Meet the "Big Boys"

 

I love watching the wildlife in my backyard. This year we've had at least 3 but maybe as many as 5 fawns, a lot of does and this morning, I saw 3 nicely antlered stags. Now I'm watching them thru my screened porch, so it's hard to get clear pictures of them...but I was able to capture 2 of the 3.The third fellow was very illusive.

Each of these male mule deer had an 8 to 10 point rack of antlers...all in velvet and all very majestic. I watched them as long as I could, but the call of the wild was alive and well and they went to other pastures. In the meantime, I was mesmerized by them.

Life in Geezerville: Never Give Up Edition

 

There's this barn sitting in an open field that is NOT going to fall down any time soon. I've been tracking this barn for several years and while it looks rickety and broken down, it is still standing. I think of it as a beacon of hope. It's not giving up any time soon. 

This barn has survived countless storms, thousands of inches of snow (albeit not at the same time), critters, people, who knows what else, and it's still there. It is still nailing down a small piece of real estate with the best of them. All it does is stand in the field--baking in the sunshine or freezing in the snow. As the wood gets more weathered and wobbly; as the roof gets more stove-in, the barn stands. Is there a better testament to "hanging in there?"

There are times when I feel like this old barn. Some days I creak and limp and complain--then I think of this barn. If the barn is still standing--heck I can stand too. I think "be like the barn" and I'm whole and strong (at least on the inside) and I'm ready for another day. 

So, when you feel like your shingles are sliding off, your floorboards are rotten, your roof is caving in; when your windows are broken, and the dust is the only thing that is holding you up...think of the barn...be one with the barn. It's still there, standing in its glory. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Penney's Edition

 

The teeny-tiny town of Kemmerer, WY is not known for much, but it is where JCPenney's began. Given the size and location of the town, it's hard to imagine that anything like a Penney's could begin there, thrive (and now survive) for 122 years. They call it the "mother" store. And, you know what is really strange? I recognized the layout of the store. I knew the store, as I shopped in one exactly like it when I was a little girl.

I know the store was remodeled at some point in time, as it had modern hardwood flooring that did not creak, but the plan was simple and familiar: A first floor and a mezzanine. I went inside that store and I remembered the Penney's my mom would take us to when we were little. Back then, children's clothes were in the Mezzanine. I remembered, climbing up the long staircase. Yesterday, that staircase did not seem all that long. As you know, it's a matter of perspective.

Around the store there were reminders of Penney's past. Some of them I remembered too. I wonder if you do? Remember a cable system that went from a register to somewhere upstairs (kind of like the Mezzanine, but for workers). The clerk would put the receipt and cash in a canister and hook the canister to the cable where it would wend it way upstairs, was opened, and appropriate change was made. The canister was returned to the register and change was given to the customer. I remember thinking those canisters were magical as they always gave the right change. I had no idea where they went, until one day I visually followed the canister and saw a person open it up. It was not magic after all. 

Another display showed a red blazer with a P on the breast pocket. I remember a gentleman walking around the store wearing a similar red jacket. My mother said he was the "boss" and that we should not get in his way. Naturally, being a good little girl, I never got in his way. To tell the truth, he kind of scared me as he never smiled.

A beautiful portable Singer Sewing Machine complete with its carry box, sat atop a jeans display.

This sewing machine was a marvel in its day. One of the moms up the street from my childhood home, had that very machine. She said it belonged to her mother. Once in a while she let the little girls on the block use it to make doll clothes. I loved that little machine...and there it was. What a fun memory.

As a kid, I never saw anything as special as that pram, or the fancy luggage, but back in the day, these  were a few of the items sold at JCPenney. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the mother store. Another blast from the past, which sadly, I'm old enough to remember. I don't remember 122 years of history of the store, but I have a memory that goes back several decades. The modern Penney's does not look anything like this little store, and something in me, harks back to this place. It's completely analog. It's mechanical. What you see, is what you get. Everything in that original store was Made in the USA--what a concept. I know we cannot go back to those simpler times, but once in a while we can visit them, by taking a walk down Memory Lane. Yesterday,  I took a walk down that time-worn street, and had a good time. Maybe you can take a walk down that street soon and enjoy it too. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Big Boy

 

Today we had a bit of fun. No doctor appointments. No PT. We actually took a day away from "it all." We saw a steam train. Not just any steam train but the largest steam engine ever built. The train is lovingly called "Big Boy" because he's reallllllly big. 

If you are a train buff, you will know what a 4-8-8-4 locomotive is. If that looks like a not-so-random grouping of numbers it stands for the number of wheels under this train--4 smaller ones, then 2 sets of 8 68 inch wheels, then 4 smaller ones. These big wheels propel the train 20 feet per revolution. Smaller wheels cannot go that far. In 1941 when this 4014 was built, it was THE long haul freighter through the Rocky Mountains.

If you stretch this picture, under the big 4014, it says 4-8-8-4-1-68. The 1-68 says the big wheels have a 68 inch diameter.

These fellows are greasing the huge wheels. Looking at the size of the men, gives you an idea how big the wheels are. You can also see all the pipes and pistons that make this train travel up and down the roadway. There is nothing small about this train.

 20 "Big Boy" locomotives were built in the early 1940s to get over the Rockies safely and quickly. They were numbered 4000 to 4019...this train is 4014. For twenty years, these big engines hauled freight (not passengers) thru the mountainous terrain. By 1961, new diesel technology made these behemoths obsolete. The huge steam engines were replaced. While diesel engines are not nearly as lovely and mechanical and brute-force beautiful as these locos, they are a bit more versatile. 

The era of the Big Boy ended. They were retired and sent to become museum pieces throughout the country. Then about 10 years ago, Union Pacific decided to restore one of these mechanical beasts. It took several years as many of the parts had to manufactured from scratch. The goal was to have Big Boy ready for the 150th anniversary of the first Transcontinental Railway when the Golden Spike was hammered into the track that joined the railway from east to west at Promontory Point UT. That was in 2019. At that time, we went on a 3 day road trip following Big Boy. Today we took a day trip to see the train in Kemmerer, WY.

Nothing about Big Boy is small. Even the nuts and bolts that hold it together are BIG. When the train starts to move, the wheels slowly turn as the whistle blows so loud you can feel it in your bones.

If you want to see a "blast from the past" go to the Union Pacific website to find out when Big Boy might be near your location. It's definitely worth your time to see this wonderful mechanical monster.

If you stretch out this picture, you'll see "Big Boy" written in chalk on the front of the engine.

Life in Geezerville: Medicare Edition

Courtesy of GossipGenie.Com

We are geezers. Oftentimes, we're proud to be geezers--maybe even happy to be geezers. Heck, we have LOTS of experience...and usually that experience is in our favor. Then there is Medicare. I swear, Medicare is one of the most complicated things out there. I remember looking at Medicare plans when I retired decades years ago. I went to a seminar at my University, and found out some answers and chose a plan. I must have chosen wisely as I've been pleased with the coverage I have.

BUT, nowadays, it seems there are more "plans" out there and they are NOT CREATED EQUAL. Yes, you are reading that right. A friend of mine just retired--she thought she had read all that she needed to know. She chose a Medicare plan and thought she would start collecting Social Security and Medicare benefits the day she turned 65. She turned 65 and nothing happened. She went to her local Social Security office to find out why and received the not so royal runaround. Eight months after her 65th birthday Social Security and Medicare finally "kicked" in and she's now receiving benefits. She asked if there was going to be any compensation for the 8 month delay and the answer was no. She was happy something was finally happening but not clear on the details. That's when we discovered that her plan was vastly different from my plan.

She asked me why that was the case and frankly I did not know. I know that my sister has different Medicare benefits from me--and she has a co-pay. Do a search for Medicare plans and what seems like a million websites appear. You get answers to your questions and you get brain fog trying to understand the nuances. There are webinars on Medicare topics you did not even know existed. Books (real books, not online ones) that tell you how to not  make Medicare mistakes. You can watch YouTube videos that show you the ins and outs of Medicare (and we all know how reliable You Tube is for answering Medicare questions?) You can access a myriad of "Medicare Cheat Sheets" to help you compare and contrast plans. You can find how much you'll pay for Medicare; what benefits you will receive; and by the end of the search you might be able to figure out the best Medicare package for you. It sounds so easy!

I'm writing this because another friend just came home from a 20 day hospital stay. After she came home we talked a long time and she said "make sure you know about your Medicare plan." I asked her why and she said "because I was refused some services because I did not have the right plan for the hospital I was in and I had to pay out of pocket for services that other folks with the "right plan" were getting for "free." 

Just a friendly reminder. Know your Medicare plan. Every year when you get  the"new" Medicare book, read it carefully to see what you are getting and what you are not getting. Figure out if your local medical community is still part of the plan. It's not easy, but it's important. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Friends Edition

Yesterday I received a call from Guam. I lived in Guam eons ago and I still have a friend who lives there. We email each other daily. Since we cannot hop in our cars to visit each other we've done the next best thing. I've taken cruises that stopped on Guam, and she's flown to the US mainland. What we do best is write each other every day. I start my day with a good morning email to her--and she does the same. Throughout the day, we send each other messages -- not long messages -- sometimes just a funny or two -- sometimes a quiz. It's a comfortable routine of 2 friends keeping in touch even though there are thousands of miles of ocean between us. Funny thing is, when I say "good morning" to her, she's already in bed. When it's 6 AM at my home, it's 11 PM on Guam. There's a 17 hour time gap between us. There's only a small window of time when both of us are awake at the same time. This makes calling difficult and why email and texting are so important.

Then about 2 months ago, I stopped getting emails. Between now and then, I tried to call her and discovered that the numbers I had for her and her son did not work. (BTW this is not unusual for Guam, as the phone system is unreliable.) I did the next best thing I sent her a snail mail letter with a crocheted flower bouquet (you know me). I did not hear from her. I scoured the online newspaper, the Pacific Daily News (PDN) and did not see any news about her...that was good. Since she's a geezer, like me, I was getting more worried that something horrible had happened. I did not know how to help her from my location, but I needed to know what was going on.

Then something special happened. I'm checking out at the grocery store and my phone rings. It's says GUAM on the screen...what's going on? You know that feeling you get when you receive a call in the middle of the night that you KNOW is bad news...well I had that feeling. It's my friend's son calling me.  I said hello...how is your mom as fast as I could. And he says to me "She wants to talk to you!" Oh Glorious Day! My friend was alive and she wanted to talk to me. I told my husband to pay the checker and I talked to my friend for a wonderful 18 minutes and 48 seconds. I'm smiling and crying at the same time. We did a quick catch-up; she said she was tired and we said we would call each other next week.

The moral of the story...stay in touch with your friends. They are part of the fabric of your lives. They are most special people. You love them and they love you. It does not matter if they are across the street or across the dateline on a tiny 212 square mile speck of an island 13 degrees north of the equator.  Call them, write to them, visit them! My friend called me and we talked. What a day! Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Aster Edition

 The asters started to bloom. I always watch for them. There's an old wife's tale up here in the Rockies, that  asters predict the beginning of autumn. The tale says "Once you see the asters, there's 8 more weeks of summer." 

To that end, I've been watching the wild asters for over 3 decades and they have been a good indicator for arrival of fall. The earliest I've seen the asters bloom is June 15 and yep---we had an early fall. Today I saw the asters growing in the understory of the forest. I look for them everyday and I was thinking that it's about time for them to show their pretty faces. Today is July 14 and I saw the first of the asters. IF the asters can predict anything, then we can expect fall to arrive about September 14. That's late for fall in the high country. BUT, if my asters are telling the truth... ... ...watch this space for the arrival of fall.

That brings me to Old Wife's Tales. Are they real? Do they predict what might happen? I'm guessing that an old wife's tale is a "real thing." They were "created" as it were, by women (and men) who lived on the land and paid attention to it. Back in the day, long before cell phones, the internet, meteorologists, scientists, the 24 hour news cycle and such things, farmers paid attention to the land and the weather and the gifts they provided. They kept calendars of when each type of flower bloomed, when critters gave birth, what critters ate, when birds arrived in the spring and when they flew away in the fall. Putting 2 and 2 together, the asters told the story of the growing season. If there are 8 weeks left of summer, then it's time to think about getting ready for the fall. Here we have a 60 day growing season and getting ready for the fall is important. SO, the asters started to bloom today. Sadly the summer will end in 8 weeks. It's time to get supplies for the fall and the winter. It's time to think of rain and snow. It's time to think about "snow birding" to warmer winter climes. 

But I digress. We still have 8 glorious weeks of summer. Sunshine and warmth; flowers and trees; calves and fawns. The beat goes on. In this political season the beat goes on too. I do not write a political blog, but I don't live in isolation. For information about politics, please go to the other DrCs blog. In this one I'm going to talk about fawns and flowers. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Mama and her Twins Edition

 

This summer we have a set of twins in the aspens and are they fun to watch. The two little fellows jump and leap and butt each other. They love to run figure eights between the park bench and an aspen. In fact they have created a little trough between the bench and the tree they have played so hard. 

The little spotted fellows are full of energy and their mom is too. She has the task of keeping them in line. She's very subtle with her manner, but the little guys know when they've gone over the line. 

This morning the twins were running their figure eights with particularly high jumps and leaps. She was watching them ever so closely -- after about 5 laps around the track, she put up her front left leg and the bouncing STOPPED just like that. I don't know what raising her leg meant, but the twins knew they had better stop. A couple of seconds later, she gathers them up and licks them. Reluctantly they let her lick them. But, not more than a minute into a licking, they grew restless, and since they were so close to each other, they started  butting heads. This time, she put down her head at "fawn level" and the butting stopped mid-butt. 

She's a good mom. She trying to teach her kids lessons. She does not have any words or sounds. She has relatively small head, foot and leg movements that communicate to her offspring that it's time to stop that and move on to something else. 

She has a lot to teach these bouncing babies. They have to learn how to find food, how to protect themselves from predators, how to stay safe from cars and people..and so much more. She has 4 months to teach them, and then they are on their own. 

It's high drama in the aspens. Mama lovingly guides her babies with nudges and actions and they KNOW they need to heed her lessons. The circle of life continues. It's not about politics. It's not about getting ahead with the best house or car. It's about living in harmony in the forest. So in this heated political season I'm watching my critters and trying to learn from them. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Fluff Edition

I'm the one on the left--baby fat and all---and my still thin sister

You know, when babies are born they are chubby little rascals? We call that baby chubby and everyone thinks it's cute. So, I challenge you, what do we call geezers who have become chubby larger rascals? There’s not a good name. You don’t say “see that fat guy over there”… or “gees, she’s gained weight” ? None of those are particularly polite. Therefore, I’ve decided to call my extra poundage FLUFF. I’m not fat, I have geezer fluff—it’s the equivalent of baby fat—but, it comes later in life and sadly, it does not go away like baby fat. You know you have a case of geezer fluff if the height-weight charts say you should be 7 feet 3 inches tall for your weight but you are only 5 feet 2 inches tall. 

 

I was “that” baby who was short and chubby. I always wore the x-size clothes. I remember trying on a 6x dress that was too big for me and my mother said not to worry as I would grow into it. Then one day, when no one was looking, the baby fat melted away. I remember thinking I had a waist. I had never had a waist before but now I had one. What a treat! I was about six years old when that happened. Funny thing is, I never gained weight after that. Once I hit my current height, I weighed just about the same for 30+ years. Then…the dreaded fluff started. 

 

At first, the fluff was not all that bad. But that changed when a kind doc put me on prednisone for something or other. I was CONSTANTLY hungry for the full 21 days I was on that dratted medicine and I gained some fluff. Then, I was put on prednisone again and one more time because the condition would not clear up. A total of 63 days on prednisone put the fluff on…and it stayed and stayed and stayed. That’s my story as to why I have fluff.

 

I went to the doc who gave me the horrendous prednisone and she said, in a very nice way, that prednisone weight has 2 consequences…it comes off quickly or it stays forever…then she dropped the other shoe…I seemed to have the type that stayed forever. DARN.

 

Now I’m fluffy. I refuse to say that awful F*T word. I refuse to call anyone else that awful F*T word too. I don’t know why my friends and neighbors are fluffy, but I know it happens. I had another doc say “well at your age…” those are 4 words that all of us geezers hate to hear. We know that the next part of the phrase is something like “…you can expect to be overweight” or “you can expect to have (fill in the blank).” When a doctor starts that phrase I say “Don't be so smug. Just you wait, this will happen to YOU to!”

 

The next time you see a geezer who should be 7 foot 3 inches tall, but sadly is shorter, know that you have something in common with each other. You share geezer fluff. Then, if that fluffy geezer is your friend, celebrate with an ice cream sundae. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. Remember, we’re all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Beginnings Edition

Many, many moons ago, on this date, the other DrC and I went on our first date. It was to the local fireworks display. Since then, we've tried to see fireworks on July 4th. Most years we go to an actual show--and that show has been literally all over the world. One time we were on a Danube River cruise and the riverboat staff had an American Independence Day celebration with sparklers--it was the closest we could get to fireworks that year.

Other times, we've seen the displays at Disneyworld, along the Mississippi River, in Washington, DC, Dallas--you name it, we've been to the July 4 fireworks. Recently, we've enjoyed the display put on in Idaho Falls. The Melaleuca company sponsors the display and it's fantastic. It is touted as the largest display west of the Mississippi, and I believe them, as we've seen many different displays and none compare to the show that Idaho Falls puts on.

This year, we did not go to the display first hand, but we did the next best thing. I figured out how to live-stream the display from my iPad to our large screen TV. It was perfect. We sat in the comfort of our living room, looked as the 18,000 plus "shells" burst across the Idaho Falls sky and fall into the Snake River. The starbursts were great, the booms and  pops were loud, and the music was fun. We did not have to deal with the crowds, nor drive the 190 miles to and from Idaho Falls. Not dealing with the traffic, might have made it even better than being there in person.

Who knew where that date would lead? 3 years later we were married and we have been very happy. July 4 is the beginning of our wonderful country and "us."  What are your beginnings? When was your first date? Have you celebrated that date year after year? My parents always celebrated the anniversary of their first date with a fancy dinner in a French restaurant...so I guess it was in my DNA to follow tradition. Is it in your DNA? Whatever you did on your first date, it must have been special as you are still together. Remember, we're in this together. 

It's Independence Day 248

 

Life in Geezerville: Pre-Independence Day Edition

 

The folks in Geezerville North are busy today. They are decorating their RVs with red, white and blue bunting. The golf carts are getting fancied up with patriotic symbols too. The poor dogs are begging not to be dressed up in Uncle Sam costumes. The kids are hoping they will catch some candy that will be tossed from the golf carts. Everything is in a red, white and blue swirl. The patriotism is catching too as folks who have not decorated their homes or RVs or golf carts are thinking what they can do at the last minute.

Our wonderful hardware store is out of bunting. Up till last week, there were bolts of red-white-blue cloth, but they are gone. I bet they'll sell you some RWB paint though (but, I've not checked).

Tomorrow the golf carts will parade around the RV park about 930. I've had a preliminary look at a couple of them. I can only imagine what 50 or more golf carts will look like. Later on, in town, there will be a "regular" parade with cowboys and cowgirls on their horses, the only fire engine will be all shined up and decorated, as will tractors and cultivators. There will be floats decorated by our kids, 4H critters will be led by their persons, strutting their stuff, and so much more. It is an old-fashioned Independence Day parade. This is a big parade for a very small town. Don't expect anything commercial or posh like the Rose Bowl Parade. Our 4th of July Main Street Parade and Extravaganza is simple with folks celebrating our independence from England 248 years ago. Happy Birthday America. Tomorrow night we'll have fireworks to cap off the events of the day. 

I hope you have a wonderful old-fashioned Independence Day Parade to go to too. I hope you get to see fireworks (or drone shows) tomorrow night. What you need to do now is get ready for the holiday. Happy Independence Day! Remember, we're all in this together.

Hawk

This morning, as I was getting ready to have coffee on the porch, this fellow greets me with a low KEH. I said hello to him, took his picture, then he spread his great wings, and quietly left the porch. 

To give you an idea of his size, the upright he is standing on is 17 inches tall. He is just a wee bit taller than the upright. I think he's a Cooper's Hawk. Sharp Shinned Hawks look very similar to Cooper's Hawks, but are a bit smaller and their tails are squared off instead of slightly rounded. I know it is not a red-tailed hawk, but it could be another variety. Please let me know what you think he is. He's a very pretty bird and I hope he comes back.