The Story of Lori, Chapter 2

[Lori Dee ✅]

I got about an hour outside pulling weeds in my backyard. I've spent about $200 on weed killer in the past year. The previous tenant put down weed cloth and rock. But all of our efforts are in vain. In one hour, I filled my tall trash can with weeds. Then the thermometer hit 95°F (35°C), and I said enough is enough.

Like the lyrics from the song, Godzilla (Blue Öyster Cult):

"History shows again and again how Nature points out the folly of Man."

My plans for the coming week are shaping up... I think. I have electrolysis on the 3rd, then an MRI on the 4th. I'll pack up the Jeep beforehand so I can leave early in the morning on the 5th to head for the mountains.

The dig site is about a 3.5-hour drive, so if I leave early enough, I can set up camp by lunchtime. That will give me the rest of the day to scout the area for the best places to dig.

I had found a spot last time with my metal detector, and the 2-gallon sample I brought home yielded just under 1 gram of gold. That spot is definitely on my radar for further excavation. It is also near some trees, so it may have some shade. In doing my research, I located another spot on the map that looks very promising for a couple of reasons: a) I know that nobody has been digging there, and b) the rocks are till left behind by glacial melt. I'll need to get a good look at the rocks to decide if I want to clear the overburden and get down to virgin ground, or if the rocks are too big to move without a lot of work.

The goal is to dig, screen, and fill five or six 5-gallon buckets of paydirt to bring home. The creek there is just a trickle, so not enough water to move dirt through a sluicebox correctly, and it is usually lined with other prospectors trying to use sluiceboxes in very little water. I've been doing this long enough to know what works and what doesn't.

Once I have my buckets filled, I'll break camp and come home. I expect it could take me three days if I take my time and work smarter, not harder. After that, I have plenty of options to process the dirt. There are many places along the Arkansas River, which runs through town, where I can set up a sluice box and run the dirt. I don't think the Riverwalk restaurants would approve, and I would prefer to be out of town and out of sight when I do it. But there are plenty of places that don't require a 3+ hour drive to get to. I can also set up a recirculating system in my bathtub to run my Gold Cube. Cleanup is a pain, but I have a second bathroom with a shower, so I won't need to rush to get all the mud-filled tubs out of the way.

If the plan holds, I'll be AFK from the 4th to the 8th, with a VA appointment on the 9th. If I can fill the buckets in one day, I'll spend the night, then break camp and come home. Hopefully, there won't be many people at the dig site, and the campsites won't be filled.

Fingers crossed and pics to follow later.

[ChrissyRyan]

I see litter in all housing areas.  In the more upscale places people pick it up quickly.
I see so much trash at highway ramps and city intersections and along roads and in those parking lots.

So sad.

I have noticed that many restaurants no longer have trash bins in their lots.  I guess they do not want to have to empty them. 

[Valerie.Val]

@Lori Dee checked your website, wow you have some impressive finds! I guess this hobby really pays off, too?

About weeds: 20 years ago I used to remove all the weeds, kill the snails etc. but I gave up. I redesigned the garden so the weed may grow under the bushes and the rest is taken care of by a lawnmower bot. All the flowers and plants that did not survive vermin attacks on their own, I let die. I now let the snails eat my strawberries and the birds eat my cherries - good for them. And good for me too, it's still a beautiful garden and I am much more relaxed.

[Lori Dee ✅]

@Lori Dee checked your website, wow you have some impressive finds! I guess this hobby really pays off, too?

About weeds: 20 years ago I used to remove all the weeds, kill the snails etc. but I gave up. I redesigned the garden so the weed may grow under the bushes and the rest is taken care of by a lawnmower bot. All the flowers and plants that did not survive vermin attacks on their own, I let die. I now let the snails eat my strawberries and the birds eat my cherries - good for them. And good for me too, it's still a beautiful garden and I am much more relaxed.

The problem I have is that I don't own the property. I rent in a mobile home community. Every month during the summer, our property manager sends an email telling everyone to pull the weeds. I don't blame her, because once they get started, they don't stop. Last summer, I spent a month clearing weeds. The emails mostly target the other park she manages, but she has contacted me directly in the past as well. I reminded her that this is a 55+ community and we old and disabled people take longer to pick weeds.

Once I get my own place, I can always landscape to make the work easier, as you suggested. Until then, I've got to follow the rules.

[Valerie.Val]

Bummer! I see... I hope the situation improves for you very soon.
Hugs
Val

[Lori Dee ✅]

Bummer! I see... I hope the situation improves for you very soon.
Hugs
Val

Thanks, Val.

[Lori Dee ✅]

We have a few wildfires in Western and Southern Colorado. The Southern Colorado fires have continued to grow today, and now several towns are under evacuation orders.
I donated cases of bottled water to the evacuation center here in Pueblo. This is the view from a few blocks away on my way home.

The Air Quality is now rated at Unhealthy, so I wore my N95 mask while I was out. Outdoor activities in Pueblo have now been canceled due to the Air Quality Alert.

Residents of Beulah, San Isabel and Rye evacuated as two fires burn in Southern Colorado
https://www.cpr.org/2026/06/29/beulah-evacuate-aspen-acres-11-fire-two-fires-burn-in-southern-colorado/ 🔗

Of note in this article is where it says:

Stage 2 fire restrictions are now in place for El Paso, Custer and Pueblo counties, along with all BLM public lands managed by the Royal Gorge and San Luis Valley field offices. Open flames including campfires and charcoal grills, fireworks and smoking outside are banned. Gas grills, chainsaws and other potentially spark producing devices must have emergency shut off switches and other safety features, and can be operated only in areas where flammable materials have been removed.

That means I won't be out camping in this mess. Even with my mask and fire goggles, the risk of an exhaust pipe igniting dry grass is too high.

[Valerie.Val]

😮 Stay safe Lori Dee

[Lori Dee ✅]

😮 Stay safe Lori Dee

Thanks, Val!

[davina61]

Thats a PIA, better safe than sorry though. Its been very dry here, the common land and hills are at risk unless we get some wet stuff in the next few weeks.

[Stottie Girl]

Oh no! I hope you and Jessica stay safe and the fires do not head your way.

The 1st pic you posted is beautiful but very scary at the same time.

Look after yourself Lori.

[Lori Dee ✅]

The problem is that we have been in a drought for a very long time. This past winter was the driest winter in recorded history. Our snowpack was 13% of normal. When that snow melts, it fills our reservoirs and feeds the rivers we use for drinking and for irrigating farmland. Not just in Colorado, but in seven western states. Some 40 million people depend on water from the Colorado River alone, and it is at dangerously low levels. Experts say that if the water level drops any more, it will affect the dams' ability to generate electricity in those seven states.

Add to that the ever-increasing temperatures and low humidity. That increases the severity of storms, which increase wind speeds. Some areas of our forests are deep, remote canyons that people cannot access. For decades, those canyons have piled up with flammable tree debris, so when a fire starts and spreads, there is no stopping it.

Three firefighters were killed recently on the Colorado/Utah border when the fire moved so quickly it cut off their escape route. They deployed fire shelters to allow the fire to flash over them, but they did not survive.

People have been warning us about the dangers of Global Warming for decades, but we ignored them. We made small changes to make it look like we were doing something, but it is too little, too late. No one wants to get involved if there is no money to be made.

For example, right now parts of the southern states, like Kentucky, are experiencing floods while the western half of the country is in a major drought. Wouldn't it be nice if we could pump the excess water from the flooded areas up high into the Rocky Mountains to fill the reservoirs and rivers?

We have the technology to do it. There are pipelines running from Canada down through the central U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico, pumping oil and natural gas. Why not water? There is no money in it.

The Trump Administration killed environmental regulations that prevented more oil drilling rigs from being built offshore of our coastlines. He wants more oil. Instead of oil drilling platforms, we should be building offshore desalination plants. The Navy uses them to turn seawater into fresh water. The city of San Diego, California, uses them for the same purpose.

Why not build desalination plants, pump freshwater up to the Continental Divide, and let the water run downhill to fill lakes, reservoirs, and rivers? It would be expensive, and there is no direct profit from it. Yet we can spend billions of dollars on beautification projects that no one asked for except the President. We can spend billions of dollars on starting wars for no apparent reason. We can spend billions of dollars on things that no one asked for, but Congress approves the spending anyway.

Meanwhile, the country burns. And this is only the beginning. The ocean currents are changing. The polar ice caps and glaciers are melting. Mother Nature will make us pay for our ignorance.