The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

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

Facts and figures for Thanksgiving 2019

Provided by Nationwide

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

Baby boomers get ready for the holidays and look beyond

I’m stressed. The holidays are coming, and I’ve been working on my book about my journalism career instead of getting ready. However, I put on a “full court press” and have sent out my holiday cards and presents. Whew. It was a big job to do in a couple of weeks.

Many in our baby boomer blogging group are also thinking about the holidays, but some also are addressing other issues and events.

Since it’s Thanksgiving this week, Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting began to think about holiday trivia and traditions past and present, universal activities as well as annual events that take place closer to home. She summarizes her holiday musings in this week’s post “Thanksgiving Trivia.”

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants, & Scribbles admits it...she likes simple. That’s why Thanksgiving appeals to her. Yes, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and the Fourth of July all have perks, but, for her, there’s something unassuming and lovely about Thanksgiving. Here are eight things she adores.

During the holiday season, grief can be especially difficult because grief holds on tight. It's a time to be even more supportive to those who have lost a loved one. In "Do You Wonder Why the World's Still Standing," Carol Cassara at A Healing Spirit talks about some ways to be supportive.

Jennifer Koshak of Unfold And Begin asks the question: After that last crumb of pumpkin pie has been eaten this year...what's next? Do your children or grandchildren immediately turn their thoughts to what they will get from Santa this year? Is there more "wanting" than "giving" in their Christmas talk?  And, how can you help them to think about Christmas as more than just a time of getting more? This week, Koshak shares a guest post from one of her friends that includes holiday Vision Board craft activities to get your children/grandchildren focused on the season of giving.

In “What Are We Doing?” Tom Sightings from Sightings Over Sixty takes a look at his coastal environment. Unfortunately, the one word that comes to mind is: plastics.

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com is excited to announce that she’ll be appearing on a new live stream TV show for Awake TV called “Now It’s My Turn: Unstoppable Women Over 50” on Nov. 24. If you miss it, the video will be available online on the show’s website. It will be hosted by Lana McAra. For more information about it, click here.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs 624. Click on the links to read the great stories offered by boomer bloggers. And, be sure to leave a comment. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

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

Best wishes on Veterans Day

There are about 20.4 million veterans in America, and they make up less than 10 percent of the adult population in the country, according to the Pew Research Center.

The center offers these facts about those who have served in the military and how they’re changing:

1. Gulf War-era veterans now account for the largest share of all U.S. Veterans, surpassing Vietnam-era veterans in 2016.
2. The share of the U.S. population with military experience is declining with 7 percent of U.S. adults as veterans in 2016, down from 18 per cent in 1980.
3. More women will be veterans with the 9 percent in 2016 increasing to 18 percent by 2045.
4. Fewer members of Congress have prior military experience with 20 percent of senators and 19 percent in the current Congress having served compared to 81 percent of Senators and 75 percent of House members after the Korean War.
5. The Department of Veterans Affairs receives a low favorability rating.