Life in Geezerville: Sleep Edition

Sleep. Ahhh...to get some sleep. Sometimes the night comes before the body is ready to sleep. Other times, the body is sound asleep before the night comes. Who regulates the sleep clock? 

Who knows? Please...do you know who, or what, regulates the sleep clock? I have no idea. Sleep is that illusive thing that is supposed to happen around 10ish or so. Sometimes it does, right in the middle of a good television program. The other night sleep arrived right in the middle of a dish of ice cream. I was enjoying my delicious ice cream and I fell asleep, jerking awake up when I felt something cold on my hand. Come on...what's going on here? I love ice cream. Why would I fall asleep over a dish of ice cream?

Is sleep a LOL geezer problem? None of the LOM geezers I know complain about sleep. Almost every LOL geezer does. Is it from listening to the house to make sure everyone is safe? Houses make strange and wonderful and weird noises at night, and every LOL I know hears every one of them. When there's overnight company, LOLs never get enough rest as they hear the slightest sound. I think, it's a protective instinct. Gotta make sure the babies are sleeping well...only now there are no babies to worry about. Why is sleep so illusive?

If you can't sleep at night, should you take a nap during the day? Will the nap harm a good night's sleep? Again, who knows the answer to that conundrum? Some of my geezer friends contend that taking a nap during the day will kill all thoughts of sleeping at night. Therefore, stay awake during the day and go to bed as soon as you can after dinner. Are they right? 

As I lay awake, the geezer beside me is sound asleep. He's peaceful. He has a slight smile on his face. He's completely relaxed. He's the most hateful person I know at that point in time. WHY can he sleep and all I can do is toss and turn and toss and turn again? I try changing rooms...maybe I can sleep on the living room sofa? Maybe I can sleep on the chair in the den? Maybe if I fiddle around the house, I'll get sleepy? Maybe if I listen to a book I'll fall asleep? Maybe If I turn on the TV I can crash before the flickering screen? (I mean that works at 9 PM, why not now?) Finally, I fall asleep. It seems like I've been asleep for 10 minutes when my geezer wakes up and asks if it is time for breakfast. This is not fair.

One thing I learned a long time ago is some things are not fair. Fair has nothing to do with sleep. One of my friends does not put any covers over her until she gets very cold, then she covers up and falls asleep. I tried that and it kinda works. Something I need to remember more often when the sleep fairy passes me by.

Another friend only goes to bed when she's sleepy. If she's sleepy at 7 PM, she goes to bed. If it's 130 AM, then she goes to bed. In the meantime, she stays awake. Wide awake. Why?

Sleep. The restorative that our bodies need. The magical calming balm that is so difficult to attain. The great cure all. Sleep. If you know how to get to sleep and stay asleep, please let me know. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: 17 Years Ago

Today is Mardi Gras. Seventeen years ago, we were dancing on the stands of the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro enjoying the show put on by the top five Samba Schools in Rio. It was the "Battle of the Samba Schools" and it was exceptional. Each school was strutting it's stuff.  It was a wonderful experience. 

The adventure started with a flights from San Francisco, Miami, Buenos Aires, to Ushuaia Argentina where we boarded a 100 passenger boat to Antarctica. We spent 10 exceptional days in Antarctica before sailing back to Ushuaia through the choppiest water anywhere on the globe. We caught a flight to the Paraguay/Brazil border where we saw the incredible Iguazu Falls--another spectacular adventure. The last stop on the adventure was 3 days in Rio. When we booked the trip we did not anticipate that we would be there for Carnival. All of sudden we were in Rio during Carnival and we needed to see the show. We asked our guide if there was a chance we could see Carnival. He found a scalper and we bought some very expensive tickets to the Sambadrome where the parade of parades was happening that night.

We were lucky to be there the last night of Carnival. The night when the best of the Carnival Schools compete for the crown. The show was incredible. The audience was too. Everyone, including us, was dancing in the stands. The Sambadrome was a wall of music and fun. Excitement was in the air. It was just plain wonderful. When it ended we left the crowd of folks and retired to our hotel excited and tired at the same time. What a day...what a night! Carnival in Rio is something you have to experience as the pictures don't tell the whole story. We had been to Carnival in Rio. Does it get better than that?

The next day, we are having breakfast at our hotel and someone in the kitchen was walking around in a Samba hat. I asked if I can see it, and the fellow gave it to me.  It was not a new samba hat when it was given to me...but that did not matter. I had the ultimate Carnival in Rio souvenir--a Samba hat! (The hard part was figuring how to get it home...we asked several shipping services, but the cost was prohibitive.  Finally, the concierge found a box big enough for the hat. We carefully packed a vacation-worth of dirty laundry around the hat and called it "luggage" on our flights home from Rio. The hat survived the trip.) That Samba hat has been the center of attention since.

So Geezers. I challenge you to take a trip down memory lane. The trip has to be fun--nothing melancholy or sad.  My geezer and I just took ours to Rio tonight. We laughed at that incredibly wonderful night at Carnival when we were 17 years younger and able to Samba all night long--all night long! The joy of it all. Remember we're all in this together. Today is the time to laugh and enjoy.

Life in Geezerville: Valentine Edition

We are geezers, we are old...and many of us have  been married a long time. Over 5 decades ago, we became engaged on Valentine's Day. I tease my geezer that was the last romantic thing he did. It's not really true, but it's a fun thing to say. 

We walked down the aisle of destiny over 50 years ago. Who knew what was going to happen? We had debt and dreams. Gee, so did all of our friends. Slowly the debt was paid off and the dreams started to come true. It's been a great adventure.

We had models for a long marriage. My parents were married 59 years. His parents were married for 40 (they were married later in life). Having a model that says long time marriage is possible is a good thing. When you know something is possible, it's easier to do. The modern marriage might not last as long as ours, so future geezers might not have a model of what a long time love affair looks like. That is a sad event. 

We celebrated our 40th anniversary on a cruise with another couple who were also celebrating their 40th anniversary. We told everyone we had been married 160 years. The cruise company thought was a cool idea. Now that's a mighty long time. Happy Valentine's Day Geezer.

Nowadays, when I make a call for my geezer, the person on the other end of the line always asks, does he give you permission to talk on his behalf? I say, yes he does....we've been married more than half a century...when the non-geezer hears that, she says something like oh my goodness, that's a long time. It is a long time. A lot of water has gone under the bridge in over five decades. We are creakier and slower and still in love. 

Being long-time valentines is not always a piece of cake...but it helps if you marry your best friend. My geezer and I married our best friends. We always liked each other and we've always loved each other. The secret--we respect each other too.  BTW marriage is not a 50-50 operation...it's a 100-100 operation. You have to give all you have all the time.

What else do you need to have a live-in valentine? What makes a happy life? There's that old saying "Happy wife, Happy life" that's true...but it also works the other way around "Happy husband, Happy Life." It does not rhyme as well, but it's just as true.

No matter what you do this Valentine's Day...tell your geezer that you love him with all your heart. We are in this together and it's easier when there's a lot of love in the room.

Life in Geezerville: Exercise Edition

People should exercise. Should geezers? We are people after all. Who says we gotta exercise? Isn't putting fork to mouth enough exercise? Probably not. Trouble is not a lot of us like to exercise. It's so much easier being a couch potato. BUT, if we want to feel better we have to move.

Karen and I like to walk. It's great exercise. We go out when it starts to warm up and talk to everyone else who is outside. We meet a lot of nice geezers and their dogs. We really like the dogs. Some of the dogs really like us too. When Frosty sees Karen, he looks at her with pure love in his eyes. Who wouldn't want to walk to see Frosty.

One day it was too cold so we went to the rec room and walked the indoor course. How boring is that. First off, no friendly pups to talk too--come to think of it-- there were no friendly geezers to talk to either. The geezers walking the indoor course were counting laps and not enjoying life. We left after a few laps and braved the coolness outdoors. If we're gonna exercise then we need to do it where it's pleasant.

That might be the bottomline. Exercise has to be pleasant. When we see Jay lifting weights and doing pushups we are thinking that is hard work, and he's thinking YAY I can do this. It's pleasant for him (sadly, not for me).

Sometimes I walk by myself and listen to a book on my phone. (Isn't that a funny statement---I listen to a book on my phone...30 years ago, no one would have an idea what I am talking about). I like fun books that make me laugh so I'm walking with a silly smile on my face. I pass other walking geezers and they are wondering why I'm smiling. Every so often, one of them will stop me and I have to hold up my phone and turn off my book--then I can respond. We're old, but that does not mean we are out of it.

I've been seeing ads for "Senior Yoga" that look interesting. All you have to do is sit in a chair and bend over and touch your toes. Sure--that's gonna happen? I don't think so. Another frame shows a geezer lying on the floor and with her feet on the wall with the direction to  lift your bottom off the floor. OK. I can do that, but how do I get on or off the floor to do the next exercise? Senior Yoga might not be for this geezer. 

One of the purposes of a dog is to get some exercise. Given that, why do I see so many geezers walking their dog from their golf cart or electric bike? Come on geezers, you have to get in the spirit of exercise--which means actually moving on your own volition.

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports for seniors. Honest. Go to the pickleball courts early in the morning and you'll see legions of geezers hitting a hollow holey ball to each other. They are running up and down the court and getting good exercise. In addition they are talking to each other and having fun. If you have good eye-handling coordination it  must be a good way to exercise, have fun and not worry about gaining weight. I lack in that eye-hand thing.

Our Geezerville has the geezer games, (I mean Senior Games). We have quite a few folks turn out for them too. They practice throughout the year and compete during the games. They get t-shirts declaring their winning-ness. Another source of fun and getting together with like minded folks. 

SO geezers. Get off your duffs and start getting some exercise. I don't mean finger exercises but exercise that makes you really move. It could be walking in Costco--my phone says I rarely do less than a mile when I walk in Costco, or playing ping pong. Find an accomplice (err -- I mean partner) and exercise together as it's easier that way. At the end of the session, give yourself a little reward. It could be a star on the calendar or something fattening (I don't recommend this one) to celebrate that you got off your behind and moved today. Remember we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Downsize Edition

Geezers in our community have all moved here from somewhere else. We all had BIG houses and now we have SMALL houses. It is hard to move. It's hard to get rid of treasures. It's hard to downsize. Gees if you know how hard it is do, tell your friends, so they can get ready to do it later. I still have more downsizing to do.  I went from four bedrooms, a 3 car garage, a 40 foot barn on some acreage to 2 bedrooms and den, a 2 car garage on a city lot. My new home is lovely, but it's only half a home the rest is missing in action.

It's hard. How do you downsize? Geezers have spent a lifetime getting stuff. Geezers had houses filled with the stuff from kids and grand kids, jobs and memories. Now we geezers have decided to move. Go some place where life and the weather are easy. Go someplace with a different set of adventures..the first one is downsizing.

Do you throw everything away from your old home and start fresh?  You ask the kids and grand kids to take what they want. But they take just a few things ---definitely not enough.  Then you ask friends and neighbors to pick over your treasures to see if there's anything they want. It's a slow and heartbreaking process. Everything you give away has some deep sentimental meaning.

One day during our downsizing effort I was picking thru stuff and laughing and crying at the same time. My geezer husband heard the noise I was making and came in to check on me. I related what I was doing and soon both of us were laughing and crying. Two geezers taking a trip down memory lane does not help with downsizing but it was good for our hearts.

When my parents downsized they decided to have a giant yard sale. The stuff of their life was put on the chopping block for pennies on the dollar. The vultures,  I mean, yard salers, came before the sale started and picked over their treasures and bargained away my parents' life. It was horrible. I vowed we would never do that again.

We didn't. We went thru our precious stuff and winnowed it down to 100 boxes. It was sad. It was hard. I never want to do it again. How do you pick and choose what to take and not to take? Do you say YES and your hubby says NO (or vice versa). There's no easy answer here. If you take everything with you, then where are you  going to put it at the other end? Renting a storage space is rather redundant and definitely not in the spirit of downsizing. 

On the first day of my first professional job, I learned that one of my colleagues was downsizing from a big house to a boat. She and her husband decided they needed to get rid of a card table worth of stuff every day for a year. The card table space was a 36 inch cube. The first few weeks were easy. As the year progressed, it was getting harder and harder to find the "easy stuff." On the last day of the year she put her empty house on the market and she and her husband sailed away on their boat. I never heard from her again, but I remember every day in the break room the story of what they had downsized the day before. I wish I had taken better notes. I did remember the card table idea. Of course we did not use it.

In our Geezerville some folks were lucky to have golf-cart garages built into their home--whee--their own built in storage area for the last ton of boxes that need to be digested in the house. You think I'm exaggerating --I'm not. My little house does not have the golf cart storage area, so I only have the tiny 2 car garage for extra stuff. I've been in my new house for 2 years and I still have boxes that need to be unpacked. I have no idea what is in them but if I open them up, then I'll have to decide what to do with the stuff...and there's no room for the stuff...so it stays in the boxes hidden behind a chair in the corner of my den. They are hidden until someone goes into my den and discovers my stash of unopened boxes. It's embarrassing. But what is this geezer going to do?

I'm not the only one with stuff. One neighbor has half of her garage filled with boxes. She goes thru a few a week and digests the stuff into the house but it seems like the boxes are growing instead of decreasing  number. It's true--as she reorganizes 2 boxes into one box, there are still left-over stuff that has to be put somewhere so another box gets started. At least the stuff is better organized.

Then there's the geezer neighbor who has bought a fantastic contraption that makes an attic type area inside his garage in the space between the garage door and the ceiling. When the door is down you see a wall of neatly stacked boxes--when the door is up, the boxes are still there but harder to see. Out of sight out of mind. He said he's afraid of what he's going to find.  

Another neighbor has several matching Rubbermaid cabinets lining her garage. They are gorgeous. She has one car and these cabinets. I'm afraid to ask what is inside them but she did tell me that she has a bunch of boxes to "deal with." Every geezer I know, has a few boxes to deal with.

So if you are a geezer and thinking of downsizing think long and hard. Think about the stuff that you absolutely need. Do you really need all of your dishes? Or tools? Or cars? Make lists of stuff you keep and stuff you "got rid of." Let your actions brew for awhile. Don't make immediate decisions as this is the stuff you are going to be left with. Is this the best most important stuff? Every geezer in Geezerville has a downsize story. Listen to them and learn. Then come back and tell me what to do with my left over boxes of treasures.

Life in Geezerville: Kitty Cat Edition

Geezers have pets. I already told you that geezers are crazy about our dogs…well there are cat loving geezers too. Cats are special pets. You have them—they don’t have you. There’s an old joke that says cats have staff. They do. They are independent little critters. Perfect for the independent geezer.

 

One of our neighbors has six precious felines. Each has her own personality, and each makes sure that her wishes and needs are granted. Since our neighbor is a widowed geezer, she makes sure her kitties have what they need. They have their own dedicated “catio” in the backyard and a private hidey-hole in the garage that they get to by way of a 4-inch PVC pipe super-highway. At any given time, the kitties are hiding in boxes, playing in their private retreats, or sleeping on a special spot on the sofa. However, when 3 AM rolls around, they are bothering their private geezer for attention. Cats are like that.

 

Not all cats are like these six. Some are true lovers. They see you and purr and then snuggle in your lap and nothing can be better. The purpose for these cats is to relax their geezer. If they sit on your lap, then you must sit there and relax with the cat on your lap and enjoy the experience. When the cat thinks you have rested enough, it will leave—but not before.

 

We have one geezer friend who said HE NEVER WANTED ANOTHER CAT. Well…a kitty showed up and his wife could not resist the tiny Siamese. That kitten was smart. She knew what she had to do to live with them. The first thing she did was dive between the old geezer’s legs and look up at him with love in her eyes. Then she purred. Then ever so slowly, all six inches of her crawled up his pant leg to his tummy and up to his shoulder. She settled by his neck and rubbed her furry little head on his cheek and put her purr machine on loud. The poor guy did not know what hit him. He had a kitty. He fell in love with her and the 2 bonded immediately. The kitty adores him, and he adores her. They are constantly with each other. The kitty still pays some attention to the wife, but the kitty knows the geezer is her true love. Like I said, cats are independent little rascals. He tells everyone how he got the kitty and the kitty loves the attention.

 

Generally, cats don’t go for walks but every so often we see a cat on a leash. This is a rare cat. One cat in our ‘hood lays on the sidewalk and refuses to move when she has walked long enough. Feeling sorry for her, the geezer scolds her, picks her up and continues his walk. The cat won. Cats are like that. Like I said, cats have staff.

 

Do you wonder why geezers put up with such picky creatures? The answer is either easy or hard—and it boils down to love. Cat-loving geezers love their cats and put up with their antics. Cats keep their geezers happy. A 10 pound, furry bundle of love is the perfect pet for geezers who like cats.

 

 

 

 

 

Life in Geezerville: Toy and Hobby Edition

Geezers love to have fun. We need toys and hobbies to stay out of trouble and to keep active. We play pickle ball and golf, all for fun. We sing and play the guitar or piano for fun. Some of us act in plays. We drive sexy cars for fun. We drool over the latest greatest whatever because it's fun. We also like our toys.  

I'm not sure where the fine line is between a toy and a hobby. When does a toy lead to a hobby? Or does a hobby lead to more toys? It might be reciprocal? Do you know?

My newest toy is a laser thermometer. How is that a toy? Well all I have to do is point it at an item push the button and a laser light comes on and measures the temperature of the item. This is great fun. How cold is the freezer? How hot is the BBQ grill? What is the temp of the cement on a hot desert day? These are important things to know and my thermo-gun gives me the answer. It's a great toy. I bought it to determine the true temp of my oven, but it has so many other fun uses. (The directions say do not use on humans—but the first thing I did was take the temperature of my big toe. My big toe is still there…don’t know what that means?)

Chris' toy is a blog. A more esoteric toy than most, but it certainly keeps him busy. He reads the news and then writes articles about what he reads. He stays informed, polishes his writing skills, and he's happy. Happy is the key to a good toy.

Jay bought a "magic tee" to improve his golf game. If my thermo-gun makes my cooking better then why not a magic tee to improve a golf game. His hobby is golfing and the magic tee makes him better (at least he thinks so—and that’s what matters).

Eddie’s new toy is a piano. Well it’s actually a keyboard. I think he’s had 3 so far in an effort to find the best one. He practices his piano religiously and loves it. I’ve yet to hear him play but one day he’ll surprise me. Another musician, Tim, practices his guitar. He’s saving for a vintage Gibson guitar, the one he wanted as a teen. I'm sure he would not call that Gibson guitar a toy, but it might be after all.

Karen’s sewing room is filled with toys. She has 3 sewing machines that can do just about anything. Her sewing room is a quilters delight with boxes and cubbies filled with sewing treasures. When she is sewing (aka, playing with her toys) in her private room, the world drops away and she gets a smile on her face. I call her place Karen's Fun House.

Today we saw an episode of “Ask This Old House” and Tommy Silva’s new toy is a lathe. He loves to turn wood. He says it keeps him busy and challenges his creativity. Tommy stressed that geezers need hobbies to stay busy and out to trouble.

The bottomline, the toy for Jay or Eddie or Chris or Karen or me, might not be the toy for you…but I contend that geezers with toys are happier. Toys were important when we were little—and they are more important now. Be it a keyboard, temperature gun or a magic tee, geezers need their toys to stay happy and occupied.

Life in Geezerville: Dog Edition

Geezers love their dogs. Some geezers have 2 or 3 of them. These are all very special dogs too. Most are treated better than  first-born children. Babee, a blind pug, is pampered, coddled, cuddled and generally spoiled. She's a cute, small, handicapped pup that everyone wants to protect.She's not the only pampered pooch in the 'hood. The geezers who have dogs,would not have it any other way.

Some geezer dogs are so spoiled that they have their own set of wheels. These wheels are not re-tread baby or doll carriages oh no...these are doggie strollers. Sometimes the dog is too old to walk long distances other times the pooch is just spoiled and does not want to walk long distances. It's really sad to see a pup laying on the sidewalk refusing to move, so the dog's geezer picks him up and puts him in the stroller. The geezer lets the dog get away with being a stubborn little princess. However, that same geezer probably would not have let his children do that.

Frances is a small white poodle-something mix and she has a large wardrobe. She never goes outside with her geezer without being fully dressed. She has rhinestone collars, bows, dresses, and even boots for the hot desert pavement. Frances loves being dressed up. When she has her fancy duds on, she prances down the street. She knows she's the luckiest dog in the world.

I have a geezer friend who bought an electric tricycle so she could walk her dog. She bought the trike because it had a place for her pup to rest when he is tired out from his walk. Other folks walk their dogs from their golf carts. Some dogs never get out of the golf cart--they sit dutifully by their geezer and enjoy the ride.

Pampered pooches seem to be everywhere. At home they are great companions as well as sources of entertainment. Red, the Golden, has her people completely captivated with her charming ways. Their house revolves around Red...and Red knows it. It's a good thing that Red is not a tyrant, but a nice mellow Golden with good manners.  Red has trained her geezers too. When she gets her toy box out, her geezers know what to do. I don't know who is more fun to watch, Red or her geezers. 

Zip, is an Australian shepherd that grew up on a farm. Now Zip is confined to his house on a lot, but that does not stop him from rounding up people or geese or ducks instead of cattle. It's fun to be walking when Zip is rounding things up. You can see the smile on his face as he's gathering  stray geese on a small corner of the golf course.

Kona is a very well behaved dog but one time he got distracted by the cactus plants and ran into a thorny cholla. Poor Kona. He'd never been attacked by a plant before. He let out a loud cry. It was so pitiful, that his geezer  had to carry him all the way home.

Geezers are like that. We dote on our pets. We don't want anything to happen to our four legged furry children. Our pets are more than friends, they are family. Woe betide the non-dog owning geezer who thinks otherwise.

Life in Geezerville: New Trick Edition

Hey geezers, I learned a new trick. I used the 116 year old sourdough starter I told you about the other day, and made my very first loaf of sourdough bread. HOORAY. I'm pumped!

I was a little scared about the process, so I called Rick, the fellow who gave me the starter, and asked if he would help me on Friday morning when I started the bread. He agreed. BUT he called on Thursday afternoon and asked if he could come over now. Of course I agreed.

The first thing he said was "I was overthinking the process." In a short 10 minutes, he showed me each step, and then he left. I was on my own. Rick gave me confidence. I could do this. On Friday morning I weighed the ingredients (there are only 4--flour, starter, water and salt), combined them, and let them rest for 30 minutes. So far so good. 

Then came stretching of the dough. The recipe called for stretching the dough every 30 minutes for 2 hours. Stretching was not too complex to do. 

After 120 minutes of stretching and resting the dough, I shaped it into a loaf and put it in a 100 degree oven and proofed it for 6 hours. 

The bread was not finished. It still needed to be kneaded and reshaped, and rested overnight in the fridge. This morning I put my covered enameled dutch oven into a screaming 500 degree hot oven for one hour. At the end of the hour I took off the cover and carefully placed the bread wrapped in parchment in it and put the cover back on.

The loaf cooked at 500 degrees for 20 minutes. I took off the cover and turned the oven down to 450 degrees and let the bread get brown for 15 more minutes. 

The internal temperature registered 205 degrees, that meant it was done. I took it out of the dutch oven and cut the loaf open.

What an amazing thing to see. The kitchen smelled heavenly. The warm bread was incredible. Would you believe we ate half the loaf in record time? 

I'm ready to make another loaf tomorrow. 

So geezers, even at our advanced age, we can learn new stuff. I challenge you to go out and learn something new this week. It's good for the soul.

Life in Geezerville: Have a Plan Edition

Geezers...do you hear me? This post is not funny. It is important. Pay attention!

Geezers we are old. While we have all sorts of living arrangements, sometimes geezers live alone. For the most part, that works. But there are times when being alone is not a good thing. My uncle lived by himself, and he never felt alone. He had friends and family nearby. So living alone is not a bad thing, but when something happens to a singleton geezer, is there a parachute for help?

We're old--we fall. Falling is so much easier than getting up. If you can, crawl to a chair and try to prop yourself up. BUT what happens if you can't crawl. My brother was fixing his gutters, when he fell from the ladder. In pain, he inched his way into his house and called 911. He had broken his hip. Why did he not have his cellphone with him? Don't get into that bind. Geezers need to keep their cellphone on their bodies all the time. We need to have 911 on speed dial. Hi-tech Geezers can tell Siri or Alexa to call 911 too. It is not overkill to call 911 if you are flat on your back or twisted in a heap and you can barely move. KEEP THAT CELLPHONE on your body. Put it in a pocket. Put it in a pouch or purse around your neck. Have it available. The nice folks at 911 will come to your rescue. There is a catch, the 911 folks need to be able to get inside your house.

That leads to another issue. Your door has to be unlocked. If the door is locked, there's no way helpers can get inside without breaking a window. We need a safe and secure way for emergency folks to get inside our houses if there is a problem. In many cities the fire department will install a keyless lockbox on your house, for free. Your key fits inside the lockbox that can only be opened by emergency personnel. My good friend Jill had one installed on her house, and it worked.  She tripped on a throw rug, and hit her head on the island countertop. She was on the floor, head bleeding yet she had enough sense left to call 911. The EMTs were able to get inside her house and take her to the hospital only because she had an EMT lockbox on her door. Find out about that lockbox before you fall. 

Geezers can also get a button to wear around their necks. When a problem happens, all the geezer has to do is press that button. This usually works very well. My dad had a "LifeLock" button and he used it wrong, and it still worked. He would press his button every day and have a nice conversation with Patricia. They became "button friends." I have no idea where Patricia was located but she answered the button call every day and she and my dad would have a nice long chat. Patricia had a kind voice and a patient ear and my dad was a great story teller. The people who provided the button did not seem to mind that my dad called Patricia everyday. It worked. One day my dad did not call. Patricia was worried and called the local EMTs. He had fallen down and knocked himself out. He was waking up when the EMTs came in the front door. The button had worked in reverse...but it worked. 

Sometimes the geezer is home alone, and because he's alone he has not put on his hearing aids. This happened to us. I was away and my flight home had been changed to a much later time. I needed to call my husband to tell him NOT to pick me up at the arranged time. I rang his cell phone and texted him repeatedly, but he did not reply. I was getting worried as soon he would be leaving for the airport and I needed to tell him not to. I had an inspiration. I called my wonderful neighbor and told her the code that opened the garage door. From there she walked into the house and got his attention. My dear geezer husband said he did not think there was a reason to wear his hearing aids if no one was around. He was wrong. Plan ahead and wear your hearing aids. 

The bottom line geezers: Have a plan. KNOW what you are going to do if something ugly happens. We are geezers...ugly will happen. Have your cellphone handy all the time. Wear your hearing aids all the time. Get a "help" button necklace. Get a keyless lockbox for emergency personnel. None of these things are hard to do, the hard part is doing them. We're all in this together.

My New Car

Tonight I ventured away from Geezerville and created a little car. 

Sometimes you just have to make a change.

This is a special little Putt-Putt. lt does not run on gasoline; nor hybrid power; and it definitely won't run on electricity. It has a far more complex and highly developed method of mobility. It runs on an active imagination. It's a lot more fun that way.