"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

[r redden]

Carl I know you are going to be on pins and needles until Monday but hang in there buddy I really feel Karen is going to be fine. I want you and Ken both that I have been praying for you guys daily since I heard about Karen and Ken both. Not saying my prayers are special just letting you all know someone has been praying for you.


Now on a different note yesterday Andrew ( traumkommode ) George (@oldtymer) and myself met for lunch and what a great time. Barbecue and knife talk you can't beat it. We want to do it again and would like for any other members that live in or near Asheville to join us so if any of you that are close enough and would like to participate please contact one of us. In fact sometime this summer maybe we could do something that some of our members in Tn, SC or wherever would like to get together maybe a day at SMKW or something. So any of you that would be interested in this contact one of us it would be fun.

 

[jackknife]

Carl I know you are going to be on pins and needles until Monday but hang in there buddy I really feel Karen is going to be fine. I want you and Ken both that I have been praying for you guys daily since I heard about Karen and Ken both. Not saying my prayers are special just letting you all know someone has been praying for you.


Now on a different note yesterday Andrew ( traumkommode ) George (@oldtymer) and myself met for lunch and what a great time. Barbecue and knife talk you can't beat it. We want to do it again and would like for any other members that live in or near Asheville to join us so if any of you that are close enough and would like to participate please contact one of us. In fact sometime this summer maybe we could do something that some of our members in Tn, SC or wherever would like to get together maybe a day at SMKW or something. So any of you that would be interested in this contact one of us it would be fun.

Thanks, Bud. And thanks for all of you for the prayers. Yeah, Monday is going to be a long time coming. Karen has been sleeping a lot from feeling the effects of the hydocoden, and I'm glad she's resting up. Didn't sleep much for the two nights prior to the surgery, so she's catching up now. Was in good spirits last night, sister Di brought over Chinese carry out and Karen loves her orange chicken and fried rice. Youngest sister Romelie brought over Blue Bell ice cream so we went off our diets.

Whatever fate has in store for us we'll deal with it.

All this has been a re-awakening of our (Karen and I) awareness of our mortality. I hate to be a doomsayer, but we were talking yesterday about how glad we were that we downsized out stuff. Made sure things went to who we wanted them to go to. Thinking a lot of our kids and grandkids, and nieces and nephews. I guess sooner or later all of us are going to get some bad news from some doctor, and we're going to have to deal with that expiration date that is stamped on our DNA. At this point in time, my stuff doesn't mean a thing to me. And again, the sharp awareness of how we're only here for a short time and the inanimate things we value don't mean a thing compared to what we do with our life and how we treat the people in it. How we can leave things a bit better than we found them.

 

[Jack Black]

Now on a different note yesterday Andrew ( traumkommode ) George (@oldtymer) and myself met for lunch and what a great time. Barbecue and knife talk you can't beat it. We want to do it again and would like for any other members that live in or near Asheville to join us so if any of you that are close enough and would like to participate please contact one of us. In fact sometime this summer maybe we could do something that some of our members in Tn, SC or wherever would like to get together maybe a day at SMKW or something. So any of you that would be interested in this contact one of us it would be fun.

I would love to sit down with you guys, but failing that, let me know the next time you're meeting up, and I'll head to the pub here, in my Asheville T-shirt, and toast your health my friend

 

[traumkommode]

Now on a different note yesterday Andrew ( traumkommode ) George (@oldtymer) and myself met for lunch and what a great time. Barbecue and knife talk you can't beat it. We want to do it again and would like for any other members that live in or near Asheville to join us so if any of you that are close enough and would like to participate please contact one of us. In fact sometime this summer maybe we could do something that some of our members in Tn, SC or wherever would like to get together maybe a day at SMKW or something. So any of you that would be interested in this contact one of us it would be fun.

I would love to sit down with you guys, but failing that, let me know the next time you're meeting up, and I'll head to the pub here, in my Asheville T-shirt, and toast your health my friend

That was a hoot! I had a great time, too, and a get together with the Tennessee crew would be a blast. Jack, I think we could patch you in on Skype or something

 

[street soldier]

Great report. Thanks for keeping us up to date, Carl.
I know the whole porch will be praying and raising smoke for a positive test result on Monday.

+1

 

[screened porch]

I got this by accident.
I'd forgotten I was watching it, and I logged on my email one day and had a notification that there were three minutes left, so I went to look at the state of bidding, and got it as the second bid for $41, 16 seconds before closing.
It can't be older than 1959, but it looks a lot less touristy than my other one. I'm glad fate ordained this purchase.

 

[r redden]

I got this by accident.
I'd forgotten I was watching it, and I logged on my email one day and had a notification that there were three minutes left, so I went to look at the state of bidding, and got it as the second bid for $41, 16 seconds before closing.
It can't be older than 1959, but it looks a lot less touristy than my other one. I'm glad fate ordained this purchase.

Great score Jer I'm glad you got it my friend.

 

[5K Qs]

Just been for some new specs today - I feel like I've been mugged! Could have bought a nice custom for what they charged me!

I feel your pain, Jack. On the other hand, I imagine the new face jewelry has you looking quite dapper and even irresistible. I've had the same frames (tasteful small oval rims that are almost timeless ) for over 15 years now, and the guy I go to with my vision prescription has been able to make lenses to fit them, but I have to beg him to keep the "pattern" on file even though it's "out of print" now (or whatever the eyeglasses term is). I hope to have cataract removal/repair in at least one eye this summer; I'm guessing that may cost me more than the price of another Rough Rider canoe!

Wow!!! Some pretty heavy stuff coming down right now.

Life is great- it really is, but it can be darned tough as well.
Randy- a warning to take it easy brother- theres been some stress lately- so Im guessing you need to shirk that new friend out of your life ( stress ) and sit back and enjoy.

Carl...I was sick - in fact very sick for three years, I always felt there was some kind of Alien sticking on the back of my neck- my Joints ( now this will sound weird ) actually felt sick..I felt sick and poisoned in my joints, I would have "attacks" that started one day when I was at the movies with my daughter- all my joints started to ache- and got worse and worse- as it worsened my body temp would drop and I felt horrifically cold- shaking like a leaf- couldn't steer my car into the driveway as I was shaking so bad...my breathing would be like you pulled me out of a ice river - then I would heat up after about 3 hours of this....and have a feverish spell for about 12 hours of sweating and not quite with it...
These would be at intervals of a month or so at the beginning- then they worked their way to being nearly every 4 to 5 days...it would take me a couple of days to get over an "attack"... 3 years of going to doctors etc...I was not in a good space- expecially after being so strong and active....
The doctor visit- which I think saved me I told my doc I was bleeding quite bad..... half an hour later the hospital rang me and booked me in 2 days to get scanned, Colonoscopy etc- yep...massive Bowel Cancer Tumour- and about a million scans later and more scares... I went through the course of getting chopped up ...
Today I saw my Surgeon - Dr Lincoln Israel, this man saved my life , its been 5 years - he stood up and hugged me and said I was now an official survivor!

I was saved because I didnt have an aggresive Cancer- Quite an unique one actually which grew within itself and didnt get to travel outside my bowel walls - it had all the time in the World to do it- 3 years of hell as the poisons from the Cancer was what was making me so so sick....
If it was an aggressive Cancer, I would be little piles of Worm now... so man I am the luckiest guy out! I guess its how you want to look at it.

I guess what I am trying to say Iis that your lovely wife is lucky- you may not think so, but she is...she has a chance, sounds like a darned good one at that - where others never did, and from the sounds of it her odds are looking good - I pray that they are.

My next mission is to one day have my Heart Aneurysm that is quite big now on my Aorta dealt with- theres no stenting that baby lol.

My Brother died when he was 29 years old...he had only just become a man....I am now twice as old as my older brother when he died.... so with life what I do is put such bad negatives into perspective and Thank God, My Wife and my friends and daughters for helping me get here, I could have died as a young baby, boy or young man where so many millions have before me and I am now have just passed 5 years lease of life when I should have died, so I am so so lucky & 5 years up! Hows That! ...gunning for a hang of a lot more lol
I dont feel sorry for myself at all, and hate people passing pity onto me - although I do still get a bit scared in the quite of night - sometimes wondering if I heard Cancer creeping up on me again.... but if I get hit again, Im just going to hit back as hard as I can - a bit like our mate Randy - geeez - talk about that saying of "You cant kill Weeds"!!!


Ken, I am so sorry to hear of your bad news, I hope more than anything you - with perhaps your wife or mates, children? are working down through that Bucket list and manage to have some good times!

Very moving, inspirational, and wise post, Duncan. Most of us are really lucky to be here, in a sense, and would be better off if we could live each day to acknowledge that, like you've learned to do! Your post is also a wake-up call for me: I have several notes from the doctor saying it's time to schedule my colonoscopy, and I've been ignoring them, but with a younger sister who survived colon cancer many years ago, I really need to let the pros keep an eye on me.

Carl I know you are going to be on pins and needles until Monday but hang in there buddy I really feel Karen is going to be fine. I want you and Ken both that I have been praying for you guys daily since I heard about Karen and Ken both. Not saying my prayers are special just letting you all know someone has been praying for you.


Now on a different note yesterday Andrew ( traumkommode ) George (@oldtymer) and myself met for lunch and what a great time. Barbecue and knife talk you can't beat it. We want to do it again and would like for any other members that live in or near Asheville to join us so if any of you that are close enough and would like to participate please contact one of us. In fact sometime this summer maybe we could do something that some of our members in Tn, SC or wherever would like to get together maybe a day at SMKW or something. So any of you that would be interested in this contact one of us it would be fun.

Carl, I'm 100% with Randy on what he writes in his first paragraph.
Randy, thanks for the brief report on you three Porch denizens getting some "real face time". That sounds fantastic!! I hope you all, along with others, can get together periodically. That's a dream of mine, too.

- GT

 

[r redden]

Randy, thanks for the brief report on you three Porch denizens getting some "real face time". That sounds fantastic!! I hope you all, along with others, can get together periodically. That's a dream of mine, too.

I sure wish you were closer GT I know we've communicated quite a bit and sent knives to each other I also consider you my friend but it sure would be nice to sit down with you face to face.

 

[knarfeng]

I got this by accident.
I'd forgotten I was watching it, and I logged on my email one day and had a notification that there were three minutes left, so I went to look at the state of bidding, and got it as the second bid for $41, 16 seconds before closing.
It can't be older than 1959, but it looks a lot less touristy than my other one. I'm glad fate ordained this purchase.

Nice gaucho knife.
It's nice to hear about pleasant surprises.

 

[Jack Black]

I feel your pain, Jack. On the other hand, I imagine the new face jewelry has you looking quite dapper and even irresistible. I've had the same frames (tasteful small oval rims that are almost timeless ) for over 15 years now, and the guy I go to with my vision prescription has been able to make lenses to fit them, but I have to beg him to keep the "pattern" on file even though it's "out of print" now (or whatever the eyeglasses term is). I hope to have cataract removal/repair in at least one eye this summer; I'm guessing that may cost me more than the price of another Rough Rider canoe!

Thanks GT, I'm afraid science hasn't advanced that far yet though! Seeming as they didn't have any of these SAK-specs, I just tried to find some as much like my existing ones as I could!

Good luck with the operation my friend

 

[Jack Black]

I got this by accident.
I'd forgotten I was watching it, and I logged on my email one day and had a notification that there were three minutes left, so I went to look at the state of bidding, and got it as the second bid for $41, 16 seconds before closing.
It can't be older than 1959, but it looks a lot less touristy than my other one. I'm glad fate ordained this purchase.

Nice find Jer I occasionally look at one in a local antique shop, which has been on sale there for a couple of years. The seller doesn't even know what is, but it's got a crazy price on it

Since most of the pics still seem to be there, I thought I'd add a link to this old thread, which may be of interest to folks: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/knives-of-cassius-m-clay-of-kentucky-1810-1903.1357594/

 

[screened porch]

Thanks, guys.

Great score Jer I'm glad you got it my friend.

And this one has a spring-clamp in the sheath like a bayonet scabbard. (I had to pack the first one with milk-bottle plastic to keep the blade in by friction.) I have finally realized that "alpaca" in this context means nickel silver, nothing to do with the wool animal.

Nice gaucho knife.
It's nice to hear about pleasant surprises.

It even arrived yesterday, two days early, to give me extra swagger time.

Nice find Jer I occasionally look at one in a local antique shop, which has been on sale there for a couple of years. The seller doesn't even know what is, but it's got a crazy price on it

Some people don't seem to realize they aren't necessarily solid silver. I got my first one from the widow of a guy who'd been asking 3 or 4 times more for it for years.

 

[Jack Black]

Some people don't seem to realize they aren't necessarily solid silver. I got my first one from the widow of a guy who'd been asking 3 or 4 times more for it for years.

Yeah, the one in the antique shop I see just looks to be a slightly larger version of the one I paid £10 for, the blade is clearly stainless. It is advertised as a 'Solid Silver Boot Knife', and priced at something like £200!

 

[jc57]

That was a hoot! I had a great time, too, and a get together with the Tennessee crew would be a blast. Jack, I think we could patch you in on Skype or something

I'm in TN but at the far opposite end of it from you guys. It's a solid 8 hour drive with good weather and good traffic for me to get to Asheville. I love that area - the Smoky Mountains have been one of my primary vacation destinations since I was 3 years old, though usually on the TN side. It'd be nice to visit with some other knife aficionados once in a while.

 

[5K Qs]

I got this by accident.
I'd forgotten I was watching it, and I logged on my email one day and had a notification that there were three minutes left, so I went to look at the state of bidding, and got it as the second bid for $41, 16 seconds before closing.
It can't be older than 1959, but it looks a lot less touristy than my other one. I'm glad fate ordained this purchase.

Heigh Ho, Silver, away!! I know diddly about fixed blades, but you seem very pleased, Jer; congrats on your successful bid!!

I sure wish you were closer GT I know we've communicated quite a bit and sent knives to each other I also consider you my friend but it sure would be nice to sit down with you face to face.

Thanks GT, I'm afraid science hasn't advanced that far yet though! Seeming as they didn't have any of these SAK-specs, I just tried to find some as much like my existing ones as I could!

Good luck with the operation my friend

Those shades seem quite useful AND fashionable, Jack, but I think I'd have to do a lot of ear exercises to get strong enough to wear them!!

- GT

 

[Ramrodmb]

Is this a good place to ask about the Forum knife thread? I didn't think it got all that bad this time. Other than a handful of people (some usual suspects) I thought it wasn't that bad. I have seen worse years. Should we not have a thread to even discuss it?

 

[jc57]

Is this a good place to ask about the Forum knife thread? I didn't think it got all that bad this time. Other than a handful of people (some usual suspects) I thought it wasn't that bad. I have seen worse years. Should we not have a thread to even discuss it?

Forum knife discussions always get pretty "lively" and not necessarily in a good way. This year's seemed pretty tame to me.

 

[leghog]

I just spent 10 minutes at Sonic watching my wife searching her 12 year old 4Runner for a dime she dropped between the console and the driver's seat. She obviously found it, else we'd still be at Sonic, and I'd still be watching her search for it.

 

[jc57]

I just spent 10 minutes at Sonic watching my wife searching her 12 year old 4Runner for a dime she dropped between the console and the driver's seat. She obviously found it, else we'd still be at Sonic, and I'd still be watching her search for it.

There's dime that fell down between my desk and PC that I've been too lazy to bend down and pick up. It's been there for months, in plain sight. Thanks to this post, I just picked it up. Good to have a spouse that knows the value of saving money.