Trying to get healthy in 2025

Mark La Ciura.

My 1971 metal detector with the Galena rock found in a local dry river bed.

On my last visit to my cardiologist he told me I need to walk at least a mile a day. I listened to him and decided to walk around to yard sales in Golden Hills one day. I spotted a metal detector at one sale and thought this was another good way to encourage more walking.

The metal detector was in need of a little care with fasteners lose and lots of cleaning. The owner wanted $3. But since I was concerned it wouldn't work, I walked away with my $2 detector. I got a nine volt battery from the dollar store and this old detector made in 1971 came to life.

I have had good success in dry river beds finding old coins, but my most interesting find so far is a rock called Galena.

Galena is the natural mineral form of lead and sulfide. It is a important ore of lead and has amounts of silver within. Being that Galena is basically lead, it set of my detector off in a big way.

The fun part was getting the rock home and beginning some research Galena is one of the most easily found, widely used sulfide minerals used in lead batteries and is a great semiconductor. In the early days of the old west, people would melt this rock down and make projectiles. It's safe to handle in the natural rock form.

I'm happy to have found a great, healthy way to get some low impact walking in.

Happy New Year to all!