WOOFer Caption Day!

Meet Blanche & Sunflower.

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Blanche has been holding at "49" for a year or two or...

Sunflower is happy with that.

You see, Blanche's turning 50 would make her a

WOOFer.

Not something that fits into Sunflower's world.

Now, armed with that information,

please caption the above.

Quick, before Sunflower shreds something!

--Diana
www.dianablack.net

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Retirement? Who ME??

Where did retirement go? My mom and dad worked at the same job for most of their lives. Mom in one office for 30 years and Dad at a newspaper for 40. They both counted the days until retirement. Ah, retirement. Sweet, retirement. Age 65. Social Security, pensions, savings, house paid for. Kids educated and on their own. That was the reward for their 40+ years of work.

One question: What happened?? Today's Baby Boomer is faced with working until at least age 66 and beyond, plus, more and more of us are putting off retirement for various reasons. The best reason is that we are in great health and love our careers so much, we don't want to give them up. The worst reason is that we can't afford to retire! Many of us are somewhere in between. Why not work as long as we're able to bring in some extra money and stay involved in world/community affairs?

In addition, health insurance is on the line. I've heard from many of my friends that they're afraid to leave their jobs because of the fear of losing health insurance. How did we get in the position of being held hostage by health insurance companies? But, don't get me started on that.

So, let's hear your opinions/stories/solutions. Are you working toward retirement, or working toward working? Have you discovered a rewarding 2nd career? Many have. Just ask three saavy authors! (ahem) Spill your stories!

Mary Cunningham (Milkbone)

And, if you're looking for a good laugh, check out WOOF on Amazon!

Mary Cunningham is also the author of the award-winning 'tween series, Cynthia's Attic. She's proud to announce the release of the 4th book in the series, "The Magician's Castle" in DEC 2009 (Quake-Echelon Imprint) Available on Amazon!

Stand

Now that Tom and I are in somewhat of a normal routine, I have had more time to reflect on all the drastic changes that have occurred in my life these past three and a half years.

After losing my husband, I moved to a different state, and decided to start a brand new life. I began taking dance lessons and that is where I met Martha.

That first night we discovered that we were both “over fifty” widows. We both had long marriages, and our husbands suffered heart attacks. But we had much more in common, and I guess that is why Martha and I felt an instant bond.

We began going to a dance club and looking back, I feel like meeting Martha was a real turning point in my life. We helped each other get back into the real world, sharing our mutual feelings, concerns and issues along the way. We were in the same boat, but we also had another thing in common. We were determined we weren’t going to sink. We were both working hard to recover and find the “new normal.”

I remember that Rascal Flatts had a song out at the time entitled Stand. We would listen to that song on the way to the dance at Big Sandy, energized by some of the lyrics that were so meaningful to two struggling widows:

You feel like a candle in a hurricane. Just like a picture with a broken frame. Alone and helpless like you’ve lost your fight. But you’ll be alright…Cause when push comes to shove you taste what you’re made of…on your knees you look up—decide you’ve had enough…you get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off…then you stand.

Martha and I both married again. I had lunch with her the other day and we talked about how wonderful things are now, and how our friendship helped us climb out of the darkness and move on with our lives. We learned how to Stand. Just like the words of the song: Every time you get up and get back in the race one more small piece of you starts to fall into place.

So, thanks, Martha. We got back in the race and discovered how to start holding on and keep holding on together. And it was so much easier for me to Stand with you by my side.

Eileen "WOOFER" Williams Gives Advice!

Feisty Side of Fifty

--Diana
www.dianablack.net

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The Winning WOOF Caption!

Thanks for Exercising Your Funny Bone!

Several good captions were left on Facebook.

The creator of this one will perhaps remain

a mystery, but we still loved it!

--Diana
www.dianablack.net

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The Games People Play

Another advantage of marriage over fifty is the fact that you no longer play games. Being older and wiser, you realize that you just don't want to waste your time on those petty male/female games most of us used to play. At least that is what Tom and I have experienced.

Life is much more fun when you just relax and do what feels right and comes naturally, instead of doing what you think others expect, or what you were taught is appropriate behavior. As younger people, we also often try to imitate what we perceive as our "roles," rather than just being ourselves. As we age, I think we come to understand that these are all just useless games that we don't want to play.

Tom and I feel we have more of a "take me as I am" relationship. We are better at accepting each other and have learned how to compromise to make each day as happy as possible for both of us. And that is so much easier than playing games!

Melinda

A Kennel for Your Thoughts.

“I don’t have pet peeves,
I have whole kennels of irritation.”

—Whoopi Goldberg

When I came across Whoopi's quote and shared it with friends, it was unanimous. Perfect for WOOF...

Oh, sure, only because of the "kennel" reference. Yeah, that's it. Who of us over 50 has accumulated lots and lots of things that irritate us.

Yeah, by now we're settled into a state of sublime being. Content with ourselves and everyone else in our lives.

From the grocery store clerk who laughs when she checks our ID so we can buy that $3 bottle of wine to the aunt who reminds us how close in age we suddenly are.

That's when a less self-assured WOOFer might say, "Bite me."

Instead, you and I, why, we simply... bite them!

So, give it up. What are YOUR pet peeves? The comment section is large. We can accomodate a "kennel" of complaints.

--Diana (d.d. dawg)
www.dianablack.net

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