Just because you are a “Baby boomer of the 21st century” do not be afraid to turn on your computer, I-phone, Blackberry or any other high-tech piece of equipment you have.

My wife and I are both in our 60s and we are learning new things every day with our computer. To start, there are courses you can attend that are not very costly. They are often available at libraries or at Adult Education classes. They may be 6 or 8 week classes, but they can give you the start that you may need.

There are also computer companies that offer training when you purchase one of their computers. Mac is one of those companies. There is a small cost for this training but it is certainly well worth it. I find that some of the books that are written may be a little intimidating, but they do work. We have an IT person that will come to our house and will help us get through something that may have been a problem to learn. What we also have found is that the computers and laptops of today are more user-friendly than the older ones.

If you are a senior that is home-bound, do not worry. There are many ways that you can find help as well. Check with your local senior center.

But if you find it really tough, you can ask your children or grandchildren for help. That is where we have gotten some of our best help…and they are always happy to see how “techie” their senior parents are becoming!

David Brenowitz is a baby-boomer who has become an internet marketer. He and his wife, Roz Brenowitz, live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Remember to do something good for someone today in the knowing that they can never repay you, and watch the world change one person at a time.

When we, the more mature baby boomers, were in our formative years, a gift often left by Santa, was an icon of our generation, and a symbol of countless memories, Union Hardware #5 steel skates. At the time, other adjustable skates were available but, if you were serious, you were “rollin’ the nickels!” Manufactured in Torrington, Connecticut, in a time when America was producing more, and importing less. From producing the best steel in the world, to textiles, from electronic innovations to Detroit’s supremacy. It’s a shame we’ve gotten so far away from the days when we led, to the current day of being led!

One thing that should be mentioned about the Union 5’s, was the trouble you would encounter when attempting to, “spark up the concrete”, in your sneakers! The soft materials and the “give” in this type of footwear, gave the skate little to “bite” into and still remain attached. We all tried tennis shoes, but they never really worked out. We were on a mission to “burn up the sidewalk”, every time we strapped ‘em on, so hard sole shoes were mandatory.

Keep in mind, we’re talking about steel-wheeled skates, rollin’ on concrete, times eight! Talk about noise!! I loved the noise, and the speed we generated on those, “wheels of steel!” We were constantly wary of bumps, in the concrete. High speed headers were brutal! I’ve got leg scars, still visible from the times, when the concrete on 124th St., “wanted some skin” and I grudgingly, made several painful donations. And then, everyone following would either dive onto people’s grass or join the painful pile up.

Those who remember, we rolled in a line of arms and legs, movin’ in concert with the noise, and the thumping of the, “cracks in the crete”, and how, after building lots of speed, would get 45 degrees on the elbows, 30 on the the knees and “lay-down” for a brief period of stylin’ and profilin’! We had “the nickels” workin’ to their utmost! Sweet as half priced penny candy!!

What was quite ironic about those who strapped on the “fives”, was the special neck adornment, worn by practically all skaters, that has, in many ways, eclipsed the popularity of the skates themselves, and of course, I’m referring to the almost cult like status, of the, “skate key”. Even when not rollin’ on our nickels, many would keep their keys on a string around their necks. It didn’t take long for every skater to come to the realization, if you didn’t have your skate key, you better be skatin’ with someone who did!

From Christmas and into the spring of the new year, we rode those “nickels”, like we had a deadline. But in late spring, early summer, the skates “morphed” into new “concrete assassins”, but that’s a story for another time. Suffice to say, our creativity would be put on full display with the transformation!

Time and Place: South Central -Los Angeles, December 1962.

Rudy Venice focuses on supplying problem solving information for baby boomers and achieving Financial Wellness. For more information on the Financial Wellness Axiom of cost savings combined with the proper mindset for generating additional income, visit my blog located at http://rudyvenice.com

As we age we do not think about getting off the floor while we are young and strong but it is something that we need to place into the fore front of our minds. We need to start thinking about the possibility of not being able to get up after a fall. The actions and planning that we do today will determine our ability to get up off the floor when we are older.

Almost everybody has seen the commercial about the oldster that has fallen and is unable to get up. While we are younger; we do not think too much about it but we need to start. As we age we will find many changes that will take place within our bodies and some of them are not going to be pleasant.

We need to begin to incorporate movements into our daily lives that address the simple act of getting off the floor. If you have not begun exercising; you need to begin now!

Think about it! How many ways can you think of to get off the floor without using something to pull yourself up? You need to develop the skills to find different ways to get back into a standing position from the floor.

Start now and begin using the different modes to get up. Now it can be easy but someday your life might be dependent upon your ability to do what is necessary to get up.

You need to take steps to strengthen your core muscles, your back muscles and your leg and arm muscles to insure you are able to continue getting up. When you think about it; you need to keep all your muscles well toned.

We are all getting get older and some of us may get weaker than we want so we need to take steps now to insure that we will not be similar to the person in the commercial that is unable to get up. We boomers are at the age where we need to take this issue serious and take proactive actions to eliminate the danger of being unable to get up.

You need to begin to exercise and after doing exercises when you are on the floor use different methods to get up. I have some tips that can help you find easy exercises into your daily life and most of them are simple and fun. Visit me at http://www.wileyweightloss.com.

You can also find some good tips and information at http://www.goodhealthdynamics.com.

She pouted in the shadows beside the winding two-lane blacktop. Her gray weathered planks were held in place by Lucky Strike, Orange Crush and Little Miss Sunbeam, hugging a loaf of bread. Old men…others in their thirties…sat on up-turned crates on the rickety front porch, whittling their philosophies of life from bits of wood. Inside, amidst the sixty-watt shadows, the heavenly aroma of fresh bread and cakes mingled with the faint scent of kerosene from the barrels out back. The ice cream freezer and soft drink cooler sat side by side, whispering like old friends…

Earl Tilson’s Grocery in the Chestoa community of Unicoi County during the fifties and sixties was only one of the many country stores that graced each small neighborhood during those days. During that time period, almost every rural community had a store, a church and a school, all within walking distance to the folks who lived in the neighborhood. Each store was unique in its own way, reflective of the owner, but some things were identical in all of them: That certain indefinable mix of sounds and smells, the dimly lit interiors and the friendly atmosphere could be found in each little country store, no matter where it was located.

Traveling into town was something the rural folks did only once or twice a month. Very few women owned cars or even knew how to drive. And for someone without a car, “Downtown” might just as well have been a million miles away.

It was nothing unusual for a parent to send their six-year-old children to the store for a loaf of bread, all by themselves. Everyone knew everyone else in the community and the parents watched out for all the neighborhood children. A loaf of bread could be bought for a quarter, and most of the time there were a few pennies extra for a candy bar or an ice cream for the child to enjoy during the walk home.

Soft drinks were available only in “returnable” bottles back then. The bottles were sent back to the soft drink bottling companies to be recycled. They could be returned to the store and the storekeeper would buy them back for a penny or a nickel each. One good day of collecting discarded drink bottles and returning them to the store netted a child more than enough to buy a sack full of their favorite candy, such as Kits or B-B Bats, (delicious fruit flavored taffy candy) which were sold two for a penny, or Sugar Daddies, Sugar Babies, Bazooka Bubble Gum, Moon Pies, Candy Cigarettes that were made to look like the real thing and tasted like peppermint, and so many other wonderful treats, some of which have become “extinct” over the years.

The little country store was the hub of the community for decades. A visit to the store was a delight for the children and a pleasant chore for the women. It served as a gathering place for the men in the neighborhood, where they discussed the weather and argued about politics, religion, and which was the best TV western, Gunsmoke or Wagon Train. The outcome of many government election has been shaped, not in city halls or campaign rallies, but right there on the porches of these old stores. Many neighborhood problems have been solved by its citizens who discussed things rationally over a cold drink and a bologna sandwich, while lounging on milk crates or on the steps of these often dilapidated buildings. These country establishments were more than a place to buy food and other necessities…they were the social centers for the men in the neighborhood. A place for them to share news and views on national and local events.

All those little country stores are gone now, they have been replaced by modern “quick-stop” markets that all look the same except for the people behind the counters. The glaring florescent lights and spacious aisles leave nothing to inspire awe in a child. The ‘country store’ atmosphere is gone and so are the wonderful sounds and smells and the tempting treats that a child could buy for a nickel and a couple of pennies.They have no front porches and no friends gather to whittle and discuss politics and weather. But they will live on forever in the hearts of those who remember them.

Leeuna Foster is a syndicated humor columnist from East Tennessee. Her column appears weekly in her home town newspaper. She is also a reporter and staff writer for The Beacon.

She has been published by the Mcfadden Women’s Group, Happiness Magazine, Byline Magazine, as well as various other newspapers around the country. If you would like to publish her column in your newspaper or magazine, you may contact her through her website at ” http://www.leeunafoster.com for more information on her fees and to gain permission to publish her work.

I am a Baby Boomer who loves Baby Boomer music. I am a product of the 50’s and the 60’s. Honestly, I do like several genre of music recordings from all periods of time, but I love just about everything to do with the music I listened to while growing up. I’m in my 60’s now and I will still pound out the drum roll on a table when “Wipe Out!” is played on the radio.

I vividly remember the major changes that occurred in new trends as they happened. The late 50’s had the “do wap” sound of black singing groups and white groups and the message was always very simple. Boy meets girl, “puppy love” takes over, boy and girl break up, and sadness sinks in… until he meets a new girl.

In the early 60’s, boys got involved with cars as well as girls (“She’s real fine, my 409!”). Soon, the boys were picking up girls in their cars and heading for the beach. If you lived in California you went surfin. If you lived on the east coast, you hung around the neighborhood and sang in harmony with your buds.

And then came the British Invasion in the early 60’s. For awhile, American singing groups took a backseat to the groups from Great Britain. The culture most definitely changed. We left the innocence of life and moved into a new eclectic state. It became down right bizarre. The culture coarsened life here in the USA.

The creativity of the music, however, was amazing. Groups and singers from both countries (England and the USA) were banging out hit after hit as music became more daring. Classic rock n’ roll, country rock, folk, R&B, and beautiful ballads all took center stage. Creedence Clearwater Revival and James Taylor had the same fans.

Unfortunately, the Vietnam war split the country and became a big part of the music scene. The songs mocked the war and the United States at the same time. It went overboard and really attacked the military. The music, I think, actually helped to cause the hurt feelings that existed between the two camps. Woodstock became an anti-war party. It became the fashionable thing to do for many.

For me, the party was over. They were raining on my parade and it would never be the same again. The 70’s produced a lot of terrific songs that continue to be enjoyed today. Same for the 80’s. I haven’t cared much for what came after that.

For us Boomers, our creative sound was gone by the end of the 60’s but it was great fun while it lasted. As my Dad always said “those were the days.” Hey, someone turn up the radio… they’re playing our song.

Phil McMillan is a writer who maintains a daily blog entitled “Baby Boomer Baloney” ( http://www.babyboomerbaloney.com ). He provides daily humor videos for his readers as well as music videos from the 60’s through the 80’s along with his own personal comments.

Phil McMillan
http://www.babyboomerbaloney.com
ptmcmillan@gmail.com