Senior Years Don't Slow Us Down (Much)

From my observations both here in Virginia City and from when I still lived in Crane, my generation continually proves to the younger set that although our hair has grayed and our hearing apparatus may not work quite as well as it did a decade ago, we still continue to perform amazing feats and to lead full, active lives. Contrary to some of the ads we see, most of us oldsters do not require lift chairs to get up; rather, a good many of us have more stamina than do people half our ages. The baby boomer generation will try new challenges, and we will endure a lot more than youngsters will to pursue a lifestyle we cherish. When faced with difficulties, we dream up solutions that help make our lives easier without expending great sums of money. We have learned how to work smarter, not harder.

When I lived in eastern Montana I had the privilege of knowing many productive seniors, and it has proved no different here in Virginia City. This tiny community has so few people that live here year round (the 2012 census put the population figure at 190 residents, 94 males and 96 females, with 35% of the males 65 and older, and 28% of the females 65 years of age or beyond) that seeing older citizens in action becomes commonplace. These individuals display rugged independence and won't let a few aches and pains stop them.

For example, the few businesses that remain open all year in Virginia City (The Pioneer bar, the creamery, the mercantile, and the Virginia City Café, and that's it), all have older proprietors taking care of business. Most households have wood stoves as all or part of the heating system, and we older people with stoves trek out to national forest land and fell, cut and load wood. We bring it home, unload it, split it and stack it, usually ending up with enough ready-to-burn firewood to last a few winters. We do this work routinely because we love wood heat and will do the work required to enjoy the comforts a blazing wood stove provides.

An older lady who lives in VC proper eats at the senior luncheons served at the creamery on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She lives in a cabin with no electricity. The cost of having power brought to her home has proved to be far too expensive for her limited budget. The cabin does have wiring for solar power, but because she lives within the historical district, the powers-that- be will not allow her to mount the solar panels as these wise headmen feel the sight of solar panels providing electricity to an older woman would destroy the authentic look of the old west that this town tries to preserve. (Has anyone asked these people how the power lines themselves fit in as part of the old west scene?? But that is food for another story). So, this lady has chosen to live without electricity and with all the hassles this can present. She loves her house and she loves this community, so here she will stay, even if it means doing without modern conveniences.

Quite a number of these older people, including my own household, do not own a TV. People feel they have far more important things to do than to sit in front of the tube watching someone else experience life.

Another lady I know, although not a permanent resident, owns a small cabin perched on a hilltop, with a very steep drive or walk to get to her hideaway. She comes to this haven regularly to relax and rejuvenate. The cabin has no running water or electrical power, so she has equipped an outhouse with a composting toilet and she hauls her food and water to the cabin when she comes for a visit.

"Haul" becomes a very appropriate word during winter months. I mean it literally. Because her cabin does have such a steep approach to it, the winding narrow road leading to her cabin can become impassable after a snow or ice storm. When she cannot make it up the hill with a vehicle, she parks her jeep, loads her supplies onto a toboggan, and drags her sled loaded with provisions to the cabin.

She heats her cabin with wood that she gathers herself. She cooks on the wood stove, heats water for washing dishes and herself on that stove, and she carries the resulting gray water outside for disposal.

For $300 she bought a small solar system complete with one battery, and this solar apparatus provides her with enough electricity to power two small lamps in the evenings. She has yet to run out of electricity for these lamps.

She uses a non-electric sweeper that she bought from the Amish that she uses to pick up dust and dirt from the floor. The outdoors serves as her freezer/refrigerator during the winter months, and a cooler serves the same purpose in the summertime. She uses a barbecue to cook during the warmer months.

This lady pursues the life she loves, never giving a thought to the work required to continue this kind of lifestyle. If the outside world didn't intrude in the form of obligations, she feels she could live quite contentedly at her cabin for an indefinite period of time.

Older people here also participate in activities, help maintain the library, have a vast knowledge about the history of Virginia City, and enjoy cultural events. One gentleman retired once but came back to work for the county full time as the road maintenance supervisor. He puts in more time and has more energy than people a third his age.

Getting older doesn't mean giving up. It means that we can still live a life we enjoy. It may take us a little longer to accomplish tasks than it did ten years ago, but true labors of love are not beyond our reach.

Watching these older people work hard to maintain a way of life that they love inspires me. I hope that the coming generations appreciate the work old timers do, learn the value of true effort, and honor the legacy these hardworking older people leave behind them.