metal minded

Since I am still rather incapacitated with my long recovery (due for my next surgeon appointment Oct 15th), I am spending a lot of time thinking about metal possibilities while waiting to be able to get back to all the Field Lab projects that need to happen.  A couple of years ago, a Canadian company acquired the rights to the silver mine in nearby Shafter.  Falling silver prices forced then to shut down the operation not long after they got up to speed.  Since panning for gold really isn't an option in the Chihuahua desert and the mercury mines in Terlingua have been out of operation for many years, I thought about what other metal might be in abundance in the area.  Not surprisingly - it is beer can aluminum.  It's not really a viable commercial enterprise for minting (a troy ounce of aluminum is worth about 5 cents), but there are plenty available in the area.  Melting and casting them looks like fun and it is a fairly simple and inexpensive project to experiment with.  86,91,62,0,C    

Sorry, you were outbid.

Was a really good deal until the last 30 seconds of the auction.

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International Day

Had a great Sunday visit with my new friend Krzysztof Borowiec from Poland.  Krzysztof is a physical therapist(!) and aspiring travel writer.    86,91,63,0,B

It's what's inside...

Luke 17:  20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.  

Perigee-Syzygy

While the masses clamor over the next super moon, all I can say is it wakes Ben and I up earlier than normal because we think the sun is coming up.  Other than that, it really isn't that special and nowhere as big and bright as you have been lead to believe.  Scientists have confirmed however that because a total eclipse will coincide with tomorrow night's event (a celestial double feature!), it does make people want to bid on really great sterling silver ingot deals on Ebay.  83,88,64,0,B

TGIF

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retired

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Thornwalker

Latest flight by Brandon Gardiner.  84,91,66,0,B

above average...

Average rainfall out here is 7 - 9 inches per year.  Just tipped the scales last night.  Total accumulation so far for 2015 is 9.22".  84,89,68,0,B

deep dish emergency

UK Neil sent me some deep dish pizza in exchange for his custom 2013 ingot.  The package arrived on Friday.  Was drooling over the thought of my meal as I fired up the grill that night.  Unfortunately, the grill hoses decided to burst into flames and melt (no injuries).  My 12 year old grill was showing its' age.  Put the still frozen pie back in the fridge and went right online to order a replacement.  Replacement parts for all that need replacement would cost more than the new (but smaller) grill.  It showed up this afternoon and I frantically assembled it in 2 hours.  Got a pizza in the oven tonight.  86,90,69, .32",B

What's wrong with this picture?

Ezra 8:22 The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him; but His power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him.

Palo Verde #1

My prize palo verde is still doing well and has grown about a foot this year in spite of being neglected.  It was just a sprout 4 1/2 years ago.  87,92,69,0,B

(the sorry) state of the greenhouse

Turning my attention to the greenhouse...or the plant killing zone as it has been known as for the past year.  Got a buddy coming out next week to help clear out all the junk and death.  90,95,68,0,C

buy low sell high

Last of the Field Lab coins for this year get shipped out tomorrow.  

But I always keep a few on hand for visitors.

Fine silver is just bouncing off a five year low.

If you have enough spare change, you can probably make a killing over the next 10 years on this Ebay deal.  857 pounds and FREE SHIPPING!  89,96,68,0,B

Update:  I checked in on the "offer" right at the end and the price had gone up since I posted earlier...to the tune of $15,860.

Tired

Had my first flat tire on the highway today.  Was heading south on 118 and got the bumpy ride message.  Had to go about 200 yards to make it to Terlingua Ranch Rd...just long enough to ruin the tire but not the wheel.  Found all the gear to change it in my back seat after digging through all the stuff that shouldn't be there.  This experience has inspired me to clean out the cab.  Got the spare lowered and was just about to start on the first lug nut when some anonymous samaritans came along to lend assistance.  I had all the right stuff to git'r'done quickly.  Came back home and turned some imaginary PayPal dollars into 2 new tires (gonna rotate out one of my 3 good tires as the new spare).  They are due to arrive Monday.  89,95,68,0,B

old farm life...

Got an email today from my friend Dr Deb.  She requested this old photo for her upcoming book  Soiled Rotten:Keyhole Gardens Year Round.  This was a Mexico Midget tomato from one of the plants she gave me.  Also, be on the lookout for the Texas Country Reporter episode about her gardening prowess that will air for the first time this Sunday.  90,98,68,0,B

silver sold

Had a break in the day from prepping coins.  New friends Carl and Donna from northern Arizona stopped by for the Field Lab tour...and a chance to grab Ben's horn.

All the coins are sold out now which is just as well since I am ready for a break from silver.  The first of the last ingots auction is live now and there will be two more in the following weeks.  Thank you to everyone that supported the effort.  The current orders will begin shipping Wednesday in the order they were received.  (Zole - I will include a pinch of dirt with your coin!) 89,94,64,0,B

The Kingdom

Matthew 18

heads up...

The rare three 2013 ingots will be going up on Ebay in the next 3 weeks.  First up will be the mis-stamped #1300Z...the only mistake of the limited edition 100 ingots that didn't get melted down and recast.   This 7 day auction will go live tomorrow night - I will post a link.  There will be no minimum reserve price.  The last two unclaimed ingots (#13018 and #13019) will go up for 7 day auctions on the 20th and the 27th, respectively.  85,91,66,0,B

Black Friday + Special

I came across 40 half ounce rounds I had tucked away last year so they are up for grabs as the 2013 Benita version for the special price of ONLY $15 including domestic shipping.  This price is good until they sell out.

throwbackthursday

A limited edition of the 2013 Benita coin will be available from the blog starting tomorrow...for the original price. Hand made (with love) half ounce sterling silver rounds - $20 including shipping.  Last call on the 2014 Paramotor coin.  85,91,69,0,B

nickel nonsense

The folly of the buffalo nickel.  73,89,70,0,B

face value

Just got my 20 troy ounce fine silver order today from Monarch.  Since I last posted about them, they sold out their inventory of 1,400 one ounce rounds through the long weekend (silver is very low right now).  They minted an additional 2500 today.  By ordering silver rounds from them, I effectively turned 34,396 pennies (including shipping and handling and $1.29 above spot) that were minted with nothing to back their value (at a cost to the government of 1.7 cents per penny) and have a melt value of .004 cents per penny, into bullion that at the current spot price of silver is worth $295.  If I melted down those same pennies that the government created out of thin air at over one and a half times their "monitary value" to produce, their melt value would be $138.  Of course if I make my new silver into something that I sell at a small profit, my digital paypal dollars have dubious value until I exchange them for something of tangable value.  The modern day alchemist's dilemma...  91,100,73,0,B

49 days

It has only rained a tenth of an inch in the last 49 days.  Although I still have about 12,000 gallons on tap, I'm ready for the rainy season to begin...perhaps this week.  94,101,72,0,C

an atheist excuse...

this woulda come in handy 7 years ago...

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Hometown

Been missing my weekly flyers in the mail since Alco went belly up.  Looks like there is a new player in town.  90,98,68,0,C

"Working at a neighborhood Shopko Hometown means the daily opportunity to provide exceptional, personalized customer service and quality merchandise."

trash day

Last load of 9 months of trash and recyclables removed.  88,95,68,0,C

Field Lab Security

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new silver

Today I came across a post from a Facebook friend that asked, "Anyone investing in silver?"  As far as an investment goes, the price of silver has been very low for a couple of months and even though I know little about how the precious metals market works (meaning - manipulated), it would seem to me that now might be a good time to grab some.  As far as a hedge against catastrophic economic failure goes, here is something to consider.  It may also be prudent to review another blog post I did about monetary value.

The conversation inspired me to do some some digging online and I found a good fine silver source for some future silver crosses that are on the drawing board...cheaper than the sterling silver casting grain I have purchased (although their final product does not include "the love" that goes onto a Field Lab coin!).   Apparently, there is quite a demand for these as they sold almost 300 of them from their current stock today alone.  They also sell fractional coins as small as 1 gram.  I found this company after watching some YouTube videos about silver stacking - rather strange videos where guys unbox and show off their piles of silver coins, rounds, and bars.  As of the time of this posting, the spot price of silver is $14.58/troy ounce.  92,100,66,0,B