Life in Geezerville: It's Good in the Hood Edition

It's been awhile since I've writt3en. I've had a good reason. I have had the headache from He!!. A headache so bad that it has survived 3 ER visits, 2 tur4tledoves and a partridge in a pear tree. The headache has been bad. Finally, after much ado, the headache is more or less managed due to a modern miracle drug called Qulipta (as a person who taught reading I do not like things that are misspelled). It took a while to get up to full dose on this modern miracle but I did that yesterday and the headache has not come back. When it does I'll know what to do. In the meantime, there has been a complication. I have double vision.

I have never thought much about having double vision, but now that I have it, I don't recommend it. I've talked with an eye surgeon and there are many types of double vision. You can have double vision in one eye...you can have horizontal double vision ... and verticals double vision...I seem to have a diagonal form of the malady where I see 2 copies of everything just a bit off kilter. It's quite distressing a to walk with this condition as you really don't know where you are. I've not tried driving. Which leads to the other issue. We are a one driver household, and now the one driver is out of commission. And that's where the "HOOD" comes into the picture.

I've sung poetic about my wonderful hood and once again I'm singing its praises. Folks are helping to drive us to the store, the doctor, to wherever we need to go. I love my hood. In addition to the hood,, my family is sending an envoy for a week to help out. I need the help. I'm walking around with one functioning eye. I have NO depth perception. I have an eye-patch like a pirate and well...it's less than perfect. When I talked with the eye surgeon he said I might have had a mini-stroke in my eye. I see the doc "net year" and we'll find out more. In the meantime I'm at the mercy of my hood and family. 

It's not the best way to end a year, nor start a year. Yet when I think  about what has happened, I could not end the year nor start the year in a better place. I have my folks here to protect me from what is to come.I have no idea what that might be. I'm typing this without reading it for errors ...I can't see well enough to do otherwise. i know with all my heart and soul, this is my hood for a reason. I want to thank all the geezers in the hood for being there. You are all special people. 

To that, I'll bring this to an end. Happy New Year. Appreciate all that you have. Remember, w're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Girlz in the 'Hood Edition

Yesterday, the girlz had a party--no boyz allowed. We had an ornament exchange. The idea is simple, and that added to the fun. First off, we had to buy or make a Christmastree ornament that was special and unique. I searched for the "right"  ornament and so did the others. I didn't want something that was bland or ordinary--it had to be special. I finally found the ornament that "spoke" to me--a clear crystal that looked like a 1000 caret diamond. Clear, shiny, and beautiful--I found my ornament. 

The other girlz did the same finding special holiday creations to decorate a tree. Each ornament was wrapped and on Saturday morning we brought them to Maria's house. Her coffee table was filled with pretty bags, plain bags, decorated boxes and pouches. The idea being to "fox" people into thing a plain bag held something more special than a fancy sequined pouch...it's all part of the deception. We talked, sipped champagne or mimosas, had sweet goodies to nibble on and had a grand time. All too soon, we were asked to draw a number out of a box. I drew number 4. That meant, when it was my turn, I could either pick a new package that had not been opened before or I could "steal" one of the ornaments that had already been opened. 

I chose a new package  and unwrapped a beautiful creation that looked like a 3 dimensional Christmas star. What a gorgeous ornament. Because I liked the ornament a lot I put it back in the box hoping the girlz  would forget about it and not take it from me. Alas, that did not happen. A few numbers later someone asked for my star. Then I got another chance to draw or steal. I was not allowed to steal my star back, so I opened another package. This time I opened up the cutest funkiest snowman ever. I loved him too...but tried not to get too attached, as he could be raided by someone else. The exchange got heated as we opened and raided other ornaments. We laughed a lot.

The drawing continued until we all had an ornament. The girlz had found a collection of the most unique ornaments ever. The party was about to end so we hugged each other goodbye before walking home. What a neighborhood! We are lucky folks to have such a vibrant, caring community. Does it get any better? I don't think so. Tomorrow, I'll give out my "stockings stuffers" to the folks in the 'hood to add to the seasonal cheer. It's a fun thing to do. I hope you and yours have started the Christmas season with a bit of Holiday Cheer too. Remember we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Funnies Edition

We all need to laugh every now and then. The human condition can be terribly funny and when you add technology into the mix, it's either funny or sad---take your pick. To that end, here are some funnies for you

The other day I was transferred 2 times in order to speak to someone who spoke English as a second or third language. Her name was Patsy and she really tried to answer my question but alas, it did not happen

Cats might be the only "people" who believe in a flat earth

So much for autocorrect. I wrote a note to my niece the other day. I meant to write celebrate but cement came out instead.

Now--that's a good time

Hahahaha

\

...and you thought it had another meaning?

It's good to laugh. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Paper Moon Edition

Did anyone take a couple of minutes to look at the moon last night? It was a HUGE paper moon. In fact, for the next 2 nights, we'll have the largest moon we'll see in 37 years. Given the fact that I'm officially a geezer, I probably won't be alive when the moon will appear as big as it will in the next 2 nights. 

To be more specific, the moon we saw last night was a "Cool Supermoon" meaning it happened in the cool time of year...and it appeared larger than normal. The best time to see this "Cool Supermoon" is right as it begins to rise in the nighttime sky. I took that picture last night at 4:12 PST.

Not too long after that, the sky grew dark. The moon looked like a huge bright orb hanging in the sky. A beautiful sight to behold. I hope you saw it last night...but there's still time to see it tonight and tomorrow. Remember we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: The Day After the Party Edition

Yesterday was "the day after." Someone at the party asked if I was going to lead chair yoga and I thought "Okay--I'll give it a try." Three ladies showed up and all we did was sit and talk. I didn't even try to start any stretches. We were all exhausted. Finally after an hour of talking, Darlene said "are we doing chair yoga?" 

We got into our chairs and did a quick 10 minute session. It was good...then we went on our merry ways. I guess chair yoga has caught on. The stretches are good--the camaraderie is better.

The biggest deal was getting thru "The Event." Three of us pulled off the Thanksgiving Party in the 'hood. How about that!  It was a lot of work. We cooked and cleaned and cleaned again. I cleaned after I got home from the party, as the kitchen was a mess. I think I cleaned the stove 3 times on Thanksgiving....who knew I could still cook that much? You might ask if it was worth it...and the answer is a resounding YES. We had a grand time. I hope y'all survived the day and are ready for the next holiday which comes sooner than you think. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: To Spatchcock or Not Edition

I cooked the bird and the other DrC carved the bird and the folks in the 'hood ate the bird. In fact it was pretty well received...BUT...I'm not going to spatchcock a turkey again. Putting a turkey in an oven bag is much easier and the results are just about the same or maybe a bit better.

What was better was the dressing. It was soaked in turkey juices and it was yummy. And, since I made a a double batch of dressing we had enough of it for everyone to have seconds. It would be nice to have the oven bag turkey and the juicy dressing at the same time, but alas that's not going to happen with this recipe.

Our little Thanksgiving celebration in the 'hood was wonderful. The food was abundant. The friendship warm. It was a great day. I have a lot to be thankful for just living in such a wonderful 'hood. I hope you had a happy and joyful day too. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Thanksgiving Edition

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Back in the day when I was teaching elementary school, I would have my kids write about what they were thankful for on this day. The responses ranged from  --  I'm thankful for my mom and dad -- once in awhile I heard they were thankful their parents were not divorced as Johnny's mom and dad got divorced and it's awful--or I'm thankful for my new shoes--or my family--or my cousin Ralphy. Once in awhile I read someone was thankful for a new baby sister or brother. The one I liked the best was a child who was thankful for a baby brother because the brother needed so much attention he could finally get some peace and quiet.

Later, when I taught older "kids" at university level I would ask the same question...and the answers were very similar, but answers like "I'm thankful the rent got paid this month" showed up--or I'm thankful my car is still running--a few would say they were thankful for their faith in God-- others would say they were thankful for a new found love. 

There's lots to be thankful for. There's not a right answer or a wrong answer. It's a time to reflect on what you are thankful for. As I get older I'm thankful for a good husband...good health -- good memories --good family-- a brain that still works -- good friends --- and so much more. What are you thankful for?

Right now, it's the calm before the storm. The turkey needs to be readied--it's been brining for 2 days. The dressing needs to be made, as does the gravy. Soon I'll get all of that into the oven and get ready for a feast with the wonderful folks in the 'hood. My heart is full this Thanksgiving Day. I hope your day is filled with love and hope and joy too. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Pickle Edition, Part 2

 Guess what? It appears the Pickle in the Christmas Tree tradition is NOT German. It might be uniquely American. The jury is out as to how the "tradition' started. I'll try to recount a few ways.

One source says that glass ornament factory in Lausch, Germany began making Christmas ornaments in the shape of different fruits and vegetables--including a pickle. These ornaments were sold to many different countries....but some were shipped to the US...and sold at  Woolworth Five and Dime.  In this version of the "story" Woolworths was having a hard time selling the pickle ornament so they developed a legend of the pickle in the tree. The legend caught people's attention and lo and behold the tradition was born.

Another source starts with that same glass factory making various fruit and veggie ornaments. They built a story about the pickle in order to make it more popular.

Another source says that most Germans do not know of the tradition and of those who do, less than 10% practice the tradition. In other words, it's not a big deal.

Another source says it's an American tradition...to honor a man who was imprisoned an Andersonville during the civil war. He asked the guard for a pickle at Christmastime, the guard gave him one, and by some miracle he survived...so a pickle is placed in a tree to commemorate that occasion. 

Clearly, no one really knows how the lowly pickle ended up hiding in a Christmastree. It is probably an American tradition with some German roots. The tradition is not widely practiced in Germany nor the US...but it is fun to talk about. Since I wrote part 1 of this blog I've some fun discussions about Christmastree Pickles in my art class, in the beauty shop, at a birthday party and during morning yoga. Folks who have never heard of the tradition have the same reaction I had..."ya gotta be kidding me" The tradition (if you want to call it that) is "out there." It's fun to talk about. It does no harm. It's all a good thing. From now on, I'll have a pickle in my Christmas tree. Will you? Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Pickle Edition

Today, I received a very special present. A pickle ornament to hide in my Christmas tree. Do you know anything about the "Pickle in the Christmas tree tradition?" Until two weeks, I was completely uniformed about the pickle in the tree tradition. At that time my friends had just put up their Christmas tree and Linda told me it even had a pickle hidden in it. I said "Why would you hide a pickle in your Christmas tree? What a strange thing to do." All the time, I'm wondering who on earth hides a great green pickle in a tree?  

Slowly, Linda explained the old German tradition. Since my mother was German, why had I never heard of this "old German tradition?" Of course I searched the internet and sure enough there is a pickle in the tree tradition. No one really knows where it started and why a pickle was chosen as the object to be hidden, but it is something of a feature at Christmastime. It seems to be more German than any other ethnicity too.

Last week, at my art class and I asked if folks knew about the pickle tradition and about half of the class did -- the other half were in the dark like me. Do you know about the pickle tradition? Do you have a pickle hidden in your Christmas tree? 

My pickle ornament came with a little story explaining the tradition. Apparently, a pickle ornament is hidden in the Christmas tree, and on Christmas morning the first person (usually a child) to find the pickle gets a special prize. So now my tree has a pickle. So, if you want to have a bit more excitement around your tree, hide a pickle in it. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Spatchcock Edition

I was looking at my favorite cooking program, America's Test Kitchen (ATK), and their Thanksgiving program had a new way to roast a turkey. They spatchcocked it. I know how to spatchcock a chicken--SO--when I saw a new recipe for a spatchcocked  turkey, I thought "why not?" That should not be too hard! I looked at the program several times and I thought I knew what to do.

I was wrong. Spatchcocking a turkey is HARD. First and foremost, turkey bones are not as tiny and fragile  as chicken bones. To spatchcock a chicken I've taken a pair of kitchen shears and cut up one side of the backbone and down the other side. Easy-peasy. The spine or backbone of a turkey, which needs to be removed when you spatchcock a bird, is thicker and has more connective tissue (and therefore tougher) than that of a chicken. My eighteen and half pound bird fought me every millimeter of its backbone. 

First off I tried my "normal" kitchen shears, which seem to go thru anything without a hitch. They just twisted and turned and did absolutely nothing. Next I tried my heavy duty kitchen shears which have never failed me in the past...and I made no progress once again. THEN I remembered that ATK did not show the chef spatchcocking the bird. The program just showed the beginning of the process and a nicely spatchcocked bird at the end. On the program, the cut was very smooth and tidy. There was NO way I could get a smooth OR tidy cut with kitchen shears. That meant I needed a saw or very sharp knife to do the deed. The electric knife came to mind. It's like a mini-hedge trimmer and I thought it might work. I found the electric knife and ever so slowly I scored the electric knife thru skin, meat, sinew and bone and the spine started to separate from the bird. It was a very slow process. The bird fought me the whole way. Eighteen and half pounds of turkey is a fairly big bird...and the weight of that bird seemed to get heavier and heavier as I plowed the electric knife thru the spine. After 20 minutes I had one side of the spine removed and it was time to start the other side.

Technically this should have been easier, but it was not. When the backbone was connected to the bird, the bird was stabilized...now the bird had a broken back. The bird was floppy (for lack of a better word), cumbersome and awkward (I know why ATK did not show the process). Ever so slowly, I carefully cut thru the back of the bird with the electric knife making sure I did not cut me. I did not worry about cutting myself on the first cut, but now the bird is not supported by the spine and it moved in unusual ways. Finally, it was separated. What a job. It takes about 5 minutes to spatchcock a chicken. It took me 40 minutes to spatchcock the turkey! 

The next part of the process was flattening the keelbone. Again, easy to do with a chicken and very hard with a turkey. I finally figured out how to get leverage on a slippery 18.5 pound bird and pressed down with all my might until the keelbone cracked. DONE. Whew...I did it.

Next job was brining the bird. Brining was a piece of cake. Spatchcocking was HARD. Breaking the keelbone was HARD. I was done with my task for the day.

The bird will brine in the fridge until Thursday morning when it will be cooked. IF the bird tastes great, I might consider spatchcocking another one--but putting a turkey in a large oven bag and roasting it, is easier. Spatchcocking a turkey is another way to cook a bird--but you have to weigh all the choices out there when cooking a turkey. It's nice to know that I'm still "with it" enough to learn new things. It's nice to know that I'm strong enough to do them too. I'll let you know how the turkey comes out on Thursday. Remember we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Printer Rant Edition

As you know we live in Geezerville--but we are also snowbirds. Twice a year, I open one house and close another. When I close a house everything is working--so I expect to be working when I return. This year it was another story with the printer.

Let me start from the beginning.  We bought our first Hewlett-Packard printer about 40 years ago. They have proven to be reliable work horses, printing thousands of pages over the years. I have been a loyal HP printer user. In fact, one time I bought a computer that came with a "free" non-HP printer and that printer was worth exactly what I paid for it. It crashed and burned soon after installation and I bought a trusty HP printer to replace it. My loyalty might be changing.

My latest HP printer is 2 years old. When I first bought it, it was like any other printer I had had...but in the intervening two years, things have changed. This spring I shut the printer down and when I returned I was unable to restart the printer. I could turn it on, but it would not connect to wi-fi. Of course I went to the usual suspects (YouTube and HP Help) to find out what was going on. Seems like there is now an app that the printer needs...and you have to BUY the app. I already bought the printer...but to make the printer work, I now need an app and I wonder why? The app is quite expensive at $9.99 a week, $6.99 a month, or $89.99 a year, but in the small print, I see there's a free 3 day trial--I download the app to my iPhone and follow the directions and guess what? I still can not get the printer to connect to wifi. 

It's time to call in another set of eyes, so the other DrC comes over to help. He finds yet another help page and lo and behold he's told to download the app. We fiddle with settings for another hour getting more and more frustrated only to discover we have NO idea how go get the printer to work. We KNOW the printer works as we used it before we snowbirded away.

Fast forward a couple of days and my neighbor says she's having a computer repair guy coming to her house to fix her computer. I ask if I can piggy-back on her appointment and maybe her fellow can fix my printer. Sure enough, he has the time and after he fixes her computer I escort him to my house while telling him of the problem. 

He's in business so he has the $90 HP app already installed on his iPhone. It makes sense for him to have it (but not for me). He opens the app and the screen is different from the free 3 day trial app--there's a place to enter the password to the wifi. I give him the password and a moment later, my printer is working. How come the free 3 day trial app does not have the ability to enter a password?

What does brand loyalty mean when they change the rules? The free trial app is never ever going to work as there's no way to enter the password. I'm thinking, what happens when I shut down the computer next summer...will I ever be able to "wake it up" again? Probably not. HP wants me to buy the printer, buy the expensive ink and now rent the app in order to make the printer work. NO! I'm not going to do that. When the printer dies the next time, I'm going to buy another brand of printer that does not charge me 3 different ways to use it. It's HP abuse at its most subtle. Buy Buy Buy. I hope other printer companies don't copy the HP model. It's really nasty. Just a friendly (aka rant) reminder...be careful out there--HP is trying to rip us off. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Social Edition

Yes, there is social life in Geezerville...but it's not the social life we thought about when we were kids. It's going to the doctor social life. We all see a bunch of doctors and at the doctor's offices we see friends. I jokingly say if we did not see our doctors we would never leave our houses. That's not true of course. We have to leave our houses to shop (but even that's not necessary with door delivery of just about everything). However, we have to leave our homes to see the doctor as they don't do home "delivery." I used to tease my parents about going to the doctor all the time; now I'm doing the same thing!

By definition, geezers are old--and old folks have health problems (or it seems that way...or is it the other way round--health problems bring about geezerhood? Gee, I don't know?). We suffer from aches and pains and the vagaries of time. Some of us are recovering from surgery while others are waiting for surgery. The doctor is a big deal in our town. Gees---I have a GP, a foot doc, a pain doc, and every other specialist you can think of. A week without seeing one of those specialists is a rare week indeed. My calendar is littered with visits to Dr. X, Y and Z. The same goes with my friends.

A typical visit to the doc goes like this. I talk to the person who checks me in. She knows me from previous visits and we catch up on her 2 year old. All the while, she's tapping the keyboard to make sure that I've completed the "simple" pre-check. Rue the day that you don't do the pre-check. I had checked in correctly (oh happy day) ... she asks a couple of questions and I'm ready to see the doctor. Another person comes in the office, and it's the same routine. We all talk to the person behind the counter--then all of us start talking to each other. It's fun visiting with each other until we're called to see the doc. We commiserate about what's going on and it makes the whole visit a bit more palatable as we have someone there we can talk too...and we learn the latest gossip.

Since our docs see a bunch of ailing geezers all the time, they sometimes forget that we are people too. We used to work and play and have good lives before geezerhood slammed down upon us. Sometimes they ignore us and just give us a dozen pills and hope we go away. BUT we are a powerful lobby...you do us wrong, and we tell all of our geezer friends NOT to go to so and so...and soon so and so will be outta business. We've been successful at running a few docs outta town. It's a phyrric victory, but it's a victory of sorts as we want docs who care about us, as they are so important to us. We don't want to lose good doctors, so we have to play a game of help me and I'll help you.

The doctors are part of the fabric of our social life. We need them and they need us. We are a huge part of their economy. We are reliable patients who want to stay healthy and vital..and our good doctors help keep us that way. One day, I'll talk about the other social life that geezers have, as it's even better than going to the doc. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Chair Yoga Progress Report

Chair Yoga is a success! All of us are feeling a lot better. I'm not going to talk for the others in the group, but I can honestly say, I've not worn a pain patch or used my TENS unit in 11 days! That's a miracle in and of itself. 

Our fifteen minute workout, 3 times a week, is a mixture of simple and "not so simple." I try to introduce a new routine every other day to keep us all on our toes. Right now we are doing box breathing, cat-cow, warrior and reverse warrior, marching, pigeon, windmill and fold. These are all stretches that are used in regular yoga that have been modified for chair yoga. We are also doing some stretches that have Yoga names but I don't know what they mean in English so we've given them funny names to help us remember them.

Since one person in our group has neuropathy, we have a specific neuropathy stretch that she says is helping. This stretch is done while standing up behind the chair, holding the back of the chair. From there,  we stand on our "tippy toes" for a count of five, then flat footed for five, then "tippy heels" for a count of five. This gets repeated 5 times. It's supposed to help balance too. 

In time, we'll be able to do a 30 minute session 3 times a week. We are not there now. I increase our time by one minute a week. I'm using a lot of web resources that show me what needs to be done. YouTube has a gazillion videos that are most helpful too. We all know we are works in progress and it will take time to master this routine...but we're ready for the challenge. In addition we have great fun talking and laughing...it's a social time for us. I'll be reporting progress regularly. In the meantime, we're all in this together.

LIfe in Geezerville: The IKEA Tree

This is supposed to be funny since just about everything you buy at IKEA has to be put together, why not a Christmas tree? This year we're putting together the proverbial IKEA tree. I bought the tree from Amazon at the end of last Christmas season. The price was excellent and I was pleased with myself for getting such a bargain. 

The tree has sat in an unopened box for the last eleven months. It was out of the way and I did not even think about it. Outta sight--outta mind. BUT, 3 days ago we decided put our Christmas tree up early so we could enjoy it longer--and that's when I figured out it was an IKEA tree. Everything had to be put together in just the right order. There are 7 parts and a booklet that almost gives complete directions.

The first challenge was the base. I needed to make the base look like a plus sign and then align 3 holes so some screws could be installed. The first 2 screws went in as directed--but it was a major effort to get the third screw in place. Were there going to be more surprises?

The base solved, we moved right along to the

 3 layers to the tree. The layers have a definite order from wider to narrower. The tricky part is the lights. Each layer of greenery has an analogous layer of lights and they need to be connected in the right order. Needless to say we connected them wrong with a layer of  multi-colored lights, a layer with white lights and a layer with no lights. After much re-connecting, I got a consistent display where all the lights are white. I wanted multi-colored lights, but I took all white lights as a win.

Next came the ornaments. I love my ornaments. I've been collecting them for over half a century and everyone has a special meaning. My ornaments are from friends, family and students. I remember who gave me the ornament and my heart fills with joy. It's a fun day to decorate the tree. The angel is the oldest as she graced the top of my very first Christmas tree as an adult and has had that honor ever since.

Our IKEA tree did come together. While it might not be perfect, it's really pretty. For the next few days we'll decorate the house. Christmas spirit will warm the house and get us ready for the holiday season. Remember, we're all in this together."

It's Veteran's Day

 Thank you for your service. 

Crocheting Geezer

In case you're wondering, I'm still crocheting. I only had 1 pumpkin from last year, so I decided to make some more--but alas, I still only have one pumpkin as I've given a dozen or so away. My little pumpkin is going to be a loner for another year. I did make another lion. I know I said there would not be many lions as they take about 20 hours to create, but a friend wanted a lion, so Roary came to life. Isn't he a cutie pie?

Then a friend asked if I would make an elephant for her two year old. I finished Peppermint the Elephant this evening. He's really cute and all of his parts and pieces are firmly sewn in place, as I want the critter safe for a little one.

My next project is a Christmas tree that I'm copying from one that is already made. I was figuring out the pattern tonight and when I finish it, I'll post it here (if it looks good). I need to keep my mind and fingers moving, and creating critters helps that process. If you'd like a critter, just ask. I love making them.

Life in Geezerville: Chair Yoga Edition

During the summer, in twice a week PT sessions, I became acquainted with "Chair Yoga." For a while, the other DrC and I would do chair yoga together at home. It was a good set of moves that had low impact and seemed to have some results.

I'm now down in Geezerville, and I'm doing chair yoga with my wonderful neighbors. It's great fun. We meet at my house three times a week and we do a series of stretches and turns that are aimed at every part of our body. We try to breathe in and out in harmony; bend over so we can touch the floor; stretch our abs and glutes; and more importantly we try to have fun. We laugh and get off track then we get serious only to laugh again. When our 13 minutes are done, we have coffee and gossip and laugh all over again. We've increased our time from 10 minutes to 13 minutes. Next week we'll do 14 minutes. Soon we'll increase reps from 4 to 5 to 7 to 10. We are taking it slow and steady adding time and reps when we are ready. 

Every yoga move has a specific name...a very long Indian name that I don't know how to pronounce. Lucky for us, these names have been translated into English. All Yoga teachers have to do is say the name of the move, and students know what to do. Chair yoga uses similar names, so we have become pretty proficient at Cow-Calf, Pigeon, Sitting Mountain, Box Breathing, Puppet, Figure 4 and more. We've also given some moves nicknames, not always in the spirit of Yoga...but then we are having fun. 

I love chair yoga with the girls in the 'hood. It's a great social activity. I know I don't have the discipline to do any program by myself, but with friends, we have a "group discipline" that gives us consistency and that's one of the keys to success. Already we've noticed we are more flexible which is a good thing. I've noticed that my back is not hurting all the time. In fact, I've not worn by back patch in over a week! It's all good. 

By the way, if you are interested in chair yoga there are a lot of YouTube videos out there that help explain each step in the process. There's also a myriad of websites for beginners that are most helpful. If you are interested, look up "chair yoga" and see what you can find. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Happy Halloween: Better Late than Never

Halloween came and went and I forgot to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. This time of year, I'm always taken back to my elementary classroom. My kids would plan the best costumes for warm weather but on the day of Halloween the weather always changed. I would see my sweet fifth graders in princess costumes covered by heavy parkas. It was just too cold to be a fairy princess. It never failed...the first day of cool/wet weather was always Halloween.

The day after Halloween was always a nightmare to teach. No matter what the "sugar gurus" say--too much candy makes kids hyper. Then, you have to teach 35 of them...it's not fun! The day after Halloween the kids were "drunk" from sweets and almost impossible to teach. That's when I would do another lesson. It was hands on and lots of fun. I had the kids bring in their old pumpkins and we would do lessons and activities with them. But more importantly, I would lead them to discover the concept of PI, the mathematical constant. The lesson started when one of my students actually discovered the concept of PI all on his own. While we did not figure it out to the 10th decimal place, we concluded that PI was "3 and a little bit" and I was okay with that. To prove that PI was constant, my kids measured every circle they could find from records to car tires to circular waste cans to tree trunks, even round chalk. It was a fun day and believe it or not, it calmed them down. And, my kids knew all about Pumpkin PI. 

Because the day after Halloween was so challenging to teach, somewhere along the line, I stopped giving candy to my local trick or treaters. Instead, I bought rolls of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. I put them in a big bowl and let the trick or treaters grab a handful of coins. I discovered that little hands can only pick up 6 or 7 coins which probably cost the same as a piece of candy. I did not do it to save money, I did it to lower the sugar-high. It was a win-win for everyone. In addition, parents did not have to worry about anything amiss in the goody haul. (One of the local dental offices had a great deal too---they would scope bags of candy to make sure they were safe--and give each kid a free toothbrush too.)

Those days are long gone. I have no desire to go back to teaching elementary school--yet Halloween was always a fun time and the memories are still there. This Halloween we went to a party. I was dressed up in my best Rio de Janiero Carnival hat, which was given to me in Rio at Carnival several years ago. The hat was a big hit and I had a lot of fun wearing it. Kudos to Karen for helping me clean it up.

Thanks for letting me stroll down memory lane. It's important to do that every now and then. Remember, we're all in this together.

Geezerville Memes

A few funnies to brighten your day. We all need to laugh once in awhile.

I wish more folks had this on the back of their vehicles as it explains a lot

The other DrC might be able to get this phone to work

A friend's grand-daughter showed me her Kindergarten Graduation Diploma--given that, I wonder how many diplomas I've earned over the years of school I have completed?

That check engine light is showing up far too often

I had a pen like this. My uncle gave it to me and I loved writing a sentence that had words in 3 colors...it was very special!

I remember being the remote. Do you?

Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville

Slowly we are getting stuff squared away at our Geezerville home. It a process that takes time and energy. We have the time, it's the energy we are lacking. Thank goodness for helpers. Today the gardeners came and worked their magic on the yard. Soon I'll put out a call for the housekeepers and the mechanics to do their jobs on the house and cars. 

On the drive south we saw lots of RVs heading in the same direction. I even saw a motorhome from the Northwest Territories going south. That's a rare snowbird to see on the road. A few RVs are already camped in the Mojave getting a "free" spot for the winter while others will head for Geezervilles in AZ or NM.  I think it's funny as those freebee folks have spent thousands of dollars on heavy duty "deep cycle" lithium batteries, solar displays, and generators just to save a few bucks in campground fees. The lure of "free" camping appeals to many RVers (eventho it never appealed to us) as camping in the quiet desert is the perfect place to unplug from the grid, the internet and the 24 hour news cycle, as well as get back to nature.

As for me, I'll remain plugged into all of the mod-cons I can get. I truly enjoy my home and friends in the 'hood. In fact, my friends are the best part of the 'hood. This afternoon I spent hours with one of my neighbors. We talked and laughed and enjoyed being together. It was perfect, as was the weather. That's why snowbirds head south. Granted, I miss my porch up north, I miss the deer that grace the yard. I miss my friends there too. But the winter is hard, and like the birds, it was time to go south too. The Farmer's Almanac predicts a hard winter in the north. It was time to leave. To that end, we're ready, willing and able to find ways to enjoy a milder winter in the desert. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Back in Geezerville

We made it back to Geezerville! Yesterday started in Salt Lake City with a cool temp of 38 degrees. As we drove south, the temps started to rise to 40, then 44, then 48. It stayed at 50 as we drove through the mountains, but as we headed for St. George, the temps got higher--we saw 60 degrees, then 68 and as we approached Geezerville, it was 70. I looked at the "weather bug" for the high country and it was 47 and rainy and getting cooler. A huge difference.

Fall has not arrived in Geezerville. There are no autumn colors...but then there are not a lot of trees here either. The mesquite tree in front of my house looks almost the same as it did when we left. The succulents that grow around here are looking perky and healthy--but there's no outward sign that it's Fall. I miss the fall colors, which will be probably be gone by the end of the week in the high country. Fall is elusive. 

It's good to be back. I'm excited to meet a new neighbor in the 'hood. There's old neighbors that I'm excited to see again. It's always good to see our friends. In the meantime, I need to put away stuff, do about a thousand pounds of laundry and get the house squared away for the snow-bird season. Being snow-birds requires a bit more work, than being "full-timers" in one location, but for now snow-birding is fun, and it's what we both want to do. Remember, we're in this together.

Let it Snow!

We woke up this morning to a sifting of snow. Not a lot of snow, but enough to tell us it's time to snowbird away from the Rocky Mountains and head to the desert. 

As I said, not a lot of snow...but enough to tell us "it's time!" As you can see there are still some autumn leaves on the aspens, but the leaves are falling at a rapid rate.

We drove up the Snake RIver Canyon as we do most Sundays, and we were treated to a lot of "eye-candy." The place is spectacular right now. 

The trees are golden and the braided Snake River meanders thru the valley. Next week, the view will be completely different.

The few conifers show up better this time of year than any other. We tend to forget there are pine trees in the area.

Never forget, there is snow in the mountains, and there will be snow

In the mountains until early June, 2026. That boggles my mind.

Full Moon

We've had a full moon...and it is like the brightest flashlight you've ever seen. 

The other DrC thought we had left the light on in the yard...but it was the moon!

On another note, the iPhone is taking very good nighttime pix...you can even see stars in the sky. That's pretty amazing!

Teton Cottonwoods

 We went to the Tetons the other day. There was snow on the mountains...but it was hard to see...as the clouds covered the mountains blocking the view. A bit disappointing, but still pretty. 

If there's a river, in this case the Snake, there will be cottonwoods.

Those are the Grand Tetons...only it's more like the Grand Clouds*. The lone cottonwood is a beacon telling where to look. 

There's still some color in the mountains, but it is waning quickly. We had our first freezing night on Monday. Time to leave.

*Many years ago we drove to Denali National Park in Alaska...we hiked to the visitor center to get a better look at Mt. McKinley and we were greeted with a sign on the window. The sign had an arrow that pointed in the general direction of the largest mountain in the US and said "Mt. McCloud is hiding today. Come back again later." Today the Tetons were hiding in the clouds.

A Perfect Yellow

The autumn colors are still pretty good. The aspens and cottonwoods are putting on a spectacular display as they prepare for the cold winter. Yesterday I saw the perfect tree shining in the campground. 

The perfect shape, the perfect color. Does it get any better? 

The snowbirds are stating to leave too.

Drama in the Valley

We had something weird happen on our little street. We saw twin moose fawns and a bull moose hunkering in the gully by our home. You might ask "what's weird about that?" Well just about everything. In the 30 plus years I've lived in the valley, I've only seen ONE moose in our valley, and that moose was in my backyard chowing down on aspen leaves. Now I saw 3 in one siting and 2 of them were babies. Knowing what I know about moose and deer and elk, the males rarely protect the fawns. Yet, it looked like this bull moose was protecting the fawns. What was going on?

Upon further inspection, I noticed one of the fawns was hurt and crying. The little fellow could not stand. I believe he was injured.There is nothing worse than hearing a wild animal cry because you know you cannot do anything for the poor creature. The moose baby was crying and my heart broke. I heard the crying and called Game and Fish. That's where my story ends. The three moose are gone. I called this morning and I was told a state biologist came out and helped the moose. I asked if the baby survived and I was told the baby was alive. That's all I know. 

Pain Patch Part Two

 On June 25, 2025 I received a nano-pain-patch. It's now 3 months later and I thought I would give you an evaluation of how it is working. 

First and foremost, the pain patch does work. If I do not wear the patch, my "normal" back pain is there all the time. When I have the patch on, the pain is gone. When I take the patch off at night, the pain stays away all night. Oftentimes, the pain does not return until I do something I shouldn't be doing. That "something" could be bending over, lifting a heavy package or standing too long. When I do those activities, the pain will return without the patch. However, if I have the patch on, and do those activities, the pain increases a little but is very "do-able." 

Secondly, if my back pain is severe, the patch does not work. As an example: I went to Yellowstone and  slept on a hotel bed instead of my usual bed. That's always a bad situation for me, but this time it was horrible. When I got up in the morning, my back pain was level 5 or 6 and the patch did nothing. I brought my TENS unit, "just in case" and I had to use it to become pain free. Since June I've only used the TENS unit 3 times. In the past, I've used the TENS unit several times a week.

Thirdly, lifting heavy objects will cause back pain, with or without the patch. If I forget that I'm not supposed to lift heavy items, and I'm not wearing the patch, I will be in pain. If I am wearing the patch the pain will be less, but it will be there. I am slowly learning that I'm NOT supposed to pick up heavy packages...however, it's anyone's guess as to when that will be firmly ensconced in my brain??

All in all, I would say the patch has been a good investment. I'm pain-free the great majority of the time, except when I do something I should not be doing. I will write in another 3 months with a further evaluation. 

As An Aside

As we were sitting down to dinner, our small herd of deer wandered into the backyard. First our set of twin fawns, all grown up, followed their mama...then the others appeared. The singleton fawn, one we had not seen for a long time, showed up with her mama...then the rest of the herd came by. We saw 8 or 9 deer. All very healthy looking, and all dressed in their winter color which is kind of a dark-gray-brown. A few of the mamas were also growing some denser hair...it's going to be winter in the mountains soon and they are getting ready. Alas, no pictures of the deer, just a fond memory.

Today I watched the leaves falling like rain every time there was a breeze. The leaves no longer protect us from the wind as they do in the summer. One more piece of evidence that the season is changing.

Soon, we'll return to Geezerville.

Autumn's Song

One autumn day, about 30 years ago we purchased our current property. It was a beautiful day and the aspen trees had decorated the "Naked Lady Trail" as only Mother Nature can do. (The other DrC wrote a piece about the NLT a few days ago..it's fun to read.)

We looked at the dabbled light on the yellow and gold leaves and we were smitten. We loved this little chunk of land in the Rocky Mountains so we bought it. Several years later we built our home in the aspens. 

As the years have flowed, we love this land and marvel at the fact that we are here. As west coasters we had been "trained" to think that fall color only happens on the east coast. There's no "good fall foliage" on the west. We knew that was wrong, because the west coast town we lived in had beautiful fall color, but it was mostly unsung. You need to go to Vermont or New Hampshire or the Smoky Mountains to see good color. When we lived in the Washington DC area, we saw fall color and it was gorgeous. But it's not true...there's good fall color in the Rocky Mountains too. 

Our little piece of fall color is amazing to look at. The mountains are splashed with red and yellow and green leaves. The brightly colored quaking aspens throw arrows of flaming color amid the naturally green conifers. They are brazenly loud. They seem to be proud that they can light up the autumn sky with their brilliance. Aspens only grow at certain places and elevations between 6000 to 12000 feet. They are keystone forests that like particular climates, well drained soils and cold over heat. The Rocky Mountains are their natural home. They are also clones. The trees in a forest are related to one another hence they act as one, so a forest of aspens will change colors about the same time. 

The largest aspen forest is about 100 acres in Utah. It's called "Pando" and right now, Pando is full of color. It stole this picture from Wikipedia, highlighting the brilliant display. 

It's been special to share my life with a forest of these wonderful trees. In the winter they shed their leaves and survive in the cold snowy landscape. Sometime in spring, they wake up together and within 3 days they are filled with tiny "baby-green" leaves. Soon the leaves grow and start to "quake" or shimmer sounding like a gentle creek is running through the land. The tall upright white trunks almost sparkle as an aspen forest is light and airy and always filled with critters. The chirp of the mountain bluebird, the squawk of a hawk, the squeal of squirrels and the gracefulness of the deer are all there, if you look and listen. This time of year, the forest is getting ready to sleep. Some of the critters will go with the falling leaves, others will stay to endure the cold that is coming. Soon the forest will be tall white trunks and the cycle will begin anew.

Lots of Color

It's officially fall (it started at 12:19 yesterday afternoon) and the trees are celebrating.

The patches of  red are mountain maple. The mountain maple lives in small groupings on the mountainsides.

The star of the autumn is the quaking aspen (aka quakies). Their lemon yellow leaves decorate the valley. The cottonwoods are dressed for the fall too. It's a colorful time of year. Catch it now as it goes away in about a week.

I did not take this picture, but you can see the color highlighting Mt. Moran in the Tetons. It's a pretty time of year.

A Surprise

On Saturday I received a surprise and I love it. I have a girlfriend who does counted cross stitch (something I cannot even imagine doing) and she made me a very special one of a kind bookmark all about Yellowstone. 

First and foremost is a bison. Yellowstone has maybe the largest bison herd in the country. It definitely deserves a spot on the bookmark. Next up is Grand Prismatic a large thermal pool that is beyond special in color and size. Drifting above Grand Prismatic is the vapor of a geyser. Yellowstone has at least half of the geysers found in the world. Above that are the trees and mountains...then our bluebird blue skies. This tiny bookmark captures Yellowstone to a T. Thank you Pam for designing and making it for me. It's truly special and I love it a lot.

A Bit More Yellow Everyday

That picture was taken 2 days ago. It was the only aspen at my home with some yellow. Today, many trees have a hint or more of yellow and one is losing leaves. Autumn is in the air.

Fall starts on Monday, but in the high country Fall is already here. I saw a fawn the other day and his spots were almost gone. In addition, there are other signs of the season changing. The mornings are cooler; the afternoons are not getting as warm; and we're not able to enjoy dinner on the porch as it's just a bit too cold. The sun is rising a bit later and setting a bit earlier. It's time to think about leaving the mountains for the desert where it's very warm in comparison, but not nearly as hot as it was in July. Welcome to Autumn, 2025.

It's Mama Mimi

Today we met a friend in Jackson, had "linner" at Liberty Burger then we went on the great moose hunt. Needless to say, we did not see any moose. I have a theory...when you are trying to find a moose, no moose will appear. We did however find Mama Mimi and "natural" sculpture hiding in Jackson. She's the real thing.

Mama Mimi is a giant troll residing by a quiet pond in the "back" of Jackson. She was created by Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist who uses recycled materials for his gigantic installations. He has created at least hundred trolls in over 15 nations around the world. Jackson, in reality, the troll is in Wilson, is lucky to have one of these critters. 

She's tall, she cute, she's made from recycled pallets and her hair is made of twigs and branches. She has a smile on her face--I'm thinking she really likes her setting, which is the beautiful Rendevouz Lake.

Nestled beside the lake is Mama Mimi the troll. 

The first time you see her, you see her back and shaggy hair. My friend is 5'2" so you have an idea how big Mama Mimi is. 

Her hand is huge...notice she has fingernails

She quietly sits by the lake looking at the scenery. It takes a bit of walking to see her face, but if you stroll around the Lake, you can clearly her, but she does recede into the background. If you don't know where to look, you can miss her.

Here's a closer look at Mama Mimi

If you want to get closer, you can clambor down some steps, then hop on her long leg, which is a bridge over the water, and take a picture of her up close and personal. Sadly, I'm not sure footed enough to get that picture, but when you visit Jackson and I'll take you to see Mama Mimi and you can climb over her leg and see her head on...or you can click here.