The Story of Lori

[Gina P]

Very beautiful work Loridee. That Jewry is so pretty. NICE!
Hugs Gina 

[ChrissyRyan]

I like some types of agates.

[LoriDee]

A busy morning today. I had to submit letters of income verification to the property management. My rent is based on income and there are tax credits and things that offset how much my rent is.

The certification came back approved so I had to go back to the Property Manager's office and sign a stack of forms. But my lease has been renewed for another year with no increase in rent. WIN!  <--- this is me doing my Happy Dance. 

[davina61]

Good news, my rent support was doubled this year .

[Northern Star Girl]

When rent goes up it is not always the result of the Landlord's greed....
...increases in property taxes, maintenance costs, changes in local regulations, and
price increases related to additional financial burdens on the Landlord are not
always in their control.

The financial uncertainty in the world today is causing much difficulty for
both Landlords and Renters..... and everyone else.

HUGS, Danielle

[LoriDee]

I got an update on my voice training today.

{Back Story} The VA Trans Care Coordinator submitted a request for the lessons. The request was approved and the Voice Coach at the Iowa City VA called and set up an appointment for my first visit. I was to go to my local VA Clinic and we would do a telemedicine appointment there.

About a week before my appointment, my Care Coordinator said my appointment had to be canceled due to "technical issues". She agreed to look into it and said if the issue could not be resolved, they would give me an iPad so I could do the lessons from home. Our VA Clinic here in Rapid City is brand new. Very modern looking with state-of-the-art technology. I assumed that some IT guy checked the router and ... no router. But such was not the case.

Two weeks went by and I asked my Care Coordinator if they had fixed the "technical issue" yet, and if it was going to take time (ordering parts or whatever), then they should set me up with the iPad and reschedule my appointment.

This morning the Care Coordinator told me that the reason they canceled the appointment was not due to telemedicine connection issues. The problem is that the VA in Rapid City does not have an "agreement" with Iowa City to provide care to me, since I am not a patient of Iowa City VA. 

The paperwork has been submitted so that the VA can share my records with the VA and I can be treated by the VA.

Meanwhile, they cannot seem to figure out who is entering someone else's information into my records. Apparently, it is acceptable to reference (in my records) someone who has a different name and a different Medicare account number. Apparently, it is acceptable to allow someone to change my Primary VA Healthcare Facility to places I have never been to. However, when it comes to in-house VA care, they will not allow the VA to access my VA records without an agreement between the VA and the VA. 

Fortunately, I have been in contact with our Privacy Officer whose job it is to ensure that medical data is kept confidential. He is quite concerned that I have someone else's data in my records and this is under investigation. I have since had my files marked as "Private" which does nothing to prevent information flowing one way or the other. It causes a log to be created that can trace any information changes so I can find out who requested it.

So other than that, my day is going great. 

[LoriDee]

My typical laundry schedule:

Wash Machine: 40 minutes
Dryer:  50 minutes

Folding and putting away:  3 - 5 business days.

That's why we have chairs in our bedroom. 

[davina61]

Better than a floordrobe, 50 min wash and dry setting is my normal and then hang it on the drying rack in my bedroom for a few days. Sometimes it just gets folded and goes on the chest of drawers.

[Paulie]

I liked it when records were kept in a file drawer in the Dr. office.  Not as convenient but much more secure.  I'll take the more secure option any time. 

I hope they get the situation straightened out.

[Gina P]

Good luck on the voice lessons. Navigating any government agency is the worst. My insurance would pay but my copay was $800 for the evaluation then $75 per lesson. If I did it out of pocket it was only $65 for the evaluation and $65 per lesson. Obviously I choose to go out of pocket.

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

Arriving in Sydney 35 years ago and within 3 months I was living and working as a female.  I had no makeup or voice lessons.  I taught myself and of course there was no YouTube then to learn from.  In addition I dressed appropriately for my age, work and the social occasion.

The only information that I had at the time was a book on plaits and a book on makeup (I'm not sure on this book).  If I do have that book it is still within my collection of books.  I will soon be unpacking my books and when I come across those books I will list those books that helped me no end.  In addition I will add a photo of each one.

Why after all that time, would I still have those books?  Simple, I love books.

I keep my privacy private, in other words I do not tell any government department about my 'medical condition' and that includes 'doctors' or any organization as well, except for the few doctors that I have revealed my condition to recently, I emphasize that is not to be recorded in their computer systems.  This ensures I have no hassles whatsoever.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend that is coming your way

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Official Greeter

[ChrissyRyan]

I can put "tons of books" on my electronic tablet yet its weight remains constant.

Absolutely amazing.

Hehehe I am a silly woman at times.

[LoriDee]

Today is a rock tumbler clean-out day. Last night I washed out the barrels and put the rocks back in and ran them overnight with just water and borax. That cleans off the grit so it doesn't transfer to the next stage. Those that are in the final polishing stage get cleaned up so they are nice and shiny.

On Tuesday, my friend and I will be at an Arts & Crafts event here in the apartment complex. I'll have a chance to sell some of my jewelry and polished stones. I'm not looking to make much money from it but a few sales will offset the cost of materials so I can make more. Pics to follow later.

[Northern Star Girl]

LoriDee
Dear LoriDee:
I am always amazed at the final result of the rock polishing procedures....
...what starts out as something that may have been tossed away becomes a beautiful piece,
and then adding your embellishments makes a desired item suitable for sale or for your
own enjoyment!!!!   Keep posting your photos as you feel comfortable sharing.

HUGS, Danielle

Today is a rock tumbler clean-out day. Last night I washed out the barrels and put the rocks back in and ran them overnight with just water and borax. That cleans off the grit so it doesn't transfer to the next stage. Those that are in the final polishing stage get cleaned up so they are nice and shiny.

On Tuesday, my friend and I will be at an Arts & Crafts event here in the apartment complex. I'll have a chance to sell some of my jewelry and polished stones. I'm not looking to make much money from it but a few sales will offset the cost of materials so I can make more. Pics to follow later.

[LoriDee]

One of the reasons I like Bubblegum Agates is they are ugly on the outside, like a piece of chewed bubblegum. But sometimes, after being tumbled a bit, they have colors and banding and patterns that you wouldn't expect. The way I see it, it is a treasure left for me to find. And after millions of years, I am the only human to ever see it.

[LoriDee]

Another crazy busy morning. Since I have renewed the lease on my apartment I needed to have an annual inspection. The manager said it would only take ten minutes. She checked everything and 30 minutes later I signed the inspection form.

I am on the Resident Council here, which is just a go-between for residents and management to air concerns, and talk about planned events, new policies, etc. We have a meeting this evening.

We have our first Arts & Crafts event tomorrow, so I am busy getting rocks and jewelry together for that. At least I won't be bored!

[ChrissyRyan]

You rock Lori!

Chrissy

[LoriDee]

I went to our Resident Council meeting last night and, the meeting is next Monday. Tonight was Walking Tacos Night. But I had already eaten before the meeting.

Today's Arts & Crafts Event has been postponed until next month. Only three residents signed up for it and it was not going to be the type of event I thought it was. My wife (now ex-) and I sold jewelry and scented candles at all kinds of craft shows, fundraisers, and state and county fairs. What they wanted to do here was more of a Local Artists Showcase where we just put some things on display for other residents to enjoy. Um, no. So the event is postponed and will be an Arts & Crafts Show and we will invite artists who may be local but not necessarily residents of our community. We will see how it goes.

I added a few more jewelry pieces to my photo album.
Rough Stones to Jewelry by Lori Dee

The sun is shining, my best friend / fellow rockhound / mining buddy is with me, and I have a full tank of gas, so we drove out to check on the creek. The water level is a little bit high but doable. The water is still running fast though, and still not even 40 degrees. Brrr.

But look at that sky!


We are still lacking the Spring green, and my Bestie thinks we will skip Spring and just go straight to HOT. We decided to drive back up into the Hills further where I spent last Summer when I was homeless camping for six weeks.

This is Boulder Hill. I wonder how it got that name?
The reason it is shaped like that is because it is an extinct volcano.

When lava cools quickly, it forms glassy rocks like obsidian. When it cools very slowly, the rock becomes very hard and dense like granite. What you see sticking out at the top was the lava that cooled slowly and formed these boulders. They don't erode away as quickly as the surrounding mountainside that was largely soil and ash. Now you understand why Devil's Tower looks like it does. It was once a huge volcano and everything eroded away but the center.

Behind one of my campsites was this cool sunbathing rock... or mountain lion perch. It depends on who gets there first. Mountain lions are skittish around people unless they are really hungry. I don't eat mountain lion so our arrangement worked out well.


Here kitty kitty. psp psp psp
I wish photos could capture the smell of these pine trees. I love that smell.


Now I'm home and ready for a nap. 

[ChrissyRyan]

I find it interesting that although quartz is a mineral, quartz countertops are man made.  Quartzite, a rock, is not man made.  Quartzite countertops are made from rock, as are granite ones.

Quartzite sounds fake (man made) and quartz sounds natural.  But it is the other way around for countertop material.

[Northern Star Girl]

@LoriDee
Dear LoriDee:
Thank you for posting the pictures of your trip out to check on the creek
with your rock-hound buddy.

The pictures that you shared and your commentary was nice for me to see and to read....
... and I am very much enjoying your Rough Stones to Jewelry photo album with
beautiful photos of the beautiful work that you do making rocks into very pretty jewelry..

HUGS, Danielle