Groundhog Day and Let It Be...

It's surreal, like being trapped in the movie Groundhog Day, only without Bill Murray and (sigh) Andie MacDowell. Here's what our Groundhog Day looks like: 


Limp out of bed sometime between 5 and 6 o'clock...depending on bladder pressure. Wash down daily pills with cup of Starbucks darkest roast coffee. Read daily online Corona Chronicle wrap-up from New York Times. Feel down. When will it end? Grab "bootstraps," pull hard, push reset. 

Check for new blog entries, disappointed by fewer posts. Grab bootstraps, pull hard, push reset. Finish coffee. Pop a couple Rolaids. Fog lifts. 

Write, revise, delete...rinse and repeat...while waiting for sun to beak over Mount Sunblock. Bundle up. Weather permitting (I'm a fair weather outdoorsman) hoist 25 pound backpack and hike 3 to 4 hours, sometimes more, depending on aches and pains. Bobbie and Ruthie are out rain, snow or sleet...getting 40 to 50 miles a week! Come home, stumble up the driveway, shed the now 50 pound backpack, creep upstairs, eat a toasted PBJ.

Make bed, shower, write crap. Try to read without falling asleep. Go play keyboard till 4 o'clock Denver News comes on. No end in sight. POTUS seems stuck in a revolving door that leaves us dazed and confused. Vermont seems to be the least affected state, even though it's borders epicenter New York. 

Pop a beer. Start dinner. Eat. Fall asleep during Wheel of Fortune. Watch DVR'd shows from when we were gone to Arid-zona. Seems like a year ago. Hit the sack at 9, read till eyes droop and/or mouth drools. Lights out only to lay awake. It's the end of the world as we know it plays on continuous loop in my head...

It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I  (don't) feel fine I (don't) feel fine

Rinse and repeat...rinse and repeat...rinse and repeat.
 
What if R.E.M is right, that, in a seeming instant, the whole wide world stops, and hence forward it will never again resemble the world we knew previous to February, 2020? One thing the song gets right, "I've had some time alone," thanks to living in a small mountain town. But I don't "feel fine."

I'm working on finding more ways to counter the current morass of negativity and fog of bad news. Things like positive internal dialog...hopeful shit. Music is a two-edged sword. 
R.E.M.'s song brings me down, but I take comfort from The Beatles, Let It Be. Maybe you will too. Whether you sing it or read it as a poem...either way it's comforting:


When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be. Yeah
There will be an answer, let it be.
And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

From hikes around Smallville...

Can you spot the bighorn ewe in the above photo? Neither can I. It's looking down on us as if to say, "Why are't you sheltering in place like you're supposed to be?"

I zoom in below. She's right on the edge, no fear of heights.

I've been joining Bobbie and Ruthie on some of their daily hikes lately...lots of hills. They are some pretty Tough Geezer Gals. When not hiking with them I ride the exercise bike and stare blankly out the window. Pal Leon is in great shape already, training all winter for our summer geezer olympics. I added "burpees," to my workouts...something my son, Caleb, and daughter-in-law, Kellie hooked me on. Also doing 5 to 10 sets of 10 three point squats, after which I'm pretty much a dishrag, and why I'm limping around so much lately. Anything you feel the next day must be good for you, right?

Twin Peaks above. We will be working them into our workouts as soon as snow melts from the north-side approach. Last year it was around Memorial Day...and even then there was snow to negotiate. We'll see how it looks mid May as we have less snow this year (about normal, whereas last year was 140% of normal).

Moving on to Lovely Ouray's Perimeter Trail, about 6.5 to 7 miles the way we do it...and 10 for Ruthie as she adds over three extra miles due to walking from her house that's on the edge of town. I never tire of the Perimeter Trail...even when it's snowy, icy, and muddy, like it will be today. We received another 3 inches of snow yesterday.

A couple times a week Bobbie and I carry dumbbells (Bobbie 7lbs, me 8lbs) from home up county road 14, and back. It's about 8 miles with a good climb. The views aren't bad either. 

Then there's Oak Creek Trail...steep, but south-facing and warmer. Sometimes dumbbells even carry dumbbells up there. 

Below, a shot of the "Blowout" from our front deck...

Then, more Perimeter Trail shots below...

Peace out, 
mark and bobbie