Life in Geezerville: Aurora Borealis Edition

 

A strange and wonderful thing happened last night. We saw the Aurora Borealis. What a beautiful treat. At first I did not think we were seeing anything very spectacular or even unusual. The sky was a "foggy pinkish gray-blue-purple" (that is a color) that was not fluctuating or changing, just staying the same. The moon was a tiny crescent that could not send out much light. The light must be from the Aurora. How could the sky be light at midnight without any moonlight? I did not think it was the "northern lights" I thought they were supposed to be different from what I was seeing.  BUT, without the moon, what was lighting the night? I was a little slow on the uptake--this was the Aurora giving us a little display of color. 

No matter where I looked, north, south , east or west, the sky was the same color. I checked a couple of sources online and found pictures of the sky and they looked like the picture I was seeing. This must be the "lights" that everyone is talking about. We saw the Aurora. Frankly, we were not that impressed, so we went to bed.

I have traveled to the far north of this "blue ball" we call Earth, for the sole purpose of seeing the Aurora and, you guessed it...no luck. In Lapland we saw a very quiet night time sky. Same in Alaska, Iceland, Norway, Finland. I was beginning to think they were a figment of someone's imagination...yet I knew better, as I had seen the northern lights when I was a child in the San Francisco Bay Area.

One night, when I was about 5 or 6 years old the Bay Area had a unique solar storm, and the Aurora was visible from our backyard. I very clearly remember going outside with my daddy and looking at the night sky doing some amazing things. I remember the sky was greenish--not kelly green or emerald green but a hazy grayish green and the color fluctuated through different shades of that green. It was strange and beautiful and downright scary for this little girl. I held my daddy's hand really tight and I listened to him tell me about the northern lights. He was holding my hand, and then he picked me up and I was protected.  The lights were not going to harm me as I was with my daddy. All was well. I was not scared anymore. I remember the lights in the sky, but I was more scared than in awe of them.  

Fast forward at least 70 years, I'm definitely not a little kid anymore. About midnight the sky was a grayish pinky hazy blue-purple. The sliver of a moon did not illuminate the sky--the aurora did. The night was not filled with color and the light did not fluctuate. The light was too bright for a nighttime sky, yet there it was. We went outside, where it was cold and quiet, and we looked at the sky from the porch. It was not all that awe inspiring right then...so we went to bed. I awoke about 3 o'clock I looked out the window and the sky was alive. The color was bright for 3 AM. It was still a hazy pinky-bluey-purply color but it changed ever so slowly to a gray pink to a blue pink to purply blue-gray and back again. The color was dancing across the sky. Completely awesome. 

Mother Nature has some  "big shows" that take your breath away.  Earthquakes, tornadoes, cyclones are a few that come to mind. Then she has geysers and hot springs. These are some of her dangerous tricks and displays. She shows us the White Nights in St. Petersburg where the night sky is bright white at 1 AM. And, then she gives us the Aurora Borealis. What a treat. Who knew there were dancing colors in the nighttime sky? There's a scientific explanation for the Aurora but I'm not going to bother you with that. I'm just going to say enjoy it. Who knows when we will see this phenomenon again from this not very far-northerly location. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Just When You Thought Edition

 

Remember my last post. I was optimistic that the snow would go away and the skies would become bluebird blue again and the trees would be covered in a symphony of green leaves? Well today burst that bubble. 

I awoke about 7:00 AM and I looked out the window. Instead of greenery I saw whitery (is that a word?) the ground was covered with white. The trees were flocked with white, the porch was carpeted in white. The pavers looked like they had white cushions on them. It had snowed AND it was snowing right then.

The limbs of the aspens were graced with a delicate coating of snow. The few evergreens were flocked like Christmas trees. The south side of the roof was white with snow. It was really quite pretty. The wilty dead leaves were covered over by the snow. The twigs that will become bushes were covered in snow; as was the park bench, the side porch, and the outdoor vehicle.

Just when I thought we had turned the corner and we were headed for spring, the snow fell down and stopped that dream for now. The snow gently floated to the ground in great goopy flakes. The good part, it was gone by bedtime. The bad part, it will be a few more days before spring arrives. In the meantime, we got to experience a bit of the winter wonderland that we try to escape in Geezerville North. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: It Might Get Green Edition

It’s not snowing. It IS raining. This is a good thing. Rain says it’s above 38 degrees most of the day. When it rains and it’s below 38 degrees there is a good chance of snow. Today we have rain and it’s 43 degrees. Rain is a trigger for plants to grow. Snow tells the plants to stay “quiet” for the time being.

 

We have something else too. We have a teeniest-tiniest amount of green showing up on the aspen trees. Yesterday at sunset (we had a bit of sunshine yesterday) the trees were barren. They looked like tall stalks of bleached asparagus. No green. In fact, they showed no sign of leaves. Today, when I woke up, a magic button must have been pushed, because there’s a very small amount of green circling the treetops. I call it a scree of green. The leaves are at most ¼ inch BIG but there are many, and all are poking up their leafy green heads at the same time. It's a start. I swear I can see the leaves growing today. I look out the window every hour or so, and the “scree” gets bigger.  Spring might decide to come to the Rocky Mountains sometime in the not so distant future. 

 

I know that the first leaf does not denote spring, but it does indicate that spring is in the air. My neighbors have some daffodils and tulips blooming. They are the hearty first flowers of spring. It might be cinco de Mayo, but it’s early spring at 6500 feet in elevation.

 

In addition to the aspens, the wild rose bushes are sporting a few pre-leaves. The poor bushes are shedding that “never-stylish” look of a bundle of dried up twigs and trying to wake up. The same is true for the berry plants. And, there are some wild grasses popping out of the ground. There was nothing, nada, zilch, happening yesterday. 

 

What a difference a day makes. If I’m patient (never a strong suit) spring will show up. Along with the flowers, leaves and grasses come the allergies. While I love all the new color that springs brings, I don’t love the pollen. Remember, we’re all in this together.

 

 

 

Life in Geezerville: No Snow Edition

I'm calling this the No Snow Edition because all of us are tired of the snow and we don't want any more snow added to what we have now.  We've been in the north for a whole week now and everyday we have had snow. I wake up in the morning and see a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. It's really pretty. The snow covers the sticks and the landscape looks pretty again...but it melts ever so quickly making the sticks shiny and the wilty leaves soggier. True, this is late season snow that does not stick around for very long, it is still snow and the temps prove that it can snow at any time it is under 35 degrees.

One morning, the back porch railing was slick and shiny. Since it's not normally slick nor shiny I had to test it to see what the problem was. I walked outside and felt the railing to discover it was covered with  ICE. That means it was under 32 degrees outside. I don't know how cold it got overnight but by 10 AM the ice was still around. 

The grocery store is by the bank. Like all good banks, there is a sign that tells the time and temperature. We usually get to the store in the afternoon and that day the temperature read 37 degrees. In Geezerville South the temp was 73 and rising...not here in GN (you know Geezerville North). The sky was dark, with all the clouds forming one big gray gooey cloud just waiting to start to snow again. We've been to the store several times, and the highest temp we have seen is 47 degrees. BRRRRR!

So for folks who don't own coats, we are padding around GN in our thickest fleece jackets, hoping it will be enough to beard the few degrees of warmth out there. Of course, the natives are thinking it's a heat wave and they are wearing skimpy tops and shorts with boots (of course). It's all a matter of perspective. They think 37 is part of a warming trend and we think it's just plain cold.

Perspective is strange like that. We are seeing and experiencing GN differently from the locals. The locals see this as the end of winter while the snowbirds see it as winter is still here. The locals are not quite ready for the snowbirds to be back in town. The snowbirds who are here, know they are here too early.

I believe the locals are wondering why we are here as nothing is ready for us. That's true. All the summer campgrounds are closed having maintenance done, just waiting for the onslaught of the 'birds. The golf courses are not groomed. The swimming pools are still covered, waiting to be cleaned. (BTW, there are no hot tubs.) The senior center is not serving meals. GN is still in winter mode. Soon (I hope sooner rather than later) the snow will melt, the temps will rise and 'birds will come drifting back in their long RVs and 1 ton diesel pickups. We saw one of those huge RVs yesterday trying to maneuver in the store parking lot. Because the lot was mostly empty, that big guy could actually get out of the lot. That will not be the case in a few weeks. The snowbirds will start to trickle in, reaching a full crescendo by the first week of June. They will return when there are just a few patches of dirty snow on the ground, and a slight dusting of snow on the mountains that ring the valley. That's the sign that says, welcome to one more glorious Rocky Mountain summer, the best in the world. In the meantime remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Northern Edition

The location of Geezerville has changed. No longer at our southern winter location, we are happily enjoying early early spring at our summer location. It's funny... I see the same geezers in both places. All of us are seeking that perfect balance of "late spring to early fall weather" thru out the year. Geezers like living in near perfect weather and we think we have found it. 

Geezers are active seekers of the sun and fun. We travel from Juneau to Yuma; Calgary to Palm Desert; New Hampshire to Florida all in an effort to stay comfortable. It's an interesting circuit and once you know about it, we are easy to spot. We are the people with an out of state (or province) license plate. We are the people who don't own any coats. 

Some of us are in RVs year long and move from one campground home in the south to one in the north. Others have an RV and a house; and others have 2 homes. No matter, we are geezers on the move and we are a force to be reckoned with. When we are "in town" everyone knows it and the word is out that the "snowbirds have arrived."

Normally we arrive in mid-May, so we don't see the ugliness of this tween season. Wendy calls this the "stick season" and she's right. The snow is about melted. The aspens are white trunks without leaves. The dead leaves that fell after we left lay limply on the ground, all brown and wilty after being covered by snow for several months. The wild rose bushes look like a stack of naked twigs, while the cone flower stalks are long and brittle and stripped of color. Needless to say the valley floor is not that pretty right now. It's full of sticks as everything is still asleep from the cold of the winter

On the other hand, the 9000 foot mountains that ring the valley are bright white and beautiful. The rivers are babbling with lots of water, and the beavers are doing their job of damming them to form little lakes. The deer in the naked aspen forest are there but hard to see. I was looking at the aspens and not seeing anything but the patchy white tree trunks  until I spied a movement and out of nowhere there was a group of deer. They blend in perfectly.

So northern Geezerville will be the focus of my next postings. It's so early that the RV park is still closed. The full-timers in the valley are telling us stories of their winter. They are reminding us that the second season of the year coming. Geezerville North has 2 seasons: winter and company. To that end, we're going to be having company soon, and there's lots to do to get ready. 

So as the snow is melting because the temps are warming, we will welcome spring allergies all over again. We will see the sticks transform to shrubs and bushes and the leaves will grow on the aspens. The quaking aspens will quake once again. One day soon, all the berries will blossom and slowly the wildflowers will paint the landscape with bright colors. It's time to enjoy the rebirth of the land. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Girls in the Hood Edition

OK...I guess calling us girls is a bit of a stretch... we are geezers after all and we have not been "girls" in a long time...but what else should I call us...Old Ladies  or Girl Geezers  or LOLs ... all of those are not melodic and frankly I don't like them. We're "girls in the 'hood" and that's what we will stay.

I love the girls in the 'hood. They help each other out in so many ways, I want to brag on it. 

One of us was feeling cranky and down, so she was "kidnapped" and brought to one of the local hot tubs for several hours of R and R. Another had a birthday so we gathered around and had a celebration with laughter and presents. Another was put on a strict diet and the girls protected her from the "bad" food she was not supposed to have. Another retired and the girls had cupcakes to celebrate her liberation. Another of us had surgery and could not get around, and there was food  brought to her kitchen for days on end. Another was "babysat" every morning while her husband had a hospital treatment.  Another had a block party to celebrate Saturday...no other reason, just to bring us together for a good time. Another...the list goes on and on. I'd be writing for days singing the virtues of the girls in my 'hood. We help each other in oh so many ways. 

I need to add that the boys in the 'hood are pretty spectacular too. With golf cart or walker or "shanks mare"  they visit each other every day. If a garage door is open, that's the only invitation needed to come over and "jaw" for a while. Every morning the boys find a friendly garage, pull out their chairs and talk and laugh. When the sun sneaks into the garage, they move to a garage that's still in the shade. The boys look after each other with comaraderie and love. I don't know if they would admit it, but they love each other as much as the girls love each other. 

Some of this is organized; some of it is impromptu, all of it is just plain wonderful.  All of it is filled with love. What a 'hood! What are the chances that 20 random families would move into a random block in a random subdivision and bond with each other so deeply and so well? 

I don't know the answer to that question. I do know that this girl is so happy to live in this 'hood with all of the girls (and "boys" too). Being in a Geezerville 'hood is a GOOD thing. Yesterday several of the girls celebrated my birthday. And, what a wonderful celebration it was. Thank you girls--one and all--it was the best birthday ever. I love the girls in the 'hood!

I say it time and again. The Geezers in Geezerville are very remarkable folks. We might be old, but we are not dead. We are very much alive. We stick together. We are not alone in the world. We love and share and hug. We are funny and fun. What a group! While we laugh and cry together...we have each other... and we keep moving on. We keep each other in our hearts and souls. We lift each other up. We keep each other grounded. Remember, we're all in this together.

Pictures modified by Brushstroke to protect the innocent.

Life in Geezerville: To Be Edition

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There is life in Geezerville, we see it all the time, but there's another aspect of Geezerville that is well hidden--the hot tubs.  There are several in the 'hood, and we all know where they are. I know it sounds crazy to have a hot tub in the desert, but we do in Geezerville. I think I kinda understand what it is so important about simmering in bubbling water, and I'm convinced it definitely involves a bit of magic. Instead of going all the time, it's time where we can be. That's all--just be. This afternoon we basked in the 100 degree water and laughed and talked and chunky dunked our way to a good time. Who knew you could have so much fun in a puddle of warm water?

For me the adventure started at the store where I bought a huge bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers solely for the purpose of giving them to my neighbors.  I went from house to house giving my friends a sunflower...BUT I went to one house and I was told his wife was at the hot tub--the same at a second house. The obvious thing to do was go to "the" hot tub.  Sure enough, the ladies of the 'hood were par-boiling away. All with great grins on their faces having a grand time. I crashed their party with the sunflowers. What fun! I handed out the sunflowers and I was asked to join in the fun--but since I was not dressed for the occasion, and too lazy to cross the street to do so, I took off my shoes and soaked my tootsies for an hour or so. The best thing I did all day was relax and talk and laugh and be with my friends.

It made me think...how often to we sit back and enjoy the company of each other. Do we take enough time to laugh? Or smile? Or tell stories? Or let our hair down? Do we take time to forget our worries and problems? All of us seem to be going all the time. We go to the doctor...go to the store...go to the beauty shop...go to PT...go to Costco....go to town...yet here we were, right then, sitting in the hot tub just "being" with each other and not doing or going. What a treat it was to be.

That's something we all need to remember to do. Find a happy place and sit down with your friends and "be" instead of "do" or "go." If a hot tub is available go for it. Find a special place to disconnect from the "gotta do" and "hafta go" and connect to the beauty and friendship right in front of us. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: No Kidding Edition

 

Hey Geezers, contrary to Political Correctness, there are differences between men and women. No kidding, right? I received this informative chart today from my friend in Guam (she was given the chart by her doctor) and it makes sense. Not only do men and women have different physiques, musculature, etc…men and women present heart attack in different ways too.

 

If you do nothing today, copy this chart and keep it handy. My friend Jeannetta remembered a similar chart when her husband complained about the worst jaw-ache he’d ever had. Of course they were on vacation. She called 911… the ambulance came to their hotel…she said her husband had a severe jaw-ache and she suspected he had had a heart attack. From there the rest is history. Because of her quick actions, her husband survived the attack, and all is good.

 

As a geezer, I like charts. A chart can explain something that is difficult with a few words and pictures…and I believe the above chart does that. If you find any useful charts, please send them to me, and I will put them on my blog. Remember, we’re all in this together.

 

Life in Geezerville: County Fair Edition

On Friday a friend and I went to the county fair. This geezer is used to county fairs happening at the end of summer, but our county is different---the fair is in April. I’m guessing the organizers want to avoid the desert heat later in the summer. Whatever, it looked like any small county fair I’ve ever been too. Lots of exhibits; lots of really pretty animals; exhibits from kids; lots of rides and food. This geezer was puzzled at first. I was expecting a more “sophisticated” fair since we live near “Sin City” … lucky for us, it was small town fair just the way I like them.

 

I particularly like to see what the kids are doing. They are the future, and it’s nice to have an idea if the future can think and work. There were several science exhibits that were quite creative, even if they did not break new ground. That’s not the idea. The kids just need to follow-through with their idea.

 

Back in the day when I taught elementary school, I would encourage my kids to develop a project for the county fair. I never had much luck in the endeavor—usually 1/3 of my class would follow-thru with the project. The fun part…some classrooms had less, so my kids brought home a fair-few blue ribbons over the years. I would try to brag about previous winners to encourage the new batch of kids to participate. Based on what I saw, the “battle” is still happening. It’s an old battle—you can lead the horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. The same bodes true for county fair displays.

 The animals are always my favorite at the fair. The kids work long and hard training their critters. Getting a 250-pound pig to walk in a circle requires lots of training and when the kid doing the training weighs in at 50 pounds, it takes a bit of bravery too. While a steer can weigh over 1000 pounds, and a lamb only 100 pounds, all of the critters can kick, bite, butt, and generally be cantankerous if they are not trained right by their child. A youngster and a critter make a formidable team, and I believe the youngster learns a lot from the process. I also commend their parents, as without the backing/support from mom and dad, the show cannot go on.

 

Along with displays of crafts, animals, master gardeners, cooks, there are rides. Don’t forget the rides.  This geezer thought the best one was the tiny choo-choo train. I saw the conductor and asked where a certain exhibit was, and he said “I’ll take you there” … then he asked two boys if they would sit together—the boys complied and us 2 geezers squoze into the tiny bench seat meant for people a lot shorter (and younger) than us. We did fit, but our feet were bigger than the foot well. Oh well…it was a ride and we needed it. By the end of the day (that means when we were too tired to do anything else) we had walked well over 2 miles…and we only saw a small fraction of the fair.

 

It's important for geezers to get out and about. If you want to have a bit of fun, take a gang of geezers to the fair and see what trouble they can get into. Remember, we’re all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Time Edition

Geezers...do you know what time it is? Do you know the day of the week? Heck, do you the month or the year? Do you know the difference between a weekday and a weekend? How about answering "What is a holiday?" Here's another question: Do you care? All these things were so important when we were working, but now...not so much. Now we don't work and we don't really care, but we need to see our friends at the doctor's office; at PT sessions; at church, the beauty shop and at a few fun events too.

Before I became a geezer, I used to laugh at my geezer parents who did not know if it was Monday or Saturday. They had no idea. Now, I'm just like them--I have no idea. The only time I know what day it is, is when I have an appointment...then I have to think is that appointment today or tomorrow or is it next week? 

It's a good thing calendars have been invented. Geezers need calendars.  Calendars tell us geezers what to do and when to do it. They do have their downside though. A calendar has to be maintained. Every house needs a "Calendar Keeper." Only one geezer per family need apply. If 2 geezers keep it, it does not work and if both geezers keep separate calendars, it's useless too. The calendar has to be a thing that sits in plane sight for everyone to see. It has to be  kept up to date. Some folks keep a calendar on the universal bulletin board--you know-- the fridge! 

My fridge is a wealth of information. It has the calendar, a magnetic clip holding all those little reminder cards telling us when the next appointment is, as well as business cards for important helpers in Geezerville. It also has the shopping list. In other words the fridge is a mess. It's probably the messiest part of my home, but it keeps us on time...more or less.

I also keep THE electronic calendar on my iPhone. It does a pretty good job of keeping track of what we are supposed to do, and if I program it correctly it even gives me reminders. But it does have a drawback. We live on the end of the time zone and that's not a good thing. Every time we cross the time zone, strange and magical things happen to the iPhone calendar. Sometimes the calendar changes the time correctly...other times it will only add hours OR only subtract hours. If I cross the zone repeatedly--my appointment times can be hours off. Tis a HUGE problem, especially since I'm a geezer and I don't really know the time?!

In addition, we have to plan for that hour when we cross the time zone. The drive to the next biggest town in the other state is an hour away. Then there is the hour time zone change...so if I have an 8 AM appointment (BTW this is just about impossible for geezers to keep) we need to leave no later than 6 AM. That's means we have to be UP and "alert" at 430 AM..clean up, have breakfast and leave no later than 6. IF we anticipate traffic, we have to leave earlier. That's not a nice thing to do to a geezer. Most of us have learned to make afternoon appointments when we cross the zone. So not only do we have to remember that we have an appointment--we need to keep track of the time AND the day of the week and the time zone. That's just too hard to do when you a geezer from Geezerville. 

Geezers on the edge of a time zone who are already addled by not knowing the day of the week or the time of day are completely befuddled by keeping time. We have learned, after missing the first appointment on the other side to accommodate. It's a pain. We still don't know the day of the week or the month. We have the fridge calendar and the cell phone calendar to manage our lives. In the end, all of us make it work...kinda. Every so often there's a slip-up and as of now, the folks on the other side of the zone know that we are geezers and seem to laugh with us. Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Eclipse Edition

Hey geezers...there's going to be a solar eclipse on Monday...sadly from our location we will only see half of totality. That's pretty good as we generally see 50% of what we are supposed to see anyway. We're doing good. I wonder if there's going to be an Eclipse Party somewhere in the 'hood? We'll take any excuse to have a party.

An eclipse is not really a big deal. There are several every year, but they are not always visible from the USA.  I witnessed the last solar eclipse in the USA in 2017 and these are my pictures. Totality was an amazing thing to see. The sky went black. The temperature fell several degrees.  Shadows shimmered. For seventeen minutes we were in darkness in the middle of the day. It was magical.

You can read about eclipses on Wikipedia and get completely dazed by the terminology dealing with 3 celestial bodies aligning to perfection to create darkness during the day. Go to wikipedia to get the full dry gory details.  Encyclopedia Britannia has a similarly boring explanation. NASA says "A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk."

I'm sure the media will have folks out taking pictures of the event as it traverses our nation. They did last time. Given that, you don't have to do anything other than turn on the TV and watch. That's probably safest as the sunlight is bright.

I remember a partial eclipse when I was about 10. I think it had something to do with Venus or Mercury. We were studying the solar system and the class was prepared for the event. We made eclipse books and the last page was for drawing a picture of the eclipse. We brought to school little pieces of clear glass. We taped the edges at home so we would not get cut. In class we used candles to smoke the glass as black as possible. The eclipse was afterschool, so we stayed at school and watched the show from the playground with our teacher. When it was time for the eclipse to happen we looked at the sky through our darkened glass and saw a partial eclipse. I thought my wonderful teacher had ordered it just for us. What a day!

I cannot imagine that happening in schools nowadays. First off, no candles...no glass...no safety procedures. Our teacher told us to be careful and that was enough. We were not stupid. We knew that the glass could cut us. We knew the candle could burn us. I think Billy or Eugene (the 2  boys who always pushed the envelope) got in trouble for getting burned, but they were always in trouble. (One time Billy did a complete 360 degree circle on the monkey bars, lost his grip and fell to the ground bashing his head -- at school the next day, he bragged about his great crash.)

Nowadays the lesson would include safety glasses that are duct taped to your head without fear of them falling off during the eclipse. Not nearly as much fun as making your own. Oh well...

So geezers, on Monday we have another chance to see a total solar eclipse. If you live in an area of totality, take the time and look at it with your safety glasses (unless you want to make your own...which I don't recommend). Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville: Driving Edition

We live in Geezerville and to be honest some of the geezers drive like well...geezers. I've talked about how some geezers use (or don't use) their turn signals. But gees...geezers...listen up...stay in your lane when you drive.

We were going to breakfast on Sunday--a time honored tradition--when I made a right turn using my turn signal (no less)--but the red truck next to me on the left, decided he was going to make a right turn too. It's not possible for two vehicles to be in the same space without having a collision. I saw him coming and moved farther to the right and the red truck driver finally saw me and moved to the left and then after I made my right turn, he made his right turn from the left lane. It's good we live in Geezerville because there's not much traffic and the speed limit is only 35.

As for staying in lanes...geezers the lines on the road are not suggestions, they are real, and you and all the other geezers are supposed to drive between the lines. I was following a geezer, and he was wandering around between 3 lanes of traffic. He was not speeding...just wandering and not paying attention. All the cars behind him were on alert thinking "what is this guy gonna do next?" You can't take your lane between the lines. You can't take your lane by wandering among two or three lanes of traffic. You have to take your lane between the lines. It's not that hard to steer a car, even if your pup is beside you and wants attention. 

Geezers tend to think that dialing a cellphone while driving is OK for them because they are old and have lots of experience. Yes, we are old and YES we do have experience...but NO we don't have lots of experience driving and dialing. IF you have a newer car, all you have to do is ask your car to make a call. Please don't make the call using your geezer fingers. They are not as nimble as they were and they are too big for the screen. The same goes for texting...no texting while driving--see above.

When I first moved here I could not understand why the speed limit was so slow...but after a couple of years, I know why. For some of the "old" geezers, 35 is tantamount to going 90 on the Interstate. The old geezers think 35 is speeding so they go slower. The speed limit is to remind geezers to GO the speed and keep the traffic moving. 

However, in our village, the speed limit is 25. It's a residential area with people walking on the sidewalks or on the street. The developers put sidewalks on only one side of the street (I have no idea why) and the sidewalks are just a wee bit too narrow for 2 people to walk side by side or for one person walking a dog...so folks walk in the streets or straddle the street and the sidewalk. Speed limits need to be slow so people and vehicles don't run into each other. But do geezers keep the speed limit? Of course not. While I've not seen anyone careening around corners on 2 wheels, I've seen a lot of folks going 50 in the 25 mph zone. 

Seems strange...they go fast in the 25 mph zone but slow in the 35 mph zone in town. What's going on here? I have no idea! 

There are speed limit monitors through out the town. So far they just tell you how fast you are going. I wonder when the radar monitors will get a camera and send a ticket to the speeders. If that happened folks might follow the speed limit.

(Which reminds me that one time I had a ticket sent to me by one of those "smart radar monitors." Trouble is the monitor was in Texas and I was not. I called the powers that be and told them I had not been in Texas for several years and would they please check their camera footage. Two days later, the nice folks in TX said they had made a mistake and I could tear up the ticket.)

So geezers...a few more words to say. Stay in your lane, follow the speed limits, don't dial and drive, and pay attention to the surrounding traffic. As I write this, I remember saying the same thing to a certain teenager who was learning how to drive. OMG. Remember, we're all in this together.