The Story of Lori, Chapter 2

[Lori Dee ✅]

The Fiskars brand four prong weed remover stick with ejection is really good to pull out weeds. 

It does not pull out all weeds, some weeds seem like they have little to grab onto to extract from the ground.  But it is great on dandelions and any weed that "clumps" in the ground.  An excellent investment. 

There are similar weeders.  The ejection feature is nice though as you do not have to pull off by hand from the prongs the extracted weeds. 

I had one of those, and it works well. But its weakest point was the hinge. Everything on it was metal except the plastic hinge, which broke on a particularly stubborn Chinese Elm sapling.

Today, I used a swing blade to chop the roots. I got all of the big stuff. My trash can is overflowing, so my neighbor offered me his.

Now that the big stuff is gone, it looks much better. Depending on the weather, I'll be back out there spraying everything with a mix of Agent Orange and paraquat. As I wrote to my landlord: "screw the environment and the pretty stuff. At least the weeds will be gone."

Actually, I can't get paraquat or Agent Orange, so I'll be using RM-43 this time. It is a concentrate that you mix yourself. I'll make certain it is potent enough to get the job done.

For now, I have taken my Happy Pills and am feeling no pain.
🤪

[ChrissyRyan]

I had one of those, and it works well. But its weakest point was the hinge. Everything on it was metal except the plastic hinge, which broke on a particularly stubborn Chinese Elm sapling.

Today, I used a swing blade to chop the roots. I got all of the big stuff. My trash can is overflowing, so my neighbor offered me his.

Now that the big stuff is gone, it looks much better. Depending on the weather, I'll be back out there spraying everything with a mix of Agent Orange and paraquat. As I wrote to my landlord: "screw the environment and the pretty stuff. At least the weeds will be gone."

Actually, I can't get paraquat or Agent Orange, so I'll be using RM-43 this time. It is a concentrate that you mix yourself. I'll make certain it is potent enough to get the job done.

For now, I have taken my Happy Pills and am feeling no pain.
🤪

Will the chemicals also kill the grass, or is this area not the traditional grassy lawn?

[Lori Dee ✅]

Will the chemicals also kill the grass, or is this area not the traditional grassy lawn?

It will kill everything. Weeds, grass, vines, creepers, broadleaf, and even trees.

However, I am in the desert, and we have been in a drought for some time now. So other than some yuccas, barrel cacti, and roses, it is just dirt and rocks... and weeds. I have a Summer Scarlet Lily and a Torchflower bush near the windows, but I won't spray that area. I plan to avoid the ornamentals, but I should be able to get the large dirt area, driveway, and walkways. Those are the major problem areas.

[Emma1017]

We have had the opposite in NY.  Rain all the time, mosquitos that like insecticide and weeds that burnt out my back weeding.  Looking forward to the first snow.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Today, I finally received a follow-up to my complaint filed through the VA Patient Advocates Office a week ago (Monday).

I was at my Dermatologist appointment this morning, so I had my phone silenced. Of course, that's when they called me back. Not for the week that I have been carrying my phone everywhere, including the bathroom.

The voicemail message said he would call me back today or tomorrow with a follow-up. Great. I won't hold my breath.

Sure enough, he called back this afternoon. A really nice guy named Deshaun, and from his voice, I assumed he was gay.

Deshaun, if you are reading this and you are NOT gay, I apologize so sincerely. I should not have assumed. You are a very nice man. And if you are gay, please register for a FREE ACCOUNT right here and post an introduction. If you mention that I referred you, you can get a 50% Discount on your free account.

Anyway, Deshaun said that he thoroughly investigated this SNAFU. The normal procedure is for these referrals to go through a few hands before they are sent to the provider. In this case, the Orthopedic Surgeon who needs to look at my knee.

The doctor writes the referral, and it goes somewhere for approval.
Once approved, the packet is assembled with billing information, relevant medical history, and other unnecessary paperwork.
Once the packet is assembled, it goes to a Care Coordinator, who calls the veteran (me) and asks if I have a Preferred Provider. I do, so I gave her that information.
At this point, the file is "flagged," meaning it is ready to be faxed over to the provider's office for appointment scheduling.

So, Deshaun began following the file to determine where it went, since it never made it to the surgeon's office. He noticed that the file had been flagged, so that's a good sign. Then he looked to see how many flags it had.

Between July 17th and August 17th, the file was flagged 1,700 times.  🫨😮😧
He admits that he has no idea how that happened.

But the good news is that he personally faxed the file over to the surgeon's office. He then called over to Debbie, the Referrals/New Patients Manager, and confirmed she had received it. Yes, she did.

\0/ Yay!

She also told Deshaun that spine cases take longer to schedule because surgeons require much more detailed information. That can take weeks. But for joints (shoulders and knees), patients can be seen much more quickly.

So I expect that within the next 3-5 business days, I will get a call to schedule an appointment. But I have been wrong about that recently, so we will see.

Fingers crossed, everyone, please.

🤞🏻

[tammy753]

So I expect that within the next 3-5 business days, I will get a call to schedule an appointment. But I have been wrong about that recently, so we will see.

That's awesome news. Hopefully they can get you in soon!

[Lori Dee ✅]

Good news today!

Debbie, the manager from the surgeon's office, called, and I have an appointment now for September 28th!

This isn't surgery. It is just a consult to get his opinion on the MRI report to determine whether surgery or another intervention is needed.

I expect it to be minor, whatever the decision.

But just in case, I decided to look into more prospecting gear:

[tammy753]

Is that 4wd? Is there an after market? Can you get a Jeep badge for it? I want one too.

[davina61]

If Jeep made a wheel chair that would be it!

[Lori Dee ✅]

I had a slight panic attack moment.

I received a confirmation phone call from the surgeon's office. She confirmed my appointment on the 28th with Dr. Fauci.

I said, "Excuse me? Dr. Anthony Fauci?"

She chuckled and said, "No. Fossee. F-O-S-S-E-E."

Whew!

If I go to my appointment and find his credentials include anything that says
"Doctor of Virology, Wuhan, China," I am out of there!

[Maid Marion]

Fall is the time to spray herbicides to kill plants. Not in the spring.
If the poison is absorbed through the leaves there is delicate balance in how fast the poison works.
If it works too fast, the root system doesn't have time to absorb the poison!
You don't want to nuke the leaves with too strong a poison.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Fall is the time to spray herbicides to kill plants. Not in the spring.
If the poison is absorbed through the leaves there is delicate balance in how fast the poison works.
If it works too fast, the root system doesn't have time to absorb the poison!
You don't want to nuke the leaves with too strong a poison.

Thanks, MM.

The stuff I am using is RM43-2, which is a dual-action herbicide. It contains two different chemicals: one is type 10, and the other is type 2. The instructions state it is best used in Late Summer.

One of the chemicals attacks the leaves, which kills the plant immediately. The plants must be cut short so the second chemical can soak into the soil. It kills roots and seeds to prevent any regrowth "for one year," but then goes on to say it might need to be applied every 6-8 months for effective coverage.

Once I have raked all the dead plants out of the way, I will likely give a second application before winter gets here. It becomes rainproof after two hours, so I'll have to watch for the evening thunderstorms we have been getting lately.

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

  @Lori Dee
Dear Lori:
Guess what? Tomorrow, Thursday, September 3rd is your special day...
  ....  HAPPY BIRTHDAY  🥳  💐  🎂  🎈  🎁
                     

What are your plans for your birthday?  Cake with Candles? 
                                                                Ice Cream?
                                                                Special trip?
                                                                Dinner out with friends?

All of us on the Forum are wishing a good day for you.

HUGS,
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
    Forum Administrator
                🔗 [Link: ibb.co/vCcxJySx/]

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Happy Birthday, Lori! 🥳🎉🎂💐

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

Thank you!

I have BIG PLANS for tomorrow to do absitively positlutely NOTHING.
Well, actually, I am working on my novel, so I will likely do that.

I will celebrate on Sunday, the 6th. @Jessica_Rose and @Susan_Rose invited me to their place for lunch. With my knee problems, I wasn't sure if I could make it. But they threatened me with lasagna and chocolate cake for lunch, and I folded like a cheap umbrella.

I'm not much for celebrating birthdays, but hanging out with those two is always special, even without lasagna and cake. I am blessed to have them living near me. ❤️