Life in Geezerville: Volunteer Edition

As you know, we are geezers, and we have a LOT of experience. In our 'hood we run the gamut from geezer engineers, doctors, lawyers, and chiefs and everything in between. We were leaders and doers. We know how to work. We know how to organize. Now, we are retired, what do we do?

I think if you go anywhere in greater Geezerville, you will find similar 'hoods. We have a wealth of experience. It's a shame to waste that experience, so geezers volunteer. It's good for us to volunteer. Geezers are smart and if we are not busy, we get into trouble. When we volunteer we are staying out of trouble. Keeping busy keeps boredom and loneliness away too.  Our minds still work and we like to use our knowledge. We are old, not dead.

One of our friends volunteers at the local police department. He rides with the local police and sometimes he and a partner drive an official car that says "Volunteer Police." Another friend volunteers at a local nursing center. Another one volunteers at his church. Geezers still working. It's important that we stay active.

We are a golf community and golf is expensive. So we have golfing geezers who volunteer at local golf courses in order to save on green fees. I told you, geezers are smart.

Crafters volunteer their expertise too. One of my friends makes cards for the military. We have friends who carve wooden toys for kids. Other friends knit, crochet or quilt blankets and toys for folks in need.

Then there are the geezers who collect things throughout the year. The Shoebox Group collect boxes and personal hygiene supplies. When their storage facility (aka garage) runs out of room, they get together and fill the boxes with their goodies and give them to a local women's shelter. Another group of geezers buy new clothes for little girls and boys in foster care, so they have a new outfit for the first day of school and a warm coat for winter. 

Another geezer, saves his Amazon dollars and at Christmas time, he spends that money on toys for kids. He knows that Christmas is hard for some kids, so if he can give some of these kids a toy, that is a good thing. 

Sometimes, volunteering is less formal. It's helping the other geezers in the 'hood. Geezers helping geezers is a good thing, and much appreciated too.  For some of us, once simple tasks have become difficult, and in our 'hood, we have geezer neighbors helping each other. The other day, one family in the 'hood had a garage organization system delivered. The very next day, everybody in the 'hood was involved in putting it together. It was a joy to behold. The best volunteers in the world live in our 'hood. We care for one another with big and little acts of kindness. Whatta place! 

We have folks who volunteer to go to the store, when someone is ill....or drive us to the doctor...or come over and visit when we are down and out. There's always a chance to give a little...and we get so much more in return. Geezers are used to working and now that we are not working, we can volunteer and help. Geezers are useful. Geezers have brains. Geezers have time.  If you are a geezer and you are at loose ends, think about volunteering. Think about helping your neighbor. Keeping busy is important. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Valley of Fire

Yesterday we visited Nevada's first state park, the Valley of Fire. Formed of Jurassic Age fiery red Aztec sandstone, the landscape is very different from nearby Zion, Bryce  or the Grand Canyon. We have to do more exploring in this colorful place, but for now, here's a general overview.

The Park is decorated with arches, windows...

...holes 

...and swirls.

There are jagged peaks...

...whimsical peaks...

...and  bright red rock everywhere. 

There are petroglyphs too, but that's for the next time we visit this amazing place.

Desert Sunset

 Last night we had a beautiful sunset. The colors were amazing.

(Click on the picture to enlarge it)

Life in Geezerville: Desert Edition

We live in a desert. We are retired. We are old. We are geezers. These are all true facts. Many of us decided to move to the desert when the shovel refused to be used on snow. Some of us are snowbirds and retain our ties to the snowy place for summertime. Some of us stay put in the desert all year long.

Geezers don't do well in the cold. It's not exactly the cold--it's that white stuff that stays on the ground that geezers tend to avoid. Shoveling snow is not something we want to do any more. When we lived in the snowy wintery place, we loved it. Snow has lost its charm.

Now geezers celebrate mowing the astroturf. It's fun to say that. Actually, we have to pull weeds from the astroturf. The wind blows in the desert (most of the time) and on the wind are teeny-tiny seeds and dust and that gets caught in the turf--and weeds grow. It's really strange to see weeds in the turf.

Geezers are also amazed by puddles. It does not rain much in the desert, but when the rain does comes down, it comes in bushel baskets. In our town we have a huge diversion dam that is used maybe 2 times a decade. We wonder why it's there. But, when the rain comes down so hard that it washes down a mountain, the dam is needed.  In the meantime, we get a few puddles. It's fun to watch the puddles as all the dirty birds use them as their private spa, taking baths and enjoying the brief moment they can be wet. You can hear the birds chirp with glee when there is a puddle.

Rain brings another thing to the desert. The immediate bloom of flowers. The desert "walks to a different drummer" than the mountains walk to. The mountains keep their snow and let it go gradually to the valleys. Deserts don't know how to keep moisture...so when the tiniest bit of rain falls, the plants KNOW it's time to germinate and bloom before the water dries up again. That means it's allergy time for the geezers who live in the desert. There's not an allergy season like the rest of the world...there's a rain/then allergy season that might or might not happen every year. That's just the way the desert is.

The upside of the desert is no snow. There are no snow shovels. There are no snow blowers. There are no snow tires. Happy day...that's why we moved here.

The downside of the desert is the heat. In the wintertime when the snowy place we fled is sporting 2 degree temperatures and 10 feet of snow, the desert is a balmy 60 degrees with sunshine on the "ground." It's heavenly. BUT along comes the summer. The sun is out all the time and temperatures in the 110-120 range are not uncommon. There's no going outside in that weather. The snowbirds, who fled the HEAT, are enjoying balmy weather in the 70s and 80s. 

What's a geezer to do? Maintain the old address? Keeping 2 addresses is a LOT of work. Does the average geezer have the energy to do that even though that's the best of all worlds? Live in spring and summer all year long. That's geezer heaven. It is a heady life style and some geezers do it. Other geezers choose to live in the desert and enjoy the winters and sweat thru the HOT summers. 

No matter what you choose, remember, we're in this together.

Life in Geezerville: “That Green Stuff” Edition

Geezers do you recycle? As a geezer you have been recycling long before you knew it was called recycling. Back then, we thought it was the right thing to do. Remember when you were a kid and collected bottles? Each bottle brought in 3 cents—a six pack brought in 18 cents. Sometimes, you got an extra 2 cents if you brought the bottles back in their 6-pak container. If you had a big soda bottle, you got a nickel when you returned it. Those were big sums of money, especially if your allowance was 10 cents a week. 

 

I remember asking the lady across the street if she had any bottles that needed to be brought back to the store. If she did, she told me I could keep 10 cents and she wanted the rest. That was a good deal. I doubled my weekly allowance. YAY.

 

Of course, I remember free paper bags from the market. We used them for everything from wrapping boxes that were going to be mailed to faraway places, to covering books, (books were precious and we needed to protect them). Brown paper bags were saved to be used again and again. The idea is so ingrained in my thinking, that I still save those big brown paper bags as they come in handy every now and then.

 

When I was a kid, plastic was a rarity. It was around, but a plastic container was cherished. Plastic did not break. It kept things fresh, and it came in pretty colors. Remember Tupperware? My mother had a collection of Tupperware that she used regularly. Do people have Tupperware now? I have a small collection of Tupperware that I inherited from my mother. It is ancient Tupperware. It still works. Is the current plastic as tough as Tupperware? I have to ask, how many people have used and reused a current plastic water bottle? 

 

I live in the great state of Nevada. There are a few recycling bins in our little town, and a few people use them…but generally speaking, folks don’t recycle. Is it too hard to do? While recycling might save the planet, where is the incentive? Saving the planet is far too esoteric to think about. Earning 3 cents a bottle is immediate and does the same thing. Nowadays, 3 cents might not be an incentive to recycle, but how about 30 cents a bottle. I’d recycle more if I got 30 cents NOW and that would save the planet in the same way. It would be easy to go to the store with my empty plastic bottles and get money NOW in return.

 

Some states have opted out of recycling. WY does not do it. On the other hand, ID and CA do. You buy a plastic bottle and you pay a recycling fee. All you have to do is take the empty bottle to the recycling facility on the far side of beyond in your town and you’ll be given a check for your trouble. Not immediate enough. Us geezers want instant reinforcement. We’ve been taught from an early age to get something in return now. When I went to the corner store, I got 3 cents for every bottle RIGHT NOW. It was possible then, why not now?

 

Geezers have long memories. We did the “green thing” aka recycling, long before recycling became popular. It was part of growing up. Along the way, the throw-away society came about, and those old habits were stomped upon by progress. 

So when a youngster at the store scolds you for not being green, don’t tell her about paper bags, and glass soda bottles. Geezers have been recycling all their lives. It was a matter of necessity. Give that youngster a wry smile and keep quiet. We remember vividly our parents telling us “Make it do, wear it out, use it up, or do without.” Does this current generation of folks even know that saying? You’ve been recycling all of your life, and you will continue to do it because it’s right—even if the youngsters don’t believe you. Remember, we’re in this together. 

A Day Trip to Zion National Park

The other day we went to Zion National Park. It was lovely is so many ways. First and foremost, it's off-season so there were not any crowds of people. Secondly, we had a beautiful winter day with clear skies and semi-warm temperatures. We did not have to wear a sweater or jacket, just a long-sleeved shirt. That's a nice winter day.

The Virgin River flows thru Zion. The gnarly cottonwoods line the river.

There are high desert peaks of white, pink, coral and red

Some patches of snow on the ground--it is wintertime after all

But always the tall peaks overlook the park

And don't forget the arches.

I've been coming to Zion for most of my life. I remember it as a little girl, as a 20 something newlywed to now. The park does not change. 

The beauty remains because it's been preserved as a National Park. 

I'm thankful this park is there for all of us to enjoy

Life in Geezerville: High Tech Edition

Hey Geezers, do you know how to make your new television work? How about your new cellphone? Come to think of it, can you program the thermostat in your home, or the clock, or the TV remote? Do you need your teenage grand child to help you out? You are an analog geezer in a digital world. I’m proud to announce you have lots of company. 

The first thing all geezers do is read the directions. We were taught that directions work. Of course if you are a LOM geezer, this rule might not apply to you. The other day I pulled out a set of directions and they were in Chinese. Gimme a break. There were outline drawings to help me along, but all the captions and all the lettering was in Chinese. This is not helping folks. Made in China has gone a bit too far. I'm a geezer not a translator.

There there are the directions printed on a piece of onion-skin paper the size of bed sheet. (You have to wonder how they folded the paper into a 1 inch square). After you carefully unfold the paper without tearing it, you are confronted with directions written in at least 17 languages. When you finally find your language and try to decipher it, you discover it’s written in "Chinglish" and you have no real idea what it means. (Chinglis is Chinese directly translated into English without regard to meaning.) And, who gave the print shop permission to use to light gray ink? We're geezers, we can't see light gray--heck we can't see dark black ink if the letters are written in micro-print.

My friend bought an Apple Watch and iPhone so she could keep track of her sleep cycle and heart rhythms. Pretty snazzy for a phone and watch. (BTW we are living in Dick Tracy’s world.) Apple products do not have directions. Somehow you are supposed to know what to do and how to do it because it's INTUITIVE. How do THEY know what is intuitive for ME. Julie calls Margie to set up her watch and me to set up her phone. It’s good there is help in the ‘hood. What happens when there isn’t help? Then it’s time to call that grand kid who says “gees Grammy that’s a piece of cake.” Anyway, we got her watch and phone working but it is up to Julie to remember everything we tried to teach her in our brief  sessions. She’s an analog geezer in a digital world. It’s going to take time. Julie has to be given the gift of time along with our brief lessons.

I bought my LOM geezer a new iPad. Not much different from his old model but different enough to be a bit confusing. I started it up, put in a password, and set it up for him...that was good.  Then he started to use the iPad and messed something up. My job was to try to figure out what he did and how to un-mess it. Oh Joy, what is a geezer to do?

Then there's the fingers issue. Geezer fingers are larger than the keys on a mini keyboard. You want to type Y and you get TYU? Of course nothing starts with TYU so you delete TYU and start over again and the smart phone thinks you want to type TYU. Again and again the wrong letters appear because your fingers are too big or you did not “hit” the key squarely. That's when you need to find the dictation button. Click the button that looks like a little microphone button near the bottom of your keyboard. Click and start talking. Beware...it will record everything you say and it will add things you did not say because "it" has the ability to "anticipate" your conversation. Before you hit “send" read what you said...you might be surprised at what your “smart” phone heard or thought it heard. There's a meme going around that says  “I’ll see autocorrect in he'll". On another note, search for autocorrect failures if you want some good laughs.

Jim, a geezer friend of mine, who bought the latest greatest 85 inch smart television. It has 30 built in apps and is smarter than the average undergrad. It knows how to switch the set from DVR to DVD to Netflix to Hulu at a click. It understands voice commands. All you have to do is figure out how to turn the TV on. Jim searched the remote until he was green looking for the illusive ON button and there was none. There was a "push here" button...is that the same as ON? Voila—he clicked "push here" and his wall came alive with a bright colorful life-sized picture. The salesperson told him the picture would be wonderful with millions of pixels and colors. Jim is thinking, "I'm a geezer, I'm lucky to see 10 colors and why do I want to see all that detail?" 

The salefolks also told him about the sound quality. We're geezers. Sound quality? Gimme a break. There is NO sound quality when you have to put your hearing aids on high just to hear yourself think. We want sound we can hear, the he'll with sound quality (note "autocorrect" doing its thing).

High tech does not just apply to televisions and cellphones. Have you bought a new car recently? My brand new top of the line pick up truck does not have a written manual. It's "modern." It has an electronic manual that available from the touchscreen in the control module (aka dashboard). Of course you can only read the manual when the vehicle is on...so if you are driving and something happens, you can't read the manual because the vehicle is moving and it's automatically blocked. The vehicle knows it's not safe to read the manual while you are driving. That makes sense, but the passenger can’t read the manual either. How can you find out what is making the noise or what the new warning light means? Do you pull over on the side of the road to read the manual or what? Where can you read the manual? The answer is simple. You can read the manual in the garage with the motor running (as the control module does not work unless the motor is running)—remember to keep the garage door open as I’ve heard that carbon monoxide poisoning is bad. The high tech manual is filled with those tiny buttons--you know the ones I talked about before? You try to push one of the buttons and something different than what you wanted comes on the screen. At the end it offers a little quiz. Did this answer your question? Yes or No. Nothing happens when you type either response. Why ask the question if it does not help you???

So geezers, what are we supposed to do? Buy modern high tech digital stuff that takes hours and patience to figure out or keep the old analog stuff we have that we know how to work? There's not a good answer. I still have my 24 year old washer and dryer because they work and can be easily repaired. I have a 21 year old analog vehicle because it works. I'm keeping these things going as long as I can because I’m an analog geezer in a digital world. Remember geezers, we're in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Sleep Edition

Sleep. Ahhh...to get some sleep. Sometimes the night comes before the body is ready to sleep. Other times, the body is sound asleep before the night comes. Who regulates the sleep clock? 

Who knows? Please...do you know who, or what, regulates the sleep clock? I have no idea. Sleep is that illusive thing that is supposed to happen around 10ish or so. Sometimes it does, right in the middle of a good television program. The other night sleep arrived right in the middle of a dish of ice cream. I was enjoying my delicious ice cream and I fell asleep, jerking awake up when I felt something cold on my hand. Come on...what's going on here? I love ice cream. Why would I fall asleep over a dish of ice cream?

Is sleep a LOL geezer problem? None of the LOM geezers I know complain about sleep. Almost every LOL geezer does. Is it from listening to the house to make sure everyone is safe? Houses make strange and wonderful and weird noises at night, and every LOL I know hears every one of them. When there's overnight company, LOLs never get enough rest as they hear the slightest sound. I think, it's a protective instinct. Gotta make sure the babies are sleeping well...only now there are no babies to worry about. Why is sleep so illusive?

If you can't sleep at night, should you take a nap during the day? Will the nap harm a good night's sleep? Again, who knows the answer to that conundrum? Some of my geezer friends contend that taking a nap during the day will kill all thoughts of sleeping at night. Therefore, stay awake during the day and go to bed as soon as you can after dinner. Are they right? 

As I lay awake, the geezer beside me is sound asleep. He's peaceful. He has a slight smile on his face. He's completely relaxed. He's the most hateful person I know at that point in time. WHY can he sleep and all I can do is toss and turn and toss and turn again? I try changing rooms...maybe I can sleep on the living room sofa? Maybe I can sleep on the chair in the den? Maybe if I fiddle around the house, I'll get sleepy? Maybe if I listen to a book I'll fall asleep? Maybe If I turn on the TV I can crash before the flickering screen? (I mean that works at 9 PM, why not now?) Finally, I fall asleep. It seems like I've been asleep for 10 minutes when my geezer wakes up and asks if it is time for breakfast. This is not fair.

One thing I learned a long time ago is some things are not fair. Fair has nothing to do with sleep. One of my friends does not put any covers over her until she gets very cold, then she covers up and falls asleep. I tried that and it kinda works. Something I need to remember more often when the sleep fairy passes me by.

Another friend only goes to bed when she's sleepy. If she's sleepy at 7 PM, she goes to bed. If it's 130 AM, then she goes to bed. In the meantime, she stays awake. Wide awake. Why?

Sleep. The restorative that our bodies need. The magical calming balm that is so difficult to attain. The great cure all. Sleep. If you know how to get to sleep and stay asleep, please let me know. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: 17 Years Ago

Today is Mardi Gras. Seventeen years ago, we were dancing on the stands of the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro enjoying the show put on by the top five Samba Schools in Rio. It was the "Battle of the Samba Schools" and it was exceptional. Each school was strutting it's stuff.  It was a wonderful experience. 

The adventure started with a flights from San Francisco, Miami, Buenos Aires, to Ushuaia Argentina where we boarded a 100 passenger boat to Antarctica. We spent 10 exceptional days in Antarctica before sailing back to Ushuaia through the choppiest water anywhere on the globe. We caught a flight to the Paraguay/Brazil border where we saw the incredible Iguazu Falls--another spectacular adventure. The last stop on the adventure was 3 days in Rio. When we booked the trip we did not anticipate that we would be there for Carnival. All of sudden we were in Rio during Carnival and we needed to see the show. We asked our guide if there was a chance we could see Carnival. He found a scalper and we bought some very expensive tickets to the Sambadrome where the parade of parades was happening that night.

We were lucky to be there the last night of Carnival. The night when the best of the Carnival Schools compete for the crown. The show was incredible. The audience was too. Everyone, including us, was dancing in the stands. The Sambadrome was a wall of music and fun. Excitement was in the air. It was just plain wonderful. When it ended we left the crowd of folks and retired to our hotel excited and tired at the same time. What a day...what a night! Carnival in Rio is something you have to experience as the pictures don't tell the whole story. We had been to Carnival in Rio. Does it get better than that?

The next day, we are having breakfast at our hotel and someone in the kitchen was walking around in a Samba hat. I asked if I can see it, and the fellow gave it to me.  It was not a new samba hat when it was given to me...but that did not matter. I had the ultimate Carnival in Rio souvenir--a Samba hat! (The hard part was figuring how to get it home...we asked several shipping services, but the cost was prohibitive.  Finally, the concierge found a box big enough for the hat. We carefully packed a vacation-worth of dirty laundry around the hat and called it "luggage" on our flights home from Rio. The hat survived the trip.) That Samba hat has been the center of attention since.

So Geezers. I challenge you to take a trip down memory lane. The trip has to be fun--nothing melancholy or sad.  My geezer and I just took ours to Rio tonight. We laughed at that incredibly wonderful night at Carnival when we were 17 years younger and able to Samba all night long--all night long! The joy of it all. Remember we're all in this together. Today is the time to laugh and enjoy.

Life in Geezerville: Valentine Edition

We are geezers, we are old...and many of us have  been married a long time. Over 5 decades ago, we became engaged on Valentine's Day. I tease my geezer that was the last romantic thing he did. It's not really true, but it's a fun thing to say. 

We walked down the aisle of destiny over 50 years ago. Who knew what was going to happen? We had debt and dreams. Gee, so did all of our friends. Slowly the debt was paid off and the dreams started to come true. It's been a great adventure.

We had models for a long marriage. My parents were married 59 years. His parents were married for 40 (they were married later in life). Having a model that says long time marriage is possible is a good thing. When you know something is possible, it's easier to do. The modern marriage might not last as long as ours, so future geezers might not have a model of what a long time love affair looks like. That is a sad event. 

We celebrated our 40th anniversary on a cruise with another couple who were also celebrating their 40th anniversary. We told everyone we had been married 160 years. The cruise company thought was a cool idea. Now that's a mighty long time. Happy Valentine's Day Geezer.

Nowadays, when I make a call for my geezer, the person on the other end of the line always asks, does he give you permission to talk on his behalf? I say, yes he does....we've been married more than half a century...when the non-geezer hears that, she says something like oh my goodness, that's a long time. It is a long time. A lot of water has gone under the bridge in over five decades. We are creakier and slower and still in love. 

Being long-time valentines is not always a piece of cake...but it helps if you marry your best friend. My geezer and I married our best friends. We always liked each other and we've always loved each other. The secret--we respect each other too.  BTW marriage is not a 50-50 operation...it's a 100-100 operation. You have to give all you have all the time.

What else do you need to have a live-in valentine? What makes a happy life? There's that old saying "Happy wife, Happy life" that's true...but it also works the other way around "Happy husband, Happy Life." It does not rhyme as well, but it's just as true.

No matter what you do this Valentine's Day...tell your geezer that you love him with all your heart. We are in this together and it's easier when there's a lot of love in the room.

Life in Geezerville: Exercise Edition

People should exercise. Should geezers? We are people after all. Who says we gotta exercise? Isn't putting fork to mouth enough exercise? Probably not. Trouble is not a lot of us like to exercise. It's so much easier being a couch potato. BUT, if we want to feel better we have to move.

Karen and I like to walk. It's great exercise. We go out when it starts to warm up and talk to everyone else who is outside. We meet a lot of nice geezers and their dogs. We really like the dogs. Some of the dogs really like us too. When Frosty sees Karen, he looks at her with pure love in his eyes. Who wouldn't want to walk to see Frosty.

One day it was too cold so we went to the rec room and walked the indoor course. How boring is that. First off, no friendly pups to talk too--come to think of it-- there were no friendly geezers to talk to either. The geezers walking the indoor course were counting laps and not enjoying life. We left after a few laps and braved the coolness outdoors. If we're gonna exercise then we need to do it where it's pleasant.

That might be the bottomline. Exercise has to be pleasant. When we see Jay lifting weights and doing pushups we are thinking that is hard work, and he's thinking YAY I can do this. It's pleasant for him (sadly, not for me).

Sometimes I walk by myself and listen to a book on my phone. (Isn't that a funny statement---I listen to a book on my phone...30 years ago, no one would have an idea what I am talking about). I like fun books that make me laugh so I'm walking with a silly smile on my face. I pass other walking geezers and they are wondering why I'm smiling. Every so often, one of them will stop me and I have to hold up my phone and turn off my book--then I can respond. We're old, but that does not mean we are out of it.

I've been seeing ads for "Senior Yoga" that look interesting. All you have to do is sit in a chair and bend over and touch your toes. Sure--that's gonna happen? I don't think so. Another frame shows a geezer lying on the floor and with her feet on the wall with the direction to  lift your bottom off the floor. OK. I can do that, but how do I get on or off the floor to do the next exercise? Senior Yoga might not be for this geezer. 

One of the purposes of a dog is to get some exercise. Given that, why do I see so many geezers walking their dog from their golf cart or electric bike? Come on geezers, you have to get in the spirit of exercise--which means actually moving on your own volition.

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports for seniors. Honest. Go to the pickleball courts early in the morning and you'll see legions of geezers hitting a hollow holey ball to each other. They are running up and down the court and getting good exercise. In addition they are talking to each other and having fun. If you have good eye-handling coordination it  must be a good way to exercise, have fun and not worry about gaining weight. I lack in that eye-hand thing.

Our Geezerville has the geezer games, (I mean Senior Games). We have quite a few folks turn out for them too. They practice throughout the year and compete during the games. They get t-shirts declaring their winning-ness. Another source of fun and getting together with like minded folks. 

SO geezers. Get off your duffs and start getting some exercise. I don't mean finger exercises but exercise that makes you really move. It could be walking in Costco--my phone says I rarely do less than a mile when I walk in Costco, or playing ping pong. Find an accomplice (err -- I mean partner) and exercise together as it's easier that way. At the end of the session, give yourself a little reward. It could be a star on the calendar or something fattening (I don't recommend this one) to celebrate that you got off your behind and moved today. Remember we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Downsize Edition

Geezers in our community have all moved here from somewhere else. We all had BIG houses and now we have SMALL houses. It is hard to move. It's hard to get rid of treasures. It's hard to downsize. Gees if you know how hard it is do, tell your friends, so they can get ready to do it later. I still have more downsizing to do.  I went from four bedrooms, a 3 car garage, a 40 foot barn on some acreage to 2 bedrooms and den, a 2 car garage on a city lot. My new home is lovely, but it's only half a home the rest is missing in action.

It's hard. How do you downsize? Geezers have spent a lifetime getting stuff. Geezers had houses filled with the stuff from kids and grand kids, jobs and memories. Now we geezers have decided to move. Go some place where life and the weather are easy. Go someplace with a different set of adventures..the first one is downsizing.

Do you throw everything away from your old home and start fresh?  You ask the kids and grand kids to take what they want. But they take just a few things ---definitely not enough.  Then you ask friends and neighbors to pick over your treasures to see if there's anything they want. It's a slow and heartbreaking process. Everything you give away has some deep sentimental meaning.

One day during our downsizing effort I was picking thru stuff and laughing and crying at the same time. My geezer husband heard the noise I was making and came in to check on me. I related what I was doing and soon both of us were laughing and crying. Two geezers taking a trip down memory lane does not help with downsizing but it was good for our hearts.

When my parents downsized they decided to have a giant yard sale. The stuff of their life was put on the chopping block for pennies on the dollar. The vultures,  I mean, yard salers, came before the sale started and picked over their treasures and bargained away my parents' life. It was horrible. I vowed we would never do that again.

We didn't. We went thru our precious stuff and winnowed it down to 100 boxes. It was sad. It was hard. I never want to do it again. How do you pick and choose what to take and not to take? Do you say YES and your hubby says NO (or vice versa). There's no easy answer here. If you take everything with you, then where are you  going to put it at the other end? Renting a storage space is rather redundant and definitely not in the spirit of downsizing. 

On the first day of my first professional job, I learned that one of my colleagues was downsizing from a big house to a boat. She and her husband decided they needed to get rid of a card table worth of stuff every day for a year. The card table space was a 36 inch cube. The first few weeks were easy. As the year progressed, it was getting harder and harder to find the "easy stuff." On the last day of the year she put her empty house on the market and she and her husband sailed away on their boat. I never heard from her again, but I remember every day in the break room the story of what they had downsized the day before. I wish I had taken better notes. I did remember the card table idea. Of course we did not use it.

In our Geezerville some folks were lucky to have golf-cart garages built into their home--whee--their own built in storage area for the last ton of boxes that need to be digested in the house. You think I'm exaggerating --I'm not. My little house does not have the golf cart storage area, so I only have the tiny 2 car garage for extra stuff. I've been in my new house for 2 years and I still have boxes that need to be unpacked. I have no idea what is in them but if I open them up, then I'll have to decide what to do with the stuff...and there's no room for the stuff...so it stays in the boxes hidden behind a chair in the corner of my den. They are hidden until someone goes into my den and discovers my stash of unopened boxes. It's embarrassing. But what is this geezer going to do?

I'm not the only one with stuff. One neighbor has half of her garage filled with boxes. She goes thru a few a week and digests the stuff into the house but it seems like the boxes are growing instead of decreasing  number. It's true--as she reorganizes 2 boxes into one box, there are still left-over stuff that has to be put somewhere so another box gets started. At least the stuff is better organized.

Then there's the geezer neighbor who has bought a fantastic contraption that makes an attic type area inside his garage in the space between the garage door and the ceiling. When the door is down you see a wall of neatly stacked boxes--when the door is up, the boxes are still there but harder to see. Out of sight out of mind. He said he's afraid of what he's going to find.  

Another neighbor has several matching Rubbermaid cabinets lining her garage. They are gorgeous. She has one car and these cabinets. I'm afraid to ask what is inside them but she did tell me that she has a bunch of boxes to "deal with." Every geezer I know, has a few boxes to deal with.

So if you are a geezer and thinking of downsizing think long and hard. Think about the stuff that you absolutely need. Do you really need all of your dishes? Or tools? Or cars? Make lists of stuff you keep and stuff you "got rid of." Let your actions brew for awhile. Don't make immediate decisions as this is the stuff you are going to be left with. Is this the best most important stuff? Every geezer in Geezerville has a downsize story. Listen to them and learn. Then come back and tell me what to do with my left over boxes of treasures.