Some things are etched in stone, others only imagine things etched in stone. Like Ben Franklin's Epitaph, which in the romance of our own thoughts, he imagined up sometime just after midnight as he stared out the window into a distant brewing thunderstorm. Maybe his thumb lovingly grazed the cover of a favorite book as flashes of brief light illuminated the shadows of his features. 

Anyway, his epitaph is interesting. Especially in light of Forrest's recent question and answer with Jenny on Mysterious Writings. You know, the one about how things rubbed after time change the appearance of things. 

Here's the mock epitaph a still young BF (that's what I want to call him) conjured up on that imagined night so long ago:

The Body of 

B. Franklin, Printer,

Like the Cover of an old Book,

Its Contents torn out,

And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,

Lies here, Food for Worms.

But the Work shall not be whlly lost:

For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more,

In a new & more perfect Edition,

Corrected and Amended

By the Author.

Here is the epitaph in BF's own handwriting:

​​And here is a plaque with the epitaph:

And here's an old timey article with the epitaph:

The funny thing is that this epitaph, though clearly beloved by many, was not what an older and wiser BF wanted his headstone to read. In his will, he clearly stated how he wanted his headstone, and his wishes were carried out. He simply wanted to lie beside his wife in eternal rest. 

Epitaph's, both real and those thought up in one's youth, can be interesting, can't they? What would yours say? I haven't thought much about mine. Maybe I should, before I get too old. It would be sorta cool to look back if, God willing, I live to an old age and see how my thoughts have wizened over the years.

In other news, things are becoming clearer...

And James arrives today! 

Mish Mosh and Dressage

So, Dal put up this "No Contest Contest About Me," and Forrest started it all with a short blurb about himself. Then we were all encouraged to put up little blurbs about ourselves, and urged to keep it short and sweet.

Well, it was interesting, because as the comments started pouring in, short and sweet became longer and longer, and some people became not so sweet. There were a few barbs thrown from seemingly out of the blue nowhere. The "two" Diggin Gypsies went at it for a while. To me, there is one original Diggin Gypsy, and that's the one from Georgia. I know the back story, and I believe DG from GA is the original Diggin.

But really, what does it matter? Why fight for an old man's nickname? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of life? And then, when the arguing is seemingly resolved peacefully, why stir it up again by throwing barbs at DG and anyone who dared to stand up for her? Why apologize, if you're going to come right back and start hurling crap again? I don't understand that.

But my boss and I were talking about this kind of thing yesterday, and she said her yoga instructor showed her a video by a psychologist named Marshall Rosenberg. He's known for being a mediator between warring countries and his expertise is in non-violent communication.

She searched around on YouTube and found it, and we watched it together (work was a little slow yesterday), and one thing this guy said stood out. He said, "Any evaluation of others that implies wrongness is a tragic expression of an unmet need." Think about it. He said our country's way of communicating is seriously messed up, and I just violated one of his rules of non-violent communication. In fact, we all do it, every day. He compares non-violent communication to that of a giraffe, and "violent communication" as to that of a jackal. I thought that was right on.

If I say, "My coworker is always loud and rude to the patients," that's a judgmental statement and NOT an observable fact. In some cultures and even among Americans, a loud tone of voice is not considered "loud," and since I can't observe every interaction between the coworker and patient, I can't know if she's "always" rude, and my perception of "rude" may be different than hers and others.

So, it helped to give me a new awareness to perception, and will hopefully help in my communication in everyday life. Even when I don't think I'm being harsh or judgmental, others may perceive it that way. I think we could all use a little help in the area of judging others, don't you think?

Back to the No Contest thread--Iron Will kept it fun and interesting, throwing in a little puzzle of his own.

Anyway, I have to say, Jeremy P. is the bomb. And I mean that in a good way. He posted about horses, and what athletes can do on horses. My mind immediately blinked back to a few scenes in LOTR where Legolas does some amazing elfy things on horses. I posted a link to this video:

I would love to be able to do that. When I was in my teens, my best friend had horses, and for about a year, I had a 16 hand gray thoroughbred, and we took lessons and attempted a few shows. Our focus was on jumping, so I knew nothing about Dressage. Jeremy posted an awesomely hilarious video in response to my Legolas horse mount. You can find it here. I haven't laughed so hard in a month.

Anyway, it was a fun thread, for the most part, and nice to read about most of the other searchers.

However, getting on Dal's site yesterday was nearly impossible for most of the day, because of an overload of people visiting who had heard the sad news that Randy Bilyeu's remains have been positively identified. Linda Bilyeu issued a statement to the press, which Dal put up today, and Forrest's response. I can understand his ex-wife's frustration, and I do think Forrest's seemingly glib comment about having to kill her if he told her where the treasure is was in bad taste, but again, how can I be sure? I have two sides of one story, and I'm sure there are more dynamics involved then I can objectively observe.

All I know is that it's a tragic situation, and a hard pill to swallow for all involved. But life has to go on, you know? You have to keep taking that next breath, and you have to move forward. In time, I hope Linda and her family can keep moving forward, and gain strength from the experience.

Okay, in an effort to lighten things up, I'll tell you about waking up today. I woke up at 3:00 am, when Hermione the Nightcrawler, jumped on my bed after a night of prowling and decided the best place to sleep was on my head, her head on my ear. Then the really loud purring started, and the kneading of claws in my neck. And of course, Monet was instantly jealous, and had to start licking my face and plopping her butt down right against my nose. I actually videoed it in the dark. Lol.

So, I just decided to get up. James is coming tomorrow, and I'm excited for a nice weekend with him and the kids.

Things are progressing well with my solve, and I think I've got the state locked in. :)

Not Just Red, but Infra Red

Forrest is seeming to call attention to red letters lately. And I found an interesting thing on ChaseChat that I believe Seannm posted. It's the early logo of the Ben Franklin Five and Dime Stores.

The symbol is a spark (asterisk) igniting a key. It was inspired by Ben Franklin's experiments with lightning and electricity.

The key has a heart cut out in the top. The words "BEN FRANKLIN" are written in capital red letters.

I didn't give Sean's post much thought until last night, when I found "5&10" in TTOTC in big bold blazing letters.

So, I went back and reread Sean's post. Then did a little research and have decided the red being hinted at isn't just red, but infra red. Here's the wiki article on infra red:

"The color Infra red can represent love, anger, warning or death. Infra red is a "strong" color, used for intense emotions and concepts. It can symbolize death because infra red is the color of blood. Blood red may also symbolize life's blood. Because infra red is the color of blood, it is most frequently used as the color of the heart. It is also sometimes connected with embarrassment because people sometimes flush bright red. Other times, it is used to represent anger because sometimes people's faces turn bright red.

Infra red is also associated with the first chakra, located at the base of the spine. Infra red therefore is associated with all the basic things that we need for survival, all those things that give us security, those things that allow us to live.

Because it is the most easily visible color in the spectrum, infra red is frequently associated with warning or danger, the things that threaten our security. We use a infra red light to indicate we need to stop. Many warning lights on equipment flash red. We use the term "code red" for high alert.

In the Animal Kingdom, many animals or organisms that are deadly, dangerous or poisonous, (or want to appear so, to deflect predators) will have a bright colouration, usually red. This is why the colour red is associated with warning, danger, and primal survival instincts.

Infra red is also a symbol of power and prestige. We roll out the "red carpet" for VIPs.

The color of molten lava, Infra red is also associated with heat. We refer to something that is really hot as "red hot." Fire trucks used to be painted red. (Many places now use other colors that are more visible in traffic than red.)

In Africa, red is a sign of mourning."

I've always known red letters are important, and I'm finding them. I'm also finding several heart shapes.

No matter what Forrest says, never touch one of these:

Anyway, just a short thought on red stuff... :)

And a quick note, Forrest's questions and answers yesterday about the bracelet that was made even more beautiful by touching it? The oils from fingers over a long period of touching created a kind of patina on the turquoise. Time creates a natural patina on things, from pages in books, to bronze, to just about everything, even ourselves.

Think about that.

I've posted in much more detail on these things on www.fennhotspot.com. :)

At Least I Slept...

James surprised me on Sunday by announcing he's coming for a long weekend this weekend. That'll be awesome, as usual. I got some man things for him to do around the house (if he wants to), like help me put together the exercise equipment. The kids also want to do something fun when he gets here, so I was thinking either Escapeology or Medieval Times. My mom's birthday is Saturday, too, so we'll probably bring Monet and a little cake and have a little party at the rehab place.

I can't remember if I told you all that my voice is almost back to normal. That's a very good thing!

Solving the poem is also taking a lot of time. I can only do a little bit every day. It seems like it's going to take me forever to get through it. I know there has to be an easier way, but F said there are no shortcuts, so I'm thinking maybe there isn't an easier way. I am making progress deciphering his scribble, though.

One thing that I absolutely KNOW is that I have the right method. You can't deny something that's right before your eyes, and I understand all the skepticism. It's something you'll have to see to believe.

After a few sleepless nights, I had a really weird dream last night that just came from out of the blue. With so much poem work at night, you'd think I'd dream about cold stuff and being brave and all that. But this one was just from left field.

I dreamed I was in college, and I guess I was running for some sort of office. I was also going to church again, and the pastor was this long-haired surfer type complete with the California
"Duuuuudddde" thing going on. He was a little goofy, but some things he said made sense. And I worked at some kind of ice cream shop, but it wasn't really like an ice cream shop (I really did work in an ice cream shop during the 12th grade).

Anyway, because I was a Christian, my "opponents" didn't like that very much, so they took to the streets wearing ridiculous helium balloon costumes that had cardboard signs taped to them. One said, "Mindy eats poop." And another said, "Mindy kills babies." Which, of course, both are not true. The second sign implied I support abortion, which I don't. And of course, I don't eat well, but I don't eat poop, either, cause I would be dead if I did. I really thought they were funny, and was expecting some serious attacks. When I read, "Mindy eats poop," I laughed out loud.

Anyway, the pastor guy said that the public will always oppose Christian values. And then the next thing I know, some fanatic is trying to climb a wall of basketballs to get to a shotgun so he can take out my opponents, and I realized that things might get serious, and I had to stop him. The shotgun was on top of a shelf over the wall of precariously place basketballs, and the pastor was actually trying to climb up them. I realized there was an easier way, and started taking the basketballs from the bottom and throwing them at the basketball wall, which made some basketballs dislodge and come bouncing to the ground. Soon, there was no basketball wall left to climb, and I had saved all the helium guys from being blown to bits.

But of course, that didn't stop the helium clad attacks.

And then there was something about going into a graveyard at night, and that might have been fueled by something poem related, but I don't remember that very much.

Maybe hearing about politics all day long from patients with some very strong political views, and from coworkers with some very strong political views, was the catalyst behind my dream.

All I know is that I don't like either candidate, but will vote democrat (against my affiliation) to keep the helium balloon mockery, Donald Trump, out of office. You guys think a bunch of smart advisers will keep him from doing stupid things? Think again! He just can't prevent the stupid from coming out of his mouth. The guy is a train wreck just waiting to happen. If he becomes President, I will seriously get moving on finding that chest or making serious money some other way and then move to Denmark.

Today is purple day at work, and I think I'm going to rebel and wear black. The purple is really just awful. And I won't feel bad, because my boss also doesn't like the purple or the gray, so she wears what she wants on Tuesdays and Thursdays, too.

And today will be somewhat difficult. We have two diagnostic in-office arthroscopies, which are really not that hard or time consuming, but require sterile technique and for some reason that stresses everyone out, and that makes for a hard day. A couple coworkers came in our office yesterday and were saying, "Ya know, Dr. K has TWO of those diagnostic things tomorrow, so he better be on time, and blah, blah, blah, complain, complain, blah, blah, blah." They don't realize that the more they complain about him not being on time, the more effort he will make to not be on time, because he's the doctor and no one is going to tell him when to arrive at HIS practice.

Oh well, I guess it's time to start getting ready!

They're All Home!

The kids got in safely Tuesday night, and I had this great video going of them walking right past me without seeing me as they came out of the gate area, and me sneaking up and walking right behind them as they look around for me. BUT, a Tapatalk notification popped up right as Callie remembered I had done something like this last time and she turned around, so the video stopped recording at the penultimate moment. Dang Tapatalk!

I'm finally feeling better from the flu thing that ravaged my office, but my sinuses still feel like they're full of rocks.

My voice is like 90% back, and I'm happy about that! I had my check up with the endocrinologist the other day, and things look good. I just have to get one more round of bloodwork and go back in three months. There is a slight concern that I might not have all my functioning parathyroid glands, and I had a nuclear scan to find out, but I don't have the results yet. That wouldn't be a really big deal--I'd just have to keep taking calcium for the rest of my life.

Hermione is a really terrible kitten. I hate that she can be so bad and yet so magical. I would put up a recent picture of her, but I "lost" my phone yesterday morning. I had set it down with my ipad before going to work, went into my room to grab my purse, and then I couldn't find my phone. It just disappeared, like Forrest's ball of string, only it wasn't raining outside, and my story is true. Lol.

So, all my pictures are missing right now. I'm sure the phone was probably batted under something by Hermione, who likes to claw her way up my leg to gain a high vantage point to leap on Monet from.

Anyway, I wanted to talk a little bit about Forrest's podcast the other day, which you can find here.

The part I want to clarify is where he says this:

"They don't need to READ my book, but they need to READ MY POEM. But the BOOK will help them. But they can find the treasure if they can decipher the clues that are in the poem."

Forrest has also recently said, "I suggest you go to MY POEM IN THE BOOK and read it a few times. All of the necessary clues are there." (Forrest Gets Mail 10)

So, remember when Forrest said that the more detailed the map, the better? Forrest is slowly becoming more detailed in his answers. He is slowly moving toward telling more of the truth. He's started to empathize his book more often. He's starting to say "read the poem in my book" more often. He's gradually adding detail to the map. 

So how do you reconcile my saying you need the book and him saying you don't need to READ the book? That little word, "READ." My solution, my method of solving the poem, does not require that you read the book (as verified by The Wolf, who knows about my solve). I have only said you need the book. Everyone is so quick to jump to assumptions that they don't really listen to what Forrest is saying. 

"There are subtle hints (or clues, depending on the source) in the book." The "key word" there is subtle. Google subtle. What's the meaning of the prefix, "sub?" Who is "Submariner," Forrest's second favorite comic book character? Forrest also likes the words "insidious," and "subterfuge." What do those words mean?

Someone once asked if the blaze was a single object. Forrest's response was "In a word, yes." The key word there is "in." What does "in" mean? And the key is finding the definition Forrest intended when looking up these words. I believe that is absolutely possible when you pour them all into a pot and boil them to make something useful. Lol.

The trick to finding the process to solve Forrest's poem is reconciling Forrest's seeming contradictions and listening to what he is actually saying. I can't stress that enough. And there is a method that does reconcile those "contradictions." Remember, Forrest also said on Jenny's, "It is fun to arrange words in such a way that you have to smile at the end of a sentence."

Which leads me to Jenny's most recent weekly words, which people are just sorta ignoring, although it says something important.

"Be mindful of nature and your health, but not in that order." (July 15, 2016)

What does "mindful" mean? It means "aware of something that may be important."

So, be aware of something that may be important. What are the possibly important things he's telling us to be aware of?
Nature and health. 
But not in that order. 

One meaning of health is "general condition or state."
One meaning of nature is "the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing."

And one meaning of order is "arrangement."

You logical folks should be able to figure that out. Especially in conjunction with Forrest's earlier statement that it's fun to arrange words in a way that makes you smile at the end of a sentence.

But, the literal interpretation of those weekly words is also cool:

The poem is arranged in a way that made Forrest smile at the end of a sentence. That arrangement is what needs to be "deciphered." Once you do, then you have a very specific set of ingredients, or instructions, or whatever it is you want to call them. Not specific physical places you can walk to in the Rocky Mountains. Not yet. Before you get that treasure, there's work you have to do.

The beginning to understanding the poem is realizing that where warm waters halt may not be a spring, or a confluence or something you can point to on a map. In fact, the FIRST meaning of where warm waters halt is most definitely not any of those things. The FIRST meaning of home of Brown is most definitely not brown trout. You've got to get past those assumptions if you want to find the treasure, and it's because of these prevailing assumptions that the treasure hasn't been "found."

And yes, solving the poem is difficult. Even when you know the method. It takes TIME.

But not too much more...

Disclaimer: Some of the elements mentioned in this post are not a part of my solve. :)

In the Beginning...

In the beginning, we had...The Thrill of the Chase, A Memoir. And that's it. That's all we had. No Dal's blog, no ChaseChat, no other blogs or websites. I'm not sure when The Old Santa Fe Website came along, but anything about the book or the poem was not there before the book.

I'm going to now show you the answer to the first clue, which is the first stanza. I'll do my best to explain. Try to read with an open mind, and for a few minutes, put aside your biases and LISTEN.

As I have gone alone in there...

Remember, in the beginning, all we had was the book. No interviews, no Scrapbooks, no Jenny Kile. Well, Jenny Kile was there, but no Six Questions, no Weekly Words, etc...  So, in the book, he said he sprinkled "clues" throughout to help, right? So, let's look in the book and see exactly where and when he says he was alone:

Pg 15: "So now I sit here past midnight, beside my juniper fire, REFLECTING BACK TO THE YEAR WHEN MY AWARENESS TOOK ITS FIRST FEW STEPS."

Pg 27: "I was proud to have THOUGHT of that IDEA ALL BY MYSELF."

Pg 56: "It was on a long, straight stretch of road with no cars or people around anywhere...I REMEMBER sitting down for about an hour to CONSIDER my lot in life and PONDER if anything was left of my future."

Pg 78: "Later, in ones REVERIE, those MEMORIES can come sparking back when ignited by something innocently said or something THOUGHT...So it is with me now, as I sit here past midnight, ALONE WITH ONLY MYSELF TO KNOW."

Pg 97: "I remember the air was quiet, even over the large populated areas. No one was around; no one was on the radio, no one to talk to. The impersonal lights were there, but I was all alone." Immediately after that, he covered Philadelphia with his thumb, and it took him "to another dimension in my MIND, a PLACE I would not visit again until the grave marker entered my life. Years later I would meld those THOUGHTS into ONE, the sum of which would change my life."

Pg 102: "No one else can think my thoughts, so I am myself ONLY TO ME."

Pg 102: "Why do the yellow and purple flowers flourish where no one is there to see? The answer is at last obvious to me. NO ONE HAS TO SEE WHAT IS THERE...What has made me think that I had to see the beauty that is there in order to confirm its existence?"

Pg 112: "Candor requires that I admit to having touched the painting. It happened in my office WHEN NO ONE ELSE WAS AROUND...This was exciting to me, and by touching it I COULD IMAGINE, in some small way, that I was a part of that company...I feel sorry for those that don't understand THAT DEPTH OF IMAGINATION."

Pg 124: "There comes a time (maybe it's an age) when all of us REFLECT ON THE HAPPENINGS that marked our passage through the brakes and thickets of life. Most are conjured up by reverential spirits and are RESERVED FOR TIMES WHEN WE HAPPEN UPON THE SOLITUDE OF JUST OURSELVES."
"A passing mood will bring THOUGHTS of loved ones FLOATING BACK to dominate a few moments of our time. The REVERIES are too many to be counted, but each one OCCUPIES A FAR CORNER OF MY MIND, waiting for another time. I love things when they do that."

Pg 125: "Those great places, which were personal secrets to me then, are now busy with the flourish of fishermen and women....I always thought that space was mine alone, and many of the MEMORIES there bred are even now SO PERSONAL THAT THEY EXCLUDE THE INTRUSION OF STRANGERS."

So, EVERY SINGLE TIME Forrest mentions being alone in the book, it's referring to thoughts and memories. He's gone alone into his MIND as he REMEMBERS times past. "In there" refers to his memories, his mind, HIS MEMOIR.

And with my treasures bold

I can keep my secret where

And hint of riches new and old.

Pg 133: "There are other subtle clues sprinkled in the stories."

These last two lines are the clincher. When he published this book, he had no idea of the cult-like throngs of people that would be looking for the chest. He didn't know there would be the Today Show. He didn't know of the myriad of blogs that would go up. He didn't know he would write Scrapbooks and answer Jenny's questions, or have ANY idea he would have an opportunity to hand out hints.

So where did he put the hints he talked about in this stanza? There is only ONE place-- HIS MEMOIR.

Old and new:
Pg 135: " I've always had a love for history and that's why I like to collect and talk about old things."
Later in the chapter, he talks about a "secret" way of creating a bronze, which he has now revealed as the "lost wax process." He loves bringing about old ways of doing things to make something new.

Old also refers to the method to solving the clues. Notice in the following quote he does NOT say he was leaving clues on WHERE to find the treasure, but HOW to find the treasure.

Pg 129: "So I decided to fill a treasure chest with gold and jewels, then secret it -- leaving clues on HOW to find it for any searcher willing to try. It was a PERFECT MATCH OF MIND AND MOMENT."

So, the answer to stanza 1, the first clue, is HIS MEMOIR. He also tells us that the stories hint at HOW you will find the treasure, not WHERE you will find it.

It can't be anything else, because when the book was written, Forrest had no idea how big this would grow.

So, yes, you DO need the book to solve the poem. Remember, Forrest said he learned from his father that he should always tell the truth, but not always tell ALL of the truth.

When he said all you need is the poem, he is not telling ALL the truth. But all you need is to solve the first clue, stanza 1, in order to figure out what else you need.

Also, in Forrest's most recent Forrest Gets Mail, he seems to have decided now is the time to start telling all the truth in regards to his book. There are two questions there where Forrest tells the interviewer that the poem IN HIS BOOK is enough to lead a searcher to the treasure.

And Forrest has also used the recipe analogy for cake baking as an analogy for solving the poem. You can say a recipe is all you need to figure out how to make a cake. But that's not really ALL the truth, is it?

You can tell a friend to find that delicious cake recipe online, and it'll tell her how to make a cake. All she needs is the recipe, but we don't tell her what the recipe calls for, like eggs and flour. She will definitely need those too, in addition to the recipe.

But we don't need to tell her what ingredients she will also need, because those ingredients are listed IN THE RECIPE.

That is the same principle Forrest refers to in that analogy. You can't bake a cake if you leave out an ingredient. Read and follow the recipe PRECISELY, and your conglomerate of ingredients mixed together and put into an oven will turn into something useful--a cake.

"In there, he can keep his secret where and hint at riches new and old."

And if only Forrest is alive to keep his secret, where does he keep it? In his mind, which he has shared with us through what? HIS MEMOIR.

Pg 136: "My part will be very small in the big picture but huge to me."

Arguments I will invariably hear against this answer:

"But he said clues weren't deliberately placed to aid the searcher."

My answer: They weren't deliberately placed. They were naturally placed.

"But there were the stories before The Thrill of the Chase posted online in The West Yellowstone Times, and My War for Me was also online."

My answer: True, but they had no connection with a treasure hunt when they were published. They only became connected with the treasure hunt when TTOTC was published.

Can you find the hint in this Scrapbook pic from Dal's?

CHECK MY BOOK.

The word that is key is MEMOIR. It is, after all, part of the TITLE.