HEADER PHOTO DESCRIPTION:

HEADER PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Desert Storm
NOTE: Open post and then Single Click On first Post Photo to view an album in a more detailed, larger format...

Friday, April 3, 2020

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

19 comments:

  1. Burpees are the worst!! Haha. I recomend the 7 days of sweat challenge on youtube by The Body Coach. 20 minute HIIT with no equiptment, gets the heart pumping.

    Indeed, no adventures and even fewer blog posts.

    Almost all our trails are gated and cars being ticketed. They shut down the entire Snoqualmie-Mt Baker National Forest until Sep 30th. So trust- it could definitely be worse!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. His 20 minute workout would take me an hour and leave me in the ditch. My joints can't take sudden moves any more :) I could play it at half speed, tho.
    And you are right, given your trail traffic...it could be worse than Lovely Ouray...where seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are still cloudy most days...
    take care,
    mark

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think you and Aunt Bobbie are going to out live us all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe Bobbie... but you draw from the same long-living gene pool :) Just stay away from the virus. :(
      Unc

      Delete
  4. Well the good ‘ol state of Missouri just announced a state wide “stay at home” order this afternoon. Like everywhere else some will.... some won’t. As the world turns..,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Man. Stay positive...we must tread these troubled waters. Love you guys...masks on their way. mark and bobbie

      Delete
  5. Yes, all of us are living in a bubble right now. I am planning to go into town to go to the grocery store on Monday, and it will be my first time down the hill in two weeks. I'm strangely excited about this prospect, as though it's a true adventure ... especially with the challenge of avoiding people, finding what I need, wondering if anything is still in stock, wondering what it looks like in town now ...

    It is interesting how quickly perspective shifts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going to get food at the market is probably the riskiest thing for people to do right now, but what else can we do. We are fortunate that our markets here will shop for us and deliver it to a pickup area so we don't have to even go inside. Be careful, Jill...slather on hand sanitizer and wear a mask if you have one. Bobbie made some for us and family members this week. After braving moose and 30 below temps while dragging a sled, this should be a snap for you :)

      Delete
  6. Just my opinion, but Mark and Bobbie's "bubble" is pretty damn nice! and Jill, can you do that grocery run on Sunday morning when they first open at 6 or 7 AM? Fewer people at that day/time. Mark "Let it be" is now on my daily list of YouTube music, thx for the reminder :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, Terri...Thanks for reminding me that it could be worse...a lot worse.
      "Let it be...there will be an answer, let it be."
      mark

      Delete
  7. Mark so good to see you are out and about in those beautiful San Juans enjoying life . Your prior post caught us off guard and then we were dealing with the loss of a cousin who meant the world to Doug. Not surprising there were some similarities in her life as with Sally Jo's, but at this stage of my life nothing is new and these happenings are part of being human. It's just so unfortunate that the philosophies of religion create so much misunderstanding in mankind when the basic idea of all religions are about Loving. Nothing is more scared than the human family.
    Thinking of you and wishing you many more wonderful days in Natures realm .
    Doug & Al



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So sorry for the loss of your cousin, Doug. It's a tough time to not be able to reach out and hug you both. You guy are living proof that the Beatles were right... "Love is all you need."
      Love, Mark and Bobbie

      Delete
  8. This is my favorite version of the new world anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa43FNUdpU8 , Glastonbury 1999.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andre...It was so sad watching that REM video...the stadium audience standing nuts to butts, pressing against restraints arms reaching out, and police trying to contain the mass of young humanity as they reached out to touch John Michael Stipe's hands, head, clothes...anything...as he smoozed up and down the front row. I seriously doubt, given the new world order of contagions, such a hands on compression of humanity will ever be possible again. So in some respects, it is the end of the world as we know it. Musical Prophecy. Not the first time...not the last, as governments use this catastrophe to gain power and control. The dead left in the wake of Corona might well be the luckiest among we survivors...

      Delete
  9. I get goose bumps every time I click on it and crank on the volume - that mass of swaying humanity in the audience - what pulsating power.

    The virus will mutate into a weaker strain, there will be herd immunity and then a brief window of normality until the next one sweeps through our masses.

    l’chaim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you're right about the "herd immunity." Can you still walk the beach???

      Delete
    2. Boardwalk along the beach is open but the beach itself as well as most trailheads in our local Santa Monica Mountains are closed. Problem was that in a crowded city like Venice Beach people took to the beaches and mountains to exercise and overcrowded them, hence the closure. We jog down to the beach and road bike in and around the local hills but are looking forward to getting out onto the road again.

      Delete
  10. You have such great places to hike. I was feeling pretty fortunate up here until I read your blog post. I would love a long hike right about now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And seldom see anyone else...especially now that Ouray has pulled the "Welcome Mat."
      Thanks for the comment, Mary
      Mark

      Delete

If you like reading blog posts...from any blogger...consider leaving a "tip" in the form of a "comment" to the author, lest the blog might disappear from perceived lack of interest.