ROCKWOOD ROCKHOUND NEWS

January 2003

A Big Thank You To Our Officers!

Our 2002 officers have all agreed to stay on for another year. Let them all know how much we appreciate their loyalty. Joan Schlichter remains President, Peggy Nuske - Vice President. 

Marianne Toenjes - Secretary and Bob Morse - treasurer. Claudia Uccello will continue to serve as Editor. Please help these people out during the year. We are looking for some interesting speakers. If you have any ideas, let Peggy Nuske know.

New Meeting Day

Because of budget cuts, the library will be closing at 5:00pm on Fridays. Therefore we have had to change our meeting day to the third Thursday of each month. Don’t forget to mark it on your calendars.

The Grand Finale for the Year 2002 was a great Christmas Party. The weather cooperated, almost everyone was there, the food was delicious and we had a good old fashioned sing-a-long.(We have some very talented musicians and singers in our club.) The gift exchange (rocks, of course) was great fun. Thanks, Dianne and Andy for hosting the party for two years in a row. It is such a great way to end the year.

Larry Toenjes has been making amazing progress. Even though his illness has not be diagnosed yet and may never be, he has been improving daily. By the time this newsletter is received, he may be back home. Marianne says that he has been walking, eating , reading to his grandchild and even dancing with her to one of the Big Band recordings. This is truly a miracle! Keep those prayers going!

January Program
Bob Morse will be showing slides and telling us all about his trip this summer around the north shore of Lake Superior. Since many of us have Lake Superior agates in our collections, it will be fun to learn about the area.

Mineral of the Month
Hank Schlichter will be presenting limonite as his Missouri mineral of the month. If you have a nice specimen, please bring it along for us to see.

Students at Highcroft Ridge Elementary School

Highcroft Ridge Elementary School

In October, Claudia Uccello had the privilege of spending the day talking to Elsie Rafferty’s Gifted and Talented students about rocks and minerals. These interesting, well behaved students, ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, were a joy! They participated in all the activities and were quite interested in our Mineral Kingdom.

Helpful Hints
New life for Worn Out
Rubber Gloves
1. Make rubber bands from the cuffs by cutting into slices.
2. Slip fingertips over the jaws of pliers to protect silver or stones.
3. Use tips to cover ends of handles, tools, etc. so they will stand when leaned against something.
4. use finger tips over your own index finger when sorting papers.
(Viz Rock Chips,Drming, New Mexico)
Ed. Note: If the gloves are clean, they can be rubbed over upholstered furniture to remove dog hair!

Interesting Factoids

In the triple Divide Peak in Montana’s Glacier National Park, water flows in three directions--to the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, and Hudson Bay. (Via: MFW Newsletter 12/02)
High Winds...In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world’s nuclear weapons combined. (From Mr. Marven’s Express News,
Wia:Ozark Earth Science News 11/02)

Volcano Rumbles

Mauna Loa volcano, in Hawaii, after 18 years of dormancy has begun showing signs of eruption again, prompting the U.S. G. S. to warn villagers who have built upon its slopes since the last eruption in 1984. Some $2.3 billion have been spent building on the slopes of the volcano.
Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843. The 1984 eruption sent a 16 mile lava flow downward for three weeks.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says it may be months to years before the next eruption, but they hope people will take heed heir warnings, so as not to have massive loss of lives. (Via: USA TODAY 10/16/2002)

Did You Know?
Did you know that the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC is growing g stalagmites and stalactites in its basement? This phenomenon is caused by water seeping through the marble and carrying minerals with it. Through the years the formations have grown several feet. When it was built, engineers sank 122 steel cylinders to bedrock about 50 feet underground. The base of the memorial is set high above ground on a rectangular platform, thus forming a cavernous space beneath the floor. (Via; Rock Pickings)