The things you can find...

....while walking the dog!

The parks I take Saskia to are not huge. For the dogs, there are some woody
bits and some grassy bits and some sandy bits and some hills and the canal,
etc. But for the humans there are a limited number of paths winding through
this. So I have developed the hobby/habit of scanning the sides of the
paths, especially where the soil is loose and on a slope, as I walk around
and around these trails. I often find pipe bowls and fragments of pipe stem
from the 1700's, sometimes from the 1500's, and rarely from the 1590's (when
they started making these). These pipes are recognized as the first ever
truly disposable item. They were made in their millions, and simply tossed
aside if they cracked or broke or the fashion changed.

I have also found pottery shards, from the modern era, from the 1900's, the
18-00's, a LOT from the 1600's, and a few from the 1300's. I have two
bottles that would have held Haarlemmerolie, a local nostrum popular from
the 1690's to the present day. One of these bottles dates from the 1600's,
the other form the 1900's. I have a wine bottle, unscathed, from 1760. All
this, mind you, in three months of casual perusal while I walk the dog.

So what did I find today? A human jawbone. Lower jaw, right half. I'm not
kidding. The police have already been by to pick it up. They told me it is
between a couple of years and a few decades old, and will keep me posted as
to anything they may find out about it. But, well, weird, to say the least!

Oops, I was just interrupted typing this by the police coming back to have
me take them to the spot where I found it. So the neighbors were treated to
the sight of me cheerfully climbing into the back of a police van with
Walter in the stroller. While I was showing them the spot, a passer-by whose
dog was playing with Saskia yesterday asked what was up. She pointed out
there used to be a graveyard about a mile farther on, and said that
therefore she would never have thought to call the police. The policeman
told her that bad things and disappearances can happen even near graveyards
and that he thought the bone wasn't necessarily all that old, and so she
should always call in such a case. They dropped me off with a
now-sound-asleep Walter, and said the bone will go to forensics next to find
out exactly how old it is, and on basis pf that more steps may be followed.
They will keep on top of it for me, and if they're able to find out anything
from forensics they'll let me know; they understand me being quite curious
about it.

--Katrina

>
> ...while walking the dog!
>
> The parks I take Saskia to are not huge. For the dogs, there are some
> woody bits and some grassy bits and some sandy bits and some hills and the
> canal, etc. But for the humans there are a limited number of paths winding
> through this. So I have developed the hobby/habit of scanning the sides of
> the paths, especially where the soil is loose and on a slope, as I walk
> around and around these trails. I often find pipe bowls and fragments of
> pipe stem from the 1700's, sometimes from the 1500's, and rarely from the
> 1590's (when they started making these). These pipes are recognized as the
> first ever truly disposable item. They were made in their millions, and
> simply tossed aside if they cracked or broke or the fashion changed.
>
> I have also found pottery shards, from the modern era, from the 1900's,
> the 18-00's, a LOT from the 1600's, and a few from the 1300's. I have two
> bottles that would have held Haarlemmerolie, a local nostrum popular from
> the 1690's to the present day. One of these bottles dates from the 1600's,
> the other form the 1900's. I have a wine bottle, unscathed, from 1760. All
> this, mind you, in three months of casual perusal while I walk the dog.
>
> So what did I find today? A human jawbone. Lower jaw, right half. I'm not
> kidding. The police have already been by to pick it up. They told me it is
> between a couple of years and a few decades old, and will keep me posted
> as to anything they may find out about it. But, well, weird, to say the
> least!
>
> Oops, I was just interrupted typing this by the police coming back to have
> me take them to the spot where I found it. So the neighbors were treated
> to the sight of me cheerfully climbing into the back of a police van with
> Walter in the stroller. While I was showing them the spot, a passer-by
> whose dog was playing with Saskia yesterday asked what was up. She pointed
> out there used to be a graveyard about a mile farther on, and said that
> therefore she would never have thought to call the police. The policeman
> told her that bad things and disappearances can happen even near
> graveyards and that he thought the bone wasn't necessarily all that old,
> and so she should always call in such a case. They dropped me off with a
> now-sound-asleep Walter, and said the bone will go to forensics next to
> find out exactly how old it is, and on basis pf that more steps may be
> followed. They will keep on top of it for me, and if they're able to find
> out anything from forensics they'll let me know; they understand me being
> quite curious about it.
>
> --Katrina
>

wow, sounds like an interesting day! I would have been quite curious about
it myself, you'll have to let us know what they find out.