Today Is Your Day Boomer

Today is your day Boomer! Canada is doing just fine thank you at the Summer Olympics in Japan. But the real story is female! All of Canada's nine medals so far have been won by women in sports like weightlifting, softball, and swimming. What's up guys.....er, men? What's going on? I looked up some history and usually Canada's medal count is split pretty evenly between the two genders. But not this year. The girls are kicking butt and it is great to watch! So, Boomers, another heat wave is coming this week and so is more smoke in many parts of BC. Why not spend some time inside and watch these mighty Canadian female warriors do battle in places like Tokyo? It is inspiring and entertaining. Go Canada! In the meantime, I will take a few days on holiday and hope to see you very soon on this daily blog. Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! I guess there is a silver lining in every black cloud right now. There are over 250 forest fires burning in BC right now....another terrible summer fire season with no end in sight, and the Okanagan Valley is experiencing it in full force. But just check out all the beautiful pictures on line. People are lining up to get incredible pictures, especially sunrises and sunsets like this one, and the orange and red colours are just so amazing. Of course, it is a real reminder of the power and destruction of fires, but it does bring some small measure of beauty in a difficult time. And by the way, this is not to downplay the human impact of these fires. So, Boomers, get up early or stay up late, and start clicking! It is a tense summer that you can still enjoy. Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! Who wants to talk hockey in the middle of summer? I do! And that's because there is a new hockey team in town.....I mean, close by, and that is the Seattle Kraken. The club is supposedly named after a sea monster which, if you believe the old stories, used to swim up and swallow whole sailing ships! Maybe the hockey Kraken will do the same to the Vancouver Canucks which struggled mightily last year and may be ripe for the taking. Afterall, the Canucks will be the main nearest rival for the Seattle team and the rivalry could become very heated like the one in soccer between the Whitecaps and Sounders. Whatever happens, it is healthy for the sport of hockey and already the Kraken have stolen one of the Canuck young players in Cole Lind. That happened in the expansion draft this week with more excitement to come tonight in the junior draft and then free agency! You can tell I like hockey, right? But I still will follow my number one team the most..

Today is your day Boomer! Let's get into summer salads Boomers. Less hamburgers, hotdogs, wine, and beer....and more of the stuff that is really good for you and will help you live longer! Also, summer salads can be fantastic because you can load them up with lots of fruit; look at this picture from my dinner a few nights ago and you will see fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. We often add cut-up apples and oranges to our salads too. Combine with some fresh homemade sourdough bread and you have an easy, cool, nutritional summer dinner that tempts your tastebuds! Oh, I sound like Martha Stewart. Sorry about that, but I strongly feel that most of us can improve our diets.....especially in the summer when we tend to over indulge. So, fruit it up Boomers and enjoy! Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! What's up with the price of gas? Just what we need as our post-COVID world opens up again, we see fuel prices heading close to the 2 dollar/litre plateau! And as Boomers, we are big fuel consumers. We have boats, RVs, big trucks, and other recreational units like ATVs and motorcycles......so, I see alot of grumpy faces at the gas station. What about that cross-Canada RV trip you were planning this fall with your spouse? What about prices for airline and cruise tickets? Will they rise? Will you still go? What a bummer! OK.....what to do about it? (1)When the US border reopens, buy your gas there. (2)Use your Air Miles to help subsidize the high price. (3) Buy a small electric car, scooter, or bike for short trips around town. (4)Buy a more fuel-effecient vehicle(ie. a compact car instead of a SUV) (5)Walk and bike more than drive; it is good for you. (6) Downsize from two vehicles to one and carpool more. It is a fact of life Boomers. Fue

Today is your day Boomer! Golf can be a dangerous game. What, you say? Golf? You've got to be kidding. I am not and here is why. Check out the picture and take a minute to think about the dangers of sunstroke, sunburn and the possibility of skin cancer. When playing golf, I walk for over four hours in the bright sunshine three days a week. Now, I wear lots of sunscreen and a proper hat but alot of people don't. Other dangers.....well, how about these: lightning strikes, rattle snake bites, aggressive bear or coyote attacks, getting hit by fast-moving golf balls, overturning high speed carts, poison ivy, and heart attacks while walking up steep hills. I have heard from fellow players all of these things happening on golf courses.....not to mention drinking and driving car accidents involving golfers who had too much to drink on the the 19th hole! Yes, Boomers it is a dangerous sport.....but some one has to do it, and apparently we do it more than any other generation

Today is your day Boomer! How lucky was I when my daughter came home this week! First of all, I hadn't seen her for months due to COVID rules and secondly, she wanted to celebrate Fathers's Day with me in July....not June. Naturally, I said yes. But the reason this is in my blog is that she wanted to celebrate in a different way. There would be no actual "present" this year (like a golf shirt) but day-long "activities" with her instead. So, we focused on three things: a beautiful boat ride/swim in the morning, wine tasting at three different wineries(including my favourite!) in the afternoon and a late afternoon appetizer cultural meal. Wow, what a great idea! It was all about the experience and it was so appreciated following a long period of so much isolation. Boomers, I know you get it. Time spent is way more important than money spent.....and we can do the same thing with our kids and grandchildren for their special days. Try it. Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! Just because it is a little smokey outside, does that mean you should stay inside at home and do nothing? OK, yes, if you have a medical condition and the smoke can affect your overall health. But for most people, let's get on with our lives! Boomers, we have been cooped up inside with COVID restrictions for so long.....we need to ignore the fires and smoke and just get going. This is a picture from the BC Okanagan Valley two days ago where there are many forest fires. There is partial blue sky and sunshine with warm temperatures and lots of summer-time things to do: boating, hiking, biking, golfing, beaching, wining and dining, and swimmming! The Vancouver and Alberta tourists are here do their thing.....carrying on as if conditions were normal, so why not us? Social media is calling it the "Smokenagan" and "Smunshine", but it is really not too bad. So try a "normal" summer day Boomers and don't settle for clima

Today is your day Boomer! I guess the writing is on the wall for me.....and maybe for many Boomers. Our days of meat eating seem to be numbered. Yes, the medical community is telling us to reduce or eliminate red meat from our diets; my kids have all gone meatless in their personal diets; my heart condition is always on my mind; and social media is helping to sway the issue as well. By the way, the high cost of meat at the grocery store is also a big factor. So.....gone are the days of a big barbequed, juicy steak dominating my plate with a cob of corn and salad. Also gone is reams of ribs dripping with sauce and a baked potato. And whatever taco thing you see in this picture is really gone! Boomers, let's stick to fish, which is good for you, and gradually reduce our meat consumption. We'll live longer and feel better! Cheers and go "plant".

Today is your day Boomer! Age 55-75 means you are a Boomer and I am happy to say that some famous people are qualified. I don't even need complete names for these two actors. Sly is 75 and Arnie is 73 and I am proud to say they provided a lot of entertainment for us Boomers as we swept through young adulthood. The Rambo and Terminator movie series were such big hits and vaulted these two men to superstardom. They also reinforced the notion that "action" movies were big blockbusters and sequels were moneymakers too. I looked forward to each and everyone.....but I did make one mistake with one of the Rambo flics. I decided it was a good "first date" movie for a new girlfriend.....but she was just not into blood, gore, shooting, violence, and thrills. I found out later, after no second date, that a RomCom would have been a better choice for this church-going girl. By the way, I saw the Sly movie again two days later! Maybe, just maybe, Boomers, we should

Today is your day Boomer! Or is it? Are we, as a generation, spending too much time on our cellphones and tablets surfing the net? A new survey of 1000 Boomers found that we spend, on average, about 5 hours per day on line! 20% of that is on Facebook (which of course is probably where you are accessing this blog!), Instagram is in 2nd place, and email is 3rd at about 43 minutes a day. Wow. Let's do the math. Five hours a day is about 35 hours per week.....which, ladies and gentlemen shake your head, is about 76 DAYS per year spend on the internet! 76 days.....time well spent some of you will say. But, what about walking, biking, reading, playing with your grandkids, boating, hiking, watching sunsets and all those "other" things you can do live instead of staring at a screen? There must be a better balance there somewhere. Check your device. Discover your daily "net" number and maybe it will be a wakeup call Boomers. Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! Looking to invest in the future.....looking for a good way to earn money in your retirement? No, I am not one to give you financial advice, but........global warming means warmer days and more sunshine right? It also means more bad stuff like forest fires, wacky weather, and melting of the polar ice caps. But.....look at this picture and imagine a place like the biggest desert in the world with a global purpose?! The Sahara becomes a world provider of power instead of just a big, stinking, hot, sand pit! Would you invest in something like this? I might, not only for myself and my bank account, but more for global access to cheap electricity. By the way, 13% of the world, about 940 million people, do not have access to power. That is ridiculous. As a 1st world Boomer, I can afford a lot of things.....maybe, just maybe, I have to start thinking more "globally". More "we than me"! Cheers Boomers.

Today is your day Boomer! "A dog is a man's best friend"......as the old saying goes. And during this recent pandemic, more and more people acquired pets to keep them company and help them through the loneliness of being bottled up inside. Well, now we can go out, socialize, have some fun, and bring our dogs with us! I, sometimes, bring my golden retriever on my powerboat outings where she gets lots of swims. The guy in this picture seems to have boating with two dogs figured out as well! But through all of this, one thing remains true. Any dog is extremely loyal to its family and deserves lots of love, exercise, and respect. In fact, I just saw one study that stated many divorced Boomers would prefer to have a dog as a mate rather than getting married again! Wow, that is true love.....and shows the importance of companionship as Boomers age. Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! Pickable.....most everything is pickable in my backyard right now and it is awesome! From ripe, juicy cherries off my five trees, to two rows of fresh raspberries, to five outdoor plants of cherry tomatoes, green crunchy cale in the garden box, and rhubarb in a big planter: it is all ready for harvesting. With lots more to come: beans, peas, carrots, herbs, apples and pears to name a few. I pity the people stuck in condos with no green space and gardens. It is refreshing, energizing, and great for the environment as more and more Boomers understand the importance of home gardens and buying "local". If you can't grow it, buy it from local growers....I say, even it is more expensive. Go to local fruit stands, support local farmers markets, and don't forget bartering with your neighbours for produce items you may not grow. One bucket of cherries from me could equal six cobs of fresh corn from a friend who lives down the street. Go gree

Today is your day Boomer! Ah...the post-pandemic world, I love it! No more restrictions, no more masks, rampant socialization, big family parties, school and community sports return etc.etc.etc.! Uh, slow down world. I don't think so.....not quite yet. It is a "staged" approach to full freedom and we have to take small, cautionary steps. For example, mask wearing. A recent poll in BC shows about about half of us are still wearing masks and are uncomfortable taking them off especially inside public buildings like grocery stores. The other factor to consider is this new "variant" which is still with us and has the potential to be very spreadable and very dangerous. And what about other variants that may come along? So, slow down Boomers. Take some baby steps and let's transition back to normal life slowly.....following government and medical health guidelines. Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! I guess this whole climate change thing is partially our fault. Afterall Boomers, our generation encouraged tremendous growth of the oil, coal, and automotive industries since the end of World War II.....and now we have to live with the consequences. This picture shows what I am talking about. While the rest of Western Canada was suffering through a record-breaking heat wave in the past two weeks, one small town in the same region encountered hail....and, I mean, really big hail and lots of it! All of this is a sign of wierd, unpredictable weather which is a result of global warming. Even the heat dome that hit us was partially caused by "warming" of the Pacific Ocean and hundreds of people in BC have died from the effects of too much heat. Boomers, we need to take responsibility and do our part to try and reduce global carbon emissions.....individually, politically, and collectively. WE ALL WILL BENEFIT! Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! I'm back......back from four days of holiday dodging forest fires, smoke, heavy traffic, and high gas prices. Sounds terrible, doesn't it? Uh...uh. It was sooooo worth it just to participate in something we all need....NATURE! Check out the picture. That's me enjoying a terrific swim at a mountain lake near our family summer cabin. It was part of a boat tour where we saw bears, mountain sheep, loons, fish, waterfalls, and perfectly-calm water for as far as we could see.....a lake like glass! Boomers, various medical experts state that being in nature does many wonderful things for us: it reduces stress, anger, and fear; it produces emotionaly-pleasant feelings, and it reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension. It sounds like we could all use a BIG does of nature in this smoke-filled, post-pandemic world. Go get it Boomers....it is very close to you. Cheers!