u/themessybadass

Around 5 years ago my friend moved to another country and gave me her plants. Many of them. In complete transparency, I should not have been the one to receive them, and I told her as much, but I was the last stop before her departure. I’m not worthy. At all. Several have not survived (I’m sorry 😬) but this Jade Plant has refused to die, despite my extreme inadequacy, and has flourished far beyond my aptitude. Apparently, they do pretty well with forgetfulness.

Due to some changes in my life, I’m taking more interest and effort into growing things… and that’s a story for a different sub. There are chopped pieces at the base of the plant, but not by me. One of the chopped stalks has regrown an 8” piece in a couple of years. It obviously needs to be repotted, but I don’t want a massive outward growing Jade Tree, or multiple… I’d prefer Jade Plants. More growth is coming. This plant is making a mockery of Brown-Thumb Betty, yet now I feel invested and fearful of making mistakes. Can I safely split this up? Should I just re-pot it and let it go to town? Can I cut parts and propagate?

I’m just going to leave it at that. I humbly request suggestions or lashings if so deserved. 😬

My almost 16 year old angel, Dexter, crossed the rainbow bridge several months ago. He was and is the bestest boy; the prince; the little lamb, and my soul dog for life. I’ve participated in pet-loss groups, and I’m finally getting to the point where I want to smile and laugh about the good times. He was the greatest gift, and I was the luckiest dog mom. I watch over this group with nostalgia, and it brings me a lot of happiness to see everyone’s sweethearts and fur-families. They are the BEST.

Not too long ago, I saw someone post their maltipoo doing what I always called, ‘The Celebration’. My heart flew out of my chest. It was a daily event here; one of my absolute favorite memories; one of pure, raw, uninhibited joy that could go on for minutes, or sometimes stop and restart for hours. Just beautiful.

I’m now curious if this is a common occurrence for the breed. Or other breeds, because my other dogs never did this. I’ve read about ‘contentment rituals or ceremonies’ and know it’s a thing. Dexter did it every day, and I know he was a very happy boy. Please, please share if your best boy or girl has ‘celebrations’. It would mean a great deal for me to read about. 🥰🫶🥹

Edit: He liked a short haircut. We didn’t often do the designer style. He enjoyed being aerodynamic and it helped with zoomies and celebrations. A good buzz brought out Benjamin Button. 😊

First you accept the fact your partner is a long time player and serious DM; then you’re begrudgingly talked into one shots; then you somehow find yourself in a two year campaign, and the next thing you know you are helping build a dungeon loft in your own front yard. 🍻

Edit: I can’t make this into 400 words without writing out the lyrics to one of my Bard songs, which no one wants to hear - including my own party.

No advice wanted, but stories completely welcomed. 💕

I know there will be people who just don’t believe in this type of thing at all, and it IS ENTIRELY possible we look for things that could be mere coincidence to reaffirm our belief there’s something greater at hand sending us signs. Still, an interesting experience whether coincidence or not. 

I’ve had two very strange experiences since my boy crossed over. I’m not even going to get into the first one, because it’s pretty wild for anyone - including myself - but here’s one I’d like to share:

Last weekend I was coming up on 2 months since losing my Dexter, and I was feeling super emotional. My grief is morphing into a different phase, and the reality of my sweet boy being gone forever is starting to set in. I’ve been reclusive and antisocial, to an unhealthy degree, so when our friends invited us on a quick overnight in their RV, my boyfriend gently urged me to accept. I knew he was right - these are good people who are easy to spend time with - but they have a sweet little dog. Selfishly and sullenly, I’m not loving watching beautiful human/dog bonds right now. It’s especially hard because I brought my dog everywhere, and I knew this would be yet another reminder he isn’t here. I pulled up my big girl pants and said yes. 

We spent a lot of the time talking about Dexter, and although I was envious at times about their dog, and really disliked myself for it, they were kind and empathetic. They didn’t tire of me talking about my memories, or loss, or lamenting he wasn’t with us. In truth, I was probably a pretty depressing guest, but they handled it with grace and class. They told me he would always be with me, in my heart and memories. I remember thinking it was a sweet sentiment, but it didn’t fill the hole in my heart. I don’t want him in my memories. I want him in my arms.

A couple of days later, I shared my first post on r/petloss. I was really going through it that night. By the time my tears were all shed, I had what I call ‘two little red marbles between fat hotdog bun’ eyes for two days. I could barely see, my eyes were so swollen. The cry was the hardest I’ve had in a bit, and everyone within the community here was supportive and the comments I received were really beautiful. I went on with my week, the best I could, as that’s what I consider a win these days. Getting out of bed is a triumph.

Last night I received a text from my friend and a picture. She said she went back into the RV for the first time since we’d used it to clean up for this holiday weekend. When she opened the door, right on the top step was a sticker that said ‘Dexter’. She sent me the picture. It was simple - like a branding off a Dexter lock or another manufactured item. She is not the type of person to mess around or send me something to make me feel good. She’s a no-nonsense type who is going to tell you what’s up, whether you want to hear it or not. She said finding it gave her goosebumps and when she showed her husband, he freaked out too. 

I looked up the sticker, and apparently it’s found certain brands of trailers and on parts of RVs. But they have had this RV for over 5 years, use it virtually every weekend during every summer, and have not seen it anywhere. It randomly (or not?) dropped off of something, somewhere in the RV and landed on the step. 

They left it where it was and on their way out of town today, stopped by to show me. I was touched by the gesture, and it wasn’t lost on me they found it extremely bizarre as well. Girl scout’s honor, that sticker was almost parallel to the stair edge, sitting at the very entrance to the RV I’d been in the last time they used it. None of us had seen it during the trip or when we unloaded and left. 

It was barely sticking to the floor, just the center of it, so the sides were all up and ready to peel off. She gave it to me, took off on their adventure, and I did a little bow to the universe. I considered that maybe my Dexter was there after all, and he will always be present in spirit whether I see him or not. Call it the universe; call it a higher power; call it a sign; call it a spirit; call it just plain coincidence, but I still call it beautiful. 

If anyone would like to share any unusual stories, I would LOVE to hear them. Thank you for being a supportive community.https://imgur.com/a/dXp30ZP

Edit: Even just one downvote on this post made me break out in tears, so if that’s the main consensus, and this kind of post is controversial or not appropriate for the group, I’ll accept it and delete ASAP. Whatever the experience was - real, perceived, coincidental - it will be a part of my journey, whether it’s published on Reddit or not. 💕

B09-PD Nautilus. Realistic value? I found one exactly like this that sold for $500 in 2013. When I hold it, I don’t really want to put it down. 🤣

Hi again. If anyone is interested in reading the story on why I have these knives in my possession, you can look at my first post in r/knives. Short version: I’m helping a widow whose deceased husband was a knife enthusiast research her collection. The stories behind why he had certain pieces are buried with him, and I’m trying to unearth what I can. I know people spend their entire lives on this hobby and passion, and I’m just an idiot bumbling my way through, but honestly, I’m really enjoying it. I have so much appreciation for the people who have aided in my knowledge and understanding.

I’ve learned that Webb Hammond is a knife maker from Oregon. He often uses walrus ivory for his handles, which I believe is the case for the first knife labeled #11 (these tags were made by me solely for cataloging purposes) The second, #7, is showing me everything from stag to bone.

The evaluations I’ve found online vary wildly.

Any insight would be appreciated.

I’m sure many of you saw my Reddit schooling on a Pakistan knife yesterday, the research I’m doing for a widow, and the story of being denied posting on a Knife Facebook group who claimed to be inclusive to newbies and experienced alike. They aren’t. 🤣 I’m fairly confident this won’t be nearly as embarrassing as 35k people seeing my last post. Some shaming is fully warranted, but as I said in a comment on my last post, I’ll take the insults and down votes to gain the knowledge. (Excuse the #21 tag… it’s solely for cataloging purposes)

My newbie research has told me this is a Boker Solingen 547. Deep dive says it’s BO120547K Limited edition Chestnut Wood handle, brass guard. 151 of 350 made.

If I am again a dum dum, please inform.

It has been in storage for quite some time. Should I give her some love? I read about mineral oil, but I don’t want to commit an egregious error.

I cannot locate the sheath, but it’s possible it may be somewhere. How much does absence of sheath affect value?

I’ve read about differing opinions on Boker, but aside from all of that, anyone have opinions on evaluations? Again, thanks for indulging my slow but determined learning curve.

🎶 down votes already commencing 🎶 It’s not easy being unknowledgeable and vulnerable in a group of experts, but I’m going to keep at it. Thanks to the helpful people.

TL;DR A FB group stinks, I’m new and dumb, help would be cool.

For some reason a gatekeeper in one of the knife groups on FB won’t let me play with the big kids in the sandbox. Gandalf has planted his staff, and I’ve been assured I shall not pass. I’ve posted 3 different knives in different ways, adhered to all of the rules, but 3 deleted posts with no explanation is a pretty big hint to beat it. I’m a self proclaimed newbie and knife dum dum (although weeks of denial and continuous research has provided me with a whole new set of terms and knowledge), so rib away. I’m a little intimidated by Reddit because people like to downvote, but I’m already down. 🤣

I’m caregiver for a widow whose husband was a knife collecting enthusiast and she wants to learn about his collection. She regrets not learning about them while he was still here, but we always think we have more time. By unusual circumstance I have found myself researching something that was completely out of my wheelhouse, enjoying it, and will own a few beauties of my own by the time it’s all done. She will be letting go of some eventually, but right now it’s just research phase. I need to learn to help her, but I also want to have enough knowledge to be worthy of any gifts before I accept them.

Google lens and website clicks can only get me so far; there’s no replacement for experience and expertise. He had eclectic taste and there are many in the collection made by independent bladesmiths and knife makers whom I have not yet identified.

Hopefully, someone here is interested in helpful advice.

Here’s the first head-scratcher: 

Things I know about it: Tanto tip Damascus. Pearled handle. There’s no signature on blade.

Things I don’t know but would like to know: The tag says L.C. and I’m guessing it’s the maker, but don’t know. There is a word before ‘handle’ that says either choil or cholla and I’ve looked both those words up - cactus material or the knotch behind the blade - and can’t figure out which one is right. The term for a spine that is beveled - not serrated - but in a decorative way. Insight to estimated value would be cool, but not necessary.

Any info without the ribbing is appreciated. If you have any suggestions on where to learn more besides a Facebook group, Google Lens, and website clicks, I’d be happy to hear them. I’m starting with 25 and at least half are proving difficult.

Looking forward to seeing everyone’s knives.

*Edit: I was schooled quickly, efficiently, and respectfully by this Reddit group. I’m extremely grateful.