Boomers Share Their Lives & Thoughts

November 15, 2015November 16, 2015 / Laura Lee Carter / 4 Comments

The devastating murders in Paris this week are an important reminder to all of us exactly how fragile our lives can be. Anything can happen to any of us at any time.

In my forties, my midlife crisis manifested as regrets for the lack of one crucial life experience. I fully acknowledged my mortality, and found that I would be quite disappointed with my life if I never found true love. I chose to focus all of my energy on believing in love again. I believed what you focus on grows, and in my case it did!

Finding the love of my life in 2005 led to me finally finding right livelihood. All of my dreams started coming true with the endless love and support of Mike.

Mike is a Vietnam era veteran. He was not honored when he came home. He was shamed. But today I care for him and honor him everyday for the sacrifices he made in service to our country.

Another blogger in our group, Linda Myers loves and cares for a Vietnam vet. This week she accompanied her husband to the monthly meeting of a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. He was their speaker.

On The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist, writes about tips for veterans to avoid signing up for “for-profit” schools that charge veterans high tuition for courses that are worthless in getting them jobs. Many of these colleges aggressively target veterans.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting had a new birth to announce this week in her family! She and her hub welcomed a new addition to their family, grand baby number 5 entered the world. Of course she is the cutest baby ever. See for yourself over at Welcome New Baby Baer.

Tom over at Sightings Over Sixty has a simple little problem for you to solve today. Is it as easy as it looks, or is there a trick to it? Teleport your way over to Think About It and see if you know the answer.

We boomers are surviving and thriving by living life with no regrets!

Rebellion at age 60

November 12, 2015October 11, 2016 / Laura Lee Carter / 5 Comments

Rebellion is difficult, freedom priceless!

It only occurred to me recently that I am going through at age 60, what most went through in their teenage years. I would say I have always been a good girl, to some extent, doing what was expected of me. Two husbands and three graduate degrees later, it seems I have changed.

When Mike and I hatched the plan in late 2013, of selling our lovely home in Fort Collins (suburbia), to build a passive solar home in rural Huerfano county, I had no idea how much my family didn’t want us to do this. I guess I figured it was our business, but apparently not.

Come to find out, I have somehow betrayed my family by making my own decision. This has brought up a lot of other types of rebellion for me, rebellion I never felt at age 18 or 19. I feel angry that I have always done what was expected of me instead of what I wanted to do.

I know, better late than never…

I now recognize so many old tapes in my head, telling me what to do and how to act. These go against my own needs and desires, and yet it seems strange to be finally telling them to shut up.

This is where my own inner wisdom comes in. I now have six decades of wisdom stored up from just living my life day-to-day. I know myself very well.

I finally believe in my own wisdom. I know how I wish to live. I only wish my family had more faith in my judgment.

Want to learn more about my mammoth move from suburbia to rural southern Colorado? Go see here!

Midlife change is so worth it!

November 4, 2015November 18, 2015 / Laura Lee Carter / 2 Comments

Although Mike and I did consider ending it all before we met in lucky 2005 (see previous post), we both agree joining forces has been the BEST thing that has ever happened to either of us!

Together, through a great love and stubborn persistence, we have assisted each other in attaining our most treasured life goals, goals we would not have attained without each other’s support.

Mine was to become a writer. So far I’ve written three books! Mike’s was to build his own passive solar home with a spectacular view.

Mission Accomplished! And, BTW, the passive solar is keeping us toasty warm this fall! More often than not we have to open a window to cool down our home. So far, so good. We have only needed to use our supplemental heaters on the coldest and cloudest days.

The sunrises up here are GLORIOUS!

And all in all, I would say we are a good example of:

“Don’t give up in midlife when things feel hopeless!”

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. If you can change your mind and change your priorities like I did, there are do-overs before it’s all over! That is the message of my books and blogs.

And, finally, the rat is dead! Mike found it in his car and killed it! He was so happy! We still have our new cat Charlie. He’s not so good with rats, but he’s great at finding bugs, and re-defines playfulness for us!

Rasta and Charlie are still not the best of friends, but we’re getting there…

still coloring mandalas, and LOVING IT! It’s so healing for my poor recovering brain…

Click on photos for full-size views, and follow us on TWITTER!

After our first big mountain snow storm!

October 22, 2015October 15, 2016 / Laura Lee Carter / 4 Comments

Yesterday was cloudy, gray and rainy all day. We only got up to 46 degrees and received over an inch of rain! So we tried out our electric heaters last night and they worked pretty well. I don’t like to be too warm at night, because I’m still having hot flashes…

This was our view of the mountains this AM.This was the view around 8:40AM, twenty minutes later…

and this is our view of the Spanish Peaks around 10 AM MST.

What a way to spend the morning, watching the Sangre de Cristos emerge in their lovely winter regalia.

My latest haiku:

High mountain snows. We get plenty of warning. Winter is coming!

How did I end up here, feeling so fortunate?

It’s a long story, one I can now share with you in my new memoir!

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Sunset, Sunrise – Life in Colorado!

October 20, 2015October 11, 2016 / Laura Lee Carter / 7 Comments

Sorry if I’m boring you, but I cannot get over the fireworks up at our new home in the foothills west of Walsenburg in southern Colorado!

Last night the sunset seemed to go on and on.

It started out like this, and then transitioned…

into this

and this.

Then this morning I woke up to this! Yes, the snow is getting deeper in the Sangre de Cristos! We get plenty of warning here. Winter is coming soon!

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I am filled with gratitude that I can now live like this forever. Please go see my new memoir!

What’s the deal with dogs and cats?

October 18, 2015May 21, 2016 / Laura Lee Carter / 3 Comments

I’ll bet you didn’t know the second thing I ever wanted to be when I grew up, after Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke! was a psychobiologist.

Yes, I wanted to study animal behavior.

So when we added a kitten to our household this week, with a well established puppy named Rasta, it only took us a day or two to realize that neither one of us had ever had a cat AND a dog at the same time in the same house. We kept looking at each other as if one of us would know how this works.

Well, this is how it works from my perspective. The dog keeps expecting the cat to act more like a dog, and the cat keeps expecting the dog to act like a cat.

For example, they play in very different ways. The cat loves to chase everything around, although he hasn’t killed our car motor rat just yet as far as we can tell. The dog only wants to fetch his toys for us.

I will say our dog seems more territorial and loyal. He keeps trying to defend me against the cat!

They observe each other more with curiosity than disdain, and I can tell they basically enjoy each other, although Rasta has his moments:

They are both equally “lap happy.” Both love a good lap, and even more so as the weather gets colder. Rasta is only eleven pounds, so I’m curious which one will end up weighing more.

All in all we are quite pleased with our new addition and we’re hoping Rasta will feel the same soon.

Now if Charlie would just kill that nasty rat!