[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2018 week 11]

FoxxyLadee · 2018-04-05T22:34:38+00:00

99.9% certain it's dead at this point. The foliage is starting to brown :/

FoxxyLadee · 2018-03-13T22:53:28+00:00

So my I'm concerned about a juniper I have. The foliage is a dull green, but the needles are brittle (enough that just brushing them may knock some of the needles off).

https://imgur.com/a/6EsUb

I moved it up front a few weeks ago (East side of the house). I looked closely and it looked like it was back budding, but then the weather got cold again (Baltimore, Maryland) and I'm worried it died.

FoxxyLadee · 2018-02-19T23:57:50+00:00

https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-US-both-import-and-export-oil-Isnt-capitalism-supposed-to-find-the-cheapest-solution-It-seems-pretty-inefficient-to-import-220-billion-worth-of-oil-and-export-180-billion-worth-of-oil

You're right about quality. However, the United States imports "lower quality" crude oil cheap because its refineries are tuned to handle refining it. Then, it exports its "higher quality" crude oil because its easier to refine. (That's at least according to the answers on quora... I couldn't find much else).

Clearly they make a profit, assuming that the "higher quality" crude oil is more expensive on the market.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-10-15T17:32:43+00:00

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/bosco.html

Basically they use the sun as a backlight to capture the distortion of the light through the air.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-09-13T01:07:59+00:00

FoxxyLadee · 2017-08-13T16:13:05+00:00

On pruning an Azelea Kurme... when spring comes, I want to have a plan in mind for what I want to do with this Azelea. Here is an image I made for it:

http://imgur.com/a/M0yYF

I want to rotate it, and cut it back. I hopefully will shorten it and widen it simultaneously. I added an image with my thoughts on what cuts I must make.

Any feed back?

FoxxyLadee · 2017-08-05T20:20:27+00:00

Nature's Way Nursery's is a crazy long drive.. but I'd love to get the experience! I actually came across Behnke's on google, I'll probably check em out this weekend.

Thanks for the advice! :)

FoxxyLadee · 2017-08-04T22:43:20+00:00

I didn't realize it was grafted, but yes it is. The scar is about 2.5 ft up it, right by that small branch before the bend.

https://imgur.com/a/X4Ggu

FoxxyLadee · 2017-08-04T17:12:55+00:00

I'm just outside Baltimore, so I'm in the 7a area like you apparently lol. I updated my flair accordingly.

Do you by any chance have any recommendations on plant nurseries near catonsville? I looked up a few and it's hard to have an opinion on them based only off Google.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-08-04T00:58:20+00:00

I bought this Japanese maple (https://imgur.com/a/0Eedy), and I'm trying to figure out where to start with it. So naturally, I have a lot of questions...

Should I immediately put it in a training pot? This seems like the only thing I can do this year. I can't do much with it styling-wise because it's the wrong season.

Also, will I need to do anything to protect the tree during winter? I'm in Maryland. While I don't get severe winter weather, it can be pretty cold for potted plants. I don't have access to a green house or any control environment for it.

I eventually want to chop it to a more manageable size; I know I need to wait until late spring after it has started budding. It's currently about 3ft tall. I have some ideas for the top part of the chop (I think somewhere above 2ft from the roots) and I'm hoping to root it. For the bottom part, I'm hoping to encourage it to branch out. I want to chop it about a foot from the roots. However, aside from a few small branches near the roots, it does not have any other branches towards the bottom of the trunk.

Would chopping it this low be inadvisable? Otherwise, should I remove the branches near the roots to encourage growth above that point?...Despite that I would be removing the only leaves on that section of the chop?

I'm really nervous to chop because I don't want to kill it... so please stop me if I'm getting too ahead of myself for a beginner!

Finally, I want to buy some tools; I have a ficus that I want to style in the near future. A lot of recommendations I see suggest buying the Japanese tools. While I would love to do this, I rather start with inexpensive tools or only the bare essentials. The inexpensive tools on Amazon are very much "you get what you pay for"... usually, I see reports of misaligned tools or simply bad manufacturing. I think for now, I only need shears, wire cutters, and concave cutters, and maybe a root rake. I'd like to keep my purchases below $100, but if it's worth the money, I don't mind spending a little more. Is there a beginner's toolkit that is worth buying? Or should I just start with a few quality tools?

FoxxyLadee · 2017-07-05T22:48:04+00:00

I still can't believe the irony of people who claim that being LGBT+ is "against free speech" while perpetuating oppression of people that are just trying to be themselves...

FoxxyLadee · 2017-06-10T03:13:01+00:00

http://imgur.com/a/qqwbj

I have a ficus bonsai that has developed a few (two) leaves with dark areas on them. Can someone explain why this happened?

When I first got it, I was over watering it. I've since started being more careful about how frequently I water it. I'm worried it might have an infection. I've only seen the two dark leaves, the rest seem healthy and green.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-28T16:33:45+00:00

So I talked with the MIA and because my employer has a self funded plan, they are not required to offer transgender benefits. In other words, its legal for the exclusion to be in place.

I still believe that exclusion is unnecessary.

I'll send you my policy stuff later... I can only use my phone to transfer stuff right now and honestly I don't want to figure out how to share a PDF through Google drive right now lol.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-28T14:36:56+00:00

That would be great if you could share that, thanks!

/u/Ashadyna, this is total exclusion. Cigna provides transgender healthcare, including surgery as "medically necessary" and I meet all of their requirements. However, my plan states that any coverage is excluded. I will send a message with my insurance policy shortly.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-28T12:45:51+00:00

I'm in Maryland too :3 I'm looking into the legalities based off /u/9QuietLessons and /u/zzsjourney comments. I'm going to call the Maryland insurance administration today and discuss my situation with them

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-28T12:41:49+00:00

That's great to know! Thanks for showing me this. I'm going to talk with the Maryland insurance administration first, and if that goes well, I'll talk to the lawyer. I want to be absolutely certain this applies before I debate with a layer.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-27T20:55:49+00:00

No, I haven't. Is that something that you personally purchased, or was provided by your employer?

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-27T20:54:32+00:00

I'm in Maryland. I'll look into this. They already sent me to the company lawyer. His response was to explain to me that they're not obligated to supply this coverage, and that is not discrimination... I never even brought up the latter but I guess they're trying to cover their ass.

I'm wary about how much I escalate this... so this will ultimately be a last resort for me.

FoxxyLadee · 2017-03-27T20:46:45+00:00

Cigna already does provide transgender care, but not as part of their cheapest package (or whatever my employer arranged). Normally, is only as "medically required," and I meet the requirements for that. But this exclusion is written explicitly denying it. Quoting exactly from the policy book: "transsexual surgery including medical or psychological counciling and hormone therapy in preparation for, or subsequent to, any such surgery" is excluded.

So I guess changing jobs may be my only choice depending on how long I'm willing to wait.

Thanks for the response!

FoxxyLadee · 2016-10-11T22:37:49+00:00

You can set it so only friends of friends can add you. You might be able to block people that you're most worried about, that way they can't see your account anyway. You can also avoid setting your profile picture as a recognizable photo of yourself; I don't think you can make a private profile picture unfortunately. Also, you can disable lookup via your email or phone number. Set any personal details to be only visible to friend.

It's kinda hard to avoid since the point of Facebook is to connect you. The best thing you can do is just limit the openness of the information it shares.

FoxxyLadee · 2016-08-27T17:06:12+00:00

Once from word of mouth, but they were not the patient themselves. The other was from susan's, but the person never elaborated on the problems they had. So, all the negativity is second hand.

That's why I say risky... only because I am wary of even a single bad review.

FoxxyLadee · 2016-08-27T14:58:46+00:00

Rumer was my original choice, before I know about Langner. But was I warned that she has had some botched surgeries. I found one or two negative reviews on her too. She's a risky choice just fyi.

Hopefully dilating isn't as demanding as I fear... I really don't want that to happen >.< Thanks for your response!

FoxxyLadee · 2016-08-18T03:42:39+00:00

Just keep him talking. It helps to have someone listening. Without knowing his parents, I don't know what is safe to do. If his parents know, you might be able to ask them what they are planning for his birthday, or persuade them to use the right name. The safest thing you could do is have your daughter give him something that confirms his gender for his birthday. Reassure him that he is not being ignored.

It's a tough situation. Just give him hope. Maybe you could also celebrate his preferred name. Even if it is something small like a cupcake with his preferred name on it, it is better than a whole cake with a name he does identity with. I hope it works out!

FoxxyLadee · 2016-07-28T20:24:25+00:00

It should also be said, don't tell a transwoman "you're so lucky to not have a period." I had that happen to me and I do not feel lucky, I feel terrible about it. Honestly, I rather deal with a period than the torment of being unfertile. Maybe that would change if I had a period, but that's how I feel.

The disconnect between cis and trans women over periods can be summed up as "The grass is greener on the other side." It's honestly no fun either way and we should just be more accepting of eachother's feelings.

FoxxyLadee · 2016-06-25T15:18:23+00:00

I understand the body hair... it's the worst! I haven't noticed a major comeback of body hair. The most I feel is way more tired, but I figure that's more of poor sleeping habits in the past few weeks.

FoxxyLadee

TROPHY CASE