2010 A Fresh Start... According To Jasper

Hard to believe it, isn't it? Yes, this is the same little fellow who was sleeping in a shoebox last year at this time. He will be a year old on the 9th of next month so he has a lot of filling out to do yet. He goes 65 pounds now and he is the hikingest dog I have ever seen. I still think we should have called him Elvis (check out the lip).
At any rate, 2010 proves to be a new set of challenges for us in the Jones house, but things are beginning to settle down from last year and a fresh start seems the nicest thing to me right now. Our living arrangements have gotten back to normal without any threat of change at this time. Gracy is doing great in school and both mine and Mamma's employment feels secure for now. It is hard to swim when you are struggling to float, but it is harder to float when you are bound to sink. I have missed letterboxing and all of my friends who I have grown to love through letterboxing tremendously. I am stoked to get started again. I received a couple of sheets of PZ in the mail from a secret admirer (thanks Rachel) and I have a wonderful idea for a new box.
We are going to Missouri this week March 20 -March 26 and I am taking a couple of boxes with me. Don't be surprised to see that "mstrwndl" has struck again while you weren't looking. Thanks for asking about me, and thanks for the e-mails while I was away. It's good to be back. Thanks for playing!

August... according to Jasper

Just a few short weeks ago this guy was a puppy. As a matter of fact he was at the Smack Dab In The Middle gathering and everyone went on and on about how cute the little guy was. He is now 4 1/2 months old. Now he takes me for our afternoon walk and we go much faster than I want to. Soon he will be big enough to dictate not only the direction we go, but how fast we go as well. I still think he is a cute little fellow (all 50 lbs. of him). Things are going as planned, though. He is turning into a hike loving dog. My son Justin has taught him to ride a skate board. It is the funniest thing you ever saw. He actually stands on it and pushes with his back feet. He has learned to catch things in his mouth. I think Lydia had something to do with that. We can throw them treats and if it hits the ground Lydia is on it quick. Jasper likes to stand in front of the front door looking out the glass. It is surprising how few visitors we have these days. Except for him tearing through the house it is pretty quiet around the house lately.
Well, it finally happened. Mstrwndl got a promotion at work. Thank the Lord a nice little raise went along with it, but the promotion was what I was hoping for. We deal with a lot of community service workers at the Discovery Center since it is a non-profit organization. The lady who until recently was the CS Coordinator resigned in order to return to school and the job fell open. I put in for it and got the job. I am still the Custodial Supervisor, but now I have another shirt to wear as well. Some of the fringe benifits of the new position are...a desk, and a chair, and a phone, oh my! A desk, and a chair, and a phone, oh my! I don't look forward to the paperwork, but I do look forward to the challenge.
The 18th came and went as quietly as it could. Not much hooplah, but not ignored either. Thanks for all of the phone calls and e-mails from everyone. It was a good day to turn 50. I don't feel any older, but I don't feel any more experienced either.
My middle daughter moved back home for a spell. She left her husband and two sons in Virginia and is missing them all very terribly. Remember, Virginia is for lovers so don't get the wrong idea. She had medical insurance in Tennessee and had to come home to have some surgery. The real problem was trying to figure out what was wrong with her, but they think they've got it. She is to have one more surgery (possibly two) and then she is going back home to her family in Virginia. It has been nice having her around, but it has been a strain on our living arrangments and our finances. I guess that small raise will come in handy after all.
I am sorry I have been so quiet lately. I've just been extra busy and had to deal with some health issues of my own. Maybe I can get that under control and creep back into LBing soon. That is the plan. Thanks to everyone who keeps up with this blog and thanks for the thoughts and prayers. To all of those who haven't even noticed me gone, well then maybe I can get back into the swing before you do. So, that's August...according to Jasper.

LIFE...According To Jasper! (Plant A Box Today)

Well, can you see the difference 3 weeks makes? Jasper is well into potty training (doing well at it) and has learned to walk on a leash. He still absolutely hates wet grass and must be dragged across the yard in order to do his business when it is merely sprinkling. He adores our 5 year old Corgi, Lydia and plays tug of war with her and a rope bone. He is still a bit bony in the rear end, but he is filling out nicely. Yesterday he took his first extended walk. By extended I mean outside of the perimeter of the yard. We went to a geo-gathering, as we read somewhere that there were 2 letterboxes there. Turns out there were and we got'em both. Jasper had a blast, but he crashed out on the way home in the truck. We never even heard him whine last night.
He still goes through the whining thing at night. I suspect that he still has some issues with being alone, what with the tornado just a few weeks ago. I imagine it is still easier to get him used to sleeping alone than it is to clean up the mess he makes when we leave him lose in the house at night.
Remember, I said that Gracy chose the name Jasper from the book series "Twilight". Those of you who recall the books know that Jasper was a soldier. This guy, in spite of being a pittbull, is a remarkable life fighter. He is a survivor. I can't wait for him to get used to long hikes. I am planning to make a real Letterboxing Buddy out of him.
Jasper and I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that today is Plant A Letterbox Day. Don't forget to get out there and plant a box. Especially in Middle Tennessee, as he and I need some new ones to look for. Don't plant in Barfield Crescent Park, however. We don't want to crowd it 27 days before the Smack Dab In The Middle Letterbox Gathering. Take your boxing buddy with you. Even if you don't plant a box today (Heaven forbid) at least take your buddy for a walk.

Tornado Update... as it relates to Jasper?

As you all well know, on Good Friday (April 10, 2009) the town & county I live in was hit by a tremendously devastating tornado. The only bright spot that we could see from all of this was that our town pulled together like I haven't seen since September of 2001. When Hurricane Catrina slammed hard against New Orleans the entire state of Louisiana rallied together to rescue, place, and ultimately restore and resurrect the Big Easy. When Mother Nature twisted her way through Rutherford County, Tennessee leaving death and destruction in her wake, it sounded a rally call for more good neighbor feelings and more good steward actions. This town became a family that day. Our arms stretched and enveloped people we did not know and hands and hearts worked overtime to insure that the clean up was rapid and timely. I have posted about Kori and her daughter losing their lives. I have posted about the families that we knew losing their homes. I have posted about good people losing their businesses and their jobs. What I have not posted about is the effect all of this had on the animals in our town that were equally as effected by these tornadoes. One such little fellow is my newest buddy. My daughter insists that he looks like a Jasper. I don't know anything for sure except that she has read one too many Twilight episodes. That is where she got the name, but considering that this little fellow came to us out of that night of horror, perhaps it is fitting.
Jasper is 4 weeks old. He was born on Thursday, April 9th, the night before the storm. The people who owned his parents lost everything. Everything except the male Gator Head American Pit Bull that was Jasper's father. The Red Nose American Staffordshire Terrior that was Jasper's mother was taken by the storm leaving them with a litter of cute little fellows like Jasper.

After hand feeding them for three weeks (until their eyes opened) the task of weaning them onto hard food was simple. After four short weeks they were physically ready to place. They would not be psycologically ready as they started life without a mother. If they can overcome this just think what good dogs they will make. What an adversity! My son and I picked this little fellow out of the 3 pups that were left. Another fellow was on his way to pick the other male pup. That leaves the original owner with the father and a female pup. I am hoping he will decide to keep them both, but you never know. At this point, Jasper is the only one we can worry about. I am going to start him on trails early so as to give him the hang of letterboxing, and he will be my new letterboxing partner. I am going to introduce him to everyone at the Smack Dad In The Middle gathering. I hope everyone will like him, as he sure has added a little flavor to our lives. I don't think Lydia knows just what to think yet, but she will get used to sharing her water dish sooner or later. After all he is a Pit Bull.

Tornado Update... as it relates to Letterboxing

I took a little drive Sunday and the thing that was plain to me is that There is no possibility that all of the boxes in town survived. I made my way to the Stones River Battlefield to check on a few boxes that I have over there. I also planted the Box Of The Month over there as well.I was stopped at the visitors center and told that the 2 mile paved park loop won't be open for another 2 weeks and the trail system won't be open for several months. I searched and searched for a way to get over to the area where Fairy Box #1 and #2/ Fairy Thoughts and Day Dreamer were planted and was stopped by 3 state troopers and 4 Park Rangers before I could even get close. Eventually, I went in through the Greenway. I found a place on the Greenway where I could access the Rail Road tracks and walked them for 2 miles and finally came out about 100 yards from where each box is...or was. Fairy Thoughts FBS#1 was present and accounted for. An easy pick up. After that, I had to wait till it was almost dark as clean up crews are working by electric light and on into the dark. I crept as slowly and as quietly down towards Day Dreamer FBS#2 when it dawned on me that nothing looked familiar. Everything had changed. All of the trees that used to be here were gone and so was the tree FBS#2 was in. I figured it was not worth getting caught so I started making my way back towards the RR tracks when I heard a voice yell at me to bring them a box that was on the ground. I bent down and grabbed the box and took it to the man who proceeded to tell me all of the reasons why I should have on a hard hat. As I was looking down trying to avoid eye contact with the man, I saw a familiar chunk of tree in a burn pile. I walked over to the pile and stuck my hand in the section of tree and there was FBS#2. I tucked her into my shirt and told the man I left my hard by the stump where I had gone to the bathroom. He yelled at me to get it on so I went as if I were going to grab it and kept going. The RR tracks were about 150 yards away, there was no one following me and I had FBS's #1 and #2. Mission accomplished. As I was driving home I went to the back side and played hide and seek with another work crew and about 5 more state troopers, but I was able to get the BOM and it has already been replanted. If you are interested in continuing to collect the BOM please look at the clue, as it has changed. If you are a SRNB hiker, please avoid this park until the first of the summer. It has sustained a lot of damage. There are a couple of boxes that belong to other people that I did not get but if you have a box there and want it rescued I am planning 1 more trip inside the boundries. Let me know and I will look for it.

It Huffed, and It Puffed, and it...

Yesterday, April 10, 2009, started just like any other day. I was going to ride my motorcycle to work that day but it was raining that morning. That was just it. It was merely raining. I went in to work at 5:00 AM and was looking forward to checking out at my usual 1:00 PM and going to the house. There was nothing unusual about the day until about noon. As I always do, I made my rounds before I left to see if anyone needed anything specific before I left and my friend and boss, Gretchen, suggested that I stick around. I went back out into the museum to ascertain what the problem might be. She was being tight lipped about most of it. I made my way out onto the floor and noticed that the staff had corralled most of our visitors and the other staff members into the center point of the museum. I said to myself, "this looks like an emergency lock down." I went to the service desk and noticed the computer was tracking a storm like I had never seen before. From there I made my way upstairs to make sure everyone was down and that no one needed any help. While I was up there I called home and my son, Justin (25), answered. He is Carmen Sanchez to you folks. He was playing stay at home brother that day and Godsbird (Gracy/ 11) was at home with him. They told me they had a pallet made in the closet under the stairs. It was then that I heard the alert sirens over the phone and I knew that this was all too serious. I went back downstairs and told Gretchen that as much as I loved them and enjoyed them, my place was at home with my kids. She knew she would not be able to talk any sense into me nor to stop me from leaving so she just told me to be careful. I left work and drove the 7 miles home, watching people freak out behind the wheel and even witnessed 3 accidents on the way. At one point I passed over an interstate bridge and looked to my right down I-24 underneath me and this is what I saw.


I drove on toward the house, hoping I would make it in time before this monster left a path of destruction that would prevent me ever reaching my house or seeing my kids again. I knew my wife was at work and I knew she would be worried so I called her on the cell phone to check in. As soon as I told her where I was she started screaming at me to pull over and get out of my SUV. I assured her that I was aware of the tornado and that I was watching it out my window.

I made my way on to the house and called her back when I found the kids were OK. Within seconds after I talked to her the second time, this is what went through within 2 miles of where she was.

We stayed where we were for about 20 minutes and the phone rang. 4 little piggies had thought about us in the midst of this desaster and called to check on our safty. There was an immediate lifting of our spirits and a lightening of our hearts knowing that folks cared enough about us to try contacting us. Our house was spared and so, for the most part, was our neighborhood, but the devistation that lay in the wake of this tremendous beast was vurtually brutal.

This picture was taken within a couple of miles of our house.



This one was taken about 3 miles from where my wife was at the time.



This is what it feels like to see this happen to the town you live in.



At the end of it all, 4 tornadoes hit 4 different parts of the county. There were 2 class #2 tornadoes, 1 class #3 and a class#4. 150 homes were destroyed. several hundred more suffered extensive damage, into the millions of dollars. Power was out virtually throughout Rutherford County, and that was the least of it.
A young mother, Kori Bryant (30) was in the process of trying to leave her home during this barrage. Her 9 week old infant daughter, Olivia, was already in her car seat. When it was over they were found by a storm chaser. Kori was in the yard and Olivia was still in her car seat. Kori was dead and all attempts to resuscitate Olivia failed. Kori was a photographer, and had taken photos for Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation on a number of occassions. I had met her several times during photo shoots of the Murfree Springs Wet Land at The Discovery Center.
The last count of injuries were near 50, and the casualties were 2. Rescue workers and authorities are still trying to dig folks out and clean up. The Red Cross has set up relief stations. Blackman High School and New Vision Baptist Church on Thompson Lane has formed hostiles for the homeless. I am certain that my family is fortunate and I thank God almighty for sparing us this desaster. Now, it is time to see what I can do to help others.
This is what I want. Those of you who AQ-mailed friends Smack Dab In The Middle should jump on the band wagon with me. Those of you who made phone calls to check on friends or loved ones, there is room on this band wagon for you as well. It is going to take a long time to clean this up. If you feel a need to help or a desire to contribute The American Red Cross has set up a relief number to call. That number is (615) 893-4272. God bless you all, who called and e-mailed me. Now get involved!

SPOILER ALERT! "TATTOO YOU!" 9 LTC's

This is a series of 9 LTCs that I made from the artwork on my right forearm. I thought that some day it was going to get faded and the lines would explode with time. I was just so taken by the design that I thought it had to be a set of LTCs. I made 5 copies of the set and then turned the stamps into a traditional plant of sorts. The reason for this post is for those of you who acquire the LTCs as well as those of you who find the box can get a key map for the original colors. The stamps are positive images so they stamp out like a coloring book. The idea was for you to color it what ever color you want to color it, and that is still the idea, but for those who want the original colors in tact, here they are. If this is a box you want to try to acquire keep in mind that it is 9 stamps.