Today Is Your Day Boomer

Today is your day Boomer! Teeth issues plague many Boomers as they get older. Implants, dentures, crowns-as examples-are painful dental-chair experiences and they cost a ton of money! So, how about a new idea? Let's GROW new teeth. Yup, Dr. Katsu Takahashi of Japan is leading a new group of researchers that successfully grew teeth in mice and ferrets – animals who have a similar dental pattern to humans. The good doctor says "the idea of growing new teeth is every dentist’s dream.” And according to Global News, "testing will turn to healthy humans and, if all goes well, the team plans to hold a clinical trial for the drug from 2025 for children between two and six years old with anodontia – a rare genetic disorder that results in the absence of six or more baby and/or adult teeth." Okay....they say, maybe just maybe, this could be ready for us in about 7 years! Just in time for many Boomers in our 70's and '80s. Open wide Boomers. Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! Talk about making good out of a bad situation. A 77-year-old Boomer from Vancouver Island did just that recently after a hiking trip near Comox. Thierry Vrain and his wife like to do what he calls "steep" hiking in Strathcona Park....which means challenging up-and-down sections often on new terrain. Well, this time Thierry got turned around, took a detour, got lost and got hurt. He spent a night by himself on the mountain waiting for rescue....and it came the next morning with a helicopter and crew from the Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue team. Thierry was so impressed that he held a fundraiser on his farm, threw-in $10,000 himself, and a raised a total of $34,000 in just a few hours! According to CBC News, the CVGSR does receive government funding but it isn't enough to cover their budget. The organization relies on donations, and Vrain hopes that after hearing his story, more people will be thankful for their local search and rescue

Today is your day Boomer! You got to like it Boomers; we lost so many trees this summer to forest fires that we need more action on replanting trees! And who better to do it but young people...the kids and students of our world who will be around in 50 years to benefit. So, a group of Okanagan middle school students replanted pine and fir trees in Kelowna last weekend....the general area of a big fire. The students belong to The Better World Club; what a great name, and one of them said “Planting trees gives me hope that we can change the world one tree at a time. After all, we are the re-wilding generation.” That's a cool expression: "re-wilding". Another student said “The main reason I did this today is because we all just need a little bit of hope." Wow, you know....we always get truth and great perspective from kids. By the way, my family planted four new trees in our backyard in the past year. How about you Boomers? Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! I experienced tip-flation at an eating establishment last night. Our service was good, but not great, and I felt she deserved a 15% tip. The lowest offered on the payment machine was 18% and the highest was a whopping 30%! And....it was so hard to figure out how to change the numbers that I finally settled on the 18. Hmmmmmm, I don't like it, so I did some research and want to share with you what I think is a good tip idea going forward. It comes from CTV News and a restaurant owner in Toronto: "Jennifer Low says all her employees receive a wage of at least $23.15 per hour, which is a living wage. Inspired by her home country of Singapore and time spent in New Zealand, where neither country has a tipping culture, Low explains patrons can enjoy their food by not being surprised at their subtotal and staff don't argue over splitting tips. "By discouraging tipping, it's creating more equity and we're able to be more inclusive,&quo

Today is your day Boomer! Today is the first day of autumn as we rid ourselves of summer forest fires, drought, and heat. And, now....we can look forward to crisp, cooler days and crisp, cool apples! Yes, it is the start of apple harvest in my neck of the woods(Okanagan Valley), and it is simply awesome! The varieties to choose from: Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonogold....just to name a few. The reasonable prices, the freshness, the taste, the apple crisp desserts, the juice, the cider, that first bite....yummmmmmmmm!! To me, it is the best time of year. Don't forget to wash your apples, keep them cool in the fridge, and eat them every day. I usually have a big one for lunch and/or slices with my toast in the morning. By the way, if you keep them outside....don't let them freeze. Boomers, apples are also good for our health with lots of natural sugars and fibre. Remember, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away!" Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! More thoughts from me on our recent camping trip to the Rockies. My wife and I did a six-day journey through some wonderful scenic country....with a travel trailer...and all I can say is expect the unexpected. For all the preparation we did, we simply forgot four important items....including my knee brace which would have helped on our hiking days. Bring an extra quality-charged battery if you are dry camping. Bring an extra full propane tank in case you use too much or it gets cold. Expect higher gas costs when pulling a trailer and slower travelling times than what it says on Google. Provincial campsites in BC offer half-price camping rates for seniors, which is good, but some campgrounds are already closed for the season! Bring a tire gauge and air-pressure pump in case your tires need filling in the middle of nowhere. Anticipate extra camping costs like $10 now for a bundle of firewood and $20 for a daily pass to Canada's national parks like B

Today is your day Boomer! Just got back from a camping trip in the Rockies with a mix of good and bad news. The hiking/camping weather in mid-September was outstanding with most days sunny and in the low 20's, but a chilly 2 degrees at night! Boomers, keep that in mind when tenting and choosing a suitable sleeping bag. I was happy to have a well-insulated travel trailer with a propane furnace! Expect overflowing sites at this time of year....places like Emerald Lake and Takaka Falls were just jammed with people and parking was extremely scarce. I recommend early morning or late afternoon visit times if you are heading to these places; that includes Lake Louise and downtown Banff. By the way, Banff was just a zoo of people; one example was camping; there were three campgrounds at Banff with about 1000 spots and we barely got one on a non-weekend night! There were people everywhere.....especially tourists. You can really see the economic generator that tourism is when you g

Today is your day Boomer! Sorry readers, I was away on vacation for a week....but I did get some perspective on the price of gas during my camping trip. I spent about $600 pulling my travel trailer through the Kootenays to Calgary, then back to BC again through Banff and the TransCanada Highway. Is it fair that I paid only $1.40/litre for fuel in Alberta, but at least 40-50 cents more per litre in BC? I understand we have way more taxes in our province then they do in Alberta, but the difference seems astounding to me! And it is even worse in BC's Lower Mainland where gas is over $2.00/litre. I know, I know...add in extra rapid transit tax. And now I know why many Albertans drive faster than BC people, they can afford to!! Sorry, that is a generalization....I meant "some" Alberta drivers. More vacation thoughts and stories from me in the next few days Boomers. Happy driving. What a gas!

Today is your day Boomer! Can it really be true Boomers? Are Canadians starting to say NO to alcohol? It seems so. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians are purchasing less alcohol than they did the previous year, and many factors are at play. From shifts in weather patterns to the allure of non-alcoholic alternatives and concerns raised by the World Health Organization regarding the link between alcohol and cancer, it’s clear that the landscape of Canadian drinking habits is evolving. Just look at the numbers: according to the latest Retail Sales Update from Ottawa, Canada’s liquor and beer sales continue to show a slowdown, down 0.9% from May to June 2023. Sales are also down 2.8% from last year, a notable drop, while cannabis sales surged by 3.3%. Hmmm...we are drinking less and smoking more pot, or eating marijuana products like candy and cookies. Boomers, it seems our culture is gradually changing. Maybe it is generational?! Thoughts?

Today is your day Boomer! Right about now I would say a lot of people living in West Kelowna and the Shuswap area of B.C. would be agreeing with me. Agreement on WE NEED MORE WATER BOMBERS! This is a picture of the new De Havilland DHC-515 model that can scoop up about 6,000 litres of water in about 12 seconds! Yup. And the company is building 22 of them close by in Saanich on Vancouver Island. The only problem is all 22 are headed to Europe for fire fighting there. None are under contract for the BC or Canadian governments. However, BC Forestry Minister Bruce Ralston says this: "There is no financial challenge to the province — the money is there. Whatever it takes to protect people and property, the money is there.” To be fair, the province has spent well over a half billion dollars this year on fighting fires....but nothing on new big bombers. The minister says "whatever it takes". Okay, go for it. This was the worst fire season in BC history and it is not ov

Today is our day Boomer! Those of you that think Canada is on a downhill slide may want to think again. Our armchair pessimists may bring up recent anti-racist slurs, truck convoys in Ottawa, destructive forest fires across the nation, a struggling health care system, and growing debt as possible reasons for negativity....but it seems the rest of the world doesn't see it that way! Look at this list and realize Canada just rose one place in world rankings to SECOND! According to CTV News, "U.S. News analyzed various factors, ranging from a country's military and economic prowess to the quality of life experienced by its residents. This evaluation involves 87 countries and was based on responses gathered from more than 17,000 global citizens." Switzerland is still number one and the Trump-less USA is number five, but it is obvious that we still are a very attractive place to live. Just ask the 437,000 immigrants who came here in 2022 or the people in Ukraine who are

Today is your day Boomer! Jimmy Buffett's legacy will always be "helping people forget their troubles for a couple of hours.” He was a 76-year-old famous Baby Boomer singer, author, and businessman....but he will always be remembered for two hit songs: Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise (hence, this picture!). And according to the Canadian Press, "Buffett built an empire based largely on Caribbean-flavored pop that celebrated the Florida Keys, sunshine and nightlife. His name became synonymous with a laid-back subtropical party vibe, and his fans were known as Parrotheads." Buffett died this week after cancelling some concerts in the spring with an unknown illness. I remember many times (on a cold winter day at a sometimes-boring meeting) thinking of Buffett, and a cold drink on a warm beach! I am sure his music spawned numerous vacations to places like Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas, and even Hawaii as Boomers, like me, sought a much-needed break from daily l

Today is your day Boomer! And today is a very special day for me and thousands of other Boomers across Canada! It is back-to-school day and we-retired teachers, educational assistants, school secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, and administrators-are not there! Instead, we are practicing what is called "To Hell With the Bell"....an annual gathering of retired educators who share a meal, tell old stories, and just relax on what used to be (for us)one of the busiest days of the year! It is a fairly-recent tradition across our country and this is what happens at exactly 9am: a retiree picks up an old school bell, rings it, and the group sitting around the long table shout “To hell with the bell.” Then they go back to whatever they were doing, eating their breakfast, sipping their coffee, chatting with the person sitting next to them. One teacher says "It's remembering the good times of the job, but also celebrating the freedom retirement brings. I loved going back

Today is your day Boomer! Take a guess....how many Baby Boomers have at least one tattoo? Hmmmm. Okay, answer? About one in ten. Here is the exact number, according to a 2022 study: "Though 13% of baby boomers and 32% of Gen X-ers sport tattoos, according to a 2022 YPulse study, millennials currently carry the title of the most tattooed generation, with over 50% having at least one tattoo (according to the same study, 7 in 10 say they have more than one)." Millennials, by the way, are right now aged 25-40.....so, youngish-people in Western Society. Apparently, there is no appetite for Boomers to catchup, but the Gen Z-ers(under age 18) are rising quickly. So, what is the latest trend beyond having multiple tatts? Apparently, micro-tattoos are in....in a size "smaller than a quarter, and are subtle and easy to hide. Some of the most common tiny tattoos seen with Gen Z are hearts, stars, butterflies, animals, or small symbols related to their life.” Good to know...

Today is your day Boomer! As we launch into September this weekend, I look forward to lower temperatures and clearer skies. Forest fire smoke has dominated my life in B.C. for the past few weeks and I worry about its overall health effect on my lungs. A new study confirms this. According to CTV News, the report states that "particulate pollution can reduce the global average life expectancy by 2.3 years. That’s slightly higher than tobacco use, which reduces global life expectancy by 2.2 years." Now, I should emphasize that this is exposure over consistent, long periods of time and "can cause lung diseases, respiratory issues, and also affect the cardiovascular system and lead to strokes or heart attacks." Climate change means longer fire times, but it should also make city-dwelling Boomers think about where they live. Big cities like Toronto and Montreal have much more consistent smog and pollution than smaller urban areas like Kelowna. As an example in Bang