The Story of Lori

[Lori Dee]

Leeds is an awesome place. It's very Yorkshire. Very Northern.

Well, not so much back in the late 1800s. I have old photos and written descriptions that describe living conditions back then. Housing was non-existent, so they built shacks on the backs of houses. Of course, no plumbing. The air was polluted by the factories, and the river was used to dump sewage, garbage, and even corpses. I understand why my ancestors moved to Canada. My great-grandfather was only 3 years old when they made the voyage from Liverpool to Ontario.

Now, I suspect it has been cleaned up and modernized. Recent photos show it as a very nice place.

[Sephirah]

Well, not so much back in the late 1800s. I have old photos and written descriptions that describe living conditions back then. Housing was non-existent, so they built shacks on the backs of houses. Of course, no plumbing. The air was polluted by the factories, and the river was used to dump sewage, garbage, and even corpses. I understand why my ancestors moved to Canada. My great-grandfather was only 3 years old when they made the voyage from Liverpool to Ontario.

Now, I suspect it has been cleaned up and modernized. Recent photos show it as a very nice place.

Lori, that was literally the whole country back during the Industrial Revolution. A lot of people didn't want to be there, but a lot of people stayed. And it got better. I have a few friends from Leeds and they're some of the most fiercely patriotic people you will meet.

That whole period led to some of the most amazing leaps in sanitation and cleanliness we still have to this day. Liverpool was one of the first places to have an entire closed off sewage network. Because it was so toxic... necessity is the mother of invention, as they say.

[Sephirah]

I need to teach you how to say "Eyup" properly though, as an honorary northern lass. <3

[davina61]

eeeeee bygum lass.

[Emma1017]

I can't throw stones at any city back then.  New York City was an open sewer by 1890.  Thank God we have all come a long way since then.

My family came from the Cotswold.  I have no idea what their accent is.

[Lori Dee]

My family came from the Cotswold.  I have no idea what their accent is.

I had to look it up. Wow, that is some beautiful country!
Cotswold images

[davina61]

I live at the base of the Malvern hills and from the top you can see the Cotswolds and view across the Severn valley, another lovely place to live.

[Lori Dee]

Yesterday was a busy day.

Our apartment building, called "The Radiant" hosted a National Night Out event. Yesterday was also one year since our Grand Opening, so it was also a "birthday" celebration.

At the first Grand Opening, it was all about the owners of the property patting each other on the back and thanking the sponsors and contractors for a job well done. As the first tenant to move into the building, the manager asked if I would say a few words to thank all of the sponsors for contributing to this project. I agreed, but then the corporate owners decided they didn't want to hear from the residents, it was more important to thank the "money" people.

This year, it was all about the residents and corporate was not invited. As a part of National Night Out, we had many vendors and resource representatives here. The Rapid City Police set up a Slip-N-Slide for the kids (it was over 90 degrees outside). We got a chance to meet several of the patrol officers and the supervisors who are responsible for this part of the city.

We also had Malissa's Fry Bread food truck here. Each tenant received a ticket to get a free Indian Taco. For those who don't know, Malissa's is the BEST Indian Taco on the planet. If you are ever passing through Rapid City, SD look for the red food truck. I can't eat a large and the small ones are very filling and delicious! She has a Facebook page if you are curious.

We also had vendors from the Paul Mitchell School, Youth & Family Services, South Dakota Medicaid, Complete Healthcare, and others that I just can't recall off-hand. We also had an indoor basketball arcade machine, a corn hole game, and the biggest Jenga game I have ever seen. In addition to Malissa's Fry Bread, we also had Little Caesar's pizza and lots of donated goodies for the kids from drinks to candy and toys. I used my tire inflator and filled about three dozen balloons. The kids were having a great time playing with balloons, getting photos taken with police officers, playing games, and just running around screaming. It was total chaos.

Three of us older ladies found a nice couch in the Community Room where much of this was happening. It was comfy and we tried to have a nice chat which was difficult to do without shouting at each other.

The three of us were just sitting there like:



Overall, everyone had a great time. The Community Room looks like a grenade exploded in there, but that's why we have a housekeeping service.

Today is mostly R&R (Rest and Recover), but my rock tumblers are finishing up a cycle so I will still have plenty to do. No rest for the wicked.

[Lori Dee]

Today is Rock Washing Day!

The two amethyst crystals are looking very nice and are ready for final polish. Once I get everything rinsed off, I'll see if any are pic-worthy. 

[Oldandcreaky]

I love when you share your rocks!

[Lori Dee]

My brother says I have rocks in my head, but I think he means something else. 

[Emma1017]

I don't know Lori but based on my older brother, I don't think it was a compliment.

[Jessica_Rose]

My brother says I have rocks in my head, but I think he means something else. 

Maybe he just didn't have proper vocabulary? When he said 'rocks', he really meant 'pearls', as in 'pearls of wisdom'.

Love always -- Jess

[Lori Dee]

I got the rock tumblers cleaned out and started on their next cycle. The two amethyst crystals still are not quite "gemmy" enough so they are back in the polish barrel for another 10-day cycle. I might only run them for seven depending on how my schedule goes.

Those that finished today had a few cool surprises... and quite a few disappointments. But that is okay. There is never a shortage of rocks.

Today's group shot:



The red one with the squiggly bands near the top right is a Fairburn Agate, the South Dakota State Gem. (It is so shiny my camera wouldn't focus for a close-up). Fairburns are only found in the area near the town of Fairburn, SD near the Badlands. They are a fortification agate, meaning the bands represent a fortress. The gem versions have multiple bands and bright colors. Do an internet search to see some real beauties.

I may have shown this one before. It is finally finished polishing and it came out looking spectacular.



Next is a piece of banded chert. It has a secret window that shows up when you shine a light through it.



I love finding pieces of clear quartz crystal. Sometimes they polish up and look just like melted ice cubes.



A tiny piece of banded agate.



This one turned out so shiny I couldn't find any angle to prevent the reflections of the white lights.



This piece of Teepee Canyon Agate is interesting. On the left, you see the quartz crystal pocket that was exposed. The one on the right is not. It is beneath a "window of clear quartz. The stone is smooth there. You can see smaller windows above it in between the layers of red jasper.



This piece of Bubblegum Agate has a tornado inside.



This little pretty has a lot of black tourmaline crystals in it.



This batch had two pieces of Moss Agate. The camera wouldn't focus on the smaller one until I put a light behind it. The color is too dense. But the bigger one has enough clear agate to see the green dendrites inside.





That concludes our show for today. Thank you for coming and don't forget to tip your Moderators.

[Lori Dee]

Gotta love the VA.

A few weeks ago, I messaged my Primary that I was having trouble walking and suspected I needed an MRI to check for a pinched nerve. The response was that they could schedule me for Physical Therapy or Chiropractic. I'm thinking, "What if I am lying on the ground with a broken pelvis? Perhaps we should get a diagnosis BEFORE we start treatment?"

So I saw my Primary and she did a physical exam. She does not believe it is a pinched nerve but might be arthritis in my SI joints. So she ordered x-rays of my hips and Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy starts on the 3rd.

Yesterday, I sent a follow-up message that I have a PT appointment, but have not had the hip x-rays. Do I need them before I start PT? The response was that I do not need them before PT. 

This morning first thing, I got a call and I now have a radiology appointment this afternoon at 2:00 right after I see my psychologist at 1:00. So maybe having the x-rays before starting treatment was a good idea after all.

They are all good people, but sometimes they are so eager to help a vet that they leap to treatment before knowing what the issue really is. I'll get them trained eventually. 

[davina61]

Its like herding cats dear------------

[Lori Dee]

Its like herding cats dear------------

So true. Spent an hour with my psychologist and then got the X-rays.

X-ray Technician: Put your leg in this position.
Me: Ouch! It doesn't bend like that!

[Lori Dee]

I have been on the phone with the VA Pharmacist this morning.

They were going to ship out my estradiol, but there is a backlog of estradiol cypionate and it won't be available until October. They have plenty of estradiol valerate in stock and can send that, but she wanted to know if I had enough doses to last. I don't.

I just had labs done on August 23rd, so Doc is waiting for those results to come back. She may need to adjust my dosage. If she is going to switch over to Valerate, then she needs to adjust the dosage anyway. Cypionate dosage is typically lower than Valerate because Cypionate has a longer peak level. Switching to Valerate would mean increasing my dose, but if my dose of Cypionate is already too high according to the labs, then she may just go with the same dose of Valerate as I am currently taking with Cypionate to see what the next labs show.

And that is why they make the big bucks. They get to do the math and figure out what needs to be done. I'm not concerned which way she goes, but if my boobs start shrinking, someone is going to hear about it. 

[Jessica_Rose]

I hope they can get the estradiol soon. When I had to stop taking it prior to surgery, I started getting cranky after about two weeks. I'm using estradiol valerate. We have settled on a dosage that seems to work well, and my doctor just sends in a new prescription whenever I ask. I think I have at least a year's supply in my cabinet! Although it means putting up with a weekly jab, I do prefer the injections over the patches.

Love always -- Jess

[Lori Dee]

I prefer the injections too. I can feel the difference.
On patches, my levels were above 100 three times in four years and those were not consecutive tests.
My last labs were done on a Monday (I inject on Tuesdays), so my low point was 244. But Doc wanted the labs done on a Friday to see my mid-point and get an idea of my average. So we will see what happens.

The VA Pharmacy does ship out 90-day supplies at a time and they are pretty good about keeping things stocked. But the mail-order warehouses get backed up. I was just reading that injectable estradiol is almost exclusively used for gender-affirming care, so stockpiles fluctuate quite a bit as new people start on HRT.