Kathy's journey

[KathyLauren]

Hi Kathy,                 18 May 2018

Are you saying it hasn't thawed out yet? It was over 100° f here today; nothing frozen in sight.

Best Always, Love,
Christine

LOL.  No, this year's thaw is over and done with, thankfully.  But now I'll have to wait for it to freeze again next winter and re-thaw for it to soften up again.  When the top 4 inches is thawed and everything below that is still frozen so the moisture can't drain, it gets soupy.  Smooths right out.

[christinej78]

LOL.  No, this year's thaw is over and done with, thankfully.  But now I'll have to wait for it to freeze again next winter and re-thaw for it to soften up again.  When the top 4 inches is thawed and everything below that is still frozen so the moisture can't drain, it gets soupy.  Smooths right out.

Hi Kathy,                   18 May 2018

It's Booty Head again. So you don't have "Permafrost" up that-a-way? We have "PermaMelt" due to lack of frost. How deep is the frost line up your way? I think ours is maybe 2 inches in a bad winter.

Allison has noticed the same thing I have and that is Cassi is missing; she hasn't been active since 03 May 18. Hope she's just on vacation having a ball.

Best Always,
Christine

[Donna]

Good catch Christine. Haven't seen cassi in a while. I think I have her email. I'll check

[KathyLauren]

So you don't have "Permafrost" up that-a-way? We have "PermaMelt" due to lack of frost. How deep is the frost line up your way? I think ours is maybe 2 inches in a bad winter.

We're north, but not north enough to have permafrost.  (In fact, with climate change, even the far north is losing its permafrost.)  According to the building codes, the official frost line is 4 feet.

I didn't know that y'all even got frost down that way.

[christinej78]

We're north, but not north enough to have permafrost.  (In fact, with climate change, even the far north is losing its permafrost.)  According to the building codes, the official frost line is 4 feet.

I didn't know that y'all even got frost down that way.

Good Morning Kathy,               19 May 2018

I am originally from Ohio, though I don't recall where that is; I think the frost line there is about like yours. Since you are costal, I thought it would be less than 4 feet. My sewer line from the house is less that 2 feet deep; when it gets close to the road it takes a 45° dive to the main line which is about 14 feet below.

My irrigation lines are about 12 inches below ground level. This past winter, for the first time, I had pipes freeze and break, all above ground. I have a tree nursery with an above ground irrigation system. I neglected to drain it and ended up with two breaks. Had to replace a manifold and a small section of a supply line; about 20 minutes work. That is the upside of an above ground system, easier to work on.

From the photos of you working on your 800 mile driveway, the weather looked quite mild. Our winters have been getting worse over the past several years. When I relocated to the Dallas Fort Worth area 40 years ago, I rarely ever had to wear a jacket. Spring usually arrived mid February; now it has been showing up mid March or later, and this year the really warm weather didn't show up on a consistent basis until about two weeks ago. Yesterday I finally saw 101° f for the first time this year. If that keeps up, I'll be able to ride my bike regularly.

The odd thing here is that when the temp gets below 70° f, we get frost on our windows.

Stay warm up that-a-way.

Best Always, Love,
Christine

[christinej78]

The odd thing here is that when the temp gets below 70° f, we get frost on our windows.

You would be surprised how many Ohio Yankees believe that ridiculous statement. It's always good for a laugh afterwards.

Luego,
Christine

[steph2.0]

Good Morning Kathy,               19 May 2018

I am originally from Ohio, though I don't recall where that is; I think the frost line there is about like yours. Since you are costal, I thought it would be less than 4 feet. My sewer line from the house is less that 2 feet deep; when it gets close to the road it takes a 45° dive to the main line which is about 14 feet below.

My irrigation lines are about 12 inches below ground level. This past winter, for the first time, I had pipes freeze and break, all above ground. I have a tree nursery with an above ground irrigation system. I neglected to drain it and ended up with two breaks. Had to replace a manifold and a small section of a supply line; about 20 minutes work. That is the upside of an above ground system, easier to work on.

From the photos of you working on your 800 mile driveway, the weather looked quite mild. Our winters have been getting worse over the past several years. When I relocated to the Dallas Fort Worth area 40 years ago, I rarely ever had to wear a jacket. Spring usually arrived mid February; now it has been showing up mid March or later, and this year the really warm weather didn't show up on a consistent basis until about two weeks ago. Yesterday I finally saw 101° f for the first time this year. If that keeps up, I'll be able to ride my bike regularly.

The odd thing here is that when the temp gets below 70° f, we get frost on our windows.

Stay warm up that-a-way.

Best Always, Love,
Christine

I was in the DFW area, then Archer, up toward Wichita, in January 2014, and it was 20F. After driving in from Florida, that was immensely brutal.

Stephanie

[christinej78]

I was in the DFW area, then Archer, up toward Wichita, in January 2014, and it was 20F. After driving in from Florida, that was immensely brutal.

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,                 19 May 2018

I haven't kept close  track of our weather over the last few years; our winters have generally become colder. On 14 Feb 2010 we had 14 inches of snow. That was more snow than the total for the previous 32 years. We haven't had as many 100+ degree days the last few years. I like it HOT; don't do well when it's below 85°.

Best Always, Blue side up,
Christine

[steph2.0]

Hi Stephanie,                 19 May 2018

I haven't kept close  track of our weather over the last few years; our winters have generally become colder. On 14 Feb 2010 we had 14 inches of snow. That was more snow than the total for the previous 32 years. We haven't had as many 100+ degree days the last few years. I like it HOT; don't do well when it's below 85°.

It's apparent we shall never meet, then. I don't do well when it's above 85F.


- Stephanie

[christinej78]

It's apparent we shall never meet, then. I don't do well when it's above 85F.


- Stephanie

Hi again Stephanie,                   19 May 2018

I thought Florida was hot and humid. I was stationed in KW 1963 - 1964. Winter there was miserable, cold and damp.

Just come here early spring, which may be over here for this year or mid Fall.

In 1980 we had about 67 days of over 100°, the only rain was virga; you can see it coming down but it evaporates before it hits the ground.

I know you already knew about virga; just wanted others that didn't know to understand what it is. For those interested, Wikipedia has a nice article on Virga.  LINK:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virga

We have air shows here; let me know if you plan to attend one. I'd like to meet you.

Best Always,
Christine

[steph2.0]

Hi again Stephanie,                   19 May 2018

I thought Florida was hot and humid. I was stationed in KW 1963 - 1964. Winter there was miserable, cold and damp.

Just come here early spring, which may be over here for this year or mid Fall.

In 1980 we had about 67 days of over 100°, the only rain was virga; you can see it coming down but it evaporates before it hits the ground.

I know you already knew about virga; just wanted others that didn't know to understand what it is. For those interested, Wikipedia has a nice article on Virga.  LINK:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virga

We have air shows here; let me know if you plan to attend one. I'd like to meet you.

Yikes. Key West is fun to visit but I don't think I'd want to live there - for the weather anyway. They're extremely tolerant of alternate lifestyles, which includes anything LGBT etc., which is nice. Otherwise, as you say, too humid, though it's only a little better here in central Florida.

Virga has got to be weird. Every drop of rain makes it to the ground here. The better to raise the humidity, my dear.

TBH, after 30-some years of attending Sun-N-Fun and Oshkosh, I'm pretty much airshowed-out. Unless something outrageous is going on, I tend to ignore them now. But it would still be cool to meet you. I have a friend in the DFW area, another in the San Antonio area, one down in Carrizo Springs near Laredo, and another in Orange on the Louisiana border, all part of my flying, building, or repairing ultralights past. (As far as I know, none of them know of my transition yet, though I'm finding that word does get around our little world.) If I ever get out your way, I'll sure check in.


- Stephanie

[christinej78]

TBH, after 30-some years of attending Sun-N-Fun and Oshkosh, I'm pretty much airshowed-out. Unless something outrageous is going on, I tend to ignore them now. But it would still be cool to meet you. I have a friend in the DFW area, another in the San Antonio area, one down in Carrizo Springs near Laredo, and another in Orange on the Louisiana border, all part of my flying, building, or repairing ultralights past. (As far as I know, none of them know of my transition yet, though I'm finding that word does get around our little world.) If I ever get out your way, I'll sure check in.

- Stephanie

Stephanie,        19 May 2018

Please do, it will be an honor to meet you. If you "be a headin" this way before I get around to sending you my info, Dena and Devlyn know how to contact me.

Best Always, love,
Christine

[steph2.0]

Stephanie,        19 May 2018

Please do, it will be an honor to meet you. If you "be a headin" this way before I get around to sending you my info, Dena and Devlyn know how to contact me.

Cool. Hey, maybe we could schedule a trip to Austin for selfies with the governor before we use the women's restrooms!


- Stephanie

[christinej78]

Cool. Hey, maybe we could schedule a trip to Austin for selfies with the governor before we use the women's restrooms!

- Stephanie

I'll do it; I just don't present as a female even though I wear women's clothes. I stick with jeans, slacks and shirts that could be either except for the colors which are almost always obviously female. I wear a lot of pink, lavender, purple and fuchsia. The only person to ever say anything was my favorite "femailman;" she called it my "sissy-girl" T-shirt, which was a light pink. At the time she didn't know I was transgender. I had a hard time convincing her I was. I pulled out the lace strap of the cami I was wearing and she still didn't believe me. The next day I let her read my counselor's letter. I think she was finally convinced I wasn't BSing her.

After my orchie, which I told her about, I suggested that now that I'm a woman we can go out shopping, lunch or whatever and your husband shouldn't mind because I'm just one of the girls.

Outing has been such fun. I have another coming up on the 25th. I'll let everyone know how that goes. I don't worry about my buddies wife or kids, just not sure how he will react. I think he'll be ok with it; I'm sure I'll take a lot of ribbing for a while. At this stage of my life my skin is quite thick and weather beaten. Too many years at sea (6.5).

We better move this conversation to another thread; we are occupying too much space on Kathy's Journey. Lets move over to yours or mine. Sorry for the intrusion Kathy. PM me with where you want to go.

Best Always,
Christine

[KathyLauren]

The odd thing here is that when the temp gets below 70° f, we get frost on our windows.

Hey, I don't relate to Fahrenheit temperatures.  70° F could be below freezing for all I know.

Sorry for the intrusion Kathy.

It's okay, you'd lost me when you started talking about 'f'-ing temperatures.

[Jayne01]

I'm with you Kathy. I don't understand those funny F temperatures. I always need to consult google to translate the numbers to C, which makes so much more sense to me! [emoji12]

Jayne

[steph2.0]

I'm with you Kathy. I don't understand those funny F temperatures. I always need to consult google to translate the numbers to C, which makes so much more sense to me! [emoji12]

Jayne

I so wish we'd converted in the 1970's when it was tried here. We actually had km on road signs for a short while. In any case, I just remember these and extrapolate:

212F=100C water boils.
85F=30C too hot to work, bring me an ice tea/beer.
72F=20C reasonable room temperature.
32F=0C water freezes.
-40 same for both (too dang cold).

[Donna]

Hey, I don't relate to Fahrenheit temperatures.  70° F could be below freezing for all I know.
It's okay, you'd lost me when you started talking about 'f'-ing temperatures.

Too funny Kathy. I speak both official languages. English and metric, too many years traveling between Canada and the US.

[KathyLauren]

Feeling some dysphoria today over my moustache.  A while back, I did several sessions of laser, the last one being 14 months ago.  I stopped over concerns that E was making my skin light-sensitive and that the laser was causing new freckles.  But, for the last year, I have been coasting with essentially no dark hairs on my face: when I grow it out for electrolysis, the white hairs haven't been terribly noticeable.

Until now.  As we all know, laser is not permanent, and the dark hairs have finally woken up again.  For the last few weeks, the shadow on my upper lip has been getting darker, even with the closest shave I can manage.  So it's time to get it zapped again (electrolysis).  Which means growing it out for three days, when it is already uncomfortably visible.  Aargh!

I've been doing electro for nearly a year and a half, probably close to 75 hours now.  I so wish it was done!  We are making progress.  My cheeks and neck are about a 180 grit instead of a 60 grit.  But there is still quite a way to go.

[christinej78]

Feeling some dysphoria today over my moustache.  A while back, I did several sessions of laser, the last one being 14 months ago.  I stopped over concerns that E was making my skin light-sensitive and that the laser was causing new freckles.  But, for the last year, I have been coasting with essentially no dark hairs on my face: when I grow it out for electrolysis, the white hairs haven't been terribly noticeable.

Until now.  As we all know, laser is not permanent, and the dark hairs have finally woken up again.  For the last few weeks, the shadow on my upper lip has been getting darker, even with the closest shave I can manage.  So it's time to get it zapped again (electrolysis).  Which means growing it out for three days, when it is already uncomfortably visible.  Aargh!

I've been doing electro for nearly a year and a half, probably close to 75 hours now.  I so wish it was done!  We are making progress.  My cheeks and neck are about a 180 grit instead of a 60 grit.  But there is still quite a way to go.

Hi Kathy,                          20 May 2018

Sometime last year I went to an executioner for hair removal. I had been having my body waxed totally about twice each year. I then dcided I'd try electrolysis for my pubic area due to the difficulty in finding people that will do a male Brazilian.

I found a person that would do the electrolysis I wanted. I did three sessions and then stopped to see how it would look after a couple of months. To my surprise, the hair returned darker and thicker than ever. I went back to waxing.

After that experience I thought about having electrolysis on the area of my melon that is balding thinking if it made my pubes come back thicker than ever, why wouldn't it do the same for my head. Have yet to try it.

I did have my pubes, chest and back waxed the week before my orchie. I started HRT two weeks prior to the waxing and have noticed the hair that is returning is very thin, sparse and not growing as fast as it used to.

The last time I quit shaving my head was just before the orchi. I had been shaving it for 14 years;. It is growing nice and thick everywhere except the top of my head, which looks like an under nourished weed patch. I'm going to allow it to grow a good while longer to see if the magic mushrooms will cause a revival of the long dormant (hopefully) follicles on top.

If you were to see my ears when in full bloom, you'd think the hair from my head relocated itself inside my ears. I can see where the hair seeds may have gotten into my ears and germinated causing this problem. It's a tough one to deal with; I pluck, have them waxed, nothing I've tried works for very long. This may be a case for a super defoliant.

Best Always,
Christine