On Tue, 25 Dec 2012 22:53:43 -0800, Gunner
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:31:48 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Dec 2012 15:10:25 -0800, Gunner
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Dec 2012 10:56:57 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

Yeah, I do that now in a single raised bed on the West 40. I'll grow
lots more next year, JIC. Non-GMO, non-hybrid heirloom seeds are in
the mail to me now, as well as a nice little 55cm Japanese tanto. (My
Christmas presents to myself.)


Cool!!

http://www.solitude2012.com/images/2...5311090848.jpg

Nice! Hope you got a real one and not a Pakistani version. My son
ordered a 3 blade set some years ago..and while it superficially
looked like real blades...it was utter crap from Pakistan. Id warned
him..but noooo...he wanted "real blades". He certainly didnt get
real blades.....

It's a genuine Chinese "Japanese blade". I made sure of the "full
tang" and "practical" aspects before buying. Here's their blurb:

--snip--

Our company is located in the beautiful scenery,Longquan city, which
is the city of Chinese swords. Our firm is a professional company
mainly producing swords and martial arts equipments; meanwhile, it’s a
excellent emprise of swords industry in Longquan. So far, employs over
50 people, over 10 of which is the R & D personnel. Our company
attaches great importance to quality, so as to create the first brand
of Chinese swords. Company award is based on the following reasons:

Longquan swords own 2500 years of traditional culture. Longquan is
famous for swords and named for porcelain. In the years of Tang Qian
Yuan (759), called Zhi County, Though it only owns1250 years, but its
history can be traced back the Spring and Autumn and the Warring
States Periods, after 2500 years enduring, still stunning. In the
Spring and Autumn Period, the founder Ou ZhiZi, came here and made the
swords: "Longyuan", "Tai e" "Gongbu" ,which created a precedent of
weapons of iron. From then on, Longquan sword skills passed down from
generation to generation, enjoying a high reputation athome and
abroad. The Chinese famous poet Li Bai highly praises: “who Knows such
a normal person as me, there is Lung-chuan under the waist."

Our products, by forging, shoveling, filing, engraving, quenching and
grinding etc. 28 processes, with its "tough sharp, hard but soft,
extremely shining, equisite decoration" as known, have aworded the
highly appreciated and praised by State leaders, foreign friends,
artists and martial arts.

Our company is rapidly growing, which has cooperated with Zhejiang
University to develop and research, will create more new varieties.
Besides, the scale and strength of company is being expanding and
growing. We believe: Honors witness strength, strength to lead the
future. Our company is leading the new trend of Chinese sword and
always applying ourselves to the new swords Concept Ideas: a sword, a
life.

--snip--


I felt sorry for him and got him a real set. The Paki stuff is up on a
shelf somewhere.

Yeah, condolences. I've seen those 3-pc sets and they're real junk.
I didn't do much research the first time and got a nice, shiny,
useless, HEAVY, straight katana. It'd take off a head by sheer weight
alone, I'm sure. ;( But I'm only out $30 and it's in a pretty,
silk-wrapped, dust-collecting box.

I believe the tanto would be well suited as a fallback CQC weapon,
plus it's a truly beautiful looking knife. g

--
You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others,
or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are.
-- Jeph Jacques