Today Is Your Day Boomer

Today is your day Boomer! It is a sad, sad day for this Boomer as my golf season comes to an end. I have been a member of my local course for over 25 years and this season I golfed about 60 times! Sounds good right? Well, I met a Boomer woman the other day who has golfed over 170 games this year! That is just too much for me and actually it almost sounds like an addiction. I prefer 3 times a week when I am home and I take many weeks off for holidays with my family....and I don't golf on vacation. So, what to do when the weather gets cold in November? I have already started up online bridge two nights a week, I plan to play some pickleball, I can still walk and hike, tennis will happen twice-a-week until it gets too frosty, I have chores, lots of time with my wife, watching sports on TV, writing blogs, working my part-time school trustee job, refereeing basketball, and fishin'. What, fishing? Not ice fishing, but some sunny, cool fishing days this weekend with my fam...

Today is your day Boomer! This is a perfect volunteer job for a Boomer. You can join a group called the Okanagan Gleaners which takes unused and wasted food products(like vegetables), dehydrates and packages them, and sends them off to needy people in developing countries. The food is free and is donated to the Christian organization which then organizes a whole bunch of people twice a year to assemble these soup bags. Last fall, they did about 12 million meals.....this year, about 7 and 1/2 million! And judgiing by the pictures, it looks like many of the volunteers are Boomer age.....and there seems to be a big contingent of young people as well! What a fantastic idea especially considering about 60% of Canada's food goes unused. Boomers, we need to do more of this type of activity. Let's face it, we are great at recreation and we are dedicated to exercise....but how many of us volunteer?! Food for thought, so to speak. Cheers.

Today is your day Boomer! Are you addicted to your smartphone Boomers? The latest survey of North Americans indicates the answer is yes and we, Boomers, are no longer "Luddites".....meaning we lack knowledge of technology. In fact, the survey found we spend 5 hours a day on our phones and that is very close to Millennials who are at 5.7 hours! Other numbers from the survey may surprise you: one hour per day is spent on Facebook, 44 minutes on Instagram, 43 minutes on email, 30 texting, and 23 on the internet. So it looks like we are addicted to social media, and the survey goes on to state that we are the biggest spreaders of fake news or misinformation! Wow, that is one badge I don't want on my chest. This survey is a little scary. It means we are spending too much time on our butts reading blogs like this one and not exercising and or being active. It is more understandable in the winter....but not in the active other three seasons. It is also a reflection of ...

Today is your day Boomer! Boomers, it is time for our generation to face the facts. We, are in many respects, responsible for the climate change emergency facing our planet today. Since World War II, Boomers developed industry, burned fossil fuels, exploited nature, and drove more vehicles than any generation in history.....by far. And in the race for a continuing high standard of living, many of us ignored the environmental consequences, buried our collective heads in the sand! Well, this week we have another chance to "do" something about it. And I mean DO and that means ACTION at the annual COP26 Climate Change Summit in Scotland. Represenatives from 197 nations will be there to explore ways to reduce carbon emissions quickly, not slowly. And we need to take a leading role....we have the time, the money, and hopefully the will to do it. Let's be like the global youth movement, like youth leader Greta Thunberg who says "it has been 30 years of blah, blah,...

Today is your day Boomer! Nothing like a good ol' DIY with your neighbour! We built this new farm fence together and we did it in "Boomer style". Along with help from two other neighbours, my wife and my brother, we did it slowly over three weeks and saved a ton of money. There was no labour cost....just lots of good advice and sharing of work...and an even 50/50 cost split of the fencing materials: posts, wire, staples, rentals etc. There was no rush, we shared tools, and I even took a holiday to Vancouver Island halfway through the job! Check out the picture. The fence looks great and runs right down the boundary of our property line. It increases the value of both homes and provides proper security for pets and potential grandchildren in our backyards! I like it and I like the fact that we are surrounded by great neighbours who always help each other. It really makes our Boomer retirement house a "home". Do it yourself Boomers, if you can....with ...

Today is your day Boomer! Okay Canadian Boomers, looks like many of you are getting ready to head south for the winter. Even with COVID still around, you can fly or you can drive through the U.S. starting in early November. So, here are some snowbird popular destinations hot off the press. Check out the picture and realize that Florida, Texas, and Arizona seem to be the most-travelled-to places for wintering seniors. Reasons include affordability, low crime rates, recreation opportunities, high speed internet, and long beaches. By the way, it seems smaller communities are more popular than big cities. If you are looking to buy, Mexico is still #1 followed by America, and then Costa Rica at #3. Puerto Vallarta, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen are the most sought-after housing hotspots in Mexico, while Tamarindo is top choice in Costa Rica. Check out the full details on the Castanet website if you want. So good luck, have great adventures, don't get sick, acquire a nice tan, p...

Today is your day Boomer! What would it take to get me back in an airplane? In this crazy world of continuing COVID, I think quite a few of the following measures: (1)reasonable prices for tickets (2)lots of empty seats around me (3)a mandatory double vax policy for passengers (4)increased staggering of flight times at airports to reduce congestion (5)ventilation upgrades on many airlines (6)easy-to-receive ticket reimbursements (7)and of course, better quality snacks and free alcoholic beverages......OK, skip this last one. Well, these are all great recommendations that will not happen....I think. In fact, I know they will not. So, for me it means another winter at home with no flight to the big island of Hawaii and its scenic volcanoes. No trip to Mexico for cenote swims, and no tennis and golf time in Arizona. Hmmmm....pandemic life, Boomers, goes on, and on, and on. Cheers.