Reflections on biology!

 I have often opined that if you dont learn something new each day, you are dead.

Guess I will live forever then, for am I sure learning a whole lot of  biology as I age.

That was a subject I hated at school and even now, I can still remember the image of that poor little frog in the lab with his heart pulsating, as he suffered from the long slit down the entire front of his little body.

 He had been dissected while still alive.😭

I don't recall how old I was when I saw that, but remember clearly  vowing that I would never pursue that subject.

 No sah. Not me.

 As you age and different organs start deteriorating however, you have no choice but to learn as much as you can about how the body operates.

I had first heard the word arrhythmia about 40 years ago, when my doctor mentioned that I signs of it. After asking my educated brother (a doctor) about it, he mentioned that I would probably have to get a pacemaker when I got older.

From that day though, my heart never bothered me and I never thought about it until April 2025 when I blacked out and was rushed to an ER by four young, handsome  men from the fire department.  

The diagnosis was then Afib and SVT, all heart rhythm related problems. 

Now, before that, I thought your heart only raced when you saw a sexy man and had dreams of a wonderful liaison, but thats not how it works with old people.

No sah.

 Since asking questions of the cardiologist, his nurse and google, I  have learned everything there is to know about the heart, its chambers and how they all interact in that crowded space.

And no, I don't need a pacemaker but will instead be doing a minor procedure called an ablation to get my rhythms back in sync.

The good news though is that despite hating biology and a skipping every class when I was young, I am now an expert in how the darn heart works.👍

Wonder which internal organ I will be studying next?

These lessons come naturally with old age, so there is no need to crowd your brain when u are young by studying them and experimenting on poor, harmless, little creatures 😊.

Confluence park

Denver and in fact most of Colorado, is great for people who love the outdoors. Especially now that global warming is being manifested there!

 I couldn't believe the day would come when I would be driving around in Denver with the car window down in January!!!!

Our trusty car covered in stickers,😁

The Colorado state government is also committed to facilitating their outdoor lovers and one nice park developed with this in mind is Confluence Park.

This was once a rundown area with numerous abandoned warehouses which had become a favorite haunt for hobos and homeless people.

The bicycle display area in the store

.

Inside a once abandoned warehouse which is now a coop for sports equipment .

One former warehouse building is today a huge coop, where both new and used outdoor gear is sold. 

It's located in downtown Denver where the  South Platte River and Cherry Creek converge.

Section of downtown Denver in the background.

 

A tower next door to the park

The entire renovated area has been a well-used recreation park for families, sightseeing, sun worshippers cyclists, etc since 1975,  when it was converted by the city.

However rumor has it that to prepare it for redevelopment, the homeless and people of unsound mind who previously hung out there, were scared into moving through physical violence and murder. 

Social media activist practicing their craft?

Lovely sculpture at entrance. 

Lookout mountain, Colorado

 As snow on the plains this Christmas and New Year has been scarce to say the least, we took a run to Lookout Mountain, about an hour from Denver, to get a view of some of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in Colorado and hike the trail.

This is a prominent foothill west of the city of Golden.  It's an official state Park right beside the museum  of the poplar folk hero Buffalo Bill Cody and loved by cyclists and hikers.

Although I don't take chances with Colorado weather and wore my thickest coat for surety, I certainly never needed it as we were able to actually drive around with windows down and even had to quickly  peel off some layers, once we started hiking.

Section of city of Golden below

Picnic area

Herd of  elk feed on the hillside 

The area is a haven for cyclists

Buffalo Bill Museum 

Well maintained hiking trails

Snow capped mountain in the distance 

Taking a rest?

The area is replete with cyclists. 

As a cyclist myself what stood out were the signs declaring that one full lane of the two-laned roads were reserved for cyclists!!

What a lovely right to have as a rider.

I had to abandon this thick coat as soon as we started walking.

Climate change seems to have affected Colorado more than anywhere else I have been in the last few years.

Educator of the year♥️🥳

Dr. Michele McBride was totally surprised this morning at not only being nominated Educator of the Year at her Village East Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, but also because her neighbor Cheryl, Daughter Maddy and I were present after succeeding in keeping the event a secret for days.😁

Shock and disbelief🤣

 Especially since she has sworn for years that I cannot keep a secret!

The informal award was presented at the teacher's meeting at the the school at beginning of the new semester (4th January 2025). 

She never expected to see us till she returned home😊. (Neighbor Cheryl at right.)

The formal ceremony will be at a dinner in April 2026. 

What made this award even more unexpected for her is the fact that this is the second time that she has been the nominee.

Her colleagues gave her daughter Maddy the flowers to present.

I am extremely proud of her accomplishments as I had actively discouraged her from pursuing a career in teaching, due to the fact that they are so poorly paid.😡

However she reminded me that it was a family tradition and her accomplishments over the years have been phenomenal and well recognized, wherever she has served.

Well done mi pickney.

The principal making the announcement 

It was through her neighbor Cheryl that the information was filtered to us and she never suspected a thing.😁

Her proud kids subsequently made this😊