Hi LoriDee.  I am finally getting caught up on your blog.  Now I understand that you are a serious rock hound and where you live makes sense.  I hope your VA appeal worked for you and I am glad that they can't reduce your benefits.

I hope the heat isn't too brutal.

@Emma1017

While growing up, I collected pretty rocks. Later I home-schooled myself in Geology. I came here to South Dakota to mine gold. (Did you check out my website?) I encountered some pretty cool rocks in that process, so I brought them home.

Lately, my spinal injuries have been preventing me from doing the heavy lifting of gold mining. Rockhounding is so much fun, so started polishing them. Now I am trying to learn how to make jewelry because it does not involve shoveling heavy wet gravel.

There is an option that I am exploring. My mining buddy and I were discussing that we are getting too old for this. Jokingly, she suggested we hire a couple of shirtless young studs to do the heavy digging for us, while we sit in the shade sipping iced tea. 

But neither one of us wants to reveal our site location. And how do you vet someone to be sure that they won't go back and fill their own pockets? We have a couple of ideas that we are kicking around. No decisions yet.

Lori, rock hunting sounds like a lot of fun. I definitely want to try it some time. It's not easy to do here in NYC.

My cousin is a rock hound and he lives in Kansas.  He once teased me because I lived in crowded NYC and I reminded him that I have the entire Atlantic Ocean at my doorstep to explore.  I have been scuba diving since I was sixteen.  I get to bring back the occasional lobster and mussels.  No cool rocks though.

@Emma1017

I think the problem with NYC is all the rocks are buried under concrete and asphalt. 

Maybe if you get some time to get out in the country you could find some cool-looking rocks.

When I wade through creeks and I find stones, I take some home to crack them.  Most have a empty center full of crystals.  Rather cool. 

Chrissy

Those are called "geodes", and yes they are very cool. I have never found one yet. Here there are a few places where they are found, but they are not close by.

I read somewhere about lots of them being found in creeks. I'm not sure where that was. I want to say Georgia or someplace in the South. Are y'all a suthern gal, Chrissy? 

So today has been "interesting" so far.

Last week, the property manager was away meeting with corporate execs in Minnesota. While away, one of the "problem" families decided they could be extra annoying to the other tenants in the apartment building. I corrected them (more than once) and thought I would address the issue with the property manager when she returned. Then the male tenant, with a child in tow, decided to knock on my door and threaten me at 2:00 a.m.

This morning, the property manager, a witness, and I spent several hours reviewing security video of each of the incidents. She took down our statements, spoke with other tenants who had complained to her via text message, and began writing up her reports.

That household has had numerous complaints to property management, the police, and Child Protective Services. This led to property management declining to renew their lease. The issues continued, so the manager issued them an eviction notice. They were to be gone by the end of the month. Now, they are getting a three-day notice to evacuate.

Our manager has extensive experience managing properties in "not-so-nice neighborhoods" and does not take these things lightly. We are blessed to have her.

Quote from: LoriDee on July 14, 2024, 08:47:58 PMThose are called "geodes", and yes they are very cool. I have never found one yet. Here there are a few places where they are found, but they are not close by.

I read somewhere about lots of them being found in creeks. I'm not sure where that was. I want to say Georgia or someplace in the South. Are y'all a suthern gal, Chrissy?

No, not really but I enjoy the south.  I specially enjoy the west and coastal areas.  Those do not have to be at oceans or seas, they can be by lakes.

Chrissy

The parts I ordered online to rebuild one of my rock tumblers got lost somewhere at the UPS hub here in town. The tracking number shows it is still at the hub as of July 4th. The seller shipped out a replacement order and that arrived yesterday evening.

I am thinking of doing a step-by-step tutorial in case other rock hounds are interested in doing the same. A video would be too long, so I may just take photos of each step and mark them with arrows to highlight that step.

QuoteThen the male tenant, with a child in tow, decided to knock on my door and threaten me at 2:00 a.m.

Yikes! Scary. I'll be glad when he's gone and I pity the people of wherever he's going.

Hi Lori, I must tell you I am intrigued with mining.  I have never done any.  But I became very interested in it as I became a fan of Gold Rush.  I believe It is a much larger scale than your mining operation, but gold mining still fascinates me.

Gwen

@gwenf369

Hi Gwen,

Yes, my operation is WAAAYY smaller. It's just me and one other gal. She is the perfect gold mining partner. She has no interest in gold whatsoever. She likes pretty rocks and volunteered to screen the gravel for me. Our agreement is that she can keep anything she finds on the screens. Once she hands the buckets over to me, it's all mine! We joke about what if she finds a HUGE gold nugget in the screens. I say a deal is a deal and it is all hers. But we both know she would give it to me and I would take her shopping. 

I have written several articles about gold mining (placer mining, not hard rock mining) and they are on my website, if you want to learn some details they don't explain on TV. I have a photo album too so you can see what I have collected over the years. The link is the blue earth icon in my bio. Enjoy!

I enjoy watching Aussie gold hunters on TV, all small scale stuff mostly. Sometimes they find ounce chunks but a lot is flakes/5 gram nuggets and they do wet and dry wash ,lots of very fine stuff.

I think that Lori's favorite genre of music must be ROCK music.

Sorry for poking my nose in but... wow. As Terry Pratchett would say: "We live in interesting times." Damn girl. You are one of the world's optimists. I think I understand you more now.

We need more people like you in the world.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on July 18, 2024, 07:21:20 PMI think that Lori's favorite genre of music must be ROCK music.

Classic Rock... well, what they called Classic rock in the 90s... so Old Rock. 

@Sephirah

I do try to always be positive. It isn't easy, I have my struggles the same as most people. There are choices that we can make. Even when the odds are against us and things seem impossible, I CHOOSE to believe there is another way. I choose to be happy. The Great Spirit has never failed me and never will. No matter what is happening around me, I try to remember that "this too shall pass". That's just me. 

Is a very good way to be. And it bleeds through to others.

Same as me dear, things might pee me off but it never lasts. I trust in the universe/spirit in the sky/what ever to see me right. Be nice to folk and they will be nice back, a smile goes a long way.

I finished rebuilding one of my rock tumblers. It is running smooth and quiet now. Tomorrow I'll clean out the tumbler that's been running for a week, then reload all five barrels and start another cycle.

I was taking some tools back downstairs to my Jeep. As I was getting off the elevator, two young boys crowded on so I had to squeeze by them. (No sense of etiquette taught in that household). The older one (maybe 10 years old), is the one who came with his dad at 2 am to threaten me. I didn't say anything and just stepped off the elevator (a "lift" for our gals across the pond).

As the elevator doors were closing this brat yelled out, "B*tch!"

At least he got my gender correct.

He will be gone soon. They received their eviction notice. Good riddance.