Merry Christmas

12/24/20

We're back! Hello world and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all. My it has been a long time since our last post, I know, but I do hope this finds each and everyone of you happy and healthy during these most crazy of times and gearing up for yet another Holiday Season. Christmas, it's hard to believe that another year has passed and Christmas is here once again. It's a bit

over said, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the days, weeks and months slip through our fingers, seemingly gone in the blink of an eye. I'm certain each of you has heard the old adage that youth is wasted on the young. But last week I heard it phrased slightly different and it really resonated with me. It stated "youth is wasted on the young, but wisdom is wasted on the old". So simple and yet so true. The young of this world may be wasting their youth, but they don't know any better. For those of us who are a bit more seasoned, we understand the value of time and yet we still choose to waste far too much of it. A little something to think about as the calendar gets ready to flip once again and we find ourselves asking where it went.... again. As the all knowing Dalai Lama once said, “the trouble with time is you think you have it”. hmmm.

So Christmas, yes! This year has been so unlike any my generation (or most generations) has ever experienced, so we probably should have expected that this Christmas would be much different than any of those in the past. For my wife and I, this will be our first Christmas morning without our girls, without family of any kind and also our first outside the State of Wisconsin. Now, as much as we're going to miss the snow shoeing and sledding, the snowmen, shoveling the drive way, scraping windshields, frost bite, dead car batteries.... wait, what!?!? Check that, we've really become accustomed to 70 and sunny with a warm pool close by, so if you could just send a few pictures of your winter wonderlands I think we'll be good to go. But we will miss having family close by tomorrow morning, but we will focus on the many blessing we have and have grateful hearts as we celebrate.

So what have we been up to for the last few months? Well, plenty actually. We don't sit still very often and it seems that our dance card is almost always full. Pickle ball, card games,

music, dances, swimming, lounging, working the weekends, hiking, there is always something to fill the time. Last week found us baking and decorating 175 Christmas cookies with some of our new friends. 175 may not sound like much, but 3 bags of powdered sugar, 10 pounds of flour, 2 pounds of butter and 2 days work says otherwise! And if any of you out there are looking for last minute Christmas presents for me, how about some elastic pants. Ugh!

A few months back, the most enjoyable week we've had on the trip came with an unexpected visit from our youngest daughter, Ashley. We had been chatting back and forth and it was obvious that we were all a bit home sick and missing each other. Since the whole Corona thing was already wreaking havoc on her school year and most of her classes we being attended online, we figured why not fly her down for a quick visit. I guess I thought that if you

have to go to school, why not sit next to the pool and at least enjoy it a little bit. Heck, if that were an option back in the 90's, I might even had made a few classes. Maybe. Anyways, she ended up staying with us a for 10 days, 10 truly fantastic days. Leaving both our girls was absolutely the hardest part of beginning this journey, so the time with her was just what the Dr. ordered and also enough to tide us over until the holidays. Oh, did I mention that both girls are coming down on December 26th! Can't wait to have them both home again, just 2 more days.

Now, although Ashley's stay was short lived, we did manage to find plenty of things to give her a taste of AZ. There was the Halloween parade and costume party that we attended. This was the first time that we had dressed up for Halloween so I wasn't quite certain what to expect. But, low and behold, we took home the hardware. I'm thinking it was a combination of my wife's great legs and my super strong backside. My evidence to that theory is that I was accosted by at least a dozen "older" women and even a few gentlemen, most of whom I'd never met. I am certain that my @$$ was grabbed more times that night that all other nights in my life combined. 55+ community huh....

After Halloween, we hit a few local restaurants, caught some live music in the park and played cards a few times as well. But by far the best afternoon of the visit included a sunset hike in the nearby Usery Mountain Range. The hike could not have been better with giant Saguaro cacti scattered about, grand views of the surrounding cities and towering mountain faces inviting us along. The temperatures were in

the mid 70's and a gentle breeze nudged us up the mountain side while the sun danced along the cliff faces, painting them in an amber glow from top to bottom. On the way down, the sun began to set on the distant horizon and a pastel wash covered the entire valley below, and for a moment it felt as if we were strolling through the middle of a post card. But by far the most enjoyable part of the entire evening was having Ashley along side us. My wife and I so enjoy hiking, but to be able to share those moments with the ones we love most turns memories into treasures.

Sadly, it was soon time for Ash to head back her other life and we were both disappointed to see her leave. Her energy and laughter and life brighten every room she enters and we both knew we'd miss her dearly.

But, all things must pass and so once again it was just Us, the Bus and the princess Molly. Speaking of the Princess, she has adjusted very well to life in Arizona, especially now that the temperatures are routinely in the 70's. She is a fetching machine at the dog park, a game we must play at minimum once a day, most days twice. She seems genuinely happy, especially when she's with us, but always when she's on a trail. She can be tired or gimpy

and achy, but get her on that trail and it's like she's a pup all over again. Happy dog, happy dad. I love those days.

There have been lots of nights of cards and games with our new bestie, Carol. We share a meal and play games at least 3-4 times a week, and she has really gone out of her way to welcome us in and make us feel at home and we're so thankful to have happened upon her. She is a Vikings fan, but I don't hold it against her. We even manage to to be friends.... after the games.

But of all the things we do to pass time, by far the most inspiring for both my wife and myself (and Princess Molly), is getting out on the trails and wandering. This place is teeming with beautiful mountain ranges and wild spaces, dying to be explored. Just last week, we found ourselves in Tucson having some work done on our motorhome, so we decided to venture up nearby Mt. Lemmon and see what there was to see. What a wonderful reward we were given.

We spent the day near the top of the world, scrambling up a charred ridge blanketed in a resilient old forest recently scarred by fire. Upon reaching the summit, never ending vistas opened up before us, stretching for miles into the valleys below and off further still to the horizon where ribbons of pastel ranges slowly vanished into the edge of the visible universe. Time slowed and the quiet peace of the world filled us with awe, wonder, and a sense of belonging, of importance and perspective. Oh how wonderful it was to be outside, to be back in the heart of nature, to be home again.

You see, we had forgotten how much we enjoy being out on the edge, away from the noise and pressures of everyday life. Phones and cars and schedules and yeah, sometime people all put stressors and demands on our time and pull your focus away from the things that really matter in the end. Moments.

So, we have decided we are going to make a concerted effort to be more present with our time in the new year and spend more of that time in the wild. We look forward to finding those places that challenge us and move us and remind us that time is precious and each moment is an opportunity to create forever memories... If you only get out there and hit the trail.

“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles” - Mary Davis

Merry Christmas from the Fischers!

P.S. at the top of Mt. Lemmon is a little town called Summer Haven and after a long day of hiking, nothing hits the spot like a giant cookie. The Mt. Lemmon Cookie Company Cabin is a must. A cookie the size of your head and the best hot chocolate on the planet, what could be better!