On Being Rich

     Yesterday my geezer skier buddies and I gathered for a preseason lunch at Greek Peak, hosted by our good friend Frank.  Our most senior member is ninety and the youngest has to be at least in his late sixties!   Lots of memories in that group.   After many decades of living a good life even in spite of troubles we are an optimistic bunch.    All of us are looking forward to the new season with the hope we can ski many days in good conditions and even some bad.
     During our lunch gathering there were many verbal exchanges catching up on activities over the summer and recollections of our past histories.   Frank is an active CEO of his own business that continues to grow and expand and clearly is our most financially endowed citizen of our group.   Others of us maintain active lives in other realms that include all types of volunteering and support of family endeavors.   All in  all we are all very rich in many different ways.
    Most of the time when people talk about being rich, the immediate thought is how much financial wealth has been attained.  However, to me being rich has so many other dimensions beyond the financial.   Being rich in good memories is a personal dimension for all of us.  As an example during our lunch I was prompted to recall growing up on the family farm in Wayne County, New York.  I probably in some ways bored my lunch companions with stories of a farm growing apples,  having a mint still for fragrant oil production and a dry house for producing dried apple slices for world wide distribution.   On the skiing side of course we all can swap stories of the good and the bad days on the slopes.   Just being out there is a stimulation of rich memory.   Andy and I had an unusual Hawaiian shirt day last year when we were iced covered by the time we finished our morning runs.
   Another source of richness is the community of friends sharing like pursuits, whether it be skiing, tennis, golfing or what not.  Each day we can be fantastically rich in gratitude for family, friends, and the opportunity to give back to the world.
    Finally, a thought about the status of wealth distribution in the United States today.   No other time in our history has financial wealth been so unevenly distributed over the population.   To me it is a tragedy that so many hard working people are desperate to have health care and sufficient food and shelter for their families while billionaires continue to accumulate obscene levels of wealth.   Where is the integrity to share that wealth with the rest of mankind?   Data shows the wealthiest are the least likely to be tithers in giving to share their wealth.      I applaud some of the wealthiest people who pledge to give away half of their means by the time of their death.  Even in those cases, they will be left with billions to pass on to their heirs.   As I point my fingers at others, I also know I point three fingers back at myself.   Along with my own memories, I hope that I can continue to live a life of generosity with the means I have accrued and will be remembered as a good and faithful steward of the earth and mankind.
 
   

Anticipation and Geezerhood

  As October approaches, thoughts shift to anticipation of the coming ski season.  While enjoying this unusually warm summery late September, I a beginning to speculate on the nature of the coming winter.   Will we have another bust like last year or will things return to a more normal season.  One can only hope that global warming will not spoil our hopes.   Meanwhile we can enjoy a splendid display of tree colors, bask in the warm days and comfortably play more tennis.
  In geezerhood one wonders how many more ski seasons the body will tolerate.   Perhaps one of the markers of advanced age(geezerhood)  is the size of the medical file in your file cabinet.   I noticed today as I received my Medicare summary for most of the past year and deposited it in my file cabinet that the medical file takes up almost as much space as all the other files.   And for the most part I have been active and mostly healthy!   I guess the bottom is keeping on the move!  Thankfully, I am blessed with both Medicare and other supplemental insurance.   May all U.S.  citizens be so fortunate.
    Now back to anticipation of the coming ski season.  The skis are waxed and prepped and there is a supply of hand warmers. Unused equipment is up for sale at the Greek Peak Ski Club event the second weekend an October.   We are in the mode of downsizing and minimizing our worldly goods so any redundant ski gear is on the way out.   Anyone looking for older technlogy skis?
     The Farmer's Almanac says we are to have a mild winter, but I am beginning my snow dance the first of October.  This old farmer boy is going to deny any rumors from the Farmer's Almanac.
    Now is the time to get all those fall chores done.  No time in the winter for domestic chores except good old snow blowing and shoveling.   Living in the now is great, but anticipation and hope for the future is inspiring too.

Irony

Now that ski season is over I am motivated to spend some time with my blog.  I guess it was such a sketchy season I was at a loss for worthy comments.   Here is the irony of this season.  
   As I write this morning I can look out the window and see a couple of inches of snow on the ground and a snow shower in progress.   Ridiculous!   The ski areas are closed, my skis are on the way to storage,  ski clothing has been washed and cleaned and the inside of my helmet sprayed with Febreeze.    (How else does one maintain a good smelling helmet?)   Here is my attitude about this new snowfall.
"If I can't ski on it, I don't want it".   Also an irony that I had my snow tires replace with all weather tires yesterday.  
   So where do we find pleasure in the off season?   Many geezers are golfers or fishermen or both.   My pleasure is the outdoor tennis season with my wife.   We enjoy daily tennis time whenever the weather permits.   A special bonding time after she has been a ski widow from December through March.   
    Post season is also a time to be attentive to delayed chores,  landscaping, mowing and household fix ups.   Visits to the Cornell campus and with the students I advise on their curriculum and  independent study  also takes up some days as well.  
    Finally, for some geezers it is time to search for new equipment for the next season.   Feeling good about helping a friend with skis and bindings selection.   Geezer skiers are probably the best experts to help fellow geezer skiers!

Another Sketchy Season

    Although we had a relatively encouraging start of the 2016-2017 ski season in our area,  unfortunately we have been in an up and down cycle in December and January.   Almost every week one day a week there has been no skiing.  Periods of rain have been ruinous.  The only good news  is that it hasn't been a total disaster.   Two seasons in a row with sketchy conditions are discouraging for both the skiers and ski business.   I suspect the casual skier is likely to give up or perhaps spend their money at ski areas farther North.
    This Saturday I completed five days in a row skiing.   Monday was a rain out, but starting Tuesday things started improving.  By today the conditions had significantly improved.   Even possible to find a few inches of first tracks snow.   The inveterate geezer crowd has been somewhat scarce at Greek Peak.   However for those of us that are there we manage to enjoy what we have.   And coffee breaks are always interesting.  Jokes, stories and friendly arguments stimulate our ancient souls.   Lets hope February brings a big dump of snow.

Sounds of Skiing

  Preface:  For Christmas my daughter Victoria gave me the book with the title The Sound Book by Trevor Cox an acoustic engineer.   Just the prologue has inspired me to carefully listen to all sounds.   The activity of skiing produces a plethora of sounds.  The  blank verse poem below is the result.  Readers, add to the list in your comments.

The ski locker goes bang.
Booting up produces the buckles snap and a boot bangs to set the heel.
(Geezers bending over let out grunts).
( And maybe other more gross sounds).

Boots squeak on the subzero snow.
A whop, whop as the skis are dropped onto the snow.
A click, click as the boots enter the bindings.

Background conversation and greetings in the lift line.
Hum from the lift.
Bang, bang on the seats to remove the snow.

The chair slaps at the back of your legs.
Down comes the safety bar with a thud.
Wind whistles a greeting too.

Snow makers roar.
Or the new falling snow or sleet whispers a greeting on your coat.
Lift cables and pulleys purr their symphony.

The unloading ramp chirps as you slide off.
Poles give a unique tap, tap.

Carving skis create a swish, swish sound of contentment.
Sliding skis are more raucous with a scraping sound.

Slalom racers punch the course poles -  whack, whack, whack.
Race fans whoop for their favorite contestant.

And ending the day more locker room sounds.
And best of all the tired and contented sounds of a day well spent.

Here We Go Again

     The long awaited new ski season in upstate New York is sputtering along.   A day here and a day there with the hopes of a continuous season starting on Saturday for Greek Peak.   With colder and snowier weather anticipated in the coming weeks we should be blessed with relatively decent ski conditions.
     Since I retired in 1996 I have spent an average of over 75 days a year on the slopes.   I am hoping that this year I will at least be able to continue with a respectable number of days.   I read somewhere that the average number of ski days per skier is of the order of a seven to ten.   The geezers that I have skied with over the years have far exceeded that number.   I guess we know that our remaining lifetime is finite so and unpredictable so  "eat desert first" and "ski as long as you can" becomes our mantra.
      So here is hoping this will be another good season on the slopes.

An Alternative Leaf Peeping Trip

     As the seasons change and we now move toward winter a geezer skier might take a leaf peeping trip.   Many of my associates have done that and posted some wonderful scenery.   I recently drove to Long Island at the start of the peeping season and enjoyed the multitude of scenes down Route 17 New York.
     Today I decided that I didn't have to go beyond my local area to appreciate the colors.    Although this was a cloudy, overcast day the colors had a subtle brilliance to them.  My approximate 20 mile over some local roads was an eye opener to the beauty of upstate New York.   When I came home I took a moment to look around my neighborhood from the vantage point of my house.  Literally from my yard I had a leaf peeping time.   Isn't it amazing how familiarity can dull your senses.   It is good to be observant in your routine environment.
     Here a couple of photos from my yard.