The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Today is the 100th anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment and Women’s Equality Day

Certification of the 19^th Amendment

The 19^th Amendment guarantees the right of women to vote. Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify it on Aug. 18, 1920. It was the final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states.

On Aug. 26, 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification. That meant that the 19^th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution. The certification serves as official notice to the Congress and to the nation that the amendment process has been completed.

The amendment was called the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, for Anthony, a leading figure in the women's voting rights movement.

On Nov. 2, 1920, more than 8 million women in the United States voted in elections for the first time.

Women’s Equality Day

On Aug. 26, 1973, Congress designated August 26 as Women's Equality Day, and authorized and requested the president to issue a proclamation in commemoration of that day in 1920 on which America women were first guaranteed the right to vote.

Baby boomers venturing out some into the new pandemic world

These days, I’m still not going out much. I pick up groceries from my local food coop weekly and order everything else.

However, we’re having socially distance, outdoor events to celebrate the ratification of the 19^th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. It was ratified 100 years ago on Aug. 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36^th state to approve votes for women. I’m photographing the events, four so far with the fifth and sixth, the final ones, tomorrow.

Meanwhile, boomer bloggers are writing about what’s happening in their lives these days:

Today is the 100th anniversary of ratification of the 19th amendment, which guarantees the right for women to vote

Women fought long and hard for the vote – before the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which states the right to vote “shall not be denied … on account of sex.”

Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the constitution.

Few early supporters lived to see final victory in 1920.

Boomers have a low-key beginning of summer this year

On Friday, I advised readers to have a barbecue with people in their household for Memorial Day and skip going out to a restaurant or to the beach.

I took my own advice and had a quiet holiday. Since I’m home so much and didn’t get to go to Madrid and visit my daughter and her family in Madrid for the month of May, I’ve spend a lot of time in my yard. I’ve arranged dozens of bouquets, a first. See my Memorial Day arrangement on the above.

I have 40 rhododendrons and about 10 azaleas in my yard. When I moved into my house, they were small bushes. Now, they’re huge. Thank goodness I met a forester who is helping me prune them. I can’t imagine why the previous owners bought 50 plants. I wonder if there was a big sale.

Meanwhile, boomer bloggers are writing about:

Baby boomer bloggers write about Easter

Easter is the topic for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs.

Boomer bloggers are writing about:

• An Easter survey that shows Easter spending for candy, clothing, and food is down nearly 50 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Memories of a sunrise service followed by a pancake breakfast at church.
• When two uncles had a fight at the Easter gathering.
• Easter tears and laughter.
• The promise of spring.
• A frittata recipe that’s made with three eggs, which is a nice dish for Easter.
• Last year’s trip to the emergency room on Good Friday.

Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #645. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to leave a comment. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

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

Happy Easter in the era of the coronavirus, when everything is changed

For 12 years, I’ve been writing this blog and wishing people happy Easter. This year, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, however, is so extra-ordinary, it’s shocking.

When it’s warm here, I’ve been walking around my house for exercise. My daughter recommended I do this rather than walking around my neighborhood. She’s probably right because I later learned that the virus hangs in the air for three hours. So, even if you social distance while walking in your neighborhood, it’s possible you could get exposed. I have a mask because I have respiratory problems, but I wasn’t wearing it when I walked around my neighborhood.

It takes me one minute to walk around my house, so I go around it 20 times. I hurt my back about a year ago, so I’ve been hiring help for yard work. But, as I walk around my yard, I’ve been picking dandelions to they don’t go to seed. The gophers also are back, so I shoveled the dirt and put it in the yard waste bin.

My forester who prunes my evergreen trees and rhododendrons is going to make me a plastic greenhouse so I can have an early garden. He came Saturday and set it up. I usually go to Madrid to visit my daughter and her family in May, but I won’t be going this year. He’ll plant my garden early this year. I usually buy seedlings and plant my garden in late May.

Facts and figures for Easter 2020

It's such a strange year for celebrating Easter Sunday. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down so much of the United States so that the usual Easter activities, such as attending church, aren't happening. In addition, about half of Americans say they won't be buying Easter candy, a new outfit, or Easter foods this year, according to a WalletHub survey.

Here's more information on the WalletHub Easter 2020 survey:

Source: WalletHub

 

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

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

Last week, I looked up when Saint Patrick’s day was so I could write this greeting.

However, with the pandemic crisis, I forgot all about it. I went out yesterday to the credit union and to my local food co-op and Safeway to stock up on more food. When I got home, I followed the Consumer Reports recommendations for washing off my groceries, a time consuming process. Then I wrote about how to do it, also time consuming.

About an hour ago, I saw the governor of Washington state, Jay Inslee, on television wearing a green tie. Strange, I thought. Then, I remembered. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day.

Best wishes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Over the years, I’ve written more than a dozen articles for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They included his most famous quotes, how a day to celebrate King was finally approved, and how it’s a day of service, not a day off.

But one of ones I liked the best was on King’s commitment to eliminating poverty. I found it when I did research on what were King’s thoughts about consumers. In his last book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” written in 1967, King said programs to improve housing and education and to offer counseling to families were sporadically funded and uncoordinated. And, in addition, he said such programs are indirect. Each seeks to solve poverty by first solving something else.

King supported a guaranteed income for all Americans in his book.

Happy Thanksgiving

Best wishes to you and all your loved ones on Thanksgiving Day. I'm fortunate to be able to celebrate with my daughter and her family this year.

I’m thankful for my friends and family, my journalism work, and for our country, which I believe will be able to recover from all the attacks from the Right.

If you’re one of the 41.9 million people driving to Thanksgiving dinner or the 3.1 million flying for the holidays, safe travels.

If you're one of the 165 million people who will be shopping during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, be sure you make a budget for holiday spending and a plan to carry it out.

Thanks for reading my blog this year. I love doing researching on consumer and personal finance issues and writing about them every day.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist