Baby Boomer What?

Have you seen the retro stuff coming down the runways? I saw women wearing dresses that reminded me of the early 60's before the Hippy Invasion. Lots of colors and then some of the flower power fabrics from the Hippy Invasion. Some of those things, I shouldn't have worn in the 60's, and definitely not now. I love looking at all the Retro stuff on Pinterest, but I am not sure I could carry off the clothes I wore back then. Years after I was married the first time, I found an cocktail dress in a box in the attic that I had worn when we were in Okinawa in the early 70's. Not only was it cut low, the skirt was way too short. I ended up using it as a top over a turtle neck and with black pants on.

I have been watching some old shows. I have always loved Sitcoms, but they have gotten so trashy lately. They talk about sex and use filthy language. You cannot even watch one anymore if you have children in the house. Even the ones that you would think would be nicer, are really raunchy sometimes. So, I figure that I would go back and watch shows made in the 60s 70s, or 80s.

The really funny thing is, the shows that are really the best on TV are the crime shows. I love Criminal Minds. I wouldn't have known what a sociopath was if  I hadn't watched it. The cast on CM portrays a very professional environment. There is no profanity, and sex is minimized. I have learned a lot about the body from watching the CSI shows. Do you know what an epithelial is? I do. It is amazing what you can learn on those shows.

I love "Dancing With The Stars" and "America's Got Talent." They remind me of the "Ed Sullivan Show" on Sunday evenings when I was a little girl. I loved that show. I loved Liberace too. My uncle bought me a grand piano that was about 3 ft. tall and I used to "play" it along with Liberace. On Saturdays, there was "Gunsmoke." We never missed that one, James Arness was a hunk. The"Andy Griffith

Show" was a real favorite too. Everyone loved Andy, but Barney Fife was so funny, and got in such trouble. Andy's TV son was Opie, (Ron Howard) who turned out to be one of the greatest directors that ever came out of Hollywood.

Oh, and how could I forget Dick Clark and American Bandstand. That is the show where we received all our dancing lessons and fashion advice. We learned the popular songs of the day and
corresponding dance to go with it, i.e., The Twist, Watusi, Mashed Potatoes, Monkey, etc.

We saw all the heart throbs that kept us enthralled every Saturday. Then in the 60's, we had Paul Revere and the Raiders, and I just cannot forget "The Beatles." We were all madly in love with them. There were the Monkees who also had a show everyday after school. I guess the Monkees and Paul Revere and the Raiders were the original MTV. They played and sang in different venues and there were girls in short skirts and White Go-Go Boots that danced different dances to go with the songs. All the girls just had to have some of those boots. I don't know who made them because we were not into labels back then. That came much later.

If you have thoughts about you in the 60's, comment and they will appear on this blog.

Sock it to Me!

Dementia - BoomerMom's Mom

I used to go stay with my mother, but she has recently entered Assisted Living. Now I go stay at my brother, who has a large house with plenty of room for lots of family.

This is so difficult for me to write about because my mother has dementia. I think she has had it for a long time, but it just was not quite as evident as it is now. She used to say to me, "I don't remember that; how do you remember so much that happened so long ago?"

I never really thought of it as a problem until she almost lost most of her estate to scammers, who were selling her websites for $500 apiece and charging her each month to keep them going, but no return on her investment.

Most of the people said they were fortune tellers, clairvoyants, seers, etc. They took her money to the tune of over $3 a minute for phone calls. Trust me, if someone tells you they can talk to your dead relatives, see ghosts, read your palm, etc., they are charlatans and provided for your entertainment by dark forces that can destroy you and your family.

My brother spent months recovering most of her money. Thank God, she used her credit cards to do all this. He was able to reclaim all but about $5K of her money.

My Mother was a woman who was considered to be a very smart business woman. She had her interior designing business in Plano Texas for about 20 years, but was in interior design for about 40 years. Her shop in Plano was where everyone went. Everyone wanted her to do their furniture, draperies, etc. She could do all the work but had people who were the best at what they do working for her. Her reputation was wonderful. Every one who was anyone wanted their furniture repaired, recovered, draperies, upholstered walls,  cornices, etc., done in her shop. It was a point of pride. Her work was even featured in Southern Living about 25 years ago.

Are you keeping your aging parents on your radar? After all, if they worked hard all their life to provide for their retirement, you should not let crooks bilk them out of their future. You could end up paying the price for your indifference. I would say that at the first sign of a problem, you should step in and even get counselling with an estate planner, attorney, or someone who knows the law. If we had been paying closer attention, we would have noticed things that were unusual, before they got out of hand.

Take care of your parents, as they once took care of you. Even if you thought they didn't take care of you very well, step up to the plate to make sure that crooks are not stalking them like they did my mother. There are people out there who are making hundreds of phone calls each day, just looking for that person who may not be "quite right." They know about your parents mental capacity before you do.

Mother is a very independent person and still wants my brother to bring her computer to her apartment. He doesn't dare. It is bad enough that she orders junk on the TV. That could be one of your first indications that something is going on. You go to your parents home and see "Things Seen on TV" all over the place, some still in the boxes and not even opened. Check with their neighbors and see if UPS or FEDEX trucks are constantly delivering to their house. Mother only has one credit card now, with limited charging capability. She is not happy about giving up control, but is learning to live with it.

If you find a lot of things are not going well, ask to be put on the list so you can talk to their doctor. If the doctor says it is necessary, consult a lawyer about taking over to keep them out of trouble. Take them and have a trust done so that they are protected and the state doesn't get half their estate when they die.

I always told my Mother to spend her children's inheritance. I am not interested in profiting from her life, I just want her well taken care of the rest of her life.

It is not only their future, but yours too. Poor choices on their part because of dementia can also hurt your finances in the future, as you struggle to take care of them. Be observant, loving, and concerned. They are your parents, don't let them be hurt by others. Stand up and take a stand!