches in one day....back in 1917! It has just made a winter wonderland out there, and I just wanted to share some of my photos with eveyone! Hope you enjoy!

The Week in Review...

Well, this week we had our first "Official" snow up here in Boone. Needless to say everyone was out in full force sporting the winter attire and lunch trays. Numerous sledders attempted Suicide Hill, and I ran a papermaking program instead! It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. There were a lot of creative ideas from everyone, and here are a few pics from the event--everyone enjoyed it!

After that, me and my friend Everett made a snowman at the bottom of our hill, called Frank. Unfortunately, this masterpiece only lasted 1hr and 30min thanks to some jerks. I was walking behind one of them when they did it. The head was already gone and this idiot slammed his elbow into the mid part of the snowman, cracking it in half. I figured that it was right for me to say something so I said: "Thanks for destroying the snowman I made, I put a lot of effort into creating him." Well, fair enough, the jerk whined about his elbow as he was walking away. (He didn't know that Frank had a six pack!)
Other than that, the week has been spent preparing for exams; one more day of classes, then Reading Day, and Final Exams. I will be spending a lot of time in the coffee shops!! Happy Holidays!

The Twelve Green Days of Christmas

Here's a version of a holiday classic, gone green. Hope you enjoy it as much as I had coming up with it!

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me: A Prius in the driveway.
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Two CFLs,
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Three rain barrels,
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Four solar panels,

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Five Canvas bags....

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Six pounds of tofu,
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Seven compost bins,
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Eight Earth Fare gift cards,
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Nine handmade toys,
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Ten lords recycling,
On the 'leventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 'Leven Fairtrade chocolates,
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Twelve saved acres of Rainforest,

Happy Holidays!

It's the most.....carbon consuming time....of the year!!

Christmas--It's right up there with the Fourth of July in how green the holiday actually is. To help bring this point across, here is a little video about just Santa, and how green he really is. (I recommend watching it twice!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZGyEoqqEQQ


So, with this in mind....how exactly can we green our holiday season this year? Let's start with the presents...have you ever considered saving the wrapping paper, or the bow? try folding the paper in a way that makes it unnecessary to use tape, that way, the paper can be used for a couple more years! Or, if that is not feasible for your household, just make sure you recycle it!

Another way to be green is in the actual presents themselves. Is that toy you are buying for little Jimmy made locally, or in Malaysia, or China, or Taiwan? Try to find gifts that support local artists, crafters, and cooks; nothing says Merry Christmas like some handmade paper or jars of spiced peach preserves!

Also, it has been researched and the dilemma of Fake Tree vs. Real Tree has finally been resolved. The best solution is an organically grown, local tree. Fake trees have toxins in the PVC and other plastics that can fall down onto presents and cause problems, especially among the asthmatic community. And remember, take that tree to be mulched locally so that the carbon and other elements in the tree can be recycled back into the environment, not just thrown away in a landfill.

My last tip for tonight is to try and force yourself to have a local, organic Christmas dinner this year. Consider the turkey: Is it Free range or did it grow up within fractions of an inch of other turkeys? Try to buy products from within the USA; during the winter this is generally harder, but you can still find US cranberries, potatoes, and green beans most likely...you just have to put forth an effort to find them. If cost is an issue, do you really have to buy that $1.00 soda out of the vending machine, or could that dollar go towards supporting local organic growers? Happy Holidays!