Learning About Rocks and Minerals

Being a part of Westvon Publishing has been more than a great experience, and as we increase our rock and mineral business, I get to learn even more about rocks and minerals.   My brother and I used to collect rocks, minerals, and fossils when we were youngsters, but he was the one to actually take it to higher levels.  I remember when my brother put together a class A, award winning rock display for his junior high school science fair competition.  We were very proud of him, and to the best of my recollection I think he did win a prize.  He’s not much into rocks today, but I do know he still loves them, and has retained a great deal of knowledge about them. 

Here at Westvon I have a major source of inspiration with regards to rocks, minerals, and fossils.  Her name is Jessy Chekal (17 years old), eldest daughter of my friend and business partner, Sherri Chekal.  Jessy is already more knowledgeable about rocks, minerals, and fossils than most adults I know with college degrees, and is destined to be a great geologist one day.  Jessy, with the aid of her entrepreneurial mom, has developed a rock and mineral site that not only provides a wealth of information about rock and mineral species, but has also evolved into a very good business.  www.rockhoundkids.com

Jessy provides the information and hard facts (no pun intended) about the numerous species of rocks and minerals, and is also in charge of putting together the variety of rock kits that are for sale on her site.  Her love for rocks and minerals has been the catalyst for the development of two other websites, one called Rock Hound Tips (www.rockhoundtips.com) and the other, Rocks, Minerals and Fossils for Kids (www.rocksmineralsandfossilsforkids.com) .   No doubt Jessy will go far, not only in her business, one days as a geologist. 

Cable News: The Source of Much Depression

Not that I want to bury my head in the sand, but I’ve about had it with cable news. If you believe even a fraction of the nonsense on the news networks, we’ve got only a day or so left to survive. My parents have the news on all day, and when I talk to them, the discussions center around the war in Iraq, nuclear annihilation from Iran, the Presidential campaign trail, global warming, and escaped convicts. These things are certainly real, but I often ask, in light of hearing the doom and gloom reports, “What do I do with this information now that have it?” That is a question we should all ask, don’t you think? Just what am I supposed to do with information about a wild police chase through the streets of L.A.? I don’t live there, my car is not in harms way, my kids are not in harms way. What good does it do for me to know it? Absolutely nothing! It only then becomes a source of depressive information. Yet another reminder that the human race is screwed up, and contains elements that will hopefully not pass on their DNA. We’ve become a nation of voyeurs looking into our neighbor’s life window, and for those really out of focus, there is the opportunity to live vicariously through the success of our heroes. Burying my head in the sand, nope, just sick of trivial news that is overblown and exaggerated to make us think the world is going to end sooner than later. There are too many positive things in life to accomplish, and spending time in front of the glowing tube of gloom only leads to more depression. Staying in touch with important issues is not the problem. We can think back to 9/11 when the world had a legitimate concern that we might be on the brink of a major war, and the media kept us informed. These were things we need to be aware of in life, but the trivial garbage like the color of Hillary Clinton’s dress (was it blue by chance?), or perhaps, a lost puppy in the Yukon, or a car chase in Memphis make me wonder why we need to have our brains cluttered with it. I’ve always wanted to blow up a T.V. but it’s against the law, darn it! Is it against the law to use them as target practice at the shooting range? Guess I’ll have to check it out. Check out this video clip. LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!! www.blowupyourtv.wordpress.com

We’ve got another new website!

There’s a new website out there and it’s got a neat look!

It’s called www.BluegrassMusicTips.com

Basically, it’s a website devoted to all sorts of tips about bluegrass music from bands to instruments and picking, festivals, events and so much more.

And if you submit a tip that get’s published, you get to post your favorite link as a thank you! What a great way to get your own band, event or blog out to the bluegrass community as well as sharing great information! Go and check it out!

www.BluegrassMusicTips.com

Sharing Poems with My Daughter

My little girl Vonnie has returned to the world of homeschooling this year, and it sure is paying off. She, and her old brother, are working with an on-line program that covers the full range of academic subjects, but also requires them to practice penmanship. Vonnie is developing into a very thoughtful writer, and I have always tried to instill in her (as I have my three other children) that the ability to write is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. If you have the gift, then by all means, celebrate it with all that is in you. Every day I challenge her to write a new poem, and in response I send her one as well. I think I’ve discovered a new way (new for me at least) to motivate my kids to write. Encouragement is the greatest thing to keep them with pen in hand (in addition to using the computer to word process), but I’ve also seen the eyes light up when I discuss the redemptive side to being a writer. Write in such as way as to bring words of life to others. Words hold the keys to the rooms of life and death, and it’s a matter of choice which door you open. ” And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. ” (James 3:6). What a great reminder of the tragic potential of an unbridled tongue, and yet how many of us can really say we’ve never used our tongues destructively?

Our children need a vision, not for greatness, but for living redemptive lives in a world consumed by narcissism, and darkness. How do we teach our children to recognize the calling that God has given them, because we all have a calling no matter how great we may be. Frederick Buechner put it this way in his daily meditational book titled, Listening to Your Life. “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the worlds deep hunger meet.” (p. 186). I have always believed that writing should be a redemptive activity so that the lives of others might be uplifted and nourished. My goal with writing poems back and forth with my daughter is to give her the spiritual and intellectual fodder  she needs to develop her skills of communication as well as refining her writing voice in order to bring words of life to others. Oh yes, I would have included one of Vonnie’s poems, but she’s not given her consent to post any of them. I’m glad she takes writing seriously, and realizes that words are not to be taken lightly.

www.journalinglife.com

Hardline Drive Band: IBMA Showcase in Nashville

Well, our trip to the IBMA conference last week went off very well, and I have to say that we had a blast!   We arrived somewhere around 8:00 am on Wednesday, October 3, and practiced up a bit for our showcase that evening with the Northern Indiana Bluegrass Music Association.  The showcase was a whole lot-O fun, to-say-the-least, and it was a different experience to look out in the audience and see professional musicians like Terry Baucom, and the Chapman Family watching you play.  It was also a thrill to receive positive feedback from several professional musicians with whom I have a profound respect.  It’s all good, and a part of the process of becoming the kind of musician you need to become in order to get to that next level.  We all had the chance to jam with many other musicians while at the IBMA show.  My hi-light was spending time jawing with Ron Block, banjo player for Alison Krauss.  We talked more about man’s search for meaning, Christianity, and human struggle than we did about music, but for me it was a great experience.  I can’t wait for IBMA 2008.  By then we should have climbed to the next level of our journey platform.

Frederick Buechner: A Man of Profound Wisdom

For those of you who may not know this man, you are in for a treat.  I first encountered the writings of Frederick Buechner When I was in my senior year of college (1983-84).  Have you ever encountered someone in your journey who made a profound impact on you?  Most of us can answer this question in the affirmative, and we never forget the moments, and the person.  Sadley, in my experience, two of the most important people I’ve encountered in this way, I’ve never seen again.  One person in particular has vanished of the face of the earth, or so-it-seems.  Frederick Buechner is the kind of man I hope to be like, both as a writer and a human being.  His candor, and willingness to show us his feet of clay is a fountain of true humility that proves (at least to me) the fact that flawed humanity is not a stumbling block to divinely inspired wisdom.  The attached video clip is a short glimpse into the soul of a man who has journied through life as an astute observer of human behavior, society, truth, and suffering. My little daughter Vonnie watched this video clip, and remarked, “Daddy, this video is both humorous, and touching.”  That is a very good way to put it……………………humorous and touching.  Buechner writes from the heart of a man who has struggled to reconcile life’s struggles with the grace of God.  Through Buechner’s writings you’ll find God’s redemptive presence in the midst of sorrow and suffering.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=erAbpkQhuvM

 

Homeschool Family Tips

Wow, another website! Yes, this is one that I’ve been thinking about for a while now!

If you’re like me, you LOVE… no, you ADORE tips about the things you do! Primarily, how to help my homeschool family run smoother! And this is what HomeschoolFamilyTips.com is all about!

Yes, I know there are great tips out there on the web, scattered about, here and there, hither and yon, but I wanted them all together, in one tidy place! I want to be able to look at all the teaching ones, or those about family chores, or even pets? I wanted them all together!

Since I couldn’t find my perfect site, I decided to make it! And ta-da! www.HomeschoolFamilyTips.com came out.

The best part is that everyone can contribute and get a little thank you in the form of a link back to their blog or their website, or just their favorite site out there on the web! It’s a great way to share the wealth and I’m so excited that we’re working on this for everyone!

Even if you only get one good idea a week from the daily tips… that one idea might save your time or money or make school easier! And it’s really not just for Homeschool Families, only… shoot, all families can benefit from some of these little gems!

So go and check it out, will you? And consider submitting a tip!!!

www.HomeschoolFamilyTips.com

New Website for Rock Crazy Kids!

We are so excited to announce that we’re finished up (mostly) with Jessy’s new website! Ta-Da!

It’s called… www.RocksMineralsandFossilsForKids.com

She had all her wonderful rock and mineral kits and goodies for sale tucked away on her informational website, www.RockHoundKids.com and at our main homeschool site, www.TheHomeschoolShop.com, but they were just not getting the attention we thought they deserved. We wanted a place to show off all the cool kits and materials that this child hunts down for her fellow rock hound kids! So we’ve been working on it for the last couple weeks and it’s ready to debut!

Go and take a peek! Tell us what you think… I personally LOVE the Deals page, with four neat groupings at a real sweet price. I love the idea of having geology birthday party themes! That’s so cool!!! Instead of giving out candy or dollar store junky little toys that get lost or broken within a few minutes, how about some real science, ROCKS and MINERALS! One lady wrote in and said that she took the three pounds of tumbled stones she bought and buried them in the sandbox and then the party goers got to dig them out!!! What fun!

Lots of neat ideas for the perfectly cool birthday party for your rockhound kid!

Leaving for Nashville at 6:00 pm: IBMA Here We Come!!!

Well, today’s the day we leave for Nashville, TN to attend the annual IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) and I have to say we are stoked!!!! The high point for us will be our first showcase tomorrow night with the Northern Indiana Bluegrass Music Association at 11:00pm. For those of you who may not know, a showcase is the chance for a band to be heard, to show what they’ve got, so-to-speak. This showcase will be featuring bands scheduled to perform at their festival next year in Kendallville, IN. We’re hoping to get in on a couple other showcases, but not sure as of yet where that will lead. Regardless, we are excited to be together as a band, and to get more exposure with our original tunes. We will be staying at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville, but I’m sure that we’ll be betting little sleep. I can see us up jamming late every night for sure! We’ve been working hard since December to carve out an identity for ourselves, and to create a style with our own voice. Bluegrass music has changed a great deal since its early days, and what we are witnessing, no doubt, is the emergence of new styles of music. Many people are ill at ease about it, but many of us are excited to be a part of its evolution, whether we are at the top of the heap, or trying to get there. It’s a long road, no doubt, but it’s worth the struggle to get to a level where you’re creating quality music (hopefully). For all the bluegrass fans and musicians who might be reading this blog, I hope to see you in Nashville.

Hardline Drive

Westvon Products are Available through the HomeschoolBuyers Co-Op

We just signed a deal with the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op and now Westvon Publishing Homeschool products are available to their membership at special deals!

If you haven’t checked this site out, you should! What a lot of neat offerings and all at really good discounts to homeschool families. There is no charge to join and they offer a nice newsletter and other resources as well.

www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org