Today Is Your Day Boomer

Today is your day Boomer! You know those firefighters who are out there every day protecting us? Working in extremely dangerous conditions, high heat, toppling burnt trees, swirling winds, and thick cloud: they sleep in tents and have to use porta-potties. I feel for them, but most of the hotel/motel rooms in many BC communities are already filled with fire evacuees and lingering summer tourists. These poor, hard-working people.....what they wouldn't give for a nice big, comfortable bed and air conditioning. I admire their stamina, courage, and determination as they battle continuous fires around us day after day! And they just get one under control, and another fire starts up usually for some dumb, human-caused reason like a discarded cigarette. Or they make great progress in one day and the wind comes up in the late afternoon and makes the whole thing even worse....again. It must be so frustrating. But we, Boomers, want to thank you and say keep your collective chins up...

Today is your day Boomer! I am really proud of a group of retirees, many of them Boomers, who are taking a big step in the community of Sechelt, BC. This group, which calls itself Coasters Helping Coasters, has 25 volunteers that are taking over jobs in restaurants that can't find hired help. There, apparently, is a big shortage of workers on the Sunshine Coast and these businesses are now able to stay open in a difficult time. Some of the retirees are just donating their time and others are telling the businesses to donate their earnings to charity like the local foodbank. What a great idea! I applaude these Boomers as they donate their precious retirement time to a very good cause and don't forget, they can act as mentors to any other people who eventually want to take over the jobs. Boomers, this is definitely the "Me To We" social concept and I know many of us embrace it! Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! "It's a dog's life." Have you heard this expression before and what does it mean? Well, the official definition implies if you, Boomers, live a dog's life, it is bad....it is supposed to be a miserable, depressing existance. But not for my dog. She looks kind of sad in this picture, but only because she can't decide which ball to chew or roll around on. I brought home 6 used tennis balls from the courts yesterday and gave them to her all at once! Poor girl, she is just confused. Add this to the bucket of balls outside(where there are 13 more!) and you can only say this dog is spoiled. And....I throw balls for her twice a day in the backyard and she gets at least one long walk, sometimes two, every day! Also yesterday, she received a brush and trim from my wife which always results in a milkbone reward and she had a dog friend come and stay for three days earlier in the week. It's a dog's life....huh?! Just change t...

Today is your day Boomer! But don't do this please! A video gamer from Nanaimo, BC just broke a world record by playing "Call of Duty" for 145 straight hours. That is about 6 days in a row....continuously. The young man is named Kory and he accomplished this feat in his basement just a few days ago. Wow. That's all I can say, except.....he just missed a whole lot of fun, outside summer activities that Nanaimo is famous for: sailing, wakeboarding, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, cliff jumping, and yes, even bathtub racing! This guy had to sleep 18 straight hours after he was done; imagine what this has done to his poor neck, shoulders, back, and eyes. It could be life-long physical damage.....especially his eyes. For us Boomers, the message here is it's OK to follow your passions....but really don't overdo it. Our bodies can only take so much and it would be nice to live a long, pain-free life. Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! Okay Boomers, it is fine to admit that we are all getting just a little bit older. Afterall, our "Boomer" age range is is 55-75 which means some of us are officially "seniors" and are collecting Old Age Security. But does it mean we have to act old? I don't think so.....and I have three solutions to that medical "problem" that many of us older people have, ARTHRITIS. (1) Do lots of gradual stretching before embarking on strenuous activities like tennis, hiking and biking. (2) Take some painkillers when needed, but check with your doctor on ones that don't have side effects. (3) Use your hottub or a hot bath to soak those weary bones and muscles. I follow these three rules and I have bad arthritis in my left hip; it works for me, just saying....and it keeps me active 5 or 6 days a week! Cheers!

Today is your day Boomer! Ever tried homemade pizza on your barbeque? I have....three times now, including once camping with my mini-barbeque. And you know what, it's great! You make the crust in your kitchen and then layer one side with spray oil or brushed vegetable oil. Then pop it on the outside grill at about 350 degrees. Once browned(it gets nice barbeque cook lines), flip over with a spatula and do the same on the other side.....but don't over cook. Then bring the pizza ingredients outside and add to the baked dough right on the grill, like cheese, meat, sauce, and veggies. Then bake, but not too long; you don't want the crust to blacken. Voila, it comes out just like those fire bake oven pizzas in pubs! Maybe, try a smaller size one as an experiment first.....but a word of warning, do not spray oil right on the hot grill with the propane on. It could lead to an explosion. Brush on the oil, very lightly so the crust does not stick. Give it a try Boomers!...

Today is your day Boomer! I recently met this Boomer guy at a farmers market. He played the guitar, sold specialty brooms, and called himself the "Broomer"! And apparently he is making quite a name for himself across the Okanagan Valley. So, I thought to myself.....why can't other Boomers, like us, do something similar? For example, if you owned a grave-digging company, you might call yourself the "Tomber". If you are a pessimistic futurist, you might be known as the "Doom and Gloomer". If you sold your valuable male sperm to the local sperm bank, you might be called the "Womber". If you drove too many old, smokey diesel trucks, you would be called the "Fumer". If you were a stage comedian, you might be called the "Humourer". If you like to go to nude beaches and drop your shorts, you might be the "Mooner"......and so on. You get my drift Boomers; just make it rhyme. It will stick in people's me...