Best of Boomer Blogs – May Day Edition

May basketsI love to remember May Day when I was a kid. We lived in a small town in Iowa where kids made simple paper May baskets, filled them with flowers, and then hung them on our neighbor’s front doors. Spring May basketsWhat FUN! Then at school we would do the Maypole dance. Such great spring singing programs! Remember “Spring is busting out all over!?”

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Unfortunately the weather is NOT cooperating here today. We are stuck in our second four day snowstorm in TWO WEEKS in southern Colorado. The good news? Over 4 inches of moisture in April! That’s my rain gauge out there…

Luckily we have a few great blog posts from some great boomer bloggers to entertain us today! First up is Carol Cassara:

Invisibility super-power.Visibility seems to be EVERYTHING in today’s intrusive social media environment–and some of the most awful influences on kids and grandkids are way too visible. Carol’s asking what you think parents (and grandparents) can do to combat the influence of negative role models in social media? At the same time, she’s lucky enough to have a nephew who appreciates the wisdom of age.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting says the pharmaceutical industry is dear to the hearts of most Americans. We buy lots of drugs, but the industry wants us to buy more. Advertisements ply us with information about all kinds of maladies and the pills that will cure them. Meryl spends too much time listening to ads, as she explains in her post:  On Becoming a Hypochondriac. 

Tom Sightings says, they’ve been talking about it for a few years now, ever since the last of their children left home. It’s a crossroads most of us must face as we retire. So navigate over to “Guess What We’re Doing?” to find out what he’s talking about — and what they’re doing.

Over at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist, writes about a new study that found working longer can extend your life. Researchers found that healthy adults who retired one year past age 65 had an 11 percent lower risk of death from all causes, even when taking into account demographic, lifestyle, and health issues.

Too bad so many us do have health issues which prevent us from working longer, or chronic unemployment. It’s also very sad thousands of midlife Americans are committing suicide at an alarming rate.

 

 

Blogging Boomers Have Their Say!

if-you-obey-all-the-rules-you-miss-all-the-fun Katherine HepburnMy lively group of fellow bloggers have never been known to be shy about having their opinions on, well everything, and I include myself in that lovely, well-opinionated group! I know, opinions are like a**holes, but what’s the point of being alive if you can’t say what you think?

This week Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist over at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, writes about the movies nominated for Academy Awards this year. Although she feels as though she’s watched hundreds of movies, Robison actually only saw 26 movies and 10 shorts. Here she writes about these movies, because she thinks movie makers put too many violent images on the big screen. 

Traveling and sightseeing can be exhausting activities, as Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting found out after three weeks on the road. She took a break, enjoying life at a slow, enjoyable pace. Read about her day off at Retirees Take a Day Off

Tom, at Sightings Over Sixty, brings up Three Silent Issues that the politicians have been avoiding. Go over and take a look, and then you decide — aren’t these the kinds of things we should be talking about?

One of my favorite online educators, Kathy Gottberg, over at SmartLiving365.com shares her personal thoughts about creativity and her amazing mother in her new piece titled: The Courage to Live Your Creativity With Stubborn Delight! Don’t miss it!

tell negative committee to shut upAnd as for myself, I have some very strong feelings about the choices we make everyday between playing it safe and taking big risks. As you can probably tell, I became a big risk-taker after realizing how little I really had at midlife. Now I feel, one of the most important lessons I have ever learned in life is:

Playing it safe does not get you what you want! 

Blogging Boomers Winter Solstice Edition!

IMGP4456Are you ready for the shortest day of the year? This is it! We’ll get barely nine hours of sun today, and that matters in a solar home! But I LOVE the idea of the light returning soon to bring us another glorious spring!

Today I present to you a few GREAT bloggers who wish to share with you their thoughts around this holiday time.

christmas treeTom Sightings presents for you a A Christmas Miracle, set under the tree, that might just make you believe in the goodness of the world, fate, destiny, or kismet.                         If not, have a cup of hot cider; and that might bring you a stroke or two of luck. Happy holidays to all!

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting just returned home following a two week adventure in Norway, land of the midnight sun – except in winter, when darkness reigns. She is thrilled to Return to Sunlight.  

books for christmasThis week Linda and her husband Art volunteered at the Salvation Army Toy Drive, where they served the parents of 4,500 children in the Tucson area! Volunteers for a fabulous day! What FUN!              Keep those kids reading books!

 

On The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, writes about how satisfied customers of credit unions, online banks , and smaller banks are with their banking experience, in comparison to those who do business with one of the nation’s four largest banks. Go see this survey. Would you like to switch financial institutions?

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And me? I haven’t been busy at all, unless you consider weather watching demanding. I enjoy spending time with old and new friends, and thoughts of the winter solstice much more than that whole crazy Christmas scene. And I can assure you, rural living has no noise, traffic, crowds, etc.

Just right for enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing and the challenges of living in the present.

However you enjoy this winter break, please enjoy it thoroughly! 

Best of the Boomer Blogs Rides Again!

IMGP4184I am always thrilled with synchronicity in my life. So when our brand new blog carnival member Linda Myers, presented me with a post about her writing group focused on the phrase: “What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I had to go back and see what I said eleven years ago.

That phrase was presented to me in mid-midlife crisis in 2004. Here is what I answered: Become my best self, discover, honor and contribute my best skills, find more fun and meaning, while also finding right livelihood. I am so happy to say the results have been marvelous.

Remember: What you focus on grows!

Vashon IslandHere’s what Linda shares with us today on her “Thoughts of a Bag Lady in Waiting” blog: Six bloggers, me included, have been gathering for a few days in October at Lavender Hill Farm, on Vashon Island, near Seattle. This year we had a writing workshop which turned out to be more powerful than we had anticipated. Our final ten-minute write was based on the final line of a Mary Oliver Poem, “The Summer Day”: What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?   At the end of the post there are links to the writing of the other bloggers.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting is on the road again, this week visiting family in Vermont. The route of choice is the New York Thruway, a road taken since she was a little girl. Read about her reminiscences and current trip: On the road again: The New York Thruway… 

Tom autumn trees pictureIt seems we are all waxing philosophical this time of year…Tom Sightings takes a Walk in October to see the sights, and recalls an old poem about how “The golden rod is yellow, the corn is turning brown, the trees in apple orchards with fruit are bending down.” Follow him to the end for a nice, tasty surprise! Nice sentiments Tom.

As an older adult, do you watch your salt intake? This week Rita R. Robison, On The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, writes about a salt shakerconsumer group taking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to court over the agency’s failure to regulate and reduce the excess salt in our food supply. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says the FDA’s failure to reduce the sodium in packaged and other foods is contributing to tens of thousands of premature deaths annually due to stroke, heart disease, and other health problems.

IMGP4276I’ve been focused on the pure beauty of southern Colorado in the fall. Such lovely sunrises and sunsets. Life is good in retirement land….

A Few Great Boomer Blogs for Your Consideration

2004_Winter_Carnival_Ice_Castle_(night)This is my favorite fantasy image of a blog carnival!

Ever since I started keeping a blog in 2007, I have belonged to what was then called a “Blog Carnival.” The idea is to share with my readers a few posts by other boomer bloggers I enjoy reading. This post is #417 in that series. Yes, I am a member of the longest-running boomer blog carnival ever!

credit card debtThis week I wish to share a post from “The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide” by Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist.  Rita generously keeps us up-to-date on consumer issues like the fact that American credit card debt is up substantially. She says, outstanding credit card debt is expected to be more than $900 billion by the end of this year, bringing the average household’s debt balance to $7,813 – the highest amount since the Great Recession.

a walk in the woodsMeryl Baer reports that she enjoyed, sort of, the movie A Walk in the Woods, starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. Read her review here. She also headed West for a wedding. Her adventure began in the airport. Check out what happened in Jetsetters R Us. 

the-end-of-the-tour-poster-Full-MovieTom Sightings was inspired by the movie, The End of the Tour, a biopic of David Foster Wallace starring Jason Segel, to pick up a book of essays by this celebrated writer. For Tom’s reaction, and a small window into the mind of the genius of David Foster Wallace, head on over to The Ultimate Question.

I began my week with an unfortunate backward tumble off a short ladder, which landed me in the ER for a few scalp staples and a week of aches and pains. I have to quit falling like this…NOW!

IMGP4136At least this stumble afforded me some nice nature watching right outside my door!  Oh that’s bad, no that’s good, so the Chinese fable goes…

Boomer Blogs: Springtime in the Rockies Edition

IMGP3641Welcome to the longest running boomer blog carnival online! I have been involved in this activity for years now over at my old “midlife” site MidlifeCrisisQueen.com.  Here we bloggers take turns hosting links to some great posts relevant to boomers.

First off we have Meryl Baer who was once again on the road, but in Seattle this week, where she had the opportunity to connect with a fellow blogger in person, Rita Robison of The Survive and Thrive Consumer Blog. Read her remarks in Connecting With an Internet Crony.

On The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist, this week writes about how older adults can stay safe online.

If you’re retired is it still possible to skip a day at school, or take a “mental health” day from work? For one answer, take a side trip over to Playing Hooky, and see what happens when Tom Sightings’ mind begins to wander.

Right Tom, and especially if you’re going through the strains and stress of having a foothills home built in rural Colorado! Yesterday we took a vacation from our daily life by driving around the Highway of Legends loop southwest of here. There we found a couple of gorgeous high altitude lakes like the photo of North Lake at the top of this post, and some…

IMGP3667fantastic views of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range! We stopped by Stonewall Lodge where they have a very nice set-up with cabins at 8,000 feet. Then we drove over to Cokedale, near Trinidad to see the coke ovens.

On the way back we found a few astounding views:

IMGP3676IMGP3670One was a delightful field full of Rocky Mountain Wild Iris and Golden Banner!

IMGP3678We found this to be a day well-spent, appreciating the benefits of this wonderful place we now call home… not bad for a three hour drive with almost no traffic, eh?

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