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.

It's 9-11

For years we have been taught to dial 911 in an emergency. However, on 9-11 in 2001, 911 took another and completely different, darker meaning. It was one of those days when our country "lost her innocence" in yet another way. Be vigilant. Be careful. I hope and pray we never have another attack as horrendous as 9-11-2001. 

I'd like to say may we live in peace, but alas I don't think that's possible. 

Happy Birthday Dear Uncle

My beloved uncle would be 112 today. He passed away on Super Bowl Sunday in 1995. I still miss him. Unlike my parents who were both very ill when they passed away, my uncle was healthy. Or we thought he was. He fell asleep on Saturday night and never woke up. I'm happy he did not suffer. So on this day, Happy Birthday dear uncle. You are always loved and remembered.

My Dad holding his little brother's hand in 1918

Errata

There is an error in my last post. I was re-reading my blog this morning, and the post of July 9 says the asters started blooming on July 7. SO the asters were RIGHT. The cooler weather and the first tinges of yellow in trees started ON time. Trust the asters.

Autumn is in the Air?

You might remember, on July 4, I saw the first asters in bloom. According to the old wives tale in this neck of the woods...when the asters bloom, there will  be about 8 more weeks of summer. Therefore, this year,  the "asters predicted" that summer would end around September 4. Today is September 7, and there's a hint of yellow in the berry plants and aspens. The "old wife" was just about on target. 

There are other indications that the season is changing. The morning light is different. It's not as bright and  it peeks over the mountain a little later every morning. Then there is the rain. Lord knows we need the rain, and now it's falling on a more regular basis. We are hearing thunder boomers in the afternoon followed by rain. The earth is dry and the rain is soaked up quickly. 

Autumn officially begins around the 22nd of September. Up in the mountains of Wyoming, it's here on the 7th. The Farmer's Almanac says it's going to be a wet and cold winter. The weather-guessers say it's going to be a cold, white winter, up here too. It is the winter we need. 

LoToJa Today

Today, the LoToJa Classic was run. LoToJa is the nickname for a relatively famous bicycle race in this part of the world. The race starts in Logan, UT (the Lo) and go to Jackson, WY (the Ja) for a total of 202 mountain miles. The race starts and ends the first Saturday after Labor Day. Can you imagine riding a bicycle for over 200 miles in one day? Now consider the fact that you are riding your bike at elevations between 2000 and 8000 feet, with a few higher mountain passes in between.  The LoToJa is a mighty hard race and not meant for the meek and mild.

Folks train for the race all year. I should say skinny folks train for the race all year. Well padded folks, like me, probably are not allowed to join in the endeavor. I'm exaggerating, but you only see folks on the LoToJa who are thin and wiry. There are individual riders, group riders and relay riders; ages range from 18 to over 65. Men and women, young and old, compete to win this classic race.

By the time we see the riders, there are in "strings" or "groups" of 8 or 10 bikers quickly pedaling along the side of Highway 89. They have already bicycled over 150 miles by the time they get to our location. They travel with a contingent of helpers including chase and water cars. The road is busy with bikes and if a "normal" non-biking person wants to use the road, they have to remember the bikes have the right of way. Locals along the route know not to use Highway 89 when the LoToJa is in progress.

The last 50 miles of the race has to be the hardest as it follows the Snake River Road. That road is not only scenic, it is a narrow 2 or 3 lane road that winds along the Snake River, and, it's uphill, most of the way.  Once the bikers get to Hoback Junction, they take the round-about toward Jackson with less than 20 miles left. It must feel great to get that far. 

The results of the LoToJa have not been published yet but I know the race is over. Last year the winner did the 200+ miles in less than 9 hours. That person was averaging over 22 miles per hour. Alas, not everyone finishes the race but the majority do. The race has been run for over 40 years. It's part of the culture in the valley. We look forward to "avoiding" the LoToJa so the bikers can make their fastest time to Jackson.