New Ideas for Old Problems

     I have been AWOL from blogging for the last couple of weeks. My time has been consumed first by a short-term job that I agreed to do, and then by my daughter's wedding which took place in Brooklyn, NY, last weekend.

     I realize that the typical blogger would post lots of wedding photos when their daughter got married. But I must confess, I am a rather private person. Now that may seem odd coming from someone who's been blathering on about this and that for the last -- gosh, it's been seven years now! But, actually, for the most part I try to keep my family out of it. After all, they have nothing to do with retirement, and they are vaguely embarrassed by their dad and all his Baby Boomer friends.

     (My daughter, walking around hipster Brooklyn, getting ready for her hipster wedding ceremony, finally admitted to me: "Well, Dad, I guess I am a Millennial after all." But she still won't admit that she's a hipster.)

Street scene from the 2nd best place to retire

     Anyhooo . . . this week it's time for me to file a report from the group of bloggers called the BBB, or the Best of Boomer Bloggers. And if we're not the best, we are at least a representative sample. So here goes:

     Kathy Gottberg produces a blog called Smart Living 365. So it should be no surprise to find out that she's smarter than I am. She's been on vacation, but instead of ignoring her blog as I have, she signed up guest blogger Lynne Spreen of Any Shiny Thing. Spreen has posted an article Your Big Empty-Next House Could Be the Solution to 3 Problems which connects grandparents to a new trend in housing -- and offers an idea for retirees who might want to find more use for their too-big empty nest.

First buss at a hipster bar in Brooklyn

     Meryl Baer of  Six Decades and Counting has also been on vacation. She spent time in her old hometown, where she lived for 30 years while working and raising a family. Then she moved away, only to discover that in her absence the area has become a top retirement destination. Read about her short visit -- and what city is ranked by U. S. News as the 2nd best place to retire -- in Stopover at the Old Hometown.

     Meantime, if Meryl Baer has a knack for leaving town at just the wrong time, apparently Laura Lee Carter became an author at just the wrong time . . . and perhaps many of us will feel her pain. According to Carter in Amazon Says: Save Money, Don't Pay Authors, Amazon has betrayed authors by allowing third-party sellers to deceive customers into buying "new" books that do not come from the publishers, thus cutting authors off from their royalties. But, as Carter admits, all is not lost, for we do not really write for money or fame; we write to learn about ourselves and to make connections with others.

Rita is safe from the sun

     On Heart, Mind, Soul Carol Cassara reports on how a group of women found a more positive way to use Amazon. As we all know, technology and social media can be full of discord and disharmony, but Cassara knows that it can also bring out the best in people. Check out her post Generosity Revolution to see why it's important to look beyond our own limited experiences and reach out to other people in need.

     On the Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison has discovered another benefit to our new technology. She points out that even with something as simple as an oil change, a Smartphone Can Be a Great Help, allowing consumers to compare prices and get the best deal. Then she finds out she needs to Wear Sunglasses and a Wide-brimmed Hat -- and we should too, not just in the summer but all year long, to protect our eyes as well as our skin.

    And finally, a new member of our group, Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of Baby Boomster, this week offers an overview of a conference called The New Old Age, hosted by The Atlantic magazine. The conference gathered together a distinguished group of experts who explored the way age is marketed in the media and offered a variety of ways we can change our vocabulary to bring a more positive perception of aging.

    So hats off to Rebecca for a fine wrap-up . . . er, figuratively speaking, since we're all keeping our wide-brimmed hats firmly in place. Have a good week!