Life in Geezerville: Time Edition

Last night I cooking a new-to-me recipe. I had looked at several recipes online -- but I needed more information. SO, I called my friend and asked if she had a recipe...and sure enough a few minutes later she shared her recipe. What a treat. I can search the net for hours or I can ask a friend...much more fun to ask a friend.

Now that we are geezers we have time. Before geezer-hood, we were working and did not have much extra time. What matters is how we make use of that time. Do we sit on our geezer-duffs? Or, do we do something productive with that time. 

As for me, I'd much rather call a friend than sit for hours scouring the internet for the perfect recipe. I'd much rather have a cuppa with a friend, than have a cuppa with my computer. I had a "career" and that meant I did not have much extra time. Now, I am retired...so I have time to talk to my friends; time to listen; time to crochet; time to volunteer; time--that blessed gift of time. 

So, my fellow geezers, how are you using your time? For me I want to spend my time with my friends, or volunteering, or trying to make my world a special place. I truly don't want to spend my time listening to the latest political ads. And, more importantly, I don't want to waste my time doing useless pursuits. I want to use my time wisely with folks I love. So I ask you again: How do you want to spend your time? Remember, we're all in this together. 

Dollies

 

I started to make dollies...and then I got carried away.

There are now over a dozen of them looking for a good home.

All seem to be well-behaved and quiet...

So, if you would like a dolly let me know and you might get one. 

They are fun little dollies who will make you smile.

Zuchhini Muffins

 

Yesterday my friend Judy gave me 2 huge zucchinis. Today, the other DrC processed them and I made 1 batch of zucchini muffins and froze enough zucchini for 3 more batches. That means I have some magical muffin makings in my freezer now. 

I use a recipe that I found online and then modified it a bit. To make these delicious zucchini muffins measure and combine14 oz of all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in a medium sized bowl. In a larger bowl add 3 large eggs, 14 oz of granulated sugar, 2 sticks of cooled melted butter and 2 cups of chopped zucchini.  Mix all the wet ingredients (sugar is considered a wet ingredient) together then add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Generously spray 2 muffin pans with vegetable oil and divide the batter as evenly as possible into the muffin pans. 

You have a treat in store--2 dozen homemade muffins ready to eat or freeze. 

That's what I did today. Now you can do it too. 

Life in Geezerville: Hanging in There Edition

My last entry talked about all the ugly things that are happening, but the news is good this time. My friend who broke her pelvis is in a skilled nursing facility getting PT 3x a day and should be home on Sunday. My young friend is out of the ICU and on the mend. The other DrC is taking his medications and will see his doc on Thursday, and we're hoping for good news. As you can see we're hanging in there. It's important to hang in there.

In the meantime, the fawns in the backyard are getting bigger and their spots are fading a bit. That's always bittersweet for me. It's bitter, as the little ones are growing up and soon will become adults. It's sweet as I witnessed them growing up. This summer the deer have been camera shy. So I've taken a lot of pictures from my screened porch...but on Sunday I snapped a good one of my mama deer. She's beautiful standing in the aspens.

The bluebird blue skies are back. The air is clean and the aspens are tall and straight. All seems to be good in my little patch. I hope the same is happening for you. (Yes I know it's political season, and yes I do read the news, but NO I don't put any of that stuff on my blog. If you want to stay up to date, see other DrC's blog for all that kind of stuff.) In the meantime, remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Be Careful Out There

 This past week there have been 3 uglies that have happened. Since things "come in threes," I'm hoping that is all the bad news that I can get. My girlfriend of way too many years, fell and broke her pelvis; my 20 year old friend was in a pretty bad automobile accident breaking her mandible among other problems; the other DrC has an infection in the head wound he has had for a long time. None of these were foreseeable -- they just happened. They happened to older folks and younger folks. Ugly things happen...and because they do, please be careful "out there." 

Around your home, don't have loose floor mats in your house--they are tripping hazards. In your vehicle, drive defensively and alertly. As for an infection...I don't know what do say about that, but keep all wounds as clean as possible. I don't mean to harp on this topic...I just want all of us to be happy and safe and sound. Remember, we're all in this together.

State Fair

The WY State Fair is happening right now. My "kids" are participating and having a blast showing their animals and collecting recognition for their hard work...as well as ribbons and belts and other prizes. 

 Grand Champion Lamb

 Grand Champion Pig at the county fair and Champion of Champions at the State Fair

WOW...that is fantastic

Reserve Grand Champion  Pig

The Champion of Champion prize...that's some belt and buckle...

The kids work hard with their animals. Their parents work hard too. Kudos to all who participated in the local and state fair -- but bigger kudos for "my kids" who were absolutely wonderful. I'm so proud of them and blessed to have them in my life.

Life in Geezerville: Hobby Edition

 

I''m a geezer. I don't know when that happened but it did. Now that I'm here, what am I going to do with my time. I go shopping, I keep the house tidy, cook, do laundry--you know all those household chores that never go away, but I have time for a few hobbies too. The hobby that I've "practiced' all my life is crochet. I learned when I was about 7. I copied what my mother was doing, as I've been told...so I work in the typical "German" style but backwards. You read that right. I mirrored what my mother was doing, and she learned to crochet from her German mother. Maybe, she mirrored what her mother did, and I mirrored what she did...whatever the case, when I'm crocheting with a group of folks (and I do that every now and then) my process is different--but I end up with a product that looks the same. I learned a long time ago, there are many ways to peel an orange, the idea is to peel it. Same with crochet.

A few summers back I discovered the joy of making toys and giving them away. I've made lots and lots of piggies, kitties, sheep, hedgehogs, teddy bears, turtles, cars, trucks, airplanes, and more. Then I branched out to boxes, nesting boxes, flowers (like those above), etc. It's fun to see what will come out of my crochet hook.

Most recently I've started to crochet dolls. Little dolls less than 5 inches tall. They are fun to make and I find it amazing how the same pattern can create so much diversity. Sometimes the dollies are  a bit bigger...sometimes smaller...but all are cute and I'm sure some little girl (or maybe a geezer girl) will have fun playing with them

You might ask what is the purpose of making a dolly or a critter or a flower? The answer is easy. The process of crochet keeps my hands busy, my mind active, and sparks my creativity. I look at hundreds of pictures and read hundreds of patterns before I make up "my" pattern. I then take that 2 dimensional picture and create a 3 dimensional object and that object looks like the picture. There's a lot of "work" between picture and product. That has to be good for any geezer to do. My geezer friends who quilt are doing the same thing. Keeping mind and body active is important, and even more important in our geezer-years.The same with my geezer friends who paint (rocks or canvas), create string art, play the piano, write blogs, or do counted cross-stitch. These are important hobbies that keep geezers active, alert and happy. What is your hobby? Maybe you don't do any of the above, but you play golf, or swim, or run? Maybe you read or listen to books? Being actively engaged is the key. Staying active keeps the mind and body working better and longer. That's important.  Remember, we're all in this together.

(Courtesy of Sam, string artist)

Life in Geezerville: 4H Edition

Today I went to our county fair (the second county fair I've gone to this year) to see the lamb judging. Two of "my" kids were showing their lambs. These are NOT the typical lamb you see in a field, these are well groomed lambs with closed cropped wool and black feathered leggings. The kids have been working with their lambs all summer, teaching them manners. Some of the kids were very successful--others not so much. My kids did well in their division, with one winning grand champion and the other "tying" for grand, but the judge gave it to the other lamb. 

I love watching all the kids show their critters. It takes a lot of work to get untrained baby critters to show-worthy in a few short months. The kids have to feed and tend to their critter on a daily basis. They can't take time off for snow or sickness or the weekend. The critters need to be trained to walk by their child and follow some basic commands. That type of training cannot be done in a couple of weeks before the fair--it has to be done for months. Mom and dad give a big helping hand too, as it's a family affair getting the critters ready for fair. When fair arrives, the kids are cleaned up and shiny, just like their critters. Our county asks that the kids were clean blue jeans and a white shirt. While they can't wear cowboy hats, they can wear boots. One little girl had blue pinpoint lights randomly flashing on her boots--as far as I was concerned, they were the best boots EVER. I was fascinated with her colorful boots and maybe judge was too, as she won one of the prizes. 

When I taught a hundred years ago, the 4H kids always seemed to do "better" than the others. They knew how to work hard to reach a goal. They were "on top of things." The kids who did not have the 4H experience had to play catch up. The non-4H kids were usually city kids, while most of the 4H kids were country kids. The country kids knew what it was like to raise a critter from farm to market and the city kids did not have a clue. The 4H experience taught them what to do and when to do it. Skills that are needed throughout life. 4H might be for critters, but the critters include the kids.

As for me, I was the city kid. I never paid much attention to 4H or to raising livestock. I knew city ways well and living on a ranch or farm was not in my realm of experience. I knew how to take care of a parakeet and a cat. The thought of taking them to a "show" was not on the radar screen. Needless to say I did well as school, but I would have been more well-rounded with the 4H experience. That was then, this is now. 4H is a program I support with a full-heart. I'm sure there are other programs "out there" that work with kids to make them better people, and my hats go off to them too. It takes a lot of work to get an untrained "baby" (of any variety) to be a worthy individual. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Reading Edition

 My whole life, I've been a reader. As a kid I read everything in sight including several thick dictionaries and even the encyclopedia. When magazines were delivered at home, I devoured them. I had a library card when I was 4 even though the "legal" age was 5. The librarian knew I could read and she made an exception for me. 

At 3 I taught myself to read by circling words I knew in a Life Magazine. My dad had already given me permission to write in the magazine, as long as I did not make a mess of it. I started very methodically--I circled all the words that I knew. Please don't ask me how I knew a word, but when I saw a word that was "mine" I circled it. My goal was to circle all the words in an article--then the magazine. If any of those old Life Magazines are still around, there would be pages of words circled in blue ink. Those were MY words.

Fast forward many years and my "discovery" of books on tape. Since I have always found it hard to read in a moving vehicle, reading in the car or truck, has never been an option. But, one day, a student of mine gave me a tape of the first volume of the Harry Potter series. WOW! I could listen to a book while driving or riding in a vehicle. What a treat. Soon we had lots of books on tape--they evolved to books on CD--and those have evolved to books on my phone. I love listening to stories.

I have many favorite authors and storytellers who can read to me to my heart's content. The man who read the Harry Potter books, Jim Dale, captured each character with a different voice and outlook, that makes simple reading of a book so much more enjoyable. Since Jim Dale, I've heard many fantastic readers. Lorelei King, Huge Fraser and Walt Guidell are just three who come to mind--but there are more. 

If you have a few minutes, download the free app for your phone from the public library and start borrowing books on tape (as they are still called). If you want to own some books, use an app like Chirp. You can also download Audible, available from Amazon (it might be available from other sources too). If the book is on "tape" you can hear books from any genre and age. I find it completely enjoyable and I hope you do too. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Home Edition

What is home? Is it a house? A place? A memory? Something you have? Something you want? A distant dream? Something you will never attain? 

For the dove in the picture, home is a safe place to raise her babies. She has chosen a quiet flowerpot on a front porch where she can hide from the "baddies out there" to hatch and raise a clutch of chicks.

For the deer in my backyard, home is a place away from hunters, speeding cars and noise. Home is a place to rear her fawns where the quaking aspens lull her offspring to sleep. A place where she was raised. She knows it's a good place for her fawns too.

It does not matter what home looks like. It can be a flowerpot, a backyard with trees, or a house. For some folks, it has wheels under it and roams the open road. 

Home can be a job with colleagues who have ideals like yours and where you feel like you are doing something useful. Home can be a country--where you know you are protected from harm.

When all is said and done, home is where your heart is. It is a familiar place where you feel safe and loved and cared for. It's friendly. You love your home because your home loves you back. So I ask a question? Where is your home? I know where mine is--with my loved ones, whether in my house in the woods or my house in the desert or in between. I'm safe there. I'm loved there. I give safety and love back too. Find your home and cherish it. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Pickleball Edition

Pickleball--it is certainly "the" rage for geezers right now. But, I found out something the other day, youngsters are playing it too. My friend said her granddaughter was on her high school Pickleball team. The game is spreading out to other age demographics and that must be a sign that the game is catching on. I wonder when the Olympics will recognize Pickleball as a "game."

As someone who suffers from lack of coordination, the lure of the Pickleball court does not call me. But, I'm definitely in the minority. Every morning, the parking lot at our local Pickleball court fills up with golf carts, electric bicycles, regular bicycles and even a few cars. Some folks even walk to the Pickleball courts. They come with paddle and pickleball, ready to compete. They play everyday, but not in the rain. They arrive at 8 and stay till noon. It must be fun, as a lot of folks are doing it. Also, our local courts are expanding--soon 8 more will be added to the playing field. That's a lot of Pickleball games for us geezers. Last month, there was even a Pickleball Tournament that brought in people from all over the western US. The game is popular.

My Pickleball friends, claim it's a lot of fun, is filled with lots of good exercise, and you don't even have to play well to enjoy the game because the ball is slow...in addition, it's a fun way to meet folks. I understand the last part of that reason, but the others, are not something I can do. For me, a slow ball is just as easy to miss as a fast ball. But, I digress, I'm not an athlete.

If you see a group of geezers playing a game with a holey ball, paddle and net, you are watching Pickleball in action. It might be a lot of fun, but alas it's not for me. My sports are travel, walking and sitting in a hot tub. What are you good at? Find your geezer sport and enjoy it. I've found mine! Remember, we're all in this together.