“What’s in Your Yard?” Guest Post by Carol Cole

 

Carol Cole is a newbie to the hobby of metal detecting, it is something she has always wanted to do, and she has been officially at it for about a month now.

Carol lives in northeast Kansas, is retired, married, with children, grand children and great-grandchildren. She volunteers at her local arts center for BBBS, and enjoys watercolor, collage and found objects (imagine that) mixed media.

Carol found her first Barber dime yesterday afternoon, and says “I danced like the crazy woman I am. My friend thought I was having a heart attack.”

I’d say Carol is already hooked on the hobby, enough to already start writing about it anyway, and I am happy to welcome another woman into the crazy, fun and sometimes obsessive world of metal detecting!

I hope you enjoy the following article by Carol about her first experiences with a metal detector.

What’s in Your Yard?

by Carol Cole

Five minutes after a little quick instruction, I was ready to try out my friend’s metal detector in a local park. I hit a solid signal, dug down about 2 inches, found a clad quarter and three clad pennies. My first pocket spill.

I screamed “Eureka” effectively scaring the little kids in the tot park, and thoroughly embarrassing my friend.

It was an epiphany of unequaled proportions.

I was hooked.

A week later, the UPS guy delivered my own detector and a pro pointer. I headed out that afternoon and have been like a crazy woman ever since. When it rains, or it is really cold, I watch detecting videos or soak up information about detecting in online forums. I conned my hubby into making a serrated edge on an aluminum trowel. He did a great job, and it works like a dream. I am trying to learn to speak “detectorist” lingo. I carry spare batteries in my glove compartment. My eyes are constantly looking for a new place to hunt. I network with friends and relatives. It is surprising how many opportunities have opened up.

Housework , laundry and cooking have taken a step backward. I bring carry-out home sometimes after a long day of digging. I do laundry late at night. Vacuuming reminds me of swinging the detector. It is even okay now to suck up a Lego now and then. Did I mention I was hooked?

Right now I dig most every signal. My buddy says you could bury a small animal in the holes I plunder, but I am getting better. I throw away the trash, replace all intact worms, and try to leave the ground looking like I had never been there. I did find my first silver the other day, a 1960 quarter. What a thrill!

I am thinking a real entrepreneur could make money aeratingfolks yards, collecting and selling the worms you find, ridding property of trash, returning lost items, and maybe find a bit of treasure for one’s self in the process.

A day’s worth of bending down , kneeling, and digging can wear on this old crow’s bones, but it is great exercise and such an adventure. And, like an old crow, I am looking for anything shiny!