More Odd Ramblings from Benson

First of all, welcome to our #60 follower, Rick. And that's all I know about Rick, except that there's a picture of a kitten next to his name.

We have learned, in our stay in Benson these past several months, that there are four seasons here. Cold winter, windy spring, hot, wet summer, and warm autumn. For some reason, however, those four seasons get themselves all mixed up and sometimes two or three of them will happen all at the same time. Except winter never gets mixed up with hot summer.

Did you ever stop to think about everything everyone tells you you ought to do? It's impossible! I went to the dentist Friday for my irregular regular checkup and cleaning. The dental hygienist worked me over for what seemed like a half hour. She did a great job, I'm sure, but she was a "Chatty Cathy" all the time. And most of her chat was along the line of reminding me that I must floss at least once every day, I should get a dental irrigator, start with it at a low setting with warm water, then eventually add a store bought flouride rinse, then get the professional strength rinse sold in the dentist office. Over and over again. You've been there, you've heard the story. She spent five minutes selling me the procedure and twenty minutes buying it back again.

But that's only the dental stuff. We're supposed to walk at least a half hour each day, briskly. Get at least eight hours of sleep a night and maybe seniors need nine hours. Don't forget to do deep breathing and meditation at least daily, and that's not at the same time you are supposed to read the Bible daily, or even saying your prayers. Those are separate exercises.

Smile. Donate a share of your income to your church. Support the Red Cross, United Way, Christmas bellringers, the Haitian Relief Fund, the fight against cancer. Ah yes, take part in community activities, volunteer your time and talent, support the arts.

Oops, I forgot to say regular exercise in addition to walking, and don't forget to do your warmups first. Eat three square meals a day, Heaven forbid you should skip breakfast! And eat a lot of fresh raw vegetables and fruit. An apple a day to keep the doctor away; bananas for potassium; blueberries for antioxidants; citrus for Viatmin C. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Avoid processed foods. Shop from a grocery list, and not while you are hungry. Buy your produce only from the local farmers markets or U-Pick farms.

Be sure to season with cinnamon, turmeric and all the other herbs and spices that have crucial elements that keep your eyes, ears and brain healthy. Keep up with the latest fears and fads being pushed in health journals and on the Internet.

Write to your Congressional representatives, let them know how you feel, but do it in a problem solving fashion, rather than ranting and frothing at the mouth. Vote Republican (or Democrat, your choice!) Clean house, vote 'em all out, don't bother with keeping even the ones who are working to make things better.

Spend time with friends and family. Write a daily journal. Tell your kids you love them. Keep in touch with yourself. Find enough income to feed and house your family.

Every one of those things is important, I agree. (Maybe some of them are extreme, depends on your viewpoint.) But when are you going to do it all. every day?

If you aren't retired, you should have at least a forty-hour workweek. If you are retired, there are things you'd like to do. But when do you find the time, with all of that important stuff taking up your time?

Changing the subject, Salomon and Paco are nearly done with the casita remodeling project. And they are doing a super job. We'll show you the story probably in our next blog post. In the meantime, here are a few shots of what they have been doing.

Here Salomon is starting to take down the ceiling and lighting fixtures (three weeks ago).

The new front door is being installed.

New desert tan replaces the gray exterior paint.

Everything piled in the center of the room.

Everything piled outside while the carpet is being intalled.

Stay tuned for the final wrap up, and get me some smelling salts for when I see the bill for making this place a very pleasant home base for ... Our Life on Wheels.