Discoveries

We are at III every other weekend. This visit, Saturday midday (after I had been to Bethany to shop, of course) Himself asked, as he always does, what is on your agenda today? Don't know, I said. Can't get motivated to do one thing yet. Himself agreed and we sat on awhile. Then we got up and went our own way. It was hot and humid and I walked across the clearing, moving rather slowly when I spotted some nails on the ground. One can tell, there once was a burn pile here. Himself has trained me well and just last visit the Jeep had a low tire as a result of a stray nail. So I picked up the nails and screws and as I did, I found more. And more again -- so I went and got my metal detector that I've had for 6 or 7 years but never really knew how to use. I sat, then, and read the book, set the dials and went to work digging out a cupfull of nails and screws. I learned to use my metal detector.

It finds nails and screws amazingly well. I hope it finds gold and silver as easily!

But there at III I'd get a "hit" and hunker and search and might only find a half inch brad but I would always find something. Sometimes it was just a piece of shiny tinfoil -- but that detector works!

I took the metal detector up the drive to the front gate and my first hit was a square nail! I was thrilled. The old farm house that used to sit "up top" has been dated -- at least part of it built with square nails. Unfortunately, the farmhouse was bulldozed and only an old cistern remains. I will take the treasures I find and make a memory board to those that walked this land, planted flowers, planned and dreamed, worried and schemed, way before my time.

And my unplanned, no agenda afternoon led to several hours of playing in the dirt, learning a new skill and discovering just a little bit of the history of III.