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July 2012 Archives

Daily Distraction

How NOT to Throw a Pool Party

By Bob on July 31, 2012 4:48 AM | Read More

Hey you...yeah the guy in the mandantory Hawaiian shirt...can't you read? NO HAVING FUN!

Pool Party-500.jpg

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Don't Try This At Home

No Good Deed...

By Bob on July 30, 2012 4:29 AM | Read More

I did a really dumb thing the other day. I stepped out of the comfort of Blogger HQ to intervene in a situation and may have prevented a tragedy. Boomers I gotta tell you, I'll never do THAT again.

 

Here's the deal. I was slaving away in the blogosphere when our next-door neighbor called. She said that there were 3 kids swimming in the dirty, duck-poop water of one of our two neighborhood ponds.

 

"What do you think we should do?" she asked.

 

 "I'll come over and check it out," I said, noting the tension in her voice. 

 

It may look like the ol' swimmin' hole, but it ain't

Pond - 600.jpgI left the air conditioned comfort of the Bob Cave and walked across our driveway to her front yard. She was right. There were 3 kids - two girls and a boy - probably ages 6, 8 and 12, swimming in the mucky, brown (did I mention duck-poop-infused?) water. They were jumping from the bank on to the large slippery rock; and diving and swimming underwater in the 2-10 foot deep pond. Kids being, well...kids.

 

Yeah, I know, it's summer. It was hot (100+ degrees) so what's the big deal?

 

For starters, this pond ain't the ol' swimmin' hole. Sure, it LOOKS pretty, but it's one of two ponds that provide storm water drainage for our subdivision. It's home to large snapping turtles, poisonous water snakes, minnows and more geese and ducks than you can count. Dangerous? Not Great Barrier Reef dangerous. But, dangerous to 3 kids in a muck-filled pond without life jackets or adult supervision? Yeah, buddy.

 

Neighbor and I talked it over and decided I should ask the kids a couple of questions.

 

I didn't want to hassle 'em - just find out who they were, where their parents were...standard stuff. Two minutes and I'm back talking to my neighbor. The kids, figuring they've been busted, take off for home. Next thing I know, they're scrambling back through the 8' foot tall iron fence that rings our greenbelt and they're safely home. Game over.

 

Or so I thought.

 


 

That's when I found out I was clearly hallucinating. 

  

 

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Boost Your Beauty Routine Free Thanks to P&G Beauty

By Charlotte on July 27, 2012 6:38 AM | Read More

Olivia 200.jpgThis spring marked the 20th anniversary of the Emmy-award-winning The Golden Girls retirement from television. Although my mother still watches the reruns religiously, I have a hard time relating to that show.  

 

I may be approaching Golden Girls status but we Boomers of today are VASTLY different from the way Dorothy, Blanche and others in their 50s and 60s were portrayed two decades ago. We're more in tune with Sheryl Crow, who just turned 50; Christie Brinkley, who's 58; Meryl Streep, 63, and Olivia Newton-John, also 63 and a favorite because everyone says I resemble her. (It never gets old!) Like them, we're in our prime.

 

We stay active, try to eat right (for the most part) and do our best to fool father time. That's especially important since the divorce rate among those 50 and older has nearly doubled since 1990, helping make men and women 55 and older the largest group of online daters in the U.S.

 

Whether you're looking for your soul mate or still married to him after 30+ years (guilty!), wouldn't it be nice to look as good you feel? Well, the folks at P&G Beauty are here to help us Boomer Babes do just that.

 

Spoiler alert: they're offering one lucky reader a chance to win a five-piece gift set sure to boost your beauty routine. More on this Boomer-licious giveaway later!

 

In the meantime, let's start by talking beauty with the experts from P&G Beauty. They've given us the scoop on how to handle some of our top concerns about aging teeth, skin and hair.  

 

Olivia Newton-John

 


 

You could win a Boomer-licious gift set ($116 valuADVANEDCLEANSINGSYSTEM 250.jpge) including five anti-aging pros sure to help you look as good as you feel:

 

  • Crest 3D White Glamorous White Toothpaste
  • COVERGIRL & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation
  • Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System
  • Olay Professional Pro-X Intensive Wrinkle Protocol
  • Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Weightless Conditioning

 

The Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System

 

Click "Read More" for details on how to enter. Contest ends Aug. 9!

 


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Remotely Possible

Free Home Improvement App

By Bob on July 26, 2012 5:05 AM | Read More

Charlotte and I have had plenty of experience with home improvement projects. Our most recent trip to remodel heaven landed us on HGTV.

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In the Mirror

11 Terrific Eye Treatments under $100

By Charlotte on July 25, 2012 6:25 AM | Read More

Our eyes may be a mirror to our souls but they don't have to reveal our age! Why give in to dark circles (they're rampant in my family), bags and crow's feet when you can turn to terrific, at-home eye treatments like these for under $100?

 

Besides helping eyes look younger, they're a pleasure to wear under makeup and even when you head to bed. You only need a dab. They go on easy, absorb quickly and leave lasting moisture without any greasy feeling. Bonus!

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Daily Distraction

I'm Stuck On You Dad...No, Really I'm STUCK on YOU

By Bob on July 24, 2012 4:41 AM | Read More

Honey, why don't you just put your feet up and watch the kids. I'll be right back...

I'm stuck on you daddy-500.jpg

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Don't Try This At Home

Slip Sliding Away

By Bob on July 24, 2012 3:27 AM | Read More

Whenever we get the chance, Charlotte and I take the Mobile Bay Ferry over to Dauphin Island and head over to lovely Bellingrath Gardens and our favorite lunch dive in Forrest Gump Country, Bayou La Batre, AL. It's goregous scenery and along the way we're treated to sights like this.

Dauphin Boat Slips - 600.jpgDo you know what it is? 

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Here's the Dish

Oh-So-Cheesy Zucchini and Rice Casserole

By Charlotte on July 22, 2012 6:21 AM | Read More

Bob and I are wild about fresh fruits and vegetables. So, most Fridays, you can find us at our neighborhood farmer's market.

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Catching Up With..

Catching Up With...Debbie Gioquindo

By Bob on July 20, 2012 4:47 AM | Read More

You know the cliché "When life gives you lemons?" Well, when Debbie Gioquindo was laid off from a corporate gig last year, this New York State Boomer put a spin on that saying. She looked adversity up and down and instead of making lemonade she made wine - not lemon wine, but real honest-to-God wine.

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DVDelicious

Tower Heist

By Bob on July 19, 2012 3:42 AM | Read More

We have a saying in Texas that applies very well to Tower Heist, the new comedy-action-thriller from Brett Ratner (Rush Hour): "He's all hat and no cattle."  It's a Texan's way of calling bullshit on somebody who pretends to be something he's not. Tower Heist pretends to be a hilarious buddy comedy. But lift up that 10-gallon hat and all you see are a couple of jokes; a wildly implausible plot; some veteran actors phoning it in and over-the-top product placement.

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Here's the Dish

Easy Green Beans with Lemon and Cumin

By Charlotte on July 18, 2012 6:35 AM | Read More

Everyone in our house goes for green beans, especially when they're fresh from the garden. 

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Dust Jacket

5 Great New Beach Books

By Charlotte on July 18, 2012 6:08 AM | Read More

Charlotte and I love spending time at the beach in the summer. It's a place where our second favorite activity is reading (Get your mind out of the gutter - Charlotte's favorite activity is walking the beach; mine is not walking the beach). We're always on the lookout for great books that'll take us somewhere, give us a different point of view or, in Charlotte's case, make her cry. Good times. Good times.

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Daily Distraction

What's The Big Idea?

By Bob on July 17, 2012 4:37 AM | Read More

Oooooh that...!

Trojan-500.jpg

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Don't Try This At Home

Downhome Hot Water Cornbread

By Bob on July 16, 2012 5:41 AM | Read More

Ready to eat - 600.jpgOne of the best things about growing up in a small Texas town is the food. Sure, southerners get a bad rap for deep-frying just about everything that doesn't move (and yes, we really do that). But jeez, sometimes you just CRAVE a side dish that's hot, brown and just a little bit crunchy - like cornbread. 

 

Never heard of fried cornbread? Well, Hot Water Cornbread as it's called is a staple that's celebrated in my Granbury, Texas hometown. No place puts it on a higher pedestal than the cornbread cathedral, the Nutt House Hotel and Dining Room. 

 

 

Nutt House Hotel & Restaurant - 489.jpg

A few months ago, my Granbury Facebook friends unearthed this crazy, good recipe from the Nutt House (insert your own joke here). It's an easy dish to prepare and the result is cornbread with a delicate crunch and a soft, chewy inside that melts in your mouth.

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Fridge Finds

Arctic Zero

By Bob on July 12, 2012 2:41 AM | Read More

In addition to being a chocoholic (My name is Bob and I'm a chocoholic), I also love ice cream. As a kid growing up, ice cream was the go-to dessert in our Texas household. It would be today, except for the fact that I now have the metabolism of a speed bump. Ice cream doesn't appear on our table very often, because I'm trying to avoid the side effects of over-indulging. That was until I met Arctic Zero.

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Here's the Dish

Quick, Low-Carb Tarragon Braised Chicken

By Charlotte on July 11, 2012 6:55 AM | Read More

No plain, Jane chicken for these Boomers. Bob and I are big on eating healthy and watching our weight but that doesn't have to mean boring meals.

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Daily Distraction

Cloudy With a Chance of Insane

By Bob on July 10, 2012 4:25 AM | Read More

Hey! At least my shirt's dry...

Rain Man-500.jpg

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Taking Off

Redneck Riviera Vacation

By Bob on July 9, 2012 2:28 AM | Read More

If you're one of the lucky ones whose 401K hasn't been reduced to a 201K, I've got a place you should check out for your next vacation: the Redneck Riviera. It's that bread-crust thin slice of Gulf Coast beach that curves from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle.

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Catching Up With..

Catching Up With...Martha Nelson

By Bob on July 6, 2012 2:02 AM | Read More

If you're looking Boomer role model, you don't have to look much farther than Martha Nelson. This Nashville resident has redefined the notion of reinvention by shifting gears and careers to become exactly who she wants to be at this stage of her life.

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DVDelicious

What's Your Number?

By Bob on July 5, 2012 4:38 AM | Read More

What's Your Number has one of those funny-because-it-only-exists-in-romantic-comedy plots: the number of lovers you have determines your chances of ever being happily married. Fewer than 20, you're OK. More than 20, then your chances of finding true happiness drop lower than the interest rate on my IRA.

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Here's the Dish

No-Bake Cheesecakes with Raspberry Sauce

By Charlotte on July 4, 2012 6:07 AM | Read More

With Texas flirting with triple-digit temperatures, Bob and I are focused on keeping our cool. We're wearing shorts, eating salads and craving goodies that offer a little chill.

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Guest Room

Sensible Multitasking: How to Almost "Do It All" Without Losing Your Mind

By Bob on July 4, 2012 4:05 AM | Read More

By Amy Wood, Psy.D.

Imagine you're sitting in a restaurant booth enjoying lunch with a close friend you haven't seen in a while. You're deep in conversation with this cherished person, feeling extremely grateful to have this precious time together to catch up. You lean in closer as your friend begins to update you on a pressing personal problem, and just then you hear someone in the booth behind you mention the name of a colleague.

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Daily Distraction

The Newspaper Story Said Everyone Had a Ball

By Bob on July 3, 2012 4:21 AM | Read More

Everyone Had a Ball-393.jpg

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Don't Try This At Home

The Home of the not so Brave

By Bob on July 2, 2012 4:33 AM | Read More

Yesterday, I was cleaning out some files and ran across my old DRAFT CARD. Nothing establishes Baby Boomer street cred like one of those relics.

 

Since I'm in no danger of being featured on Hoarders (Charlotte may be a candidate), I'm always finding stuff I wasn't looking for when I'm throwing out stuff I don't need. I present the DRAFT CARD as EXHIBIT A. This thing was worn and fragile from being stored in my wallet longer than my first condom driver's license. I mean, c'mon, I know it wasn't the Dead Sea Scrolls, but it was a significant relic.

 

1974. It was the tail-end of the Vietnam war and I'd just turned 18 and had to register for the draft. I put it off as long as I could without serving time in Federal prison. When I couldn't delay it any longer, I registered at the Somervell1977-395.jpg County Court House in Glen Rose, Texas.

 

They had the Draft Board guy set up all by himself in a huge empty courtroom (think To Kill a Mockingbird).

 

When I opened the creaky doors to this high-ceilinged cavern, I felt like I was paying a visit to the GREAT and POWERFUL OZ. Boomers, it was. Just. That. Creepy.

 

I had every reason to be afraid. I checked all the boxes for an 18-year-old potential draftee:

Long Hair - CHECK

Lots o' Attitude - CHECK

Scared Shi*less - CHECK and DOUBLE CHECK

 


 

In the box that said "sex" I hadn't written, "Yes, please." 

 

 


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Red Thong Strong: Girlfriends Little Secrets to Smoothing Lifes Panty Lines
Guest Room

Diabetes-Friendly Chicken Burrito Bowl

ChickenBurritoBowlEverydayDiabetes 600.jpg

By Laura Cipullo and Lisa Mikus, authors of Everyday Diabetes Meals
Image credit: Colin Erricson

Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.

Tips:

If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.

If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.

Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.

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Playing Favorites

Windy City

It's been almost 18 years since Alison Krauss gave us a solo album, but the wait is over with Windy City. The release (her fifth solo studio album) features ten covers of classic songs (and some bonus tracks) she picked with producer Buddy Cannon.

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