Birthday Bash

I had a Birthday Bash...and it was great fun. I received cards and calls and texts from lots of friends--I talked way too much (I lost my voice) and I laughed and took trips down memory lane. It was a good day. Thank you everyone for making it such a good birthday.

We went to a restaurant in one of the casinos for dinner. I wanted two things with dinner--a Margarita and a real baked potato (not a microwaved one) and I had that! I loved the Margarita--I had not had a Margarita for a long time and it was yummy. I think I'm over my drink quota for the year though as the Margarita was drink number 3 and I usually have 5 drinks a year. I better be careful?  As for the potato, there's nothing that can take the place of a real baked potato with all  the fixins. The rest of the dinner was great too. To top it off, they prepared a special creme brûlée for me with Happy Birthday written on the plate.

It was a good day. I felt like a real human. The pains were gone and I was smiling and laughing...does it get better than that! Tonight there's gonna be a little birthday party at Karen's home. The beat goes on. I'm a very happy camper. Thanks everyone!

Life in Geezerville: Social LIfe

There is social life in Geezerville but it's not the social life we had when we were a bit younger. Now life revolves around seeing the doctor. We seem to have a lot of doctors. As I approach my 4th score of years (I'm not quite there yet) I seem to have a doctor for just about every body part. Coincidently or sadly (I'm not sure which), my friends have the same issues if not the same conditions.

I visit my fellow geezers and they are doing the same thing. We have to arrange our fun times when no one is seeing a doctor. Birthday celebrations get postponed for cardiologists, neurologists, and other  "-ologists" out there. We've decided celebrating a birthday can happen anytime within 2 or 3 months of the actual event. As the clock spins, we see more and more specialists for conditions big and small. All is good, and we always have something to talk about.

Taking a nightly walk is a coordination effort...we have settled on a time when the sun is setting and it's not too warm, but each night before the appointed hour, we text our little group. If it's not windy (we don't like to walk in the wind) we ask the same set questions: Who is going to make it? How's your back, your foot; do you have the energy; are the allergies better? Then we decide to where to meet. The chair yoga group is easier to coordinate--my house, 9:30, come if you can, bring your coffee. It all works out and it's surprising how many come just to talk to each other and offer support. That's good too.

On our recent river cruise I discovered my geezer friends are not alone...so many of the cruisers had trouble carving out ten-doctor-free days, to have a bit of fun. It was kinda funny to talk about and yet somehow encouraging to know that we were all in the same "boat" as it were. Apparently we all did it as there we were on the boat, with our walkers and canes and braces, having a grand time.

Back to reality--the pain doc and the foot doc are next to each other, the pharmacy is a few doors away. Next to him is one of many skin docs (we do live in a desert, and skin was never made to see this much sun). Across the street is the one of many PT places. Nearby is the hospital. Across from the supermarket is a set of you guessed it, doctor's offices. The heart doc is in the same building as one of the beauty shops (walk-in men's haircuts for 20 bucks so fellows can take care of two things at the same time). Sometimes we can coordinate our maladies, use one car and, commute together. We're good at that. We see so many doctors we make friends with other patients and the staff. The staff knows us all on sight so check in is easy. I guess this is one of the things that makes for a "tight" community.

Long gone are the cute sedans or sporty cars we used to drive...we all have Wusswagons (you know, minivans or big SUVs or Pickup trucks) of various brands that are big enough to fit walkers and even wheelchairs. If someone needs a temporary walker, there is always a spare we lend to each other. My walker wanders around the 'hood to anyone who needs it for a week a two. It's a good thing. One of our geezer friends even has an extra electric wheelchair that is available...another good thing.

Once in a while the appointments are fun. You know like getting a mani/pedi or having our hair done. The biggest decision is deciding what color to paint on the geezer. Blue haired geezers now have a cadre of friends with glitzy silver or gold or green or red hair. We were quiet and business-like for decades and now we are thinking out of a different box. It's our time to be a bit eccentric and creative. A sparkling polish to enhance our fingers and toes is a good thing. Spending time in the hot tub or getting a facial is good too. Getting a little bit of pampering between seeing the docs is important--and going with a friend is twice as much fun.

The golden years are indeed different from the other years we have experienced. We know what we are getting into, and at least in our 'hood, we are doing it together. I hope you and your geezer family are the same. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Happy Easter

A bit late, yet the wish is still good. I hope y'all had a Happy and Blessed Easter!

The Double-Nickel and Beyond

We are home. The cruise was great. I learned a lot about the area; the Lewis and Clark expedition; and what we can and cannot do. First and foremost we can take river cruises. We're a bit slower than we were, but we can still move and enjoy the journey. We have not spent much time in the Pacific Northwest as the DrC went to school in Eugene, OR and had his fill of gloomy gray, damp, days. Guess what--many years later the days are still gloomy gray and damp! But when you don't have to call the place your "home" it's easier to deal with, and that's what he did. As for Lewis and Clark...the lecturer knew L&C like the back of his hand and I thoroughly enjoyed his stories of the Voyage of Discovery, as it was called. 

Along the way we celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary...that's the double nickel. The folks on the ship surprised us with chocolate strawberries and champagne on the day--and lots of folks wished us a Happy Anniversary. 

The last day on the ship we were in Clarkston, WA on the Snake River...and across the river is Lewiston, ID. We took a tour of the 2 tiny towns. There was a small aircraft museum with several old airplanes all in flying condition. They were restoring a DC3 to near new condition...but the vehicle I liked the best of a 1920-ish bright yellow Ford pickup truck. A far cry from my "new" hybrid Ford F-150 pickup. The only thing that is the same is the bright blue logo with "Ford" written in it. I'm guessing it's Henry's signature (but I don't know that for certain).

The trip home was long. We flew out of a 1-gate regional airport in Lewiston, ID. The American Cruise Lines bus picked us up at 8:30 for our 12:10 fight. There was a waiting room at the tiny airport and we waited for the hours to tick by. About 11 ACL brought us our lunch (they did not want us to starve) which we all enjoyed...then we left the lounge for TSA check in. At tiny airports TSA is not a hassle right now. Soon our 'zone' was called and boarded the plant. The flight to SLC was about 70 minutes. We landed on time and had to wait all over again. About 4:45 boarding started and we left SLC about 5:30. The flight to home was 48 minutes long and we arrived early. The folks were waiting for us and we deplaned without incident--but we had been up since 6:30 AM and we were tired. We found our car and drove home. Once home we stopped working. I sat down and didn't move much until I went to bed. 

This morning reality hit. There was no Sky Lounge for me to get breakfast. Ava did not have my coffee ready for me. In fact we had no breakfast food in the house. We quickly dressed and went to the store and bought breakfast stuff (as well as few other supplies) and came home. 

The luggage is still in the back of the Jeep. There is "stuff" to do, but we are still tired. A few folks have called wishing us Happy Easter. The stuff will get done...just give us some time to rest up from yesterday.  We had a good little vacation!

River Day

 Yesterday we had a "river day" which means we cruised upriver without stopping. On an ocean ship it's called a "sea day" and we like sea days. The river day was equally enjoyable. It was a lazy day as we sailed up the placid river.

I got up early to have breakfast in the lounge. I like breakfast there as it's informal and the food is good. (But the food is good everywhere on the ship...and it's plentiful too.) I sat in one of the comfy chairs in the lounge and looked at the river. It was a gray day (we're in Oregon after all) but the views are stunning. Mountains line the river--every so often there's a field that's plowed waiting for the next crop or there's a vineyard. There's great long strings of trains on one side of the river as well as cars and trucks wending their way from point A to B. There's lots of vulcanism along the river too. Mt. St. Helens is not the only volcano in the area, and over the millennia, many basaltic flows have left evidence behind of the fiery past.

At 10 I went to a Lewis and Clark lecture--another excellent talk given by Clive our resident historian. Then I stayed for the cookies--gotta have fresh cookies. There was a scavenger hunt to work on and of course more talking and sharing with the pax. Lunch came and for some reason I was not very hungry so I had a 1/2 portion. This ship regularly offers half portions of food and it's a good thing. After lunch there was a cooking demonstration. I now know how to make an "Apple Galette." We were told the apples are so good in this neck of  the woods because of the soil. All that vulcanism has made the soil rich and perfect for apple trees.

Then we got into trouble. We bought another cruise. This one on the Tennessee River from Nashville to Charlotte--it will give us an opportunity to visit friends in TN too. I asked for the special chair and was told it would be NO PROBLEM. You gotta love American Cruise Lines. 

Next stop was another L&C lecture, then cocktail hour, then guess what? Dinner. We had prime rib last night and my favorite dessert--ice cream. 

The day ended with us in the Lounge looking at the river. There was night time entertainment but we were tired so we went to our cozy room and I instantly fell asleep. A lazy river day will do that to me. Today we stop somewhere, I think Pendleton, and we'll get off the ship. In the meantime, we're enjoying our Columbia river cruise.