Mountain Dreaming

                                                                                  

         I love to sits

         And when I do    

         I dreams of soaring 

        'Bove morning dews

        With butterflies and

         Birds of hue

        Remarkable what my 

        Dreams can spew

Submitted by Steve Nelson

By: Kirsten Hartman

Gardening in Containers

 

     A sunflower growing in a container! WOW.  Several years ago, moving into a new home, with no yard, forced me into container growing. From my young years to now, I often lived with or near a yard. Growing plants in a garden, is quite different from container growing. Yes, of course you still need soil, seeds, sun, water and fertilizer. However container gardening also includes, the type of pot, how porous it is, drainage, its location as well as how whatever will "over winter". Some pots are easy to put in garages and basements. Others, due to their size remain outside.  This particular pot did not have any protection in the winter, ie no covers, no protection via a building.  Imagine my surprise when the sunflower "magically" appeared this summer! Yes, container gardening has as many miracles and surprises as yard gardening does!

                                     

 

By: Kirsten Hartman

Notes on Aging

Saw this in the Guardian this morning. Notes about aging. The author is16 years younger than I am but his points were so relatable. Hope this link works.

 https://apple.news/AUxb6nEjhQEG8kq69MFi6Iw

By: Bonnie Shetler

Ode to the Bike

    

   There's nothing like the two wheeled wonder we all seem to have in our garages or on the back porch or chained to the rack. Some await the "straddle" while some the mechanic, and others the kid still under the covers.  We've (in our house) are "lusting" electric and marvel at iteration after iteration that are appearing. All-no matter put our face in the wind, our curiosity at full tilt and bod and soul out the door.

          

 Written by Steve Nelson

  Submitted by Kirsten Hartman 

   

By: Kirsten Hartman

I Like Retirement

   The peace of the morning is drifting through my open back  door.  There are two calls or morning pleas…one from a Bluejay trumpeting to its mates that peanuts have been laid on the back wall to pick through.  I always chuckle…one isn’t enough and it tries to pack two into its beak only to drop it.  The other sound, very mechanized is the siren (sireeeeen) call of a lonesome freight moving untold goods across the vastness of the United States.

Then I “zoom” out…

  On a massive scale earth moves at unbelievable speed around our sun after blocking its light to the moon just last week for us to see a nifty eclipse.  If that isn’t “vast” enough pull up images of what the James Webb Telescope is beginning to see.  My gracious the galaxies and space gases as that telescope peers to the beginning - perhaps 13.7 billion years ago.  What if it captures a telescope peering at us?

 

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”

                                            — Arthur C. Clarke

Written by Steve Nelson

By: Bonnie Shetler

Pride vs Necessity

 Two weeks ago we embarked on a raft trip down the Colorado River through the length of the Grand Canyon. We had been warned by the outfitter that we would need to be in good enough shape to manage the physical challenges of hiking rugged side canyons and the daily loading and unloading of the boat.  For weeks ahead of time I walked up and down country roads, hiked rocky hillsides, and in general felt modestly prepared. Imagine my shock when the first challenge was to figure out how to lift myself into the boat. No footstool, no ladder, no ropes, just squeeze yourself between a pontoon and the boat, put one elbow on each and swing your legs over the prow. Small matter that the tops of these things rose to shoulder height. Upper body strength fell far short of the requirement. 

Until I finally figured another strategy for raising myself over the edge, I was reduced to depending on my husband to push me from the bottom up and over like a very big sack of flour.  He, on the other hand, simply lifted himself up and in as did most of the younger passengers.

This was just the beginning.  No room for pride or dignity on this trip.

By: Bonnie Shetler

Pickleball Anyone?

C-O-L-D! A 30-30-80 kind of day that makes one give pause to opening the door and bracing for it.  Yet here we are in Laramie, Wyoming for a Pickleball tournament.  Thankfully their recreation center is top drawer and fun to compete in or sit around as a spectator, my position (my wife the former).

The tournaments draw people from all over.  The adage: “if you call it - they will come” comes to mind.  In Wyoming these have been held in Pinedale and Cheyenne as well and staged by the Wyoming Senior Olympic committee.  Summer as well as winter.  Pickleball is only one of the many events - there is fat tire bike snow racing, speed skating, downhill and cross country racing.  We’re very impressed at the opportunities for the senior community to stay active with and the camaraderie is as diverse as the games.

The game of Pickleball is such that no matter where a tournament is held it draws people like a bear to honey.  People tall, people short, those in between, in shape, outta shape - the game is magnetic. Think 60% social and 40% competitive.  Retirees, those still working, students  and more all face off across each other and listen to the call “zero-zero-start!” - from the first server.

The game comprises a wiffle ball and a composite paddle somewhat bigger than a ping-pong paddle.  It is usually a four person court game with the net about two inches shorter than found in tennis.  Four Pickleball courts will fit in one tennis court - which means one doesn’t have to run as hard over distance.

The serve is underhand and a two bounce rule is in effect - meaning the served ball must bounce in the proper quadrant on the opposite side  and the return ball must bounce (any where) on the court that had just served. Then volleys or bounces from then on until that play is over.  Seven feet from the net on either side is a non volley zone which keeps a player from standing at the net and smashing.  One may step into the no-volley zone (often referred as the “kitchen” - i.e. stay out of the kitchen) but only if the opponent drops one in to that area.  Then you may step in, hit the ball over and then step back out.

The soft game of Pickleball is called “dinking” and is the strategic attempt to keep the game low and slow until an opponent pops one up too high giving you a “kill” shot.  It’s similar in dancing to the two - step - “slow, slow - quick, quick!!”

Whatta name! That comes from the inventors of the game back in the 1960’s - when a ball would fly off their driveway “court” their dog, Pickles would run after it - “that’s Pickles ball”.

Alas, the tournament over, pushing the door into those 30º by 30 knot winds with 80% humidity - snowing hard - sure makes one wish for the courts in Tucson.

 Written by Steve Nelson

By: Kirsten Hartman