The Story of Lori

[Northern Star Girl]

@LoriDee
Dear Lori:
I am sorry to read about your "80 degrees boob sweat" problem!!!!
 
Here where I am the temperature was 23 deg(f) early this morning.
The recent afternoons are in the low to mid 50 degree(f) range.

Have a good day and i hope that you had a nice lunch with your bestie.
HUGS, Danielle

[ChrissyRyan]

Unsure which is worse:  boob, back, or underarm sweat.

I think I would pick underarm.

[LoriDee]

When using a tumbler to polish rocks, it is important to check the hardness of the stone, and/or KNOW what stone it is. The reason is that if you tumble softer stones with harder stones, the harder stones will grind the soft ones into sand.

About a week ago, my Bestie found this cool rock. (The big one).


It was still dirty and I thought she had found a Petoskey Stone, which is fossilized coral. She said she found it up by Lead, SD. Petoskeys are found in Michigan, especially near the Great Lakes. They are not found in the Black Hills of SD.

After washing it off, I saw no coral formations, so it is not a Petoskey. It looks like Dolomite with these cool quartz veins. It should look awesome once it has been polished.


I ran it in Stage 1 (46/70 abrasive grit) for a week. Took it out today and ... oh my.


What I thought was quartz, which has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale (diamond is 10), turns out to be Calcite, which has a hardness of 3. 

It still turned out to be a cool rock. I cleaned out the holes with a waterpik and they are connected. There might be a pocket of crystals in the back. I put it under the stereoscope and can confirm they are Calcite crystals. Calcite is very common in limestone and dolomite. Quartz, not so much.

Bestie is happy with her cool find now that it is all clean and smooth. I got a reminder to check the rocks carefully before starting them in the next cycle. Back to the basics.

[ChrissyRyan]

Working with stones appears to be a cool hobby.
I like the middle picture of that rock the best.

Chrissy

[LoriDee]

It's 85 degrees outside so I stayed in. Got some laundry done and worked on a few more jewelry pieces.

I was watching YouTube videos and trying to learn how to add a rose as a decorative item.

I need to work on that more.



A couple of others I finished yesterday.





I was looking for a way to try something different from the standard wire frame.
I found a video tutorial for a "fishnet" basket. So I tried that.

Yeah, I need a lot more practice.



I now have 24 pieces that I have done. When I get to 30, I will start listing them in my store on Etsy. I don't know if I will sell any, but learning how to do it is fun. If I can cover the cost of the wire, I'm ahead since the stones are free.

[ChrissyRyan]

Very nice jewelry Lori!

Chrissy

[LoriDee]

We have a Community Event planned for tomorrow. Basically, a Meet & Greet so people can socialize with our neighbors. I was the first resident to move in after this apartment building was finished back in August. I am also on the Resident Council, so most of the tenants know me. I was informed that the tenants have a new nickname for me: "Prospector Lori". I showed a couple of guys my website and the nickname spread like wildfire.

This morning we got a message from the Taco Truck. Due to a scheduling mistake, it will be here today! So we are scrambling to accommodate the change and offering residents a free lunch. We still plan to have the main event tomorrow. Busy, busy, busy.

[LoriDee]

Malissa's Frybread has a reputation as being the best in the State.
My first time having frybread or an Indian Taco. Did not disappoint.
Five stars!

(I pigged out.)

[LoriDee]

Another busy day today.

Our Resident Council is meeting this morning to walk the property to discuss the Community Garden we plan to put in this summer. Then from 12-4 is our Meet & Greet event. I'm looking forward to the Bouncy Castle! Just kidding. I'm pretty certain that would put me in the hospital. 

My rock tumblers are finishing up their "wash cycle", so later today I will need to empty them and reload them with another batch of stones for polishing.

Monday is Memorial Day so I will drive up to the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. I try to go each year. They do some really nice memorial services there. Various speakers and songs and dances by the Oyate. Oyate is the Lakota Sioux word meaning "The People", specifically referring to themselves, the Lakota tribe of the Sioux Nation. I enjoy it when they put out the flags on each grave. It is such a well-maintained cemetery. One of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I'll share some pictures when I return.

When I had to go to the Fort Meade VA Hospital at Sturgis, I always salute the cemetery as I drive by. My way of saying, "Thank you for your service and sacrifice." Now that our Specialty Clinics have been moved to Rapid City, I don't get up that way very often. Some day, that will be my final resting place and just maybe someone will salute my grave as they drive by.

After a quick trip to the cemetery, I will head across the interstate (I-90) to the Fort Meade Recreation Area to do some rockhounding if my knees hold up. It is a huge acreage with a mix of grassland and forest. It was once a training area for soldiers stationed at Fort Meade, so no metal detecting or digging is allowed. They don't want someone to accidentally discover an unexploded bomb.

Within the Recreation Area is the old Fort Meade Cemetery. It is very small, but some of the graves date back to the early 1900s. It is no longer in use but is preserved for historical reasons. Volunteers continue to maintain the site for family members who wish to visit.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Be safe!

[LoriDee]

Yesterday's event was a huge success. The weather was sunny and hot and the local children really enjoyed the Bouncy Castle.

We decided that the location for the Community Garden would not work and selected another area. We spoke with many residents and got their input on events and features/services they would like to see.

I went in full girlie mode, with black pants, black leather boots that come to just below the knee, a t-shirt, hair, makeup, and jewelry. One of the residents that I have seen around but never spoken to said, "You look nice today." I said thank you, but then the old dysphoria kicked in, and I questioned if she was implying that I don't on other days. Did she mean... STOP. Take the compliment and move on.

We had some disabled residents who had not been able to get an Indian Taco from the frybread truck the day before, so we stashed some extras in the Community Room refrigerator so they wouldn't miss out.

Now we have thunderboomers going off outside, so I am back to washing rocks.

I love my life.   

[imallie]

Yesterday's event was a huge success. The weather was sunny and hot and the local children really enjoyed the Bouncy Castle.

We decided that the location for the Community Garden would not work and selected another area. We spoke with many residents and got their input on events and features/services they would like to see.

I went in full girlie mode, with black pants, black leather boots that come to just below the knee, a t-shirt, hair, makeup, and jewelry. One of the residents that I have seen around but never spoken to said, "You look nice today." I said thank you, but then the old dysphoria kicked in, and I questioned if she was implying that I don't on other days. Did she mean... STOP. Take the compliment and move on.

We had some disabled residents who had not been able to get an Indian Taco from the frybread truck the day before, so we stashed some extras in the Community Room refrigerator so they wouldn't miss out.

Now we have thunderboomers going off outside, so I am back to washing rocks.

I love my life.   

Yea for the big day!

But, as someone who loves the way sentences are structured... I always bump against the "you look great today" trope. And that's regardless of dysphoria. I just don't like the construction of it all.

My typical response is "Oh? How do I normally look?"

and then I explain that "today" is not only unnecessary in the sentence, it's counter-productive.

It's a bit like saying "it's raining outside". "Outside" is really adding nothing to that sentence.

And now, dear friend, you know why I am seldom invited places by, you know... people. 😘

[davina61]

I never read anything into things like that, bad grammar on most folks part! Its a compliment so take it .

[LoriDee]

It turned out to be a beautiful day. Bright blue sky, sunshine. It is windy but that is keeping the temperature right about 70.

I headed up to Sturgis to the Black Hills National Cemetery to pay my respects. When I first came to the Black Hills, I understood immediately why the Lakota Sioux revere them as sacred ground. They believe that their culture originated here. But there is more to it. The Hills have a spiritual energy about them. It could be all the quartz minerals being pressed by heavy granite, releasing piezoelectric energy... or maybe something else entirely.

I think this is one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen. It has a strong emotional impact on me and it doesn't take long before I am wiping tears from my cheek. But I do not feel death here. I feel love and respect, a sense of duty, and sacrifice. It is a unique emotion and I embrace it. Sometimes I think I need to feel this for some reason.

While taking pictures, a Vietnam Vet pulled up in his truck and asked if I had everything all lined up and in focus. I said I did and he said "This is a great place to mingle with the old-timers". I looked around the cemetery, and said, "Not very chatty, are they?" He laughed and said, "That's a good thing!"

I took a few more pictures. There were many families putting flowers on graves and spending time with each other. I try to avoid taking pictures of them and leave them to their gathering.

I left the cemetery and entered the Fort Meade Recreation Area to get to the old Fort Meade National Cemetery. It is a small cemetery that was built shortly after Fort Meade was built by General Custer's 7th Cavalry. There are two Medal of Honor recipients interred here and I try to salute them every year when I visit. Why there, a Coast Guard Veteran stopped to chat with me. He retired from the Fort Meade VA Hospital three years ago. He said he drove by this cemetery many times, but this was his first time to stop and walk the rows.

Memorial Day Photo Album

Now I am at home and restoring my emotional energy. Sometimes, we just need a really good emotional purge. Just let it out and make room for the good things to come.

[ChrissyRyan]

May they all rest in peace.  The world in fact needs more peace everyday.  There always seems to be conflicts, wars, and hostilities. 

Chrissy

[Northern Star Girl]

@LoriDee
Dear LoriDee:
Thank you for posting your thoughts and pictures that help
explain and honor what Memorial Day is about.
The photos were beautiful.

On many of my road trips from where I had previously lived
in Eastern Montana...
...I had visited Custer's Last Stand - The Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument in Montana
and also Mount Rushmore, Sturgis and the Black Hills Cemetery in South Dakota
that you mentioned. 
Those were always enjoyable and beautiful fairly close by road trips.

Thank you again for sharing your trip, your pictures, and your posting.

HUGS, Danielle

On a much smaller scale than the Black Hills National Cemetery that you showed in your photos, here is a photo of my
small town cemetery that my Tooth-Fairy and I visited this afternoon to pay our honor and respect to our local military members.
  See my posting on my Blog:  https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,246825.msg2270766.html#msg2270766

             

[LoriDee]

I love the small cemeteries like that. I notice the markers lay flat. Where my brother is buried in California, they do that so they can mow the grass more easily.

But then I look at our cemeteries here. The grass is mowed and neatly trimmed right up next to each headstone. I appreciate the extra effort the VA puts into ensuring that each grave is nicely maintained, whether families still visit or not.

[LoriDee]

Two more jewelry pendants are done.

These were just quick pics to see how they look in a photo.

This one needs the wires to be tightened up. But I am getting better at making the "rose" decoration.


This stone is Fuchsite, aka Chromium Mica. The silver mica is so shiny it reflects light, so doesn't look as good in pictures. I'm not sure how to fix that. Leaving it in shadow and using indirect light might be what I need to do with these.


Any photographers out there with suggestions, I'm listening. TIA

[Northern Star Girl]

@LoriDee
Dear LoriDee:

Thank your sharing your photos of your handiwork... 
..the pendants that you made are very beautiful.

HUGS, Danielle

[LoriDee]

This should be interesting...

I have a telemedicine appointment with my Voice Coach this morning at 10 am. The VA loaned me an iPad so I could make the appointments from the privacy of my apartment.

Last night, our Property Manager notified us that they will be testing the fire alarms today...
at 10 am.

So I will be in my Jeep with the iPad in the parking lot, using cell data to connect.

[imallie]

Beautiful jewelry Lori!!!

From spending COUNTLESS hours overseeing photo shoots and listening to photographers drone on about stuff, I'm surprised to say certain things have leeched into my brain that I'm happy to wring out and share with you, in case they might be of help.

All of these, I believe, should relate to jewelry, as they are things that applied when shooting things like trophies, awards, cups, rings, etc... so it should translate.

1. Use natural light.

2. As a beginner, start with a plain white or gray background (this was the advice given to us when/if we had to shoot things ourselves quickly, without the aid of the professionals who we often hired. Sometimes they would break this rule... but they were pros)

3. Use a tri-pod if possible

4. (If shooting on your phone) do not zoom.

Those are the true basics. White balance is a big key, and HOW you use the natural light (and sometimes an additional light source) is important if you're hoping to get that real "gem stone sparkle" or "precious metal burst" off the item...

I think that's all I remember!