The Hobbit Hole VII - But not yet weary are our feet...

[Wneighbor]

I like that Gerber. Looks like to me it's either that or the Schrade. What think?

[msdrby]

You got it.

[HairOfTheDog]

Is it in the local news? Any hint of family disputes or custody issues?

[ecurbh]

Anyone check the registrar's political affiliation?

Not that I'm aware of. Here's the live thread about the problem.

[Ramius]

Hey howdy there everbody!!! [sip]

[Ramius]

Holysmokes! I just saw that post on your friend and the kidnapping... Yikes... any news?

[Wneighbor]

I don't know if it's on the news. I'm still at work. All I know is that lady was in an afternoon class here. Got an emergency phone call from her dad who usually picks up the son from school and the boy had been signed out by "the mom" who had been here since 8:30 this morning. No custody issues or previous problems that any of us have heard. The dad works, the mom goes to school here, the grandfather picks the children up from school and today this one had been taken by someone signing as mom.

That's what I know about that part of the situation. Am anxious to get home and check local news and see what I see.

[Ramius]

[sigh] Now I suppose we'll have to go to some system where moms and dads will have to show ID to pick up a kid at school.

[Wneighbor]

No news.

The lady isn't a friend. She's a student in another program here. Since I'm the female on staff I was sitting with her while she was waiting for her ride to pick her up and take her to the elementary school to meet the police. My first contact with her personally... not the way you really want to meet someone.

I will give news as I hear it. I'm kinda stuck right now though, proctoring tests so I got to keep quiet and vigilant staying in the classroom. Tedious it is.

[Wneighbor]

You know, that would really suck. Why wouldn't some school official just ask little Johnny, "hey, is this your mom?"

What happened was, the lady signed the paperwork to take the kid out of school in the school offices on the 2nd floor of this elementary school. The office called downstairs to the classroom to tell the teacher to send the kid up to the office. They told the lady claiming to be mom to wait outside the office and the kid would be right up. So, no one actually even *saw* the lady and boy meet one another. Some people *think* they saw the boy get in a car with a lady but nobody could remember exactly. Gees...

I like to think that I had taught my kids enough to scream bloody murder in a situation like that. But, then you have to wonder if anybody would have paid attention since they believed the lady was the mom. I dunno.

[Ramius]

Something just isn't right here... she didn't just run off with some kid-of-opportunity. She was after a particular kid.

[300winmag]

I like that Gerber. Looks like to me it's either that or the Schrade. What think?

I think it's both, depending on where the deals are. As a pocket knife, they both seem quite nice. I would be happy to carry either one in my pocket.

[Wneighbor]

Yeah. She knew the kid. I guess they just haven't figured out who it is they know that did it yet. No one at the school had a description of the woman at all. AND those who said they saw the car couldn't remember what kind of car. They just saw the boy get into a "car."

[HairOfTheDog]

No one at the school had a description of the woman at all.

Well, people are not real good witnesses... it doesn't surprise me that they didn't notice what kind of car. but there ought to be a basic description from however 'mom' talked to.

[Ramius]

You've been doing great work with this, Mr. Winmag.

After your testing, it looks to me like the Schrade is coming out on top. The little Gerber looks like a good thing too, though I would sure miss the side clip. Your point that it would be a good true *pocket* knife is true, though.

I've always gotten good service from Gerber knives. In my Coastie days I carried a couple of different knives. One was a 4" folding Gerber with a nylon handle and thumb-opener. The other was a folding Buck that I lost overboard one day. Very sad, that.

[JenB]

Doesn't mean the boy trusted this woman... he might barely know her, but if no adult saw the two of them together, she could have said anything. She could have told him his mom was in an accident and she was taking him to the hospital.

Possible this is more a 'stranger' incident, for all we know the woman could have been watching the mom and son for ages without even speaking to them. Who knows. It sounds like a bad situation though.

[Wneighbor]

but there ought to be a basic description from however 'mom' talked to.

Wouldn't ya think! From what I was hearing here - the lady on the phone at the school was initially trying to just get this mom off the phone because it was time for her to go home from work. I'm sure she didn't understand the gravity of the situation but she just kept telling the mom that they were closing the offices, that the "mom" had picked up the kid and she'd have to talk to the kid's "mom." HELLO!!! The phone lady at school finally got it that it was the mom on the phone and turned her over to the principal who immediately told the mom to call 911. Now, why the principal wasn't calling 911....????

I dunno, this is a reason I am not impressed with schools. The one lady just wanted to leave for the day. Apparantly she was also the one at the desk who let the fake mom sign out the kid too. I don't think she was gonna be leavin' on time after the cops got there.

[Ramius]

I think you'd be a good one to ask this question to:

I've heard before that Buck puts a harder-than-normal temper on their knives, or perhaps uses a harder and more brittle steel. This gives then a sharper factory edge, but makes them a real bugger to sharpen, once they need it. Is any of that actually true?

I've had Bucks before and they all seemed to sharpen OK, though it did seem like more work than other knives I've used.

[osagebowman]

Well, that's kinda hard for me to advise you on that. Check out the Primitive Technology on google; there are quite a number of atl-atl sites and plans with dimensions. Darts are easily made out of hardwood or ramin dowelling from a lumber yard. Points are generally just field archery points, 125 to 150 grain 23/32 size, fletching is generally about six inches, buying full length feathers from the same archery shop :-) Duco works well for fletching attachment.

[osagebowman]

300winmag; interesting and good looking knife, looks like it would work, however lacks the panache of your gold standard. I've been gettin AGRussel catalogs for years, usually for recyling, nothing I really need, but I found one that missed the recycling. :-) Any thoughts on the SOG-outline? Small for sure, almost like a neck knife but could be clipped to vest or pack strap. It's not a folder, it's a sheath, priced retail at 21.95, probably can beat it at your places by a good deal.