Who Turned the Heat On?

We've been enjoying a pretty mellow spring...not too hot, not too cold, lots of daylight and all is good. BUT "someone" turned on the heat a couple of days ago. Today the outdoor temperature is 107 degrees! That's HOT! Of course we are in the Mojave Desert--one of the hottest deserts in North America...but gees--it's not even mid-May and it's cracking 100 degrees. 

If your vehicle has a black steering, it's too hot to touch after sitting in the sun for a few minutes. Black upholstery is a nightmare at this temperature. I feel sorry for folks with black cars--there's no hope for them. Some cars have trendy black-matte door handles which are impossible to touch in this heat.

It's definitely time to think about snow-birding to the cooler north. Today it is a balmy 73 degrees at our home in the woods. That's why we snowbird.

Critters

I'm back making critters. Three little soft fluffy kitties ...

...Elizabeth the Elephant

...and there are more in the works!

 

May Day--A Trip Down Memory Lane

Many years ago--when I was in elementary school, my class danced the MayPole at the big park in our home town. I  remember the dance as I did not know how to skip. I learned how to skip so I'm guessing it was the first or second grade. 

Our class started practicing how to dance around a MayPole early in the spring. We had to have a partner and it had to be a boy. We had to skip. And on a special day we would dance the MayPole at our school and "if we were good enough" we might be invited to dance the MayPole at the big park in downtown on May 1. 

I learned how to skip, which apparently it was quite difficult for me. I remember my dad trying to teach me as we skipped up and down the street for weeks. I finally got the idea and for months I would not stop skipping. He created a little skipping monster. It was so much fun.

We practiced dancing around the MayPole at school. Our teacher gave us huge ribbons that were long and wide and we needed to practice making a neat design on the pole. The day came for the school competition and we were chosen to dance at the park. It was a great honor. 

Then came the real work. All the girls had to have matching dresses and the boys had to have matching vests (with dark pants)..and our mothers were supposed to make the costumes. My mother made the dress, which I remember was green, as were given the fabric at school. I have no idea what would have happened if my mother did not know how to sew. On the appointed day we dressed up our costumes and went to the park. It was exciting!

There were lots and lots of MayPoles standing in the park. There was a huge school band ready to play the music. We found our special MayPole with the green and white ribbons and got ready for the dance. We were all so proud to be dancing in the Park. The band started playing and I remember thinking it sounded different from what we danced to at school because at school we listened to the music on a record player and this was live. The music was the same but it was different. They played the first round of music and we all waited for our cue and then we started twisting our ribbons around the pole. Our class made our finest design on our pole and so did the other classes. Each class had a different set of colors so the poles were decorated in green and white and pink and red and yellow and on and on. It seemed like the whole town was there watching us dance around the MayPoles. It was a special day.

So, as this is May 1, I'm wondering if there are any classes "out there" that are dancing around a MayPole in their special matching dresses and vests? It's a fun little memory. School has changed. I remember teaching 4th grade many years later, and we never danced around a MayPole. I would tell my classes about my memory of the MayPole Dance and one time we made a make-shift MayPole from the tetherball pole. My "kids" thought it was fun. And it was!

Birthday Bash

I had a Birthday Bash...and it was great fun. I received cards and calls and texts from lots of friends--I talked way too much (I lost my voice) and I laughed and took trips down memory lane. It was a good day. Thank you everyone for making it such a good birthday.

We went to a restaurant in one of the casinos for dinner. I wanted two things with dinner--a Margarita and a real baked potato (not a microwaved one) and I had that! I loved the Margarita--I had not had a Margarita for a long time and it was yummy. I think I'm over my drink quota for the year though as the Margarita was drink number 3 and I usually have 5 drinks a year. I better be careful?  As for the potato, there's nothing that can take the place of a real baked potato with all  the fixins. The rest of the dinner was great too. To top it off, they prepared a special creme brûlée for me with Happy Birthday written on the plate.

It was a good day. I felt like a real human. The pains were gone and I was smiling and laughing...does it get better than that! Tonight there's gonna be a little birthday party at Karen's home. The beat goes on. I'm a very happy camper. Thanks everyone!

Life in Geezerville: Social LIfe

There is social life in Geezerville but it's not the social life we had when we were a bit younger. Now life revolves around seeing the doctor. We seem to have a lot of doctors. As I approach my 4th score of years (I'm not quite there yet) I seem to have a doctor for just about every body part. Coincidently or sadly (I'm not sure which), my friends have the same issues if not the same conditions.

I visit my fellow geezers and they are doing the same thing. We have to arrange our fun times when no one is seeing a doctor. Birthday celebrations get postponed for cardiologists, neurologists, and other  "-ologists" out there. We've decided celebrating a birthday can happen anytime within 2 or 3 months of the actual event. As the clock spins, we see more and more specialists for conditions big and small. All is good, and we always have something to talk about.

Taking a nightly walk is a coordination effort...we have settled on a time when the sun is setting and it's not too warm, but each night before the appointed hour, we text our little group. If it's not windy (we don't like to walk in the wind) we ask the same set questions: Who is going to make it? How's your back, your foot; do you have the energy; are the allergies better? Then we decide to where to meet. The chair yoga group is easier to coordinate--my house, 9:30, come if you can, bring your coffee. It all works out and it's surprising how many come just to talk to each other and offer support. That's good too.

On our recent river cruise I discovered my geezer friends are not alone...so many of the cruisers had trouble carving out ten-doctor-free days, to have a bit of fun. It was kinda funny to talk about and yet somehow encouraging to know that we were all in the same "boat" as it were. Apparently we all did it as there we were on the boat, with our walkers and canes and braces, having a grand time.

Back to reality--the pain doc and the foot doc are next to each other, the pharmacy is a few doors away. Next to him is one of many skin docs (we do live in a desert, and skin was never made to see this much sun). Across the street is the one of many PT places. Nearby is the hospital. Across from the supermarket is a set of you guessed it, doctor's offices. The heart doc is in the same building as one of the beauty shops (walk-in men's haircuts for 20 bucks so fellows can take care of two things at the same time). Sometimes we can coordinate our maladies, use one car and, commute together. We're good at that. We see so many doctors we make friends with other patients and the staff. The staff knows us all on sight so check in is easy. I guess this is one of the things that makes for a "tight" community.

Long gone are the cute sedans or sporty cars we used to drive...we all have Wusswagons (you know, minivans or big SUVs or Pickup trucks) of various brands that are big enough to fit walkers and even wheelchairs. If someone needs a temporary walker, there is always a spare we lend to each other. My walker wanders around the 'hood to anyone who needs it for a week a two. It's a good thing. One of our geezer friends even has an extra electric wheelchair that is available...another good thing.

Once in a while the appointments are fun. You know like getting a mani/pedi or having our hair done. The biggest decision is deciding what color to paint on the geezer. Blue haired geezers now have a cadre of friends with glitzy silver or gold or green or red hair. We were quiet and business-like for decades and now we are thinking out of a different box. It's our time to be a bit eccentric and creative. A sparkling polish to enhance our fingers and toes is a good thing. Spending time in the hot tub or getting a facial is good too. Getting a little bit of pampering between seeing the docs is important--and going with a friend is twice as much fun.

The golden years are indeed different from the other years we have experienced. We know what we are getting into, and at least in our 'hood, we are doing it together. I hope you and your geezer family are the same. Remember, we're all in this together.