LIfe in Geezerville: The IKEA Tree

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

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

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

The base solved, we moved right along to the

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

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

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

It's Veteran's Day

 Thank you for your service. 

Crocheting Geezer

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

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

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

Life in Geezerville: Chair Yoga Edition

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Halloween: Better Late than Never

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

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

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

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

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

Geezerville Memes

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

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

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

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

That check engine light is showing up far too often

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

I remember being the remote. Do you?

Remember, we're all in this together.

Life in Geezerville

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

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

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

Back in Geezerville

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

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

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

Let it Snow!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full Moon

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

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

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

Teton Cottonwoods

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

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

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

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

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

A Perfect Yellow

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

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

The snowbirds are stating to leave too.

Drama in the Valley

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

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

Pain Patch Part Two

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

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

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

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

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

As An Aside

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

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

Soon, we'll return to Geezerville.

Autumn's Song

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lots of Color

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

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

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

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

A Surprise

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

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

A Bit More Yellow Everyday

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

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

It's Mama Mimi

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

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

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

Nestled beside the lake is Mama Mimi the troll. 

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

Her hand is huge...notice she has fingernails

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

Here's a closer look at Mama Mimi

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