The idea for Father's Day is attributed to Sonora Dodd, who was raised by her father after her mother's death during childbirth. While listening to a sermon at church on Mother's Day, she thought about all her father had done for her and her siblings and decided fathers should have a day, too. Because Dodd's father was born in June, she encouraged churches in her area, Spokane, Washington, to honor fathers that month. The first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane in 1910.
Over the years, the idea spread, and people lobbied Congress to establish the holiday.
Shopping
This year three-quarters of consumers say they plan to celebrate Father's Day, according to the annual survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. While fewer consumers expect to take their dads out for Father’s Day, they’re planning other ways to celebrate.
We’re living the life of the coronavirus pandemic. We’re staying home and picking up groceries or having them delivered. Then, George Floyd is murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a police officer pressed his knee on his neck for 9 minutes.
Despite stay-at-home orders, thousands of people burst out of their homes to protest in cities throughout the nation, some not wearing face masks. Then, the riots and looting begin.
It’s upsetting in so many ways. Another black person killed by police, needlessly. Local officials slow to take the right action. Black and brown people continuing to face police brutality and lack of job opportunities, housing, health care, and more.
I hope, at last, elected officials, working with citizens, can bring about reforms in policing and to correct the disparities that have been ravaging black communities for decades. Every citizen needs to figure out what he or she can do to move public policy on these issues forward. See this listing of anti-racism groups you can join and anti-racism resources.
For this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs, boomer bloggers are writing about:
Memorial Day, a day honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military, is Monday. Normally, most communities have gatherings and people often travel in what has become the unofficial beginning of summer.
Last year, nearly 43 million Americans took a Memorial Day weekend trip. It was the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000, with the highest set in 2005.
What are the options for Americans for celebrating Memorial Day in 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic?
Visit a cemetery. See if the cemetery you want to visit is open to family members. Have flowers delivered to your home to place on the grave. Go early so you can have a socially distanced visit.
Watch Memorial Day parades and ceremonies virtually. Check the internet to see what’s available in your area.
Today is my birthday. It’s so different to be home alone celebrating. I usually go to Madrid to spend the month of May with my daughter, who also has a birthday in May. Then, of course, in May, there’s also American Mother’s Day and Spanish Mother’s Day to celebrate.
That makes many occasions to drink cava, Spain’s amazing sparkling wine. It’s aged in underground caves for a year in a second fermentation.
I talked with my daughters today over WhatsApp, then enjoyed pizza and chocolate cake with my cava.
Spring 2020 is so different – no travel, no family events, no movies or theater performances, no eating out, no face-to-face classes, no crowds, and no long lines.
Let’s hope enough states will continue social distancing so that we don’t have a second wave of the covid-19 pandemic with thousands of deaths.
Here’s what the other boomer bloggers in our group are writing about:
Future travel for baby boomers, which includes taking small trips before venturing too far from home.
Good quotes and life lessons scattered among the various displays of goods and wares in tourist shops on a shopping trip before the pandemic.
A Bob Marley quote that points out we never really know how strong we are until it matters.
How to prepare for walking into the unknown during pandemic times.
Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting writes about these articles for the Best of Boomer Blogs #648. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to leave a comment. Boomer bloggers love to converse with readers.
Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist
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
Lannie or Fairley for boys or Judith or Sharron for girls? No, those aren’t names for 2020. Those names were popular names from the 1940s.
Names.org, a website all about names, has released predictions for the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020. New entries in the top 10 for boys this year are Henry and Alexander, while Mila made the top 10 list for girls.
The rankings were determined by analyzing the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, trends from the past five years, and current user interest from millions of visitors to the Names.org website.
Friends provide such joy in life. I was really fortunate when I moved to the Seattle area years ago and joined the League of Women Voters. I met a group of wonderful women who have become my good friends. We’ve worked on league projects together – land use, environmental, housing, educational, and children’s issues as well as registering voters. And through the years, we’ve enjoyed and helped each other so much.
Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National League of Women Voters. To celebrate in the morning, I went to the Washington State Senate to observe the reading of a proclamation honoring the league and its work. In the afternoon, I attended a Gala 100th Birthday Party and High Tea sponsored by the Tacoma-Pierce County League of Women Voters.
Galentine’s Day, in which women celebrate with their women friends who support them through all of life’s experiences.
A new dog that arrived last week.
The complicated path a writer was forced to navigate on the way to and after surgery.
Where boomers can go for support and useful information.
A blog About page that needed to be updated to add new ideas and experiences.
Opinions on the Academy Award nominated movies from 2019.
A visit to a national historic site, the home of Eleanor Roosevelt in the Hudson Valley.
Rebecca Olkowski of Baby Boomster writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #637. Click here to get the links to articles. And be sure to leave comments. Boomer bloggers enjoy hearing from readers.
Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist
Presidents’ Day is a good day to think about government and what you can do as a citizen to be involved and help it work as effectively as possible.
For decades, I’ve been a member of the League of Women Voters, an organization who’s purpose is to educate citizens so that they can become informed participants in government.
Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National League of Women Voters. To celebrate, I went to a Gala 100th Birthday Party and High Tea sponsored by the Tacoma-Pierce County League of Women Voters in Tacoma, Washington. The photo of me at the left was taken at the tea.
It makes me so happy when the Academy Awards are over. Then, I can stop watching violent movies.
So this year, although there were some great movies, the majority still were overly violent and largely male oriented.
Here are my picks for the best movies made in 2019:
Best picture
I liked “1917” best, a tale of two British World War I soldiers sent on a critical, stressful mission. Although it was violent, it was about a war. It wasn’t gratuitous violence. I thought it was a well written, engaging story.
I also liked “Marriage Story.” The writing was good, and it was about something that happens to ordinary people, a bitter divorce, although the two main characters were an actor and a director.
“Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood” didn’t catch my fancy. Spoiler alert. About an egotistical actor and his stunt man side kick, it ends up with a different twist about the Charles Manson murders. To me, it didn’t seem like an important “story” to tell.
As for “Little Women,” I’ve never liked the story. Having grown up with two sisters, I don’t find the story of sibling rivalry among sisters that engaging. However, I did enjoy the costuming with 2020 being the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and revisiting an era when suffrage leaders were doing their work.
“Ford v. Ferrari” was very good, but “1917” was better. However, it was another buddy movie like “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.” It was discouraging to see the leaders of Ford Motor Co., in the 1960s, all white men. Not a woman or minority in sight. Not even as a secretary.
When I watched “Parasite,” I was glad when it was over. It’s a dark comedy set in Korea in which members of an unemployed family target a wealthy household. I was extremely anxious that the poor family would get caught, but disgusted at the rich family, some who could tell the smell of poor people who rode the subway.
I didn’t like “Jojo Rabbit,” a Hitler youth comedy, at all. With the rise of Nazism around the world, even in the United States, I don’t think a 10-year-old brown shirt having Hitler as an imaginary friend is funny.
I didn’t see “Joker” by choice. I just couldn’t stand the idea of watching the development of a psychopathic killer, who I’d seen in terrible, awful Batman movies.
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
