Best of Boomer Blogs: July 4th Ruminations

After a chilly winter and rainy spring, it finally turned warm in Los Angeles as soon as June was over. Our weather has been unusual, to say the least, but all our plants are happy. That is, except for our tomato crop which is taking longer than usual to yield juicy red gems. They like L.A.’s normal warm weather much better than whatever happened this year so hopefully, they will kick into gear.

I can’t say I didn’t mind it being cooler especially when I went walking. I signed up for a Silver Sneakers program at 24 Hr Fitness which is near my house through my Medicare plan. They even gave me a free Garmin fitness bracelet. I was a little hesitant to join because it gets crowded in there but the fitness classes are fun, especially Zumba, which isn’t geared just for seniors. I have taken two Zumba classes so far, and need a rest day afterward but I love it.

Our American-based Baby Boomer bloggers are ready for the 4th of July. I’m not sure what the equivalent of that is in Canada where Diane lives but summer is summer and it’s a good time to play.

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Here is what our Boomer bloggers are talking about this week

Carol Cassara

This week Carol Cassara is writing her blog from a cruise ship in the middle of the Norwegian Sea. She’s been thinking about how people around us grow at different rates and sometimes not at all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward with our own lives. Read her short post “Why you don’t need anyone’s permission to grow.”

Rita R. Robison

Be sure and wear your seatbelt if you’re traveling over the July Fourth holiday so you won’t be one of the 291 people who are expected to die because they aren’t wearing the safety device, advises Rita R. Robison, consumer and personal finance journalist. See her article “Facts and Figures for July Fourth 2023” for other tips for and statistics about the nation’s fun and important birthday celebration.

Laurie Stone

Laurie reads off today’s headlines while her father sits in a hospital hallway. Other patients are around them, mostly weary old men and depressed-looking young ones. Many use walkers. In some rooms, guys perch on the edge of their beds as if they can’t decide whether to rise or not. Nurses and doctors bustle by with clipboards and medical carts. The air has an institutional, gravy-like smell. Laurie’s 80-year-old father sits in a wheelchair. It’s a different kind of Fourth…

Meryl Baer

Meryl Baer of Musings of a Shore Life looks forward to spending a long holiday weekend on her new patio enjoying a barbecue and leisurely activities such as reading, napping, gardening, and gossiping with friends and family. But first she wonders how long her island home will exist, and remembers past weather-related events experienced, discussed in this week’s post Musings on the Weather.

Diane Tolly

Diane writes:

The dating years for a girl who lives and works on a ranch can be…complicated. Often one’s boyfriends were ‘roped’ into helping.

But when ignorance and vanity collide, the results can be…memorable!