WOOF: The Green Thing

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to a WOOFer that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The clerk responded,
"That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling. Then we were able to personalize our books. But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of ontana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to
receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it sad? The current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then.

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WOOF: A WOOFer's Diary

photo by On The Green

A Wife's Diary:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much.

I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing..' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.'

When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep; I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

A Husband's Diary:

A five putt!

Who the hell five putts?!

(Thanks to Hoosier Hoopla for the laugh!)

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WOOF: Media Monday - Dr. Beth Erickson

Aging and Broke

By Dr. Beth Erickson

Introduction

    Many older Americans are doing something they never would have imagined:  turning to family for financial aid.  Some are even asking their adult children for a place to live.  The problem has been building as more Americans 55 or older lose their jobs or run through their savings faster than they expected, according to an article in a recent Wall Street Journal. 
    In this article, I will discuss this trend and some of the causes of this role reversal.

The Numbers

    Thirty-nine percent of adults with parents age 65 and older report giving them financial aid in the last year, according to a September Pew Research Center Survey.  However, some parents apparently may have trouble acknowledging it – 10 percent of parents 65 and older reported receiving financial aid.

    Eighteen percent of unemployed Americans 55 and older said they borrowed from family or friends other than their adult children, while one in 25 reported moving in with family or friends to save money, according to a December 2010 survey conducted by Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center for Workplace Development.  Researchers haven’t measured the problem until recently because it wasn’t considered widespread.

    One woman, age 60, worries about being a burden on her son.  She moved into his home about a year ago.  She lost her job in 2008 when the nonprofit she worked for lost its funding.  Unable to find a job and facing both diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, she used up her retirement savings and sold her home.  For his part, her son says he expects her to remain with him permanently.  He said, “I don’t relish the thought, but I am not going to sit there and watch my family members live in a van or anything like that.”

The Trend

    In 1900, 57 percent of adults 65 and older lived with their relatives, according to Pew Research.  Because of Social Security, Medicare, and improving health and wealth, the rate declined to 17 percent by 1990.  Now, it is up to 20 percent. 

    Older adults are often the ones taking in struggling children, not the reverse.  But people working to assist the elderly report seeing more and more cases where it’s the elderly who need assistance.

    The typical American household with a retirement savings account is reaching retirement today with too little saved to maintain their standard of living, even with Social Security benefits, according to research conducted for the Wall Street Journal by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research and the New York Life Insurance Co.

    Medical bills blasted some people’s savings, as did the financial collapses of 2000-2002 and 2008-2009.  Sometimes, people simply mismanaged their money.  The recent recession made matters worse, leaving many seniors jobless and forcing others to take pay cuts.  Unemployment is heavier for the young, but older people are more likely to stay jobless for longer periods and eventually to give up looking.

    “What we are seeing is older people having to borrow money, take money, move in with their kids, take rooms, and all kinds of things that aren’t normal or typical.  It seems to be happening with increasing frequency,” said Mark Guterman, a career coach in San Francisco employed at a community agency that teaches work skills.

    ”Rightly or wrongly,” says Willard Freeman who is 58 of Portland, OR, “you don’t want to ask your younger sister for help.  We borrowed enough to get through one month and we thought it would get better the following month.  But it didn’t.”  Now he has a job with an insurance agency.  He is catching up on bills and gradually repaying relatives.  But he can save little. 

The Squeeze Folks

    The situation can also stress adult children.  They are taking care of college-aged kids who don’t have jobs and at the same time, they are taking care of their older parents.  Cathy Brown, Executive Director of the Council on Aging in St. John’s County, FL, refers to these adult children as the bologna in the sandwich generation.

    According to the Pew Research Center, just over 1 of every 8 Americans aged 40 to 60 is both raising a child and caring for a parent, in addition to between 7 to 10 million adults caring for their aging parents from a long distance.  U.S. Census Bureau statistics indicate that the number of older Americans aged 65 or older will double by the year 2030, to over 70 million.

    "This is an issue that's not going to go away," said Sandra Timmermann, executive director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute, which conducts aging research.

Dr. Beth Erickson Website   
Free 30 days - Daily Words of Wisdom

Dr. Beth resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband Paul, two cats and a dog. Marrying Paul made her grandmother of five and great-grandmother of one. Her primary hobbies are reading, painting watercolors, singing, keeping up with the news and playing with the animals.

Dr. Beth's passion is to bring out the best in people and help them transform their lives through key skills and appropriate attitudes in order to discover the best part of their lives.

© Dr. Beth Erickson 2012

WOOF: Carol Burnett

One of WOOF's all-time favorite WOOFers!! "When I was growing up in Hollywood, I thought you had to look like Betty Grable or Tony Curtis to get anywhere in show business. But I never worried about my looks too much. Some people said I looked like Tony Curtis." ~ Carol Burnett (looking at this picture, can't you almost hear her "Tarzan" call?!?! :) 

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WOOF: Britain's Got A Talented Canine!

It took a dog to impress the iracible, Simon Cowell, but Pudsey, the latest winner of Britain's Got Talent, did just that!

Pudsey and owner Ashleigh Butler, 17, picked up a cheque for £500,000 after winning BGT on Saturday.

Both are now headed to Hollywood to launch a career in TV ads and film parts.

Ashleigh, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, said: “It would be a dream come true to go to Hollywood and do films with Pudsey.

“He is perfect. If he sees a camera, he poses and holds his position.”

Butler hugged her dog and said: "I love you." She said Pudsey - a border collie, bichon frise and Chinese crested cross - had become "very diva-ish" during the last week, and had been demanding steak dinners.

Asked how she plans to spend her winnings, she added: “Pudsey needs a new lead. I will get him one and a collar. Then I would like to set up my own business getting film work for dogs or animals.”

As to Pudsey's fabulous talent; We're not surprised. Even if  our furry friends can't dance, sing, or act, they make us smile.  That's worth £500,000 any day of the week.

You can also read about some pretty fabulous canines in

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WOOF: One Ringy Dingy Lingy

So. I call the hair salon using my desk speaker phone.

A woman answers on the first ring. "Hello. Can you hold?"

"Yes." Silence.

Ding. I pick up my iPhone to read the text message that just arrived.

Okay, better text back. click click click...

"So...blah blah blah..."

What?!?! Where's that woman's voice coming from? How can it be coming from my text?!?! It's not Siri.

 Oh, wait. It's from my desk phone speaker. The hair salon receptionist.

I break into laughter and try to explain that I was texting and totally forgot I was on hold so I thought her voice was coming from the text I was sending and...

Yeah. She now pretty much thinks I'm crazy, too.

Multitasking. Used to be no more complicated than balancing the phone receiver on your shoulder while painting your toenails.

Woofers, beware. There's a little squirrel in all of us. ~ d.d.dawg

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A WOOFer Watching Out for Women Around the World

WOOFER WATCHING OUT FOR WOMEN

"In the past… the United States regularly supported peace talks that left women out of negotiating rooms and treaty documents… As of this spring, with the release of a first-ever secretarial policy directive on gender, advancing the status of women and girls worldwide is officially a requirement in every U.S. diplomat's job description."
Melanne Verveer   US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues

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