From the shit!

I've been lurking here for quite a while and have posted enough times now, it's time to 'represent' myself.
It's seems I've been 'in the shit' for most of my life!

I became romantically involved with Mary Jane in the rice paddy's of Viet Nam in 1970.

I had countless men breath there last breath in my face over there, I was a medic. I've been a medicinal marijuana user every since.

What I'm about to tell you will come off a little Forest Gump'ish. I have no reason to lie here, and you can believe this or not.

After a tour of duty in Viet Nam, I was discharged in 1972 from Ft Lewis Wa. Within a year I found myself working at Boeing in Seattle. Sheetmetal mech. in the facilities division working on the buildings/tools. This job gave me access to the entire place!

While wandering the roofs of the buildings one day, looking for a place to smoke. I came across a giant greenhouse! I went inside and it was full of all kinds of potted trees & plants. I found out this is where they maintained all of the lobby/office plants for executive row. This was the Boeing headquarters bldg. There was this "Mr Miyagi" like, Japanese gardener that kept 2 of everything & rotated them from the roof to the offices every 2 weeks. What caught my attention were two large stadium lights inside. He used them to keep everything flowering.

When I mentioned this to a coworker/smoking buddy who was an electrician in facilities he knew all about them. The gardener had requested them. They were old parking lot lights.

While sitting around smoking with a couple of more coworkers/smoking buddy's (who happened to be Boeing Engineers) watching football on TV. I brought up the greenhouse lites. After a few minutes of conversation about them, we all looked at each other at once, and immediately went down into this guy's basement on Mercer Island.

Within a year these two opened up Seattle's first (and possibly the worlds first) indoor grow shop. The rest is history!

Do you know where 'Northern Lights' strain came from? I do..............

I'll save that for chapter 2.

doublejj

nice story man..welcome

Welcome aboard.

Welcome to Rollitup.

My electrician friend, Greg, was black. He had an uncle who was about 85 years old. Retired merchant marine sailor, who had been smoking weed since he was 11 years old. He told stories about smoking marijuana around the world that would make your eye's red just hearing them. We got lifted with him all the time.

About the time these guy's were hooking up lights in the basement, Greg's uncle died. We made sure he had a couple of nice joints in his pocket when they put him under. What he left for Greg was a suprise to us all. He saved seeds!

Greg inherited two large suitcases full of glass coffee jars full of seeds! They were all marked and sealed tight. They were all there: Thailand, Jamaica, Afghanastan, Turkey, Panama, Colombia, Morocco, Mexico, India, African, and on and on..........

This was long before there were seed shops in Amsterdam or Canada, this was a gold mine. Greg gave most of the seeds to those two Boeing engineers and within a year or 2 they had 'Northern Lights'

Greg and I went on to bigger adventures............

doublejj
P.S. I came to love Greg more than a brother would! The best friend you could ever have.

I had purchased 40 acres of forest land next to a national forest in NE Washington state. About 1973 Greg got layed-off from Boeing. We hatched a scheme to grow gorilla style on my 40 acres.

The first year we grew it on my land, made enough money, we bought a rotto-tiller. Second year we grew in the national forest, we bought a small tractor. Things were going good.

Third year was when disaster struck! I knew Greg was in trouble when the police came to my house, asking if I knew him!

They caught him in the patch! They traced him back to my place because he was riding a motorcycle that belonged to me.

If you've never had a loved one/friend 'fall on there sword' for you, you can't imagine the feelings that hit you. Greg took it on the chin, like a man. Took the whole fall. Stay-down Motherfucker all the way, I'd trust him with my life. He wouldn't rat me out, so they thru the book at him. 15 years! That was in 1976. He wound up doing 9 at Walla Walla.

I gave his wife money for his 'book' every month for 9 years.

You couldn't know a better man.

I don't know where Greg is today, we drifted appart not long after his release. Prison had changed him!

doublejj

Not long after 'fall of 76' I moved back to California.

Then, the Earth tilted on it's axis and I spun-off into another dimension and in 1986 I found myself behind the walls of Folsom Prison! Back in the shit!

I'm in my 23rd year of a 25-to-life, at 8 hrs a shift! I voluntarily enter Folsom Prison every day. I'm an MTA (Prison Medic).

Even though this is California, the state government and the especially Dept. I work for (Corrections), does not recognize or make any provision for medicinal use under prop 215. I would be fired if they knew.

And Calif Supreme Court recently ruled that employer's can legally fire you for medicial use. So, I must stay quietly in the closet, where I've been for over a quarter century.

The staff assault rate at Folsom Prison is 30% a year. I have a 1in3 chance each year of being assaulted by an inmate, and I'm the one trying to help them!..............Back in the shit, again!

doublejj

Marijuana is the best stress reducer known to man. It's gotten me thru all the shit I always seem to be knee deep in!

And just so you don't go thinking I'm over exagerating things a little, when I say shit, I mean the stuff that makes you say: "SHIT!"

Like this:

I saved this man from bleeding to death after the Bloods put a hit on him at Folsom. The girl was 18!

Suspect in Student's Killing Has Prison Record - New York Times

Like I said, I've been a Medicinal user for a long time, to get me thru the shit.

doublejj

That's one cool ass story, man.

Sux to hear you doing 25 on the installment plan...I did time and appreciate how 'prison had changed' your homie. It does that. Just like any forward position, I suppose. Prison ain't war, but it's sure fucked up like few can imagine, sometimes...

And you're the medical staff, too? < low whistle> I guess we do what we want sometimes, the rest of the time, we just do what we can.

I feel you, big homie.

So you've already put yourself like, pretty far out there. I mean, there can only be so many MTAs in the CDC... and you grow ganj?

You're fuckin cool, Holmes! And I know you got a handful of them old dried up bud seeds from across the globe...hiding in a bag of birdseed...well you just let me know how to get at em in case you kick unexpectedly at work one day. You know...headed from a fight in the kitchen to medical and you slip and fall on a shiv in the hallway - kind of an occupational hazard, y'know - tho not as much for medical staff... I'm just trying to make sure that the proper propegation of the marijuana goes on.

You wouldn't want all the old brotha's hard work and stewardship of possibly the world's FIRST seedbank (probably just an old stacy adams shoebox) to be for naught, wouldja?!

I'm just trying to be a good (and stoned) citizen, here. I did my time. I pay my taxes. I gave the state their ridiculous fee to puff my pot. (I don't have to get a permit to grow any other plant, do I? Okay cool... I was gonna say, that'd be weird!)

I'm just flipping you shit, JJ. On the real: You're a vet, and I'm an American who cherishes his freedumb, as well as the sacrifices made by those who bleed for what so many take for granted, here in the states.

Thank you for your sacrifice, and for my freedumb.

And thank you for doing your part to keep California's prison population healthy and booming... you guys are still #1!

And I've heard about the oath you doctor-type guys take to the hypocrits...do no harm and alla that jazz...but if you find yourself plugging the main vein of some rapo - chimo - freak of a sexual predator...you know, one of those cats with multiple victims (cause you almost NEVER get caught the first time out - am I right or what?!)...maybe you should just let nature take its course. I mean, you don't have to thwart god ALL the time. Just think about it...

Much love, JJ. You're a warrior hero on the one, and a fucking real life johnny appleseed on the other!

You, my friend, are what the kids in 'Merica are calling 'a pimp' these days.

Not like a 'street ombudsman' pimp...more like, a young dude with good looks, lotsa cash, a large penis, and a great personality, kinda pimp. Kinda like me...

...except those first three or four items...

Be well, JJ. Welcome to you...

Cool story. Welcome to RIU.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, my wife (of 38 years) would have a fit if she knew I was posting here.

Posting here is very much a catharsis for me.

I haven't spoken about these things for maybe 25 years. At some point you just want to see them written down somewhere.

I won't go into my current gardening habits, I've said enough already. I will say that I do not purchase weed!

I hope to get thru the next few years (knock, knock) unscathed, and step out into a easy retirement. Then I can come further out-of-the-closet, and maybe post some pictures and advise on growing here. If I can get some old polaroid pictures scanned in, you wouldn't believe what we were doing back in the 70's! lol! Hell, I almost can't believe it!

In the mean time, I was just laying a foundation for who I am, and possibly shed some light on why I might post/respond in a certain way. So your not asking, "Who is this guy?"

I really am a positive person and look for the good when ever I can. Sometimes that can be difficult. Mary helps me a lot.


Good luck to everyone, & 'stay outa the shit' if you can!

Peace
doublejj

welcome to RIU,
grow that shit!

doublejj said:

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, my wife (of 38 years) would have a fit if she knew I was posting here.

Posting here is very much a catharsis for me.

I haven't spoken about these things for maybe 25 years. At some point you just want to see them written down somewhere.

I won't go into my current gardening habits, I've said enough already. I will say that I do not purchase weed!

I hope to get thru the next few years (knock, knock) unscathed, and step out into a easy retirement. Then I can come further out-of-the-closet, and maybe post some pictures and advise on growing here. If I can get some old polaroid pictures scanned in, you wouldn't believe what we were doing back in the 70's! lol! Hell, I almost can't believe it!

In the mean time, I was just laying a foundation for who I am, and possibly shed some light on why I might post/respond in a certain way. So your not asking, "Who is this guy?"

I really am a positive person and look for the good when ever I can. Sometimes that can be difficult. Mary helps me a lot.


Good luck to everyone, & 'stay outa the shit' if you can!

Peace
doublejj

Click to expand...

SURE WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME OF THOSE OLD POLAROIDS! sorry bout the caps

Me too ^^ bump for a great guy with a great story!

Man, I've looked & looked, I can't find them. I think my wife 'purged' them back when I went to work for Corrections, and just doesn't remember.
If I ever find them, I'll post right away.
Although I've come pretty close, with some of my latest grows
I'm still around & hang out over on the outdoor page, theres more pic's in the links below

Good luck & stay out of the shit!
doublejj

A great story, welcome back home soldier.

Thank you brother. I'm still represent'n ARMY!
I wear this hat every day, as a tribute to those that never came home.
I've never forgotten!

doublejj
P.S. This is what retirement looks like, Hooah!

Retired and fishing as well, brother. Midwest, inland lake, bass fishing for me. Pre-spawn coming up soon. Water temp still a little cold.

Happy retirement,....Here's to tight lines brother!

doublejj

Hell yeah doublejj!!! Thanks for defending our country and protecting my freedom.