FEEE-VAAAHH!! - Spring Fever! Cabin Fever! Gold Fever!

Fine gold in black sands - photo by Robert Way 

That's me!

I   GOT   FEEE-VAHH!    <ROFL> Okay, so, I get it.. it's mid-January.. it's cold outside. Spring is still officially two months away. Spending too much time indoors can lead to a myriad of bad habits, including (but not limited to):

1. Watching too much TV - which leads to #2
2. Sitting and snacking - which can lead to #3
3. Oversleeping (if your days are flexible as mine are)
4. Spending too much time on social media sites
5. Watching infomercials on late night TV and social media
6. Overeating... 
7. Depriving self of sunshine (when available... because, baby it's cold outside!)
8. Snacking... oh, I said that already!

Well, you can probably think of at least a few more... but what I wanted to tell you is.. with all that TV and social media I was watching too much of... I stumbled on some gold panning videos! Now I got the GOLD FEVER again! LOL - FOR REAL !!!

Tying hardware cloth to classifier to reduce
pebbles in working bucket

 I am psyched up and ready to jump in the creek! I got a pair of waders for Christmas! They're pink! With neoprene booties and they come up over my chest, WITH a bib pocket! (I know, right?!) and I have put hardware cloth over my classifier to double it's efficiency... AND I even have new knee protectors for those slate beds I can't get comfortable on! I AM READY! Who's with me?! ... what? oh, the water is too cold for you? It makes your hands hurt? Get some gloves with liners! Keep a hand warmer pack in your carry sack so you can warm them up between buckets. 

My prezzie from-me-to-me
J-C AmY sluice box 

See, I figure.. all I gotta do is.... classify some stream sediment into a bucket. I can rent (or borrow?) a simple sluice box from a prospecting friend. Run the bucket, clean up, and bring the cons (concentrated material) home for later (a warmer afternoon, or the mini-sluice at the kitchen sink... whichever!) That nifty mini-sluice here is a present I bought for myself last fall. You can find this J-C AmY sluice box  and more models at http://stores.ebay.com/Gold-Sluice-Boxes  

I promise to show you pictures ... but in the meanwhile, it's dark outside... so, I'll have to get back to crocheting until sunrise... ooooh! this is going to be a good week! I just know it! 

I hope my posts make you smile! 

It's that time of year again! The Great Backyard Bird Count is going on all weekend - and this year it has gone global! The online submissions allow birdwatchers to enter their data no matter where they observe these feathered wonders! Unfortunately, there was a mess of snow and rain in my backyard today, and not too many birds ventured out into the miserable weather. Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow... (were you just singing? LOL)... and the birds will flock to the feeder! I even added a birdbath basin under the tree (the squirrel kept knocking off the pedestal, so I put it on the ground). It hasn't attracted any new species to the hub, but my regular visitors seem to like it.

In other news of my cheap hobbies, I have been successful with My Little Crochet Shop on Etsy.com. I have crocheted lip balm cozies, dishcloths, scarves, shawls, coaster sets ("mug rugs").. and now I am working on an amigurumi design for an alien doll. I gave upcycled tshirts to my nephews for Christmas in the form of "ugly dolls" - free form monster dolls with button eyes and crude embroidery mouths and stuffed with poly-fill. They LOVED them! .. I should make more! I can make monsters faster than I can crochet! LOL

All right, you guys (and gals!)... It's 1am and I promised myself I would not stay up until 3am (again!). So, I am off to dream of springtime when I can get back to panning for precious yellow flakes buried in the sand. Until next time.....

Happy New Year - 2013

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Well, well, well... and I sincerely hope you ARE well! Thanks for reading! - Today is January 1, 2013... the first day of the new year... time to revisit and revise the bucket lists.. the short term and the long term lists.

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

One thing that keeps popping up on my list: SAVE MONEY... as in "PUT MONEY IN SAVINGS" ! That should get crossed off at least once, one would think? Somehow, I maintain a level of pent-up demand such that when I do acquire (earn or receive) a bit of cash, I can immediately find a use for it! Nothing goes to savings, or at least, not for long. So, today, I began reading personal finance articles online to realign my thought patterns with a savings attitude. I learned a few things...

(1.) It is totally possible that I sabotage my savings attempts! There are multiple vices at work, including but not limited to procrastination, weak goal-setting, and lack of accountability.

(2.) I am hoping for a miracle... lotto, Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes, super job opportunity, gold strike, etc... when what I really need to focus on is securing a steady income.

(3.) I don't have a budget. Well, honestly, I shunt responsibility on this one, claiming that without a steady income, budgeting is impossible... yet, I still have bills to pay like car insurance and cell phone!

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

What to do? I have a nice little crochet business going on Etsy.com. I even call it My Little Crochet Shop.  I have one, maybe two, textbooks I can sell on Amazon... might rustle up a few items for eBay, but those are only short term shots. With a steady check, those extra shots could go to savings... did you notice I said "could" ... phooey. Am I still not on board?

So, my most promising hobby right now, until the US government again makes it unlawful to do so, is gold panning. It produces only a little every day I pan (no where near an ounce per week), but with patience, practice and persistence, those little bits will add up. Location is not the limiting factor, oddly enough... but self-discipline.

I just had that AH-HAH! moment... when I've finally put my finger on the problem... I need an accountability partner!

Gold Digger :D

That's me grinning at my first pan... every pan's a winner!
(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

How's this for a cheap hobby? Hook up with a local prospecting outfitter and ride out with them to a well-known gold producing creek and pan all day and keep what you find! That's what I did over the Labor Day holiday! I learned to improve my panning technique and even picked up some new ideas for coaxing gold out of the creek bed. There are more uses for a turkey baster than the original designer ever imagined! LOL

 

Here's a look at my first pan. Yes, we hit pay dirt on the first try!
(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

The Sunday evening thunderstorms had scared away many would-be Monday morning prospectors. I am glad I do not scare too easily! The gold was practically jumping out of the creek into our pans! 

(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

 Here is what the lead prospector coaxed out of the heavy concentrates after the excursion. One day, I will have my own extraction to get the microgold out for myself. For now, he gladly obliges himself to do it. Amazing what is not readily visible to the naked eye! He uses magnets to draw away the iron compounds and a microscope to see what he's working with. Not a grain gets by... :)

My "naked eye" picks are in the vial. Another panner's finds are in the top of the pan. See the gold chain in the corner of the pan? That is what we want! 

(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

In addition to the gold in my little pill bottle (vial), this is what was recovered from my concentrates. Nice artistic expression he has! LOL

(Photo by R.Way of Eureka Gold Panning)

I shared all this on Facebook, and now my friends want to get in on it! There's plenty for everyone, but few will put in the work to get it.. I won't lie, it is work.. you have to find a sweet spot, dig under and around submerged rocks and shake that pan filled with mud and rock to get it down the the workable paydirt... you will get a backache, your legs will hurt from squatting for long periods of time... you will be nursing sore muscles the next day (or two)... and that doesn't cover the snake hazards, bears-deer-mountain lions-bobcats-foxes-coyotes that are meandering through the woods, the sudden downpours from summer thundershowers that leave you wetter than if you had gone swimming, falling in the mud, water filled boots, no phone reception, backpack & contents soaked from rain.....

BUT IT WAS ALL SOOOOOO WORTH IT! I am definitely going to do this again!

Many thanks to Eureka Gold Panning of Greensboro, NC, for an adventure I will remember and repeat!
(Website: http://eurekagoldpan.com/ or LIKE them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EurekaGoldPanning )