Boomer Stories | Boomer 55+ Places to Live and Retire

How Being Age 62 Is Today

When my mother was age 62, I was about 22 years old. Mom had white hair and worn an apron over her dress. All her meals were made from scratch. She worked in the garden and canned vegetables for the winter. Mom relaxed at the end of a day under a shade tree in her favorite lawn chair. My parents did not have air conditioning and did not complain about that. She was poor but proud. She enjoyed the simple things in life until she passed on at age 70. Mom enjoyed small town living.

Now I am 62 and my oldest daughter is in her 40’s. Unlike my Mom, I am divorced and still working. My wardrobe consists of uniforms, jeans, tee shirts, sandals,shorts, and leisure outfits. There is no apron and my hair is bright RED. I only put on dresses for weddings and such. Most of my meals are fixed in the microwave. My air conditioning runs at top speed in my apartment. I DO complain if it does not work properly. The nearest shade tree that I can sit under is down the street at the city park. There is no garden to work in because my little concrete patio is outside my front door and gardening is not allowed here. The patio is big enough though for a potted plant.

Mom was so happy to see 62. Sixty two meant that she and my Dad could finally draw their social security and not have to worry about working outside the house. It even enabled them to be able to purchase their first little home. At 62, I have owned and sold five houses which are gone along with husbands. Social security does not mean security nor the ability to purchase a house. Mom wrote me letters each week and sent them by the United States Postal Service. In them she made many strong suggestions on how I should live my life in the big city. I don’t write letters to my daughters but do read about them on face book now and then. I don’t tell my kids how to live their lives because that would not go over well with them AT ALL.

At 4a.m. most mornings, my Mom was ready to get out of bed to fix a down home cooked breakfast. Since I work the night shift, 4a.m. is a time to stretch, rub my red eye balls, and dream about going to bed. Mom never drove a car. I drive one all night at work. I wonder what she would say about THAT.

Yes, being 62 today is a bit different than when my Mom was age 62. There are still some things that are the same. My mother loved her children and I do too. My mother appreciated the value system that her Mother taught her and I do too. My mother did what was necessary to live her life one day at a time and I do too. My mother had pride and I am grateful to say, “I do too!”

Originally posted 2011-04-14 22:06:50.

Boomer Stories: The Parrot Was Set Free

She put him in his cage as the blood ran down her finger and had a few words to say to the parrot. These were her words, “You are just like one of my ex husbands that bite the hand of the person that feeds you so guess what? I am getting rid of you just like I did him!”

Now I do not claim to be a bird expert and this story will tell you why. Many years ago I took my yearly vacation to visit my brother and his wife in Florida. On arriving at their house I noticed a beautiful parrot had been added to their family along with Albert and Duchess the great Danes. Unfortunate for me they had to leave for work soon after my arrival. That was the beginning of my bird story.

I sat down in the lazy boy chair to do a little relaxing. The next thing I knew the parrot was flying around the room making a lot of funny noises. Now I didn’t know parrots had such big wings. So I stood up. The parrot came right at me. I ducked. Then here it came again. I took off to the kitchen. Here came the parrot. The next thing I knew it landed on my shoulder and was snapping at my ear. This was not very pleasant since I really needed my ear. When I would raise my hand toward the bird it would snap at my finger. By this time I was getting a little fearful because the bird had taken up permanent residence on my shoulder and had no intentions of leaving.

Since Albert the Great Dane was brave I decided to solicit his help. I slowly moved to the floor, laying on my stomach with bird climbing down my back. I called Albert over thinking he would take care of this bird situation but instead the bird snapped at Albert and Albert took off. Time passed and my nerves were quite on edge not knowing what to do with this bird on my shoulder that appeared to have a taste for my ear. I looked for a work phone number to call my brother but none to be found. My shoulder was aching, my heart was pounding and over an hour had gone by with bird still attached to me.

At this point I was willing to try anything so I found a telephone book and called an exotic bird shop to see if they could give me any suggestions of getting this dog gone bird off of my shoulder. I was somewhat hysterical when I made the call. The person on the other end of the telephone line was of no help at all and was very concerned that I was going to hurt the bird. No way. Hec, I couldn’t figure out how to even get my hands on it without coming up with a missing finger or something.

Then I came up with another idea. I got a towel out of the linen closet and slowly folded it over my lower arms and hands. Now the last thing I wanted to do was upset this bird that was still checking out my ear. Slowly but surely I raised my arms, threw the towel over the bird, made a quick move and off the bird flew but oh was he mad. He was diving at me again. I took off to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan for protection but I didn’t want to hurt the bird. Plus now how would that have looked to my brother when he came home seeing his parrot laying in a frying pan.

Well I guess the parrot got tired of playing his silly game and went to his cage which pleased me very much. Cautiously I slammed the bird cage door and finally after many hours I was parrot safe.

Now that was a story that my brother truly enjoyed with his sense of humor but we made a deal parrot stays in cage or I go to a hotel. Now the only thing we could figure out was the parrot just loved my red hair. Who knows. Maybe he thought I was another parrot or something. Anyway, my sister-in-law came home from work not knowing of this happening because she worked late at night. The next morning, I came out of my bedroom to once again be greeted by a flying parrot. Lucky for me this time my sister-in-law grabbed the bird but it was not lucky for her.

The bird took a large bite out of her finger. Now I am here to tell you parrots make mistakes too and that was a BIG mistake. She put him in his cage as the blood ran down her finger and had a few words to say to the parrot. These were her words, “You are just like one of my ex husbands that bite the hand of the person that feeds you so guess what? I am getting rid of you just like I did him!”

Now that is the end of my bird story. My sister-in-laws finger healed, the parrot got a new home and my ear returned safely to the city of St. Louis. Oh and by the way, I have no desire to own a parrot even though they are beautiful birds at a distance. Every parrot has its place and that place is not with me! So now that I am almost 62 years old I just prefer watching a Robin sitting in a tree.

Originally posted 2010-12-22 15:27:22.

Night Time Foot Warmers Never Change

It’s a bit chilly outside this morning which took my mind on a series of thoughts. As a country gal, we only had one little stove which sat in the living room. The rest of the house was with out heat. Now talk about a cold bedroom.

The bed had lots of covers. There were the flannel sheets and at least six homemade quilts. My mother made those quilts by hand. She used fabric from discarded dresses, curtains and so forth. Then the fabric was cut into little squares and sewed together. For a lining she sewed in old army blankets or sometimes cotton from rolls. Now this was warmth. Once you got into bed and found a comfy spot that is where you stayed for the night. There was not much tossing about because the covers were so heavy it was difficult to turn over. Then of course there was the problem of keeping one’s nose warm. In order to breathe it had to come out from under those covers. I can even remember wearing a cover over my head which helped keep the ears warm.

Today quilting is a hobby. There are quilts in the department stores with beautiful designs and colors. If one chooses to have cotton sheets those can be purchased also but are much different from the old days. Now they are smooth and fit the bed tightly. Back in the day each morning it was an ordeal picking little cotton balls off ones flannel nighties after arising.

Now we turn the thermostat just to the right temperature. The ladies deck out in silky sexy attire and they even have those silky pajamas for men. For true warmth there are electric blankets with his and hers separate controls on them. Even the family dog has a fancy cozy sleeping bed of its own.

If you still have a bed partner there is something that still hasn’t changed; COLD FEET! Cold feet are just cold feet. Now I don’t have a partner so I really don’t have to be concerned with that today but I still haven’t forgotten. Back in my early first marriage I headed for bed ready to sleep. Then here he came and over came those COLD FEET. Now much later in life with the nice heated blankets and temperature controlled bedrooms here he came with those same icicle COLD FEET.

So the bottom line to this story is just this. If you have a partner at any time in life that you still sleep with make ABSOLUTELY SURE that there are nice warm HIS and HERS socks for those Cold feet. After all they can be removed when the body temperatures start to rise. If you are a house hold of one like me, just jump in the bed drift off to sleep and thank the lucky stars that you don’t have to get that shocker coming your way of the COLD FEET.

Originally posted 2010-12-26 17:28:23.

Boomers Are Strong And Persevere

This is a list of some of the positives that we boomers took part in during our life time.

There has been a lot of writing about different opinions about baby boomers. Some say that we brought about drugs and a different value system to this world. As each generation comes along they are recognized for different things that happened during their era. Boomers are no different.

I choose to dwell on the good regardless of what era it is. No one generation is all bad or all good. We all contribute to change and deal with what is put before us. Each person is unique in their own way. Instead of wallowing in the blame game, why not pull together and create a more loving, caring, environment for all people. Stick with the basics. Use gratitude instead of woe is me. Use forgiveness instead of resentments. Do the right thing. Cultivate an attitude that you will be proud of and those around you will be drawn to follow. Be a winner by setting an example that even the smallest child can see the good in you. Show respect. Do not be afraid to look another in the eye with pride in what you do. You are important and each thing, big or small, can impact a life. That life may just be the one that will finish what you started. This is a list of some of the positives that we boomers took part in during our life time.

We brought on some great rock music which will never be forgotten.
We were there to start the tearing down of prejudice walls.
We watched as the first man walked on the moon.
We took small country roads and made them into highways.
We connected communities so that better health care could be offered to rural areas.
We pounded at the doors of our educational system until it improved.
We protected our country with the dedication of women and men that were strong and persevered.
We came to the relief of our neighbors during disasters such as floods, tornado, and earth quakes.
We restored national monuments so that our history would never be forgotten.
We built bigger, better, and safer parks so that families and children could enjoy what our country had to offer.
We improved transportation so that we all would have the opportunity to enjoy the best.
We introduced the computer, found cures for some diseases, instilled hope for the younger generation.
We changed the way mental institutions were run and put forth guidelines in hospitals for the best of patient care.
We improved sporting events and challenged our youth.
We marched in the biggest of parades and held children on our backs to cheer the folks on.

These are but just a few things that boomers have been involved in as we stood strong. We were not known as quitters. Our lives have touched many. It is up to each one of us what type of impact we want to make on each other. Boomers are no more important or less important than any other generation of people. We love our children, grandchildren, the elderly and all that are persevering as we go through the trying times of today. Love is a powerful emotion so let the love light shine. We need each other. So when you walk down the street, help that elderly person, smile at that little child, encourage that hurting soul and remember that life and love will only go hand in hand if we do our part.

Originally posted 2011-06-08 15:27:24.

Boomer Memories: Missed Opportunity to Learn About Football

Back in the day I came from a small country town where basketball was the in sport. I do not remember the guys playing football. Later I moved to St. Louis and was busy raising my girls so I didn’t watch the game. One night I was out with a new friend that asked if I mined meeting a friend of his. We walked over to a table where a man was sitting. My friend said, “Ann, this is Bill Wilkerson.” Now in the late 70’s early 80’s I met some real Gentleman. This fella named Bill, stood up and extended his hand for a hand shake. He said, “Ann, I am very pleased to meet you.”

I put my little bitty hand into this great big hand was in total awe. Of course the first thought that came into my head fell out of my mouth. I replied, ” Wow, you sure do have the prettiest voice that I have ever heard.” At that point everyone went into a fit of laughter and I had no idea why. I thought I had given the man a compliment.

So my friend explained that this man Bill Wilkerson was a radio station announcer here in St. Louis and did the sports about football. Now back in those days I didn’t believe much that any man told me so I just replied, “Well, I don’t know nuttin about no football.” Everyone started to laugh again so I figured I would just let them have their fun since I didn’t believe anything being said anyway. Now this man Bill was very friendly, polite, courteous and tried to convince me that he was who my friend said he was. Mr. Wilkerson even gave me a nice compliment. He said, “You are such a pleasant person and I have really enjoyed meeting you. I need to send you a book about all you need to know about football.”

We had a lot of fun sitting and chatting. There wasn’t much talk about football since I had set them all straight that I didn’t know anything about the game. I must say they were real gentlemen and kept the conversation going about things that I could join in and laugh about.I still didn’t believe this nice speaking man was a radio announcer.

The next morning I arrived at work. Now my co worker always listened to the early AM radio station KMOX. I arrived as usual full of myself to tell her of my last nights fun story and how I didn’t believe a word of it. She listened attentively. Then she shook her head as her radio played on her desk. Now she was a much older and wiser person than me. When I finally shut my mouth she said, “Bill Wilkerson the radio announcer on KMOX just said that he had met a very nice lady last night that he laughed with but he did not get her address. He stated that she said she didn’t know nuttin about football and he wanted to send her a book.”

Here it is Super Bowl Sunday. I still don’t know anything about football but I am willing to learn. If you are watching have a real good time. If you are out and about watching and someone with a beautiful voice introduces himself as Bill Wilkerson listen up! Don’t miss the chance of a life time to learn a lesson from one of the greatest like I did. Also remember that you can enjoy laughter and fun while watching the commercials. 🙂

FBI honors Bill Wilkerson

Originally posted 2011-02-06 21:44:10.

A Night Out With A Working Boomer

It’s 9 p.m. the alarm clock sounds. It is time for the Working Boomer to suit up and show up for night shift duty in security. At 10:30 p.m. the work night begins. It’s dark. The 5 senses; sight, sound,touch,smell, and taste are on high alert.

I walk. The weather is cold. My face burns from the wind. The school building from the outside looks secure. I check the doors. One is unlocked. I go into the school. I proceed with caution. Everything appears secure. I listen for unusual sounds. The building is clean. I smell wax. The floors have a new shine. I open a door to a closet. In it are mops and cleaning supplies. The hallways are decorated with student projects. I read. One sign says, “Check your ATTITUDE.” Another sign lists ways to SUCCEED. There is a picture of Mother Teresa smiling. I smile. I continue my check. All is clear.

I drive down a long road to my next school. My headlights are on high beam. I slow down. A deer crosses the road in front of me. A raccoon ducks back in to the grass at the side of the road. A possum lays on the road.It has been hit by a vehicle. I arrive at the next school. Morris the cat is hanging out at the dumpster. Mr. Rabbit sits in his hole. I smell the smoke from fire places in the near by neighborhood houses. The lights in the houses are turned off. People are asleep. I continue my walk. That building has been checked.

I return to my patrol car. I hear a helicopter overhead. It must be taking someone to a near by trauma emergency room. I drive down the road. There sits a police officer watching everything closely. Bright lights come on behind me. A siren sounds. I pull over to let the fire truck pass. I wonder where the fire is. I start to get a little sleepy. I stop at the nearest 7 eleven store. I smell the aroma of fresh brewed coffee. I pour a cup and take a sip. It’s hot but I become more alert. I pay and leave.

I drive to the next school. It’s 1:00 a.m. A vehicle is parked in a dark area at the back of the school. I shine my spot light. I see 2 people inside. I contact another security officer by nextel telephone. I let him know that I will be getting out of my car to investigate. I approach the car on foot cautiously. I grip my flash light. The car windows are steamed over. I feel the heat from the car engine. I look inside. Two people are in the vehicle straightening their clothing. I ask for ID.s. They are over 17 years on age. I ask more questions. I explain the rules of tress passing on the property. I look around. I see nothing damaged in the area. I ask them to leave. They cooperate peacefully and drive away.

It is getting later. The night dark air is much colder. I turn up the heat in my vehicle. Dave Ramsey is on station 97.1 talk radio station. He is explaining how to become debt free and be a millionaire. I listen. My mind wanders. I think about my birthday coming up this month when I will be 62 years old which is early retirement age. I think about the thousand dollars I could drawn from social security which is not enough to live on. I think about the good health care benefits that I have on my job knowing if I retired at 62 there would be no health care for me. I change the radio station to the oldies station to listen to some good music from my early years of living.

I drive to the next building. The paper man pulls in. He sets the papers at the school door and leaves. He is another working boomer out in the night. Then the milk man and bread trucks pull onto the school grows. Their delivery is made. A semi truck pulls in. It’s dark. He turns his truck around. He missed his turn to the warehouse down the road where he was to pick up a load to take to a grocery store. I wonder if he is alert. I think about his family. How long has it been since he has been home. How long has it been since he has had a home cooked meal. I look across the road at the County Police Dept. and jail. I hear noises. A person is becoming verbal with the officer as he is being taken in to the jail.

I drive to the school bus lot. It is all secure. It is 4 a.m. and drivers are starting to show up for their day of work. A few minutes later I look again. The school buses are now running. The buses are being pre tripped. The bus lights are on. The lights shine brightly in the dark.

I drive to the high school and park. I roll my car window down. I hear water rushing in the sewer drain by my vehicle. I think to myself, “Why is there water running in the drain. It has not rained for weeks. I get out of my car to check. The water is clear. A pipe must be broken. I do a check. I leave a message for a day maintenance person regarding my observation. My telephone rings. The alarm company is on the other end. They tell me there is an alarm going off at one of my other schools. I respond to that school. I investigate. There is no intruder. A motion sensor just detected something that fell off the wall. I am not afraid. I can not allow fear to over take me. This is my job!

I report back to the main high school. The stars are twinkling but I see that the sun is about to creep out. My night shift duty is about over. I wipe my face with a cold cloth. I need to look alert. I put eye drops into my eyes to cover the red. The custodians arrive. The school building comes alive with lights turned on. It is 5:30 p.m. Cars are pulling up to the entrance of the school. Parents are dropping off their children prior to going to their day job. I watch as the teen ages enter the building. I smile. They are our future.

It is 6:30 a.m. and my shift is over. I put on my sun glasses to drive home. The light hurts my eyes. The road now is full of traffic. The day people are up and rushing off to their jobs. Everyone is in a hurry. My night time peace is no longer on the roads. I arrive home. I enter my apartment. I take off my heavy work boots and massage my feet. I prepare for my bedtime rest. I have seen the world through rose colored glasses. I have seen the world with real glasses. I think of a quote by Winston Churchill. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” I SMILE. My night was a success. I maintained courage. I say a prayer. I thank God for the opportunity and strength that He has given me. I ask Him to give that same strength to others as they begin their work day.

Is is now time for WorkingBoomer to rest but not RETIRE. I smile again. Life is just as it is suppose to be just for day. My night was a SUCCESS. Now it is time to rest..

Originally posted 2010-12-06 23:43:39.