Susan's Place Transgender Resources

My old blog was a casualty of the crash.  I can't re-create it, and there is no need to.  But I can start a new one.

I first posted here on Susan's Place eight and a half years ago, August 06, 2015.  Wow, that is a big chunk of my life!  I was a scared guy, wondering if I might really be transgender.  Thanks to support from the members here, I soon realized that I indeed was transgender.

You can see my timeline in my signature.  I came out to my wife in 2016, thanks directly to the prompting of one member in particular (you know who you are), who nagged me until I got past that difficult hurdle.  Since then, I did all the "standard" transition steps: therapy, HRT, "full time", paperwork / legal documents, GCS.  I have been living as my true self for a few years now and loving it.  I should have done it years ago.  Oh, yeah, I am 69.

Life is pretty good these days.  No one in my family or in the general public gives me grief.  I pass well enough that no one is nasty to my face.  I may make some people wonder, but not enough for them to commit to verbal abuse.  I do worry about the direction that society is turning.  I watch with horror the rise of hatred south of the border and I see the same beliefs starting here.  The future looks just a bit too "interesting" for comfort.

Back in my youth, I was a pilot and flying instructor in the RCAF.  Good times back then, but someone like me was not a good fit for the military forces of those times.  I would have been turfed out if I or they had known.  I didn't know myself, but I did know I didn't fit, so I got out.  I still get on well online with some of my old colleagues from back then.

I spent the rest of my career working in IT.  Not nearly as exciting, but it paid the bills and made good use of my skills.

I got married late, in my late 40s.  We are still together more than 20 years later.

I have had a lifelong interest in astronomy, and my main hobby these days is astrophotography.

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
I am so very glad to see that you have successfully been able to
get back onto the Forum.  Welcome back.

Yes indeed, the big New Year's Day site crash took out many of our
member accounts, postings, private messages, etc... 

You will notice that the Forum is not quite the same as it was. 
Navigating around the site will take some time to get used to.
The site came back as it was 3 or 4 years earlier so many of the piece by piece
improvements and updates that our staff had performed in the last few years
were also missing.

The staff has been working overtime to put the pieces back together but
that will be an ongoing task for a while longer.
I advise you to find your way to  ANNOUNCEMENTS
                            https://www.susans.org/index.php/board,2.0.html
You will be able to read what went on before and after the crash .... and some
of the changes that are taking place with the Forum.

Well, the GOOD NEWS and a positive way to look at all of this is that we all
got a "Do-Over" button ... so, for many that means a fresh start.

AGAIN, WELCOME BACK,
HUGS, Danielle

Hi Kathy,

I joined a year ago this February, so I had seen many of your posts but really didn't know your history.  I have trouble keeping up with new posts.  I wish I had time to go back to fill in a little history sometimes.

Anyway, I glad you did a new introduction.  It was nice to learn a little about you, and I'm very happy that things are going so well for you.

Warm Regards,
Paulie

Welcome back Kathy!

Glad you're embracing the post-crash world!

January 20th.  Seven years ago today, I applied my first hormone patch and took my first spiro pill.  It marked the beginning of my physical transition.  I had put most of the fear behind me and was excited about the future.

The time since then has lived up to my hopes: it has been good.  I completed my transition and am getting on with the rest of my life.  Not everything has gone perfectly, but I can't complain.  I am enjoying my life as myself; it is so much easier than pretending to be that guy all the time.  I am accepted by associates and strangers.  (I don't really have friends as such, but that is more a result of being "on the spectrum" than anything directly trans-related.)

I have some existential dread about life after the next election (expected in 2025).  The forces of evil have been building.  Who knows how bad it will get?  But for now, the blue meanies are keeping their distance.

Congratulations on your anniversary, Kathy! Although seven years seems like a long time, it really isn't. It's amazing how much someone's life can change in that amount of time.

I think many of us are worried about the next election cycle, but I'm hopeful.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Lovely photo, Kathy. I too live with existential dread.

Although health care is government-funded here, my wife and I get supplemental coverage through her pension plan.  It covers, among other things, prescription medication.  I was getting 75% of my HRT prescription covered.

However, her pension plan recently switched service providers.  The new plan covers 80%, but only for generic meds.  I tried the generic Estradiol patches when I started, but ended up with a worsening allergic reaction.  So for the last few years, I have been using the Estradot brand, with better results.  I was afraid I would have to pay the difference, since there was no way I was going to go back to getting my skin burned from the generic.

Supposedly, generics and brand name meds are pharmacologically identical.  In this case, the physical forms of the two are quite different.  The generic patches are enormous, about 2" x 3", compared to the Estradot, which are about 1" x 0.5" for the same dose.  The adhesive on the generic was water-soluble, so they came off in the shower, and it burned my skin when it did stick.  The adhesive on Estradot patches does not burn my skin, and it sticks in the shower.  The down side of not being water-soluble is that you need bath oil to remove the adhesive when you remove the patches: no big deal.  Because of the smaller size of the patches, I can go a full month before I have to re-use a patch of skin, whereas I was irritating each bit of skin once a week on the generic.

Last month, the insurer sent us a form to request an exception.  I filled it out, got my doctor to sign off on it, and sent it in a couple of weeks ago.  Today, we got the response:  I am covered for the brand name patches!  YAY!   :D

Quote from: KathyLauren on January 27, 2024, 12:35:53 PMLast month, the insurer sent us a form to request an exception.  I filled it out, got my doctor to sign off on it, and sent it in a couple of weeks ago.  Today, we got the response:  I am covered for the brand name patches!  YAY!  :D

That's great news! I was using Estradot patches before switching to injections, and it was extremely rare for one of those patches to come off accidentally. I'm happy to hear they approved the exception.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

I am starting to feel a sense of impending doom.  I used to feel pretty good about the country I live in (Canada).  But last year, two provinces (New Brunswick and Saskatchewan) changed their policies to require forced outing of trans kids in schools.  Last week, Alberta announced new policies to deny trans kids proper medical treatment.

The right-wing policies in the US have metastasized across the border and are growing here.  We have a Conservative government here in Nova Scotia.  Allegedly, they are still "progressive" conservatives, but that may be in name only.  That stuff could easily happen here.  The next federal election will be no later than 2025, and it is very possible that a Conservative government will be elected.  There is nothing progressive about them: they even dropped the word "progressive" from their name a few years ago.  They are trumpists.  So even if some provinces remain civilized, the feds may over-rule them.  Our only hope is that our Supreme Court is less corruptible than our politicians.

It feels like it is only a matter of time before they come for me.  I don't know what form my particular persecution will take.  Maybe an excessively conscientious Gestapo officer at a bathroom door.  Maybe neighbours burning down my house.  Sooner or later, it feels like the stuff is going to hit the fan.  It is hard not to see a rapidly-descending anvil right over my head.

Don't worry, I am not about to do anything self-destructive.  I fully intend to fight the bastards any way I can.  But I had hoped for worry-free senior years.  I didn't expect I'd have to put on a Xena or Wonder Woman costume and go out to fight.  *Sigh*

Stay strong, Kathy. I moved to Arkansas a few years ago, a state that ranks dead last for LGBTQ+ equality: https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247192.msg2262575.html#msg2262575

I have never been threatened here, no angry mobs carrying pitchforks and torches have showed up. There are pockets of support even here, primarily around Little Rock and Fayetteville. While I am hopeful that things will get better, I do what I can not to bring attention to myself. This doesn't mean that I hide, it just means that I don't fly flags, I don't put stickers on my car or in my windows. I do wear what I want to wear, I go where I want to go, and I use the ladies room.

Be yourself, enjoy who you have become, and don't let the people from the 'dark side' spoil the triumph of finally being who you were meant to be.

Love always -- Jess

Quote from: KathyLauren on February 04, 2024, 01:03:46 PMI am starting to feel a sense of impending doom. 

May you see ways through the mess that present opportunities for you to shine as you.

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on February 04, 2024, 01:51:23 PM...I do what I can not to bring attention to myself. This doesn't mean that I hide, it just means that I don't fly flags, I don't put stickers on my car or in my windows. I do wear what I want to wear, I go where I want to go, and I use the ladies room.

Be yourself, enjoy who you have become, and don't let the people from the 'dark side' spoil the triumph of finally being who you were meant to be.

Love always -- Jess

Perfectly stated, as usual :)  I so agree with this life strategy.

Hi Kathy! How did I not see this. Hugs Girlfriend.

Donica

Here's a more uplifting story.  I may have talked about it before, but it would have been lost in the server crash.

Two years ago, I came down with pneumonia.  It started with a cold that I couldn't shake.  My wife was starting to get concerned.  Then we had a power failure in a blizzard and I had to go outside and pull-start the generator.  The effort darned near killed me.  I got it going, but I collapsed inside the front door gasping for air.  That's it, she said, tomorrow, as soon as the driveway is clear, you are going in an ambulance.

The neighbours came over with a snowblower and plowed out the driveway, then they called 911 for me (since they had a working phone: we didn't).  They held me in the ER for a few hours, checking me for covid (negative) and generally assessing me.  I didn't bring a wig with me in the ambulance, so my presentation was lacking.  Still, I only got misgendered by staff once, when a nurse who was new on shift brought me a male pee-bottle instead of a commode.  She came back after reading my chart and apologized profusely.

I ended up getting transferred to ICU for a few days, then to a general ward, then back to ICU again when one lung collapsed.  I was eventually transferred to a hospital in the big city an hour away.  I spent a total of nearly three weeks in hospital, and in all that time, I was treated professionally by everyone.  The only unprofessional treatment I got was when the ICU doctor overdosed me on fentanyl when inserting a drain tube into my chest.  (Yay for naloxone!)  That had nothing to do with being trans, though.

In the city hospital, I was in a 3-bed room with other patients who came and went.  One lady in another bed misgendered me as I returned to my bed from the bathroom.  I can't blame her - no wig.  But as soon as I told her my name, she was good.

It was a scary adventure into the health care system.  I got used to doctors looking at my X-rays and saying they had never seen a pneumonia that bad.  Not what a patient wants to hear!  A year later, my respirologist reiterated how bad it was and told me that the only reason I recovered was because of the IV antibiotics. 

I am now recovered as much as I am going to get.  It's not bad, but far from a full recovery.  My right lung is badly scarred.  Although the physical volume of my lungs is near normal, I can't get as much oxygen from the air as I once did.  That limits how hard I can exercise, and will likely be permanent.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the various professionals and other patients accepted me as a poorly-turned-out trans woman.  It gives me hope for the future.

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
    Your "special day" arrives tomorrow on Saturday, March 30th.
Another year older and another year wiser... as the old saying goes.

Wishing you a very, very   H A P P Y  B I  R  T  H  D  A  Y
                                                          :icon_bunch:      :icon_birthday:      :icon_birthday:      :icon_birthday:        :icon_bunch:

I trust that you will have a wonderful time celebrating another year....
    Cake?  Candles?  Ice Cream"  Gifts?    Cards from loved ones?

My HUGS and best wishes to you.
Danielle [Northern Star Girl
                                          (https://i.imgur.com/snhfvPol.jpg) 

I will get in early, happy birthday dear XXX
ps same as one of my granddaughters.

Thanks for the "birthday" wishes, Danielle and Davina.

Quote from: Northern Star Girl on March 29, 2024, 05:36:25 PMCake?  Candles?  Ice Cream"  Gifts?    Cards from loved ones?

No cards or gifts, since this is only my official Internet "birthday".  My actual gifts-and-cards real birthday is classified information.  But we did have some very nice raspberry cheesecake for supper, so it's all good.  And I appreciate that it's the thought that counts.  :D

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having an additional birthday, your Internet Birthday... :)
... it gives you a reason and perhaps an excuse to have cake !!!!
HUGS, Danielle

Quote from: KathyLauren on March 29, 2024, 07:27:49 PMThanks for the "birthday" wishes, Danielle and Davina.

No cards or gifts, since this is only my official Internet "birthday".  My actual gifts-and-cards real birthday is classified information.  But we did have some very nice raspberry cheesecake for supper, so it's all good.  And I appreciate that it's the thought that counts.  :D

What a light show last night!  The aurora on May 10th is said to be the best since 1938.  It certainly was spectacular here in Nova Scotia, where we seldom get good auroras.

This was taken by my automated all-sky camera, which takes pictures every minute, all night.  The concentric circles are centred on the zenith.  As you can see, the aurora covered the whole sky, well down to the southern sky.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53713800495_99de4a61ea_z.jpg)

Cool!

We have recently increased our family by one: we now have four cats.  The three existing members were all feral cats. 

We adopted Liesl when she was just a few months old.  She is 19 years old now, and is finally getting used to us.  I can pick her up now to give her her medicine.

We have had Clifford and Winkle for four years now.  We adopted them from a feral colony that was scheduled for forced depopulation (you don't want to know).  A couple of rescue groups trapped all the kitties and we adopted two of them.  They are the sweetest bonded pair.

The latest is Dibley.  He was a stray, and, according to neighbours, was been on his own for two years at least.  He was hanging around our house when we moved here last year, so we started feeding him.  He got sufficiently used to us that we were eventually able to push him into a crate.  A local rescue group helped us with logistics and a vet discount, and he was neutered last week.  He has now recovered from his surgery, and is quickly fitting onto our household.

Here he is chillaxing with the other two boys in the catio.  L-R: Winkle, Clifford, Dibley.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53784525805_26f7cb30a4_b.jpg)

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
A heartwarming posting regarding your new nicely built "catio" ....
.... and your adopted cats look so very comfortable and safe in there.
Lots of room for them to raise havoc.

I love the names....  Liesl, Winkle, Clifford, Dibley
I am certain that there is a story behind how you named them.

Thank you for sharing and posting.
HUGS, Danielle

Quote from: Northern Star Girl on June 11, 2024, 03:02:01 PMI love the names....  Liesl, Winkle, Clifford, Dibley
I am certain that there is a story behind how you named them.

Less than you might think.  My wife keep a list of potential cat names.  She has done for years, and most of the cat names in her past come from the list.  I don't think Liesl's name had a history - just a name that she liked.  Winkle is so-named because he only has one eye.  When he was trapped, he had a badly infected eye that had to be removed.  It doesn't seem to slow him down much.  Clifford got his name because he looked and behaved like an accountant.  Dibley has had several names: the neighbours up the road called him George.  We called him Larry.  Then Eddie.  Finally, my wife decided that he was Dibley, another name from the list.

Kathy, we continue to follow your tales.  Thank you for sharing trials, tribulations and successes.

Not to steal any of your thunder, yet I too am a cat person!  My kids said I needed a kitty intervention with the last rescue.  How can one not love moggies?

This week, I finally got a decent picture from my observatory, with nothing breaking or getting messed up.  Well, except for clouds, but that is par for the course.  So, here is this year's picture of Sh2-101, the Tulip Nebula.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53826620430_be6d15b9f6_b.jpg)

In other news, our town's Pride march was held yesterday.  It was the second-annual, last year's event being a hastily-organized counter demonstration opposing an anti-trans protest.  The success of 300 exuberant, colourful queer people demonstrating in the rain across the road from five grumpy-looking humbugs last year made for a successful event this year.

Several hundred people gathered for a rally in the park (speeches were informative, but too long), followed by a five-block march through downtown streets to the town hall, where vendors of Pride merchandise were set up.  There were a few spectators along the way, although it was a march, not a parade.  All of them were smiling and waving.  There were no signs of hostility at all.

My wife and I marched along with two trans friends of ours.  One of them is a major in the RCAF.  She is non-binary (leaning towards trans-feminine) and has official permission to wear either male or female uniform as she chooses.  She is the coordinator for diversity at her base, so being trans in uniform in public is her actual job!  She was there in uniform, of course.

This is me at the vendor area:

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53826428373_854ea90829_b.jpg)

Scrolling back in this thread, I see several references to a sense of impending doom.  Well, after Nov 5th, that sense has only increased.  The new administration in the US has made it clear that their highest priority is the eradication of trans people.

What happens in a foreign country should, by rights, have no bearing on other countries.  But, as the saying goes, Canada is a mouse sleeping with an elephant.  When the elephant rolls over, we have to pay attention.  The Conservative Party, currently in second place in our parliament, is paying a great deal of attention to what happens down there.  Since they have no original policies, they are copying Republican policies.

Since there is not a heck of a lot we can do about it except to vote against the bastards at every opportunity, it is time to plan for escape routes.  Hopefully they never have to be used, but it would be stupid to have no plans.

I downloaded an application for a Canadian passport this afternoon and spent some "light reading" time studying the application requirements.  Then, since escape routes need backups, I reviewed the application requirements for an Irish passport.  I applied for one a couple of years ago, but it was turned down because of some (unspecified) deficiency in my paperwork.  But I know I qualify, so I'll try again.

In lighter news, our feline family has grown by two (up to six, now).  The newcomers are not ours: we are fostering them for a local rescue group.  They are siblings, a boy and a girl, about 4 or 5 months old.  They were found in a barn, with no mother.  The rescue group took them in, had them spayed and neutered, and planned to release them into a feral colony.  But they showed promise as pets, so we are fostering them to help socialize them for living with humans.  No pics yet, as we don't want to scare them with a flash.  Their names are Anna and Ray.  They are grey tabby, and cute as the dickens.

Kathy,

Happy Thanksgiving to you Kathy!  Although you may not celebrate this holiday where you live, do have a nice day! 

Chrissy

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on November 27, 2024, 05:32:35 PMKathy,

Happy Thanksgiving to you Kathy!  Although you may not celebrate this holiday where you live, do have a nice day! 

Chrissy

Thanks, Chrissy! 

We do celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada, but with some differences from your American version.  For one thing, it is in October.  For another, it has no historical significance.  It is just about giving thanks for a bountiful harvest, and for anything else thanks-worthy in one's life.

I was once a member of a club that had a major potluck dinner every year for Thanksgiving.  One member who was a lay reader in his church traditionally used to say a very religious grace before we ate.  Another member, an atheist, eventually objected.  The next year, there was no grace.  That didn't sit well with me, seeing as the occasion was Thanksgiving, so for the following year, I wrote a non-religious grace.  I think they still use it, more than 20 years later.

Thanksgiving Grace

Friends, we are gathered here to enjoy some excellent food.
As we do so, let us remember that not everyone will eat tonight.
We are enjoying being with our friends and family.
Not everyone will have company tonight.
When we go home, we will sleep in a warm bed, under a dry roof.
Not everyone will have shelter tonight.
So, as we enjoy this fine meal, let us be thankful,
And let us give a thought for those less fortunate.

Happy thanksgiving to you and to all the members here.

I have commented in the past about the possibility of "escaping" from Canada if the government goes full-on trumpist in the next election and starts a purge on trans folks.  I still intend to go through with the passport applications I was contemplating, because it is prudent to have options, but I don't think fleeing will be Plan A.

In my research, I discovered that Canadian pensions are taxable if the recipient is non-resident.  That is over and above the ordinary income tax, which would be payable to the country of residence; it is a specific non-resident tax, payable to Canada.  So not only is the cost of living higher in desirable places like Ireland, but our incomes would take a significant hit.  That makes emigration a last resort.

So, Plan A has to be to Stay And Fight.  That means civil disobedience if necessary.  I do not intend to obey any bathroom bills.  I live semi-stealth anyway: I don't tell people I am trans.  Some know already, others might guess.  Most don't know or care.  I will carry on like that, with instructions to friends that my being trans is very much on a need-to-know basis. 

I will carry on doing what I am doing for as long as I can.  I will also be on the lookout for resistance groups.

For folks in the US looking for a bail-out option, Canada is still an improvement over what you have.  You are welcome here, and we'd love to have you.  But don't be under any illusions that it is a paradise.  We have a trumpist Opposition Leader who is certain to be elected next year.  If anything, he is more dangerous than Trump.  At least, everyone knew that Trump was a -censored- before the election.  Our guy, Pierre Poilievre, looks all clean-cut and wholesome, and he says nothing that would detract from that image.  But his policies are written in his party's policy manual.  So if you come here, be prepared to join the fight.

I think you pointed out a very good reason to stay. I will be filing my passport application this month too. My intent is not to flee, but in case I can miraculously afford "medical tourism" to have surgery done in Mexico or Thailand.

I investigated moving to California or New Mexico for easy access to the border. Canada is an option, but I cannot claim asylum there. Canada and the US have a treaty called the Safe Third Country Agreement (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/policies-operational-instructions-agreements/agreements/safe-third-country-agreement.html) where anyone in the US trying to enter Canada as a refugee will be returned to the US. Canada is closer to me, but I want the option to request asylum and receive "protected person" status if possible.

California and New Mexico have a higher cost of living and are too far to move to with my current budget. For me, the smart move will be to skip across the state border into Minnesota. They have protective state laws there. I can hide out there and further assess the situation as it develops.

Quote from: KathyLauren on December 01, 2024, 07:32:13 AMI live semi-stealth anyway: I don't tell people I am trans.  Some know already, others might guess.  Most don't know or care.  ... I will carry on doing what I am doing for as long as I can.  I will also be on the lookout for resistance groups.

Well said, and a good plan.  Be armed, quietly.  Be ready, steadfastly.

Quote from: D'Amalie on December 19, 2024, 12:25:10 PMBe armed, quietly.

I suppose that will become an easier option under the next government.

Kathy,


Merry Christmas!


Chrissy

(Taking my mind of politics for a while...)

We often see queries on the forum about timelines for the effects of HRT.  Over the last year, I have noticed some long-term effects that I haven't seen discussed much.  Most people concentrate on short-term effects.

I started HRT in January of 2017, so it has been eight years. I had all the normal short-term effects: elimination of "mental static" almost immediately, boobs by six months, facial changes, slowing of body hair growth by 12 months, etc.

In the past year, I have noticed some fat transfer to my hips.  I have been careful not to put on weight (in fact, I have gone down about 5 lbs), so this is definitely fat transfer.  When I look in a mirror, I have curves!!  I am still a bit thick in the middle, due to my male rib cage and my "third boob" (belly), but the overall effect is very nice.

The other long-term effect was more subtle.  Here, women aged 40-75 get a mammogram every two years, and trans women are eligible five years after starting HRT.  On my first two mammograms, they found that my breasts had "heterogeneous density", meaning that they were naturally lumpy.  I had noticed the same on self-examination.  Because the varying density makes it hard to detect cancerous lumps, I was scheduled for another mammogram one year later instead of two years.  Same the second time around.

But the third time, last year, I didn't get the same followup letter telling my about the density.  So I called the screening program to check, in case the letter had gotten lost.  No, they said, the density was normal enough that I was back on the standard two-year cycle.  And, thinking about it, on self-exam, they are not as lumpy as they used to be.

While my breasts are not significantly bigger - I might be up to an honest A-cup now, but no more - they are softer and more breast-like.

So, for anyone frustrated by lack of progress on the boob front, be patient.  They can still be developing as much as seven years after you begin HRT.

I have moved forward with my bail-out plan: both passport applications are in the mail.  Now I wait.  The Canadian one should be pretty straightforward, and I expect to receive it in a few weeks.  The Irish one may take longer, but as far as I could tell, I had all the right paperwork and all the boxes checked, so I don't expect any problems.

It has been interesting seeing how my fellow Canadians have reacted to the threats from the US President.  I just saw a poll that said 92% of Canadians are boycotting US products.  Florida orange juice isn't selling, whereas Brazilian orange juice is sold out and Canadian apple juice is hard to find, due to demand. 

The government is talking about cancelling the remainder of our contract for F-35 fighter jets for the RCAF.  The Swedes and French have very nice fighter jets at more reasonable prices.  The F-35 made sense if we were going to fight alongside the Americans, but not if we will have to fight against them.  Donny is turning a friend into an enemy.

My point is that the response of my fellow Canadians is heartening.  It feels like they have my back.  The cultural catastrophe that is MAGA is likely to be stopped at the border.  Our pre-election polls show a dramatic turnaround, and it is no longer a sure thing that our trumpist Conservative leader will become Prime Minister.  He could lose spectacularly. 

That makes life a bit safer for me as a trans woman.

I saw this article yesterday:

Canada 'will never be part of the US', says new PM Mark Carney amid trade war
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/14/mark-carney-sworn-in-as-canadian-prime-minister-amid-us-trade-war

When you are the leader of a country, you must stand up and defend its sovereignty.

@KathyLauren

Dear Kathy:
It is your "special day" on Sunday, March 30th
          Another day older and another day wiser !!!

All of us on the Forum are wishing you a very, very H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y
                                                                                                          :icon_flower:  :icon_birthday:  :icon_birthday:  :icon_birthday:  :icon_flower:

                                              (https://i.imgur.com/rqtnpStm.jpg)
HUGS and my well wishes for you !    Happy Birthday
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

                                              (https://i.imgur.com/sldYiP9m.jpg)

Quote from: Northern Star Girl on March 30, 2025, 03:34:40 AMIt is your "special day" on Sunday, March 30th
          Another day older and another day wiser !!!

Thanks, Danielle!  My actual birthday is classified information, but I do appreciate the thought on my "internet birthday".  I will reluctantly accept "older", but I have serious doubts about "wiser".   :D

Happy special day!

Chrissy

Happy "Susan's" birthday my dear.

@KathyLauren, I'd love to know more about how you got into astrophotography. If you've already written about it here, please feel free to point me to an existing post(s). And no rush; I have plenty of time (or so I believe).

Thank you.

Quote from: Pema on February 16, 2026, 06:54:04 PM@KathyLauren, I'd love to know more about how you got into astrophotography. If you've already written about it here, please feel free to point me to an existing post(s). And no rush; I have plenty of time (or so I believe).

Thank you.

I have always been interested in astronomy, since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.  I have heard an audio tape of me, at age 4 or thereabouts (yes they had audio tape way back then), talking about the Sun and planets.  However, as I learned more about astronomy, the one thing that stood out is that you can't really see the good stuff just by looking through a telescope.  I knew that I needed to do astrophotography to see the really interesting objects.

I didn't really act on that until, in my 50s, I was living in a truly dark place, an island off the west coast of BC.  There was a tiny bit of light pollution from Vancouver, 100 km or so away, but not much else.  And I had just received an inheritance, so I could afford some decent equipment.

Pretty soon, I was out in the yard every clear night, freezing my butt off and taking pictures.  Digital photography had revolutionized astrophotography, and it was possible for an amateur to get really good pictures.

When we moved to Nova Scotia (because my wife was born here and Nova Scotians are like salmon: they have to return to their place of birth), I insisted that we move to somewhere with dark skies, and that I would build an observatory.  We have moved twice since then, still within NS, and each time, i had the observatory picked up and moved to the new location.

As I got more proficient, I upgraded my equipment.  So, instead of a DSLR, I now use a dedicated astronomy camera, with filters for the primary colours and for some common chemical elements that are found in nebulae.  There is no shortage of interesting targets out there.  I have tried more and more challenging targets.  The dimmest target I have imaged to date took about 24 hours of exposure time.

Quote from: KathyLauren on February 17, 2026, 12:01:15 PMI have always been interested in astronomy, since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.  I have heard an audio tape of me, at age 4 or thereabouts (yes they had audio tape way back then), talking about the Sun and planets.  However, as I learned more about astronomy, the one thing that stood out is that you can't really see the good stuff just by looking through a telescope.  I knew that I needed to do astrophotography to see the really interesting objects.

I didn't really act on that until, in my 50s, I was living in a truly dark place, an island off the west coast of BC.  There was a tiny bit of light pollution from Vancouver, 100 km or so away, but not much else.  And I had just received an inheritance, so I could afford some decent equipment.

Pretty soon, I was out in the yard every clear night, freezing my butt off and taking pictures.  Digital photography had revolutionized astrophotography, and it was possible for an amateur to get really good pictures.

When we moved to Nova Scotia (because my wife was born here and Nova Scotians are like salmon: they have to return to their place of birth), I insisted that we move to somewhere with dark skies, and that I would build an observatory.  We have moved twice since then, still within NS, and each time, i had the observatory picked up and moved to the new location.

As I got more proficient, I upgraded my equipment.  So, instead of a DSLR, I now use a dedicated astronomy camera, with filters for the primary colours and for some common chemical elements that are found in nebulae.  There is no shortage of interesting targets out there.  I have tried more and more challenging targets.  The dimmest target I have imaged to date took about 24 hours of exposure time.

You should share some pics on the photography section, I would love to see some of your images.

I am fascinated by Astrophotography and have had a keen interest in the cosmos and all things beyond our planet for most of my life. As someone who loves photography it is something I would like to try as I have gear that would be capable, trouble is I'm a big wuss and am scared of the dark! There's no way I'm going out there on my own! I probably need to find a local group but I'm not really much of a joiner! one day though.

Wow, Kathy. I could ask you questions about this every day. I'll do my best to pace myself.

I live in western Washington State and have been to Vancouver island many times. Victoria is lovely, but the more remote parts of the island to the north are spectacular. Whereabouts did you live?

What telescope(s) do you have? How big is your observatory? Dome and all?

Do you have a gallery somewhere? Do you have photos of your gear and observatory?

Are you mostly a nebula girl or do you do planets and galaxies, too?

OK, I'll stop (for now).

Thank you for sharing this!

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 04:23:08 PMWhereabouts did you live?

We lived on Denman Island, one of the northern Gulf Islands, near Courtenay.  I think there was one streetlight on the whole island.

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 04:23:08 PMWhat telescope(s) do you have?

I have a 90mm Mak, a 200mm SCT, and a 280mm SCT.  My main imaging scope is a 200mm f/4 Newtonian.

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 04:23:08 PMHow big is your observatory? Dome and all?

The building is 10' x 10'.  It has an 8' dome on top.

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 04:23:08 PMDo you have a gallery somewhere?

The best gallery of my images is on Astrobin, at: https://www.astrobin.com/users/KathyNS/ (https://www.astrobin.com/users/KathyNS/)

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 04:23:08 PMDo you have photos of your gear and observatory?

Here is one of the observatory:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55101843381_6354e1419d_b.jpg)

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 04:23:08 PMAre you mostly a nebula girl or do you do planets and galaxies, too?

Nebulae, galaxies and star clusters, mostly.  Sometimes a comet or eclipse if one comes along.  I don't do planets very much because they need different equipment and software.  It's hardly worth the effort, since there are only seven of them.  Eight if you include the Moon.

Wow, Kathy!

Those are great photos. Thanks for sharing!

Oh, my goodness, Kathy. Your gallery is going to keep me busy for quite a while. What an amazing collection. I was pleased to see my old friend M15 there, but I also love the nebulae, galaxies, open clusters... They're all fantastic.

And your observatory... Again, just wow. You're living one of my fantasies. If only I could operate several concurrent lives.

How much time do you spend processing the photos? I see that you're using NINA, and I love that free, open-source software exists for everyone. What a great thing to devote one's time to.

Do you have a wish list of targets?

Thank you!

Awesome photos Kathy!

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 08:15:59 PMHow much time do you spend processing the photos?
Do you have a wish list of targets?

My latest photo, which I finished last night / this morning, took about two hours to process.  *This time!*

The first time I processed it, with about 2 hours of exposure time, I realized that I needed a whole lot more time on it.  The second time, with about 4 hours of exposure time, I realized that I needed still more.  This time, with nearly 10 hours, I thought, "That's more like it".  Each time, the processing took about two hours.  And that trial-and-error is part of the process.  So really, it was more like six hours of processing.

I do have a wish list.  Somewhere.  However, during long periods of cloudy nights, such as this winter, my "next" target may have moved out of range.  So mostly, I monitor what other people are photographing and shoot whichever of those targets appeals to me.  That is a great way to learn about new targets.  This one is a perfect example of that.  It is one I had never heard of before.

I also wrote an app that can display on a map of the night sky all the objects of a particular type.  (At least all that I have in my database.)  I can see at a glance from the map which ones are favourably placed.  I use that quite a bit for target selection.

This image is Sharpless 2 - 184, an emission nebula.  The palette is HSO-RGB, meaning that the nebula is displayed using mostly hydrogen light in the red channel, sulfur light in the green channel, and oxygen light in the blue channel.  The stars are in RGB, or natural, colour.

(https://astrob.in/88gkk6/0/rawthumb/gallery/get.jpg?insecure) (https://astrob.in/88gkk6/0/)

Quote from: Pema on February 17, 2026, 08:15:59 PMI was pleased to see my old friend M15 there

If you like my globular cluster images, my best is from June 2018, of M-13.  It is probably my best image ever.  It has won several imaging contests, and has been reproduced in two of the best-know amateur astronomy books: The Backyard Astronomer's Guide and NightWatch.

Quote from: KathyLauren on February 18, 2026, 12:37:16 PMI also wrote an app that can display on a map of the night sky all the objects of a particular type.  (At least all that I have in my database.)  I can see at a glance from the map which ones are favourably placed.  I use that quite a bit for target selection.

@Jessica_Rose has an app or two that identify objects in the sky that I thought were pretty cool. Just point your phone at it, and it shows you what it is and the neighboring objects.

She can tell you more about that and their capabilities.

The "sky" iPhone Apps that I use are:
                      Star Chart   and    Sky Guide

As  @Lori Dee  mentioned, just point your phone in the sky, move it around and you
get up to date information and pictures of what you are seeing on your phone screen.

Certainly a wonderful tool for amateur astronomers and sky watchers.  The super bright
skies here where I live, with ZERO light pollution are absolutely stunning....
and add the bight and brilliant (and where I am near the Arctic Circle ) the
almost overhead displays of the Aurora Borealis can be so brilliant and colorful,

HUGS, Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

This is so great, Kathy. Thank you.

When you do those super-long exposures, are you there the entire time, or can you leave it unattended? Will your dome close on its own?

And when you do very long exposures, do you have to span multiple nights? If so, is the targeting precise enough to align things, or does the processing software take care of that?

I warned you I'd have questions.

What do you do about satellites? Does the software subtract those? I'd think it would have to.

That's a beautiful Sh2-184. Who doesn't love an HII region? 10 hours, wow!

Can you do infrared, or is there just too much ambient? Near IR?

I do love globular clusters (and dense stellar systems in general). Your M13 is truly spectacular. So incredibly crisp, so many individual stars distinguishable, the range of spectral types discernible... Gorgeous. I'm just very fond of the core-collapsed globulars.

Do you know what made that M13 image turn out so well? Super-clear night?

OK, last question for now...
Is the software able to correct for atmospheric effects? I've been shocked by the advancements in active optics (another thing entirely, I know) and software capabilities that have enabled ground-based observations I would never have imagined possible back in grad school in the 90's.

Thank you for indulging me. This is wonderful.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMWhen you do those super-long exposures, are you there the entire time, or can you leave it unattended?

If things go well, I am not there for any of the time.  The observatory is set up for remote operation.  I do all the targeting setup from my home office.  I click the GO button, then I go to bed.  In the morning, hopefully I wake up with a pile of image files to process.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMWill your dome close on its own?

Yes.  That is an extremely important part of the observatory systems.  The dome has its own controller.  At the end of an imaging run, the imaging software will tell the dome controller to close the dome.  The dome controller can also close the dome on its own initiative if it detects rain, if there is a power failure (it has battery backup), or if it doesn't hear anything from the imaging software for a minute.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMAnd when you do very long exposures, do you have to span multiple nights?

Yes.  My longest total exposure time on one target was 22 hours.  Obviously that can't be done on one night.  In fact, each exposure in the Sh2-284 image was 5 minutes or less.  You don't want long exposures because if something goes wrong, you want to be able to throw away one or two without affecting the total time very much.  This image was made from 143 images taken over four nights.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMIf so, is the targeting precise enough to align things, or does the processing software take care of that?

Yes, the software re-aligns the telescope for each night.  The telescope mount can get to a target within a few arc minutes.  However, even the most accurate mount can't centre the target accurately enough for photography.  The software compensates by a technique called "plate solving".  The software takes a picture, scans it to find the patterns of stars, and then looks for those patterns in a database.  It calculates where the scope is actually pointing and then computes what adjustment is needed to centre the target.  With two or three iterations of that process, it can re-centre the target within 50 pixels, which is next to nothing. 

The processing software adjusts for those few remaining pixels of error, and crops off any resulting ragged edges.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMWhat do you do about satellites?

The fact that I take multiple short exposures allows the software to remove satellite trails.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMCan you do infrared, or is there just too much ambient?

I don't do IR myself.  The closest I get is Hydrogen-alpha, which is very deep red.  It is close enough to infrared that consumer cameras have to have their IR filters removed to capture it, but it is still visible light.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMDo you know what made that M13 image turn out so well?

Luck, mostly.  Atmospheric conditions were excellent, and my equipment worked perfectly that night.  In processing, I saw that it had potential, so I was very careful in my adjustments.  I made lots of very specific, very tiny adjustments until it looked right.  When the final tiny adjustment made everything "pop", I had the good sense to stop and save the file.

Quote from: Pema on February 18, 2026, 05:05:27 PMIs the software able to correct for atmospheric effects?

Nope.  If the seeing is poor, there is nothing you can do to fix it.  If the transparency is poor, you can shoot through narrowband filters to remove some of the light pollution, but you can't add light that isn't making it to the telescope.

Wow, Kathy. That is amazing!

I find that very fascinating. Thank you.

About time I poked my nose in here. <3

So, Kathy, you're going to be the person who informs NASA that we have to send a rag-tag bunch of roughnecks into space to nuke a rogue asteroid because they never saw it coming?

That is exceptionally cool!

Quote from: KathyLauren on February 18, 2026, 06:58:29 PMThe fact that I take multiple short exposures allows the software to remove satellite trails.

How long are the typical exposures? (Please forgive me if you've already said.) Do you vary them depending on the filters used, or does that not matter?

How much storage is required for the images? And how much memory for the processing?

Was your observatory a complete kit, or did you design it from components? And did you build it all yourself?

Did you learn it all on your own, or did you have mentors along the way?

Thank you for sharing all of this!

Quote from: Pema on February 20, 2026, 12:49:59 PMHow long are the typical exposures? ... Do you vary them depending on the filters used, or does that not matter?

Anywhere from 10 seconds to 15 minutes, depending on the target and the filter used.  For solar photography (which I don't do much of), the exposures are under 1 second.

Quote from: Pema on February 20, 2026, 12:49:59 PMHow much storage is required for the images?

A single monochrome frame straight out of the camera is about 40 Mb.  Full colour images are about 150-200 Mb.  A full-size JPG is about 1.4 Mb, and the reduced size that I post on social media are around 200 Kb.

The image of Sh2-284 in this thread took a total of 1.7 Gb for all 143 original frames, and 18 Gb for the processed images, including all the intermediate steps, because I save my work frequently.

Quote from: Pema on February 20, 2026, 12:49:59 PMAnd how much memory for the processing?

The machine that I do this work on has 16 Gb of memory.  It is adequate.  More is always better.  This machine runs Win 10 pro.  As with all Windows machines, the more recent the version, the more memory you need.

Quote from: Pema on February 20, 2026, 12:49:59 PMWas your observatory a complete kit, or did you design it from components? And did you build it all yourself?

Only the dome itself came as a kit.  I built the building myself from plans and installed the dome on it.  I originally bought a prepackaged kit for the dome control system, but I didn't like it and designed and built my own.

Quote from: Pema on February 20, 2026, 12:49:59 PMDid you learn it all on your own, or did you have mentors along the way?

I learned on my own, with help from numerous people on online astronomy forums.