Trippin' with Susan Straley

Sunday, March 29, 2020 The surreal situation, we are now living through a pandemic that has: Put millions of people out of work because businesses have been closed; Overwhelmed medical hospitals as they try to keep their staff healthy while testing and treating those sick with this highly contagious illness; (There is not enough protective equipment.) Orders coming over our cell phones telling everyone 65 and older to stay home!  Shutter in place, don't go out unless it is essential; What is considered essential is grocery trips, pharmacy trips, and exercise in the fresh air. Thank goodness we can go outside and exercise! This amount of allowed (or recommended) activity is so much MORE freedom of movement than what Ann Frank experienced.  Ann Frank and her family were stuck inside in an attic hiding from the Nazis for 470 days. And they had to do it quietly.   For us today, there are no enforcement of the shelter-in-place recommendations, just civic duty.  Of course,

It is March 26, 2020 Hello! I hope you are well and finding ways to stay mentally healthy.  We are social creatures and isolation and distancing are both un-natural and uncomfortable. I found a song on Youtube that was supposed to be funny, but made me sad. "All by myself, don't wanna be all by myself anymore..." Those of us that are retired are feeling very fortunate to not be depending on a wage right now, with many businesses closed for a period of social distancing in an effort to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus. I woke up this morning having another difficult night trying to sleep.  My shoulders hurt because they are used to heavy lifting at the gym, I think.  Or maybe they hurt from the lack of giving hugs and getting hugs.  This social distancing is physically difficult for those not living with family or pets. When I descend the stairs to start the coffee, I can sense my tears are ready to erupt.  This is a feeling I am very familiar with,

3/18/2020 COVID-19 Changes It is Wednesday, a lovely warm sunny day in Florida.  I decide that even with the "Social Distancing" that we are trying to abide by, I can go to exercise and yoga at the club house. Why? 1) there are only three of us spread out in that big room. 2) I decided to disinfect my hands before entering 3) I brought along a rag to touch any door handles or remote controls. 4) None of us are coughing It was great to be back among my friends and neighbors.  We did the "Covid Hug" which is standing far away from each other and putting our arms up like cactus arms and moving them up and down.  I know, corny.  But it makes us smile and feel loved, and THAT is so important.  ************** For those of you in the future reading this, in 2019 there was a flu that only resided in animals, but one day in 2019 it morphed and transferred into a human and then transferred human to human.  This flu, as I understand it, can sit on a har

3/15/2020 It is Thursday, and my brother, my sister-in-law and her granddaughter Tasha are at LOVES truck stop souvenir shopping.  Tasha has promised to bring souvenirs home to her kids.  My nephew's wife texts me, "Where are you?" I text her back and with 15 minutes they are there to wisk me off for some sight-seeing.  YEAH!!! They take me to the Botanical Gardens.  I am excited because I have heard that the desert really blooms after a rain, and it sure has been raining! They also took me to the hole in the rock which was next door.  Thank you Tom and Sara, Jack and Mike for taking me along on your tourist adventures! We then returned to my brother's home and prepare to all go together to dinner.  Some bars and restaurants were already closing due to the COVID-19 virus. We all were still in denial, I think. Feeling the Fear It is Friday, 3/13/2020.  I am still in Arizona.  I have moved on from staying at my brothe

Tuesday, March 10, 2019 Before I talk about my trip I want you to know Alzheimer's Trippin' with George e-book is on sale through April 1st at $2.99.  It is Monday morning. I am pedaling the e-assist Scorpion recumbent tricycle that my friend Bob has loaned me.  I am riding toward my brother's home south of Phoenix.  Google bike map has directed me down a bike trail along one of the many canals in the area. Every once in a while I am pushing the orange-painted plexiglass wind-shield away from me and studying how it is attached.  In time it creeps back toward me and my right foot starts going click click click as it hits the shield.  I know I could tighten it, do I remember where I put the tools? I am wondering if I can remove the wind-shield along with the canvas sun canopy that protects the rider from the strong Arizona desert sun.   The canopy keeps bumping the back of my helmet and it takes extra energy to fight against the head-wind and to ke

March 7, 2020 I love seeing Bob and Rose again.  They are such down-to-earth, open people.  And so much fun to be around. When Bob picked me up at the airport he told me he would be in a white van.  I watched as white van after white van went by door 6 where I stood on the curb waiting.  I studied each driver looking for Bob's signature wild hair.   As soon as I saw him I smiled big, he did not disappoint me. Later when Rose was mentioning he refused to cut his hair, Bob mentioned it was his protection from the Arizona sun...  Like his own built in sun umbrella.  I love it! Rose and Bob's white van has built in bunk beds for when they are traveling.  What a great way for me to get used to sleeping in my Weeroll!  I slept soundly in their van in front of their home and they even provided a bucket for me to pee into.  Of course I could have entered the house and used the toilet, but what is the fun in that??? An advantage of this desert climate was I was able to

March 6, 2020 Hello Friends, Family, and Followers, I am sitting at the Tampa airport.  I have a couple hours before we fly and thought I would dash off a note to you.  Life is more fun when shared, after all. I have a keyboard that connects to my iPad by Bluetooth.  I packed it and brought it along in case I felt like writing to you.  But guess what!  I packed the keyboard in the pannier that I checked as luggage.   So my fingers may fumble a little more than usual as I peck this out with my thumbs on the touch screen. It is Friday and I am flying to Phoenix, AZ.  I first made plans to do this when my sister-in-law announced in September or October that she was going to have a celebration for her 80th birthday.  I have not been to Phoenix and don't remember much about AZ.  I am sure I must have been to AZ at one time, maybe as a tween when we visited the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. Initially when I booked the flight I was going to ship or check as baggage my own