The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomer bloggers keep chugging on even in tough times

It’s been a tough week. I had to organize the hundreds of photos I took at the National Women’s History Alliance conference in early January, which meant I lost time writing my book, “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.”

On Sunday, the Super Bowl was so violent, the game itself and the ads, and sexist, the half time show, that I’m trying to get over it before it before I write about the Super Bowl ads. Then, the delay in results for the Democratic winner of the Iowa caucuses disappointed. Next came the state of the union address, which I didn’t watch, but I’ve had to endure dozens of clips on the radio and television. Then, Wednesday, the Senate voted to acquit President Trump.

Can I go to bed and cover up my head?

Meanwhile, my baby boomer blogging friends are writing about:

• A sailboat trip in the West Indies.
• The challenges of shopping at IKEA.
• The pros and cons of cruises.
• What to do when mobility starts to decline.
• The one thing you need to do to follow your dreams.
• How North Carolina isn’t turning out to be warm for a winter vacation.
• How to view your life with kindsight.

Carol Cassara of Heart•Mind•Soul writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #635. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers enjoy hearing from readers.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Tips for shopping on Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday has a reputation for being the leftovers from Black Friday. However, it can actually have the better deals. Americans spent an estimated 27 percent more money online on Cyber Monday than on Black Friday last year. One reason is probably it’s more convenient to order deals on Cyber Monday than fight the Black Friday crowds.

Tips for shopping on Cyber Monday include:

Make a plan. You need to have a holiday budget for spending. Don’t let possible deals on Cyber Monday lead you to overspent.

Do research. Know what the prices are for the items on your list. That way, you won’t be fooled by deals that really aren’t deals.

Doctor’s book, ‘Elderhood,” offers important insights on aging today

When I was returning from a trip to Bellingham Monday to help my older sister, I listened to a program on Fresh Air, a National Public Radio program, about why new ways of thinking about medical problems in elders need to be considered. It really struck a chord with me, because I help my sister with her medical issues.

Louise Aronson, M.D., talked about her book “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life.” Aronson said elderly people react differently to medications, even over-the-counter ones, and the medical community often doesn’t take into consideration this possibility when elders are having problems.

She described a situation that happened to her father. He was doing well for a number of years after heart surgery, but then he fainted. In the hospital, his blood pressure dropped, and the staff gave him medication, but then, it dropped again. More medication was given, but it dropped a third time. Aronson went through the list of things that could have been wrong and thought he might be bleeding internally. She tried to get the staff’s attention, but was unable to get them to act. She asked her dad if she could do a rectal exam. A doctor, too, he said yes. When she showed the staff the bloody glove, her father was rushed to the ICU, then to surgery.

Facts and figures for the 2018 holidays

It’s that time of year. The holidays are upon us. Hanukkah has been celebrated and today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the least daylight and the longest night. Christmas is approaching rapidly as is Kwanzaa, Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

Celebrants

Nine-in-ten Americans — and 95 percent of Christians — say they celebrate Christmas, according to a Pew Research Center survey. These figures have generally held steady in recent years. Today, 46 percent of Americans say they celebrate Christmas as primarily a religious rather than cultural holiday.

What are your favorite stores for holiday shopping?

On Sunday, I went to the outlet mall with my daughter and her teenage son to buy his Christmas presents. Now that he’s a teen, he wants clothes for Christmas – and he wants to pick them out.

We went to Adidas. He bought a pair of sweats and we picked out a t-shirt for him also because the Black Friday deal was 25 percent off on the second, less costly item.

Next, we went to Nike. He picked out a pair of running shoes and a sweatshirt. My daughter was excited to find a rain jacket she could wear when running. And, she found a sweatshirt she liked. The deals were better Adidas. Thirty percent off on everything.

The third stop was at the store for my grandson’s sports team. He bought a coral-colored hoodie there.

It was a boring shopping trip. The shops were filled mostly with gray, black, and navy blue clothes. I looked longingly at the pretty patterns and bright colors when we passed by the women’s stores. Later, my daughter said.

My favorite stores for holiday shopping are:

Marion Nestle investigates food industry sponsored research in her latest book

Every time I hear about how research shows a food, such as coffee, is good for you, I wonder who paid for the research.

Marion Nestle, consumer activist, nutritionist, and professor, looks at research paid for by food companies in a new book.

In “Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat,” Nestle reveals how millions of dollars flow from corporations and trade groups to research laboratories at colleges and universities, distorting how consumers think about food and health. The ultimate goal of this research is to promote sales of their products.

Baby boomers write about women and men, banned books, pain, and suicide

Fall is in the air, and there’s no doubt that winter is coming soon. I’m eating the last of the cucumbers from my garden. And, it’s time to do fall cleanup and get my yard ready for winter.

As the cold, dreaded weather approaches, baby boomers are writing about:

• A mother’s story coping with her son’s suicide.
• Banned Books Week and people’s rights.
• Pain management options.
• What’s happened to men?
• The right way to wash your pillows.
• Women’s liberation today and yesterday.
• Our memories and could you remember something from 30 years ago?

Happy Mother’s Day

With Mother’s Day approaching, I’ve been thinking about my mom, Ruth L. Slingsby. I have many fond memories of her. She helped me to love school and develop a keen interest in learning. Research and writing are among my favorite things in life.

A farm wife and mother, my mom was a great cook, and she made most of the clothes for my two sisters and me, until we were old enough to learn to sew ourselves.

Growing flowers was a joy for my mom as was playing Pinochle.

20 books to read about food this spring

The Food Tank is recommending 20 new books on food and agriculture to celebrate spring. Topics include the paradox of obesity and malnutrition, building strong communities through socially-conscious food systems, and the essential link between food and healt

Books are from Italy, Puerto Rico, Australia and many other countries.

The reading list includes:

1. “Bread is Gold,” Massimo Bottura

2. “Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World,” Sam Kass

3. “The Faces of Local Food: Celebrating the People Who Feed Us,” Charlotte Caldwell

4. “Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities,” Gary Paul

5. “Food Is the Solution: What to Eat to Save the World,” Matthew Prescott

Baby boomers ponder retirement and old age

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is ranked the second-best place to retire in 2018 by U.S. News and World Report.

Although he’s been blogging for more than seven years, Tom Sightings reports he’s been AWOL for a couple of weeks. He’s had a short-term job and his daughter was married in Brooklyn, New York, recently.

Now Sightings, who blogs at Sightings Over Sixty, is back in the saddle, offering a round-up of baby boomer blogger articles this week.

Boomer bloggers are writing about sharing big, empty-nest houses; moving away to retire from the second-best place to retire in the nation; figuring out how Amazon is allowing third-parties to sell worn books as new so authors won’t get a royalty; wearing sunglasses and wide-brim hats all year around to protect your eyes and skin from the sun; and experiencing the new old age.

See the Best of Boomer Blogs #518 for links to these articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2017, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

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