@LoriDee
Dear LoriDee:
  SUNBLOCK, HATS, cover arms and neck with a light cotton shirt....
You can't stay out of the sun in the summer, especially when rock-hounding but
please do your best to take necessary protective steps.
        ```````````````````````````````
Several years ago I had a Basil Cell Carcinoma and had "Mohs" surgery remove a
continuously reoccurring spot above my eye.  Freezing it did not prevent it's return. 

If the Basil Cell Carcinoma keeps returning, like it sometimes might do, you
perhaps should ask your dermatologist about "Mohs" Surgery. Mine never came
back years after the surgery but before that it always came back a month or
two later after freezing it.

Mine was done in the doctor's office sitting in a chair like a Dental office
visit, with local anesthetic only.

Most of those procedures leave very little scarring if any if they are caught
early... but obviously your dermatologist is your best source of information
as it applies to you.

      https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/mohs-surgery/about/pac-20385222

HUGS, Danielle

Quote from: Moonflower on Today at 07:31:49 AMHi Lilith! Welcome!

I think I understand your experience of fluidity, but in a different way. My wife identifies entirely as a trans woman, and I've been noticing her fluidity as she transitions.

Thank you, Moonflower, for the warm welcome!

It's interesting to hear a different perspective on gender identity, even though our experiences aren't exactly the same. It shows the beautiful diversity within the transgender community.

QuoteLike you said, she as a man is a different person than she as her other self. Unlike you, she is discarding the man self.

I'm so happy for your wife that she is ready to go full time. But, I don't think that I am ready to do same at this time. Hopefully it will happen to me after I begin hrt.

QuoteMy wife felt ashamed when she was the last person her age to go through puberty. She regrets that her parents and doctor never explained to her what happened. They put her on a pill that seemed to make puberty happen suddenly -- at age 16! Still, like you, many people commented on how non-masculine her body was through adulthood.

I can feel her pain, and yes it was a time of confusion to everyone for us as well. I wish my parents and your wife's parents were better informed.

I am taking Sarah B suggestions about taking a chromosome test, I did a little research about what information could be reviled by taking the chromosome test. So far I have learned that males have XY chromosomes and females have XX chromosomes. These sex chromosomes determine factors like sex organs and the development of secondary sexual characteristics during puberty.

So typically, there's a possibility in my case, and in your wife's case that we were born with XXY chromosomes, the extra (x)reduces testosterone production.

Woe, this sounds very appealing and like we were born with some kind of gift. But I am not an expert, I got this information from a Google search, so take it with a grain of salt, I will update here when I learn more about my situation with my doctor.

QuoteWe all here hope you will share more about your gender identity as you untangle your confusion. Congratulations on being limber enough to flow between genders!

I am learning so much here already and I love it, I will definitely share my findings as I progress through this journey. And thank so much Moonflower for sharing your wife's journey with me.

I learned the "art of good enough" from my wife.
When I took out the sliding doors in the bathroom because they made the bathroom moldy.
They were OK when we first bought the place during a long drought and the yard was dry.
Now the climate is much wetter with all the plants I grow.  Maybe the plants encourage the clouds to drop rain on my yard?

Anyway, there were now these ugly mounting holes. I bought a bunch of plugs but the cats insisted on hiding them so there have been two ugly holes for years.  They are gone so I finally bought fity plugs on Amazon for $10.  No, they don't quite hide the ugly marks made in drilling the holes but it looks way better now.  The cats are gone now.  Nice to have, but I developed an allergy to cat hair so I'm not getting any more cats.

Went grocery shopping and bought two boxes of Sauvignon Blanc for cooking, a bottle of cane sugar Coke, flank steak, and chicken drumsticks.
Boxed wine is great for cooking because you can squeeze the air out so it lasts longer in the refrigerator.
Flank steak is really tasty when marinated withTeriyaki sauce and cut agaist the grain so it isn't so chewy.  Also helps to eat tougher cuts of meat while they are still  quite warm off the stove. I cook the drumsticks in the air fryer after marinating them with a ketchup and soy marinade.


Marion

Quote from: Oldandcreaky on Today at 07:57:55 AMAllie, when I had my facial hair removed, that's when I straddled the gender line. I wore ties everyday to nudge people to see me as male, but even then, some strangers would read me as female. Those who'd known me continued to see me as the same person, i.e. male. People simply don't note change. I do and you likely do too, with your journalism background. We had to pay attention to write the right story.

Yes, on all counts.

On the one hand I feel like if I went full-time with the hair immediately, I could still do other things to read male if need be, because people simply don't look that hard.

But I think because I'm used to picking up on little things, the idea of wearing the hair on those days when I had intentional facial hair growth for electrolysis seems too much for me to handle... at least out of the gate.

@Maid Marion

I have two pairs of boots that have 1-inch heels and one pair with 1 1/2" heels. The 1-inch boots come to just below the knee, but the 1 1/2" just cover the ankles. For a long time, I slouched to hide my height, but lately, I have been embracing it. By focusing on how I walk, with proper posture, I am breaking away from old habits.

(BTW that song you shared is beautiful! I don't understand what she is singing either but her voice and music really complement each other. Thanks for sharing that!)

Thanks for the follow-up!

I was wondering if the CPAP was irritating, as you suspected. Could that also be the cause of the infection? I know most users are meticulous in keeping their equipment clean. Hope it clears up quickly.

I had my second voice appointment this morning. Filled out a bunch of questionnaires. Took the whole hour just doing those. The coach said next week we will start working on resonance. She feels that since my voice already has a warmer pitch, by working on raising my resonance, the pitch will follow and should drop me dangerously close to the pitch I am working towards. She asked me about about a voice model. I said Renee Zellweiger. She has such a soft, feminine voice that I love. Even if she screamed at you it would sound like a loud whisper. I want to hit that kind of softness.

The red blotches and blisters from yesterday's dermatology appointment have calmed down. No pain and the blisters on my face have receded into the blotches. The ones on my arms are still the size of quarters and I am not ready to try tearing off the bandages yet. I have to continue keeping everything slathered in Vaseline and stay out of the sun this weekend. So of course, the rain stopped and it is a warm sunny day.

Maybe next week we can get out and do some rock-hounding.

Quote from: LoriDee on May 01, 2024, 09:11:33 PMI had a similar issue. The problem turned out to be powder makeup like Bare Minerals. I have since switched to liquids and apply LIGHTLY. I was taught that if you apply it with your finger, you get a more natural look. If you use a cosmetic sponge, you get better coverage, but it can look caked up close.

In one of her posts, Faith mentioned using aloe vera After Sun gel as a shaving cream. It is fantastic! And it is a great moisturizer. I apply it after a shower and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then wash it off, pat dry, and you are ready for makeup.

Maybe give some of these ideas a try. Let us know if you find something that works for you.

Hugs!

Turns out that that spot that I had was from infection.  The doctor is figuring that I scratched my face at one point in that area and I somehow got an infection.  So I have been using Ozonol to clear it up.

Well the RHS spring garden show is on from today, they were queuing for about 6miles from the Gloucester direction. Got stuck behind a tractor (traffic coming from the other way) and it took me twice as long as normal. Hot again and I was pooped by 3 pm, traffic leaving the show by now so stuck behind cars out side the village shop for ages.

Yes, long legs look good!
Many short girls also have short legs.
I consider myself fortunate to have long legs for my size.

You may want to consider wearing shoes with a little bit of heel but not a lot.
If you are tall maybe you should flaunt it!  Wear high heels if you think a shorter person would!

I wear clothes that fit well.  I think loose or large clothes is a really bad look when you are small.
It isn't hard for me to find crop styles that are the right length without hemming them myself.

Marion