I have to admit, I am a hippie who is aging. I believe , once a hippie, always a hippie. I am proud to say, I was part of that era. I hitched throughout the country at 19, protested the Vietanam war, became a non-conformist and did everything a hippie was supposed to do. Those days taught me much about the world. I traveled on my journey to the now times. Where do I go from here? It's a magical mystery tour!
What is this stuff anyway? Only a boomer would know. It seems to me, it's better eating the crunchy little morsels off the spoon, than trying to dissolve the stuff in milk.
Dear Daddy, It was great talking to you last night. I am sorry that the hitchhiking ticket I got was 150.00. I will pay you back. Anyway, I had to panhandle some change to call you from the phone booth yesterday. Don't freak out, everybody panhandles spare change. It's ok. Money isn't that important and there's always somewhere to crash and I can always find some food. We have met some cool people along the way. I can't wait to get to California. There are people in the Haight called diggers and they let you hang out at their places and feed you. It's all about love. Well, got to go, there seems to be a storm coming and we want to hit the road before it gets here. I've had enough of Kansas, California here I come! Love and Peace, Joyce.
Did you ever wonder where the peace sign came from? I did some research and found out the design was the creation of a British textile designer named Gerald Holton. The whole sign is to represent the words, "nuclear disarmament." It was brought out to the public at a ban the bomb march in London's Trafalgar Square on April 4, 1958. Life magazine published a photo of that march and was the first time the symbol was seen in the United States. The anti war movement took the symbol beyond nuclear protest and has been in American pop culture ever since. During the civil rights movement, a friend of Martin Luther King began using it in the marches. Now days, stores have been looking for ways to twist the peace sign into dollar signs. It's put on everything from handbags to cupcakes.
The symbol was deliberately never copyrighted and is still recognized in Great Britain as the logo for nuclear disarmament. It is known worldwide for peace and non-violence. No one has to pay or seek permission before they use it, as it is a symbol of freedom. It is free for all to use.
You better watch out, you better not cry, Santa Claus is coming to town. (quell the masses) I feel Santa is the perfect choice for head of homeland security. (he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake.) He know what you are doing at all times. (he knows when you've been bad or good) So, we'd better be good, for goodness sake. Think about it. That guy can enter a house without anyone knowing at all and not leave a trace except bearing gifts, if he chooses to, or eating your cookies. He can get from one place to another in no time and circle the globe in 24 hours. Kids and people worship him like a God and he is know universally. No one, I say no one, is going to cross that man for fear of the consequences, especially on Christmas morning. So, the president elect should seriously give Mr. Claus consideration when making his choice for head of homeland security.
When I was a kid, we ate cottage cheese all the time. I think it was cheap then. Once, in 4th grade, we took a field trip to the local dairy and saw first hand how it was made. Actually, it looked pretty gross. According to Wikipedia, cottage cheese is defined as: "Cottage cheese is a cheese curd product with a mild flavor. It is drained, but not pressed so some whey remains. The curd is usually washed to remove acidity giving sweet curd cheese. It is not aged or colored. Different styles of cottage cheese are made from milks with different fat levels and in small curd or large curd preparations. Cottage cheese which is pressed becomes hoop cheese, farmer cheese, pot cheese or queso blanco.
Cottage cheese may be eaten straight. It is also eaten with fruit, with fruit puree, on toast, in green salads, - or as an ingredient in recipes like jello salad and various desserts. It can be used to replace grated cheese or ricotta cheese in most recipes (such as lasagna).
The term "cottage cheese" is believed to have originated because the simple cheese was usually made in cottages from any milk leftover after making butter.[1] The term was first used in 1848.[2] An older term for cottage cheese is curds and whey. Sometimes my mother would serve the ultimate depression lunch called bread dip. It's just cottage cheese thinned with milk, topped with black pepper and was good for dipping bread. The fancy salad was lettuce, a scoop of cottage cheese with fruit cocktail all around and the cherry on top. Now, that was livin'! I like it on a baked potato, with saltine crackers and in a scooped out cantaloupe. High in protein, low in fat, cottage cheese is a great substitute for the higher- fat cheeses. Truly a food of the Gods!
During the turbulent years of the 1960's, there were many issues that were addressed by protests. These issues included, a senseless war, (does war ever make sense?) civil rights and big government to name just a few. Protests were held all over the country by so called radicals, college students, and hippies. This country was changed by these outspoken and non-violent protests. And non-violet protests they were. When the police and military stepped in, that is when things got ugly. It seems to me, 40 years later, there is a similarity of issues going on in this county and things are getting out of hand. We as the main stream populace seem to be falling through the cracks and big government is taking over. The results of 911 has entitled our government to keep a "watchful" eye on everyone in this country. This disguise is to be for our benefit. It's interesting to watch the progression of events, especially in the current Bush administration. We as tax payers are now bailing out big corporations for fear of astounding job loss and a nose dive into a depression. In my opinion, it's not for the job loss, it's to keep the fat cats who head these companies continue with their lavish lifestyle. They could care less about the common laborer. It's legal crime. An effective protest in this matter would be for everyone in this country NOT to pay taxes next year. What's going to happen? Is the government going to throw everyone in jail? No. They will just have to hire all kinds of people to take care of the paperwork and that would create alot of needed jobs. If hands across America was pulled off, this can happen too. Where is everybody? Where are the protesters of the 1960's who spoke out against such evil? Is everyone sitting back thinking that our sweet American government is going to take care of us? Think twice about that. There is something deeper going on here and the plan is in place and is starting to work. We are lemmings walking right off the cliff. Instill fear in the masses and they are easily controlled. Tell them what they want to hear. Control the media, food supply, water supply, and most of all the population, a huge reduced population. One currency, one religion (if we are lucky) and no boundaries of countries, that's the plan and if we aren't careful, it will happen. Do you realize that big companies put chips in consumer goods to track their buyers? It's a "marketing" technique. Beware of the chips to be inserted in newborn babies for the sake of tracking the child in case of an abduction. We do it to our pets, why not people? There is a must read book on this subject called Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Purchase and Watch Your Every Move I encourage you to read this book. I stumbled across a web site pertaining to the new world order and spent hours reading the vast information this site has. To be honest with you, I was freaked out. I believed much of what I read and now I want you to be freaked out to. Here is the site: Educate Yourself Knowledge Is Power!
As I am sitting here eating lunch of my gourmet Campbell soup combo, chicken noodle and vegetable, it suddenly dawned on me that I don't know a thing about the history of the company. Mmmm good. I think I'll spell my name on the spoon. Better yet, I'll float a buttered saltine on top and break it up until it sinks to the bottom. The wonderness of the soup distracts me as I google a search. Well, Joseph Campbell and ice box manufacturer Abraham Anderson started the Anderson & Campbell Soup Preserve company in 1897. They made ketchup, mustard, salad dressing and sauces. Their best seller was Beefsteak tomato soup. After Campbell retired in 1894, Arthur Dorrance became president of the company. He reluctantly hired his nephew, a chemist, to work for the company. Soups were expensive to ship, but cheap to make. So, the nephew removed the heavy water and created a formula for condensed soups. How brilliant! In 1904, Grace Wiedersein Drayton, an illustrator, added some sketches to her husbands ad campaigns for the soup. The Campbell kids were born and they have been selling the soup ever since. The kids were so popular, that doll makers wanted a piece of the pie. Or, shall I say, a slice of the tomato. The E.T. Horseman Co. got the license to market the doll and put the Campbell logo on their sleeves. Think about it. What a genius marketing plan. Advertise to the housewives and get to the kids. It's a win win business. I've been eating the soup for 50 years. There certainly is better out there and I always make my own, but, there's something to say about being Mmmm good. I think I'll run to the store and grab some Velveeta cheese. A nice fat greasy grilled cheese sandwich and a hot bowl of Campbell's tomato soup sounds good for my supper.
I love Jackie Kennedy. She brought to the White House such beauty, grace and charm. Jackie Bouvier Kennedy was born in Southampton, NY. She was educated in the best private schools and learned to ride at a very young age. She attended Vassar and graduated from George Washington University. After graduation, Jackie became a photographer for a Washington DC newspaper and met Senator John F. Kennedy. They were married in 1953. The inauguration of President Kennedy brought to the White House a beautiful first lady and the first young children in half a century. Her favorite designer was Oleg Cassini who created elegant outfits for her. She liked only the best. She was loved all over the world. Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Kahn brought his horse, Sardar, with him to a visit to the States and admired Jackie's horsemanship so much that he later gave Sardar to her. Even more popular back home, women wore her hairdo, pillbox hat, and had a preference to pink. There were Jackie look-alike contests and women copied her clothes. Aside from her elegant lifestyle, Jackie was also known to be a penny pincher. When the expensive bottles of wine were empty at dinner, she had cheaper wine poured in the bottles and nobody knew the difference. She also kept two sets of books. One for her records and one for her husband. JFK of course, didn't want the world to know how extravagant his wife was. Jackie stood by her husband through thick and thin. We all know that it took quite some effort on her part, but her grace and charm always prevailed. In the end on that day of JFK's death, Jackie, wearing a pink wool suit, now bloodstained, refused to change her clothes as she wanted the world to know she would always be there for her husband. There have been many books written about Jackie, but I have found one in particular, that you might be interested in reading. It is called What Jackie Taught Us: Lessons from the Remarkable Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and is about her childhood growing up and her life as the first lady. It's great reading and I highly reccomend this book if you would like to know more about this truely amazing woman.
The alternative press in the 1960's was a declaration of journalists who valued freedom of speech and critical thought in a democracy. The events of the sixties resulted in a rebellion against commercialized culture, war, corporate power and prejudice. The antiwar and counterculture activists, being denied access to conventional media, took advantage of creating their own underground newspapers such as the Berkley Barb, Los Angeles Free Press and the Realist. These alternative papers soon found large audiences and by 1969 there were at least 400 different publications in every major city and college campus. The readers were united by opposition to the Vietnam war, rejection of traditional American values, use of drugs and the rock and roll scene. Some of these underground papers covered feminism, gay liberation, and the environment. Also, communal living, mysticism, and Native American movements. The most enduring publication was Rolling Stone magazine. Founder, 20 year old Jann Wenner, borrowed $7,500 in 1967 to start the publication. Within two years, the magazine had over 64,000 subscribers and was a major magazine of the rock generation. The Whole Earth Catalog gave practical instruction for everything from do-it-yourself burials to building geodesic domes. Hippies could buy a huge array of products not found in your local store. Acid-head cartoonist, R. Crumb published an underground comic book with graphically sexual and nothing was sacred images called Zap Comix. Crumb envisioned a world run by hippies. He wrote, "It's frightening!" To think about prison camps full of people not hip enough and prison guards with big peace symbols on their arm bands."
As a girl growing up in the fifties, when someone asked you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", there were really only three choices. You could be a teacher, mother, or nurse. I of course had no desire to be any of those. My three choices were, artist, race car driver or movie star. I really believed my parents were somewhat worried about me. I suppose they had reason to. One Christmas, I got the big gift. So excited as I ripped off the wrapping, I was devastated to find what was inside. It was of all things, a cardboard closet with little brooms and mops. My God, I thought to myself! What are they trying to do to me! What an insult! All I wanted was a go-cart, or a bunch of toy cars and trucks. I wasn't asking for much, really. Bottom line, I was so shocked, I started crying. I think they thought I was so happy to get that gift. My poor mother just wanted me to be like her. Well, that wasn't going to happen. I ran upstairs and hid under my bed, for fear they would come after me and make me sweep the floor. I will never forget that moment as long as I live. Women of that time suffered with the dissatisfaction of making beds, cooking meals, and doing all the things homemakers do. Is that all there is in life? I am sure women were even afraid to ask themselves that question. Television didn't help matters much. Shows like "Leave It To Beaver" or "Father Knows Best" really stereotyped the image of the housewife. It's interesting to think about our society. It forces boys to grow up, but not girls. Blue and pink. Black and white. Growing up in the fifties left no choices for women. Betty Friedan, who wrote "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963, called suburbia "a bedroom and a kitchen sexual ghetto." Wow! Those were strong words back then. She declared that while women were seeking fulfillment exclusively through their homes and families, they had in turn lost their own identities. She was quoted as saying, " If we continue to produce millions of young mothers who stop their growth and education short of identity, without a strong core of human values to pass on to their children, we are we are committing, quite simply, genocide." Friedan later helped found the National Organization Of Woman (NOW) I must say, that I am truly amazed at the contributions and accomplishments women have made in modern society. My grandmother would just flip at the fact that a woman could actually run for president or go into orbit. Myself? To this day, my main objective is not to clean house, thanks mom. I have accomplished much in my life without the push of my parents and there is much more to do.
April 10,1969 Dear Daddy, I just wanted to write and let you know that I am ok. We are on the road and it's too cool. We found an abandoned farm in Kansas and I am sending you the picture of us running down the hill. Doesn't it look like a cool album cover? I've always wanted to be a rock star, so here I am. I just wanted to let you know one thing. We thought we had a ride and ran to the car to get in. When we got there, it was a bummer. It was a cop in an unmarked car. Don't freak out! We didn't go to jail, he just wrote us tickets for hitchhiking. You will be getting it in the mail, because of course, I don't have an address. Just planet earth. I'll pay you when I get back, if I ever do. Well, be cool and I love you. By the way, thank heaven for those space blankets, we are so warm at night sleeping under the stars. Right on! Peace, Joyce
By 1969 more than 14,000 Americans had been killed in Vietnam and over 323,000 had been wounded. In Washington D.C. of that year, over 250,000 people protested the war. The draft board was the main reason for the protests. My friends back then did all they could to get out of being drafted. Some went to Canada and others tried to act crazy or said they were drug addicts or gay when they had to show up at the draft board. Some even just evaded the draft and were on the run. Public protests included burning draft cards. Bottom line, I had friends that were killed in that war and friends that made it home with serious mental problems. All males between the age of 18 and 35 were required to register with the Selective Service Administration. They then could be drafted at any time. The draft board gave deferments to college and graduate school students and that left the soldiers to be working class whites and minorities who could not afford college. Thousands of men were drafted every year to make up for the three million troops in all. As the war continued to drag on, millions of Americans joined the anti-war movement. There was turmoil on college campuses and a new group, Students For A Democratic Society (SDS) emerged. This war was televised almost every evening so we could watch uncensored scenes of burning villages, dead soldiers and other horrible images. I must say, this tactic sure didn't win any votes for the war. Drugs were an issue among the soldiers. They were running rampant here and also there. I had friends that were so stoned out of their minds, that they basically didn't know why they were there. Lyndon Johnson made Vietnam his war. He personally selected bombing targets and got out of bed at 3 o'clock every morning to hear the latest reports form Saigon. One anti-war chant was, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" He agonized over the growing casualty list and tried to ignore the protesters chanting outside his window. On March 31, 1968, Johnson realized he had lost the trust of a divided nation and announced he would not run again for office. This is just one example that made the 60's some of the most turbulent years in American history.
I'm talking about candy cigs. Do you remember them? It was so cool to walk around with one in your mouth and pretend you were puffing on it just like your parents did when they smoked. How swell it would have been if they found a way to have a smoke like substance come out the end. They came in these neat little boxes that looked real. I could carry them in my Barbie purse along with my candy lipstick and pretend I was a big girl. My God! Who thought of that and what were they thinking? Be brave, then, and buy a bubble gum cigar. Penny candy. That was part of our culture. Every Friday my dad would come home from work with 2 little brown bags full of the stuff for my sister and I. What a treat to dig through it and see the sweet little treasures. You could always tell what kind your friends were eating by the color of their mouth, lips, or tongue. Blue meant Spudnik gum. Red were the fireball jawbreakers and black pieces in your teeth were the licorice pinwheels. Any color could be the sippy sticks and yellow pieces in your teeth were the banana b-b bats. I loved the candy beads. Think about it, love beads at age 5. They came on an elastic string and your neck ended up being stained in an array of psychedelic colors from sucking on them. Top it off with pumpkin seeds with an inch of salt encrusted on each one and a marshmallow ice cream cone. Wax lips were the rage because after they were in you mouth too long and you started gaging, you could just eat the stuff. It amazes me we all didn't die at a young age from being plugged up with wax, artificial flavors and gum. How about nip wax bottles with juice in them. Juice? I am sure that the flying saucers were made with the same stuff communion wafers were but only different colors. Mmmm...Necco wafers,(the chocolate ones) candy buttons on paper, Bazooka bubble gum and fizzies. Boston baked beans, jawbreakers and neopolitan candy slices. DumDum suckers (why are they called DumDum?) and Tootsie pops. They are the ones that ripped the skin off of the roof of your mouth when you tried to bite into the Tootsie Roll. Just think about it. These precious gems basically only cost 1 penny apiece. You could get 100 pieces of candy for a dollar and have a candy buffet. It might look like a deal, but when it was all said and done, $1.00 for candy, $50.00 for the dentist and $100.00 to have your kids stomach pumped. Not a good investment afterall!
Remember air raid drills in elementary school and you had to get under your desk and cover your head in case the Russians dropped a bomb? Man, how stressful is that to a little kid? We didn't know what was going on, we were just scared. I really was getting paranoid when I found out my grandmother was from the Ukraine. I was sure the school was going to label me a Communist and put me in jail. On top of that, my other grandparents were German and I would be considered a Nazi, too. I was doomed! During the 1950's bomb shelters were built, proving that the threats from the Russians were real. The United States feared the Soviets would take over the world. The cold war in the 50's wasn't a declared war, but an arms race between the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States. Whoever has the most nuclear weapons and warheads wins. None of these weapons were ever deployed, but it was feared that at anytime, the Soviets could hit the US with a nuclear bomb. I wonder if kids in Russia had the same fear of us and they had to dive under their desks too? "Are you, or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?" That was the question. President Harry Truman expressed this fear through the Truman Doctrine. Communists should be exposed and eliminated. Between 1947-1952 6.6 million persons were investigated. Not one single case of espionage was uncovered. School districts required teachers to take loyalty oaths and universities screened their staffs. There was actually a shortage of teachers in New York because of this. Filmmakers were monitored and put on blacklists for any suspected Communists activity. In 1951, Congress passed the McCarran Internal Security Act. It required every communist or so-called Communist organization to register with the government. The board even set up concentration camps and gave the government the authority to lock up any supporters. Neighbor watched neighbor and liberals were evil. If you were a radical, then you must be a Communist! All of this information was gathered by secret paid informers. Because of this, the personal rights of millions of Americans were destroyed. Talk about paranoia. This was a bad trip. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, now, does it? Look at what is going on in this country now. Instill fear in the masses and they become easily controllable. It's that simple.
Jell-O = gelatin. Basically, it's a glutinous material made from boiling animal bones, not suited for the vegetarian diet. That really bums me out because my mother never told me that. I loved the stuff. It was pretty, wiggly, fancy, and fun. My grandmother always had it in her fridge in little glasses with fruit, mainly bananas in it. My mom made a very cool green salad with apples and nuts inside. Then she put a dollop of Miracle whip on top and that was fancy. I loved Jell-O when the top got hard and rubbery. You could just peel it off and chew it. Wow, was that's livin!
In 1845, an industrialist, Peter Cooper obtained a patent for powered gelatin. Forty years later the patent was sold to a cough syrup manufacturer who added fruit flavors to the powder. Since the company was unable to succeed, Francis Wood, who owned a food company, bought the business for $450.00. He placed ads in "Ladies Home Journal" proclaiming Jell-O to be Americas most famous dessert. In the 1930's congealed salads (aspics) were the rage. So, Jell-O came out with vegetable flavors like celery, Italian and tomato. These flavors were short lived.
In the 50's and 60's new flavors evolved like apple, grape, black cherry, black raspberry, and lemon lime. In 1966, the Jell-O no bake desert was launched and a cheesecake could be made in 15 minutes. The perfect companion to a TV dinner.
Over the years, popular desserts came about and celebrities promoted them. Jell-O, there's always room for more! As of 2008, there are more than 150 Jell-O brand products and over 300 million boxes of Jell-O sold in the United States alone. Wow, that's alot of animal bones and not bad for a $450.00 investment!
So, the next time you are in Leroy. New York, stop by the Jell-O museum. It's the only one in the world.
The 60's was a time of rebellion and counterculture in which younger people were questioning everything including corporations, authority, and the government. Some of the issues during that time were the Vietnam war, nuclear arms, civil rights, drugs, sexual freedom, the enviroment, and non-conformity. The movement made a change in American culture. The lifestyle included peace, harmony, love, mysticism, music, and religions outside of Christianity. Psychedelic drugs were used as a pathway to expand consciousness. A williness to challenge authority, enviromental awareness, and changing attitudes about gender roles and child rearing were also part of the movement. Utopian lifestyles, or communes were popular. Shared goals, farming, raising children and running households in longing for a simpler life was achieved. Many members of this counterculture saw their lives as a way to express social and political beliefs. Song lyrics, art and personal appearance, were used to make politicl and personal statements. "We are here to make a better world. We didn't end racism, but we ended segregation. We ended the idea that you could send half-a million soldiers around the world to fight a war people did not support. We ended the idea that women were second class citizens. We made the enviroment and issue that couldn't be avoided. The big battles that we won cannot be reversed. We were young, self-righteous, reckless, hypercritical, brave, silly, head strong, and scared half to dealth. And we were right." Abby Hoffman
Dear Daddy, I know you don't want to hear what I have to say, and I know you are going to freak out, but I have to say it anyway. I realize I have only been in college for two semesters, but I need to get out of here. My friends and I have decided to go to California. There is so much more going on out there and frankly it's where it's at. I have decided to drop out of college for awhile to find myself. I will be coming home next week to grab my backback, a few pairs of jeans and a few bucks for the road. Our friend is giving us space blankets so we can keep warm while sleeping under the stars. No need to worry, I am 19 now and can make adult decisions. I will be fine. See you next week, Love and Peace, Joyce.
In the sixities, the fashion industry was turned inside out and upside down. New styles and colors evolved and fashion was based on ethnic designs from Nepal, India, Bali, Morocco and Central America. In general, most hippies were anti-fashion. We rejected the dictation of corporate America as how we were supposed to dress. The fashion industry was seen as part of capitialist propaganda. Forget ever wearing a logo or endorsing a sports figure. We were anti-establishment, revolutionary, and laid back. Our stores were the Goodwills and Salvation Armies and piecing something together with bits of cloth. We slit our jeans to make bell bottoms, inserting American flags or colorful bandanas. We covered the holes in our jeans with patches, tie dyed our shirts and bleached our jeans. We wore Nehru shirts, halter tops, velvet, batiks, and any other crazy outfits we could piece together. An old vest and some beads meant you were stylin. In 1965 Mary Quant designed the mini skirt. That was the symbol of sexual freedom for women, along with see through blouses and braless breasts. Accessories were a must to complete the look. Love beads, granny glasses, ethnic jewelry, and necklaces with peace signs and ying yang symbols were popular. Going barefoot puts you in touch with the world around you. You become more aware and sensitive. Shoes were confining, so going barefoot summed up our quest for freedom. When I look back on those times, I realize how creative we were to compose our own identity. But, in fact, we all pretty much looked the same. I can understand now, why my parents went crazy. How odd we must have looked to that generation. I know they must have been praying, hoping it's all just a fad.
I love Janis Joplin. I saw her in concert once and took her picture. It is a prized possession. You can't see her face, but it shows mounds of hair and many braclets as she is wailing into the microphone. I always wanted to sing like that. Who didn't. After secretly trying for a very long time, it was just easier to mouth the words and pretend it was me singing. Janis was born January 19,1943 in Port Arthur, Texas a small petroleum industry town. She died October 4, 1970 in a motel in Los Angeles of a heroin overdose. She was only 27. Man, that pains me. I wonder what she would be like to this day. I am certain the world couldn't handle her. Where would she have gone with her music? Would she have been a mother or gone in to politics? During the tense days of racial intergration, Janis stood up for the rights of African Americans who were segregated in her home town. She was a rebel and took the non-traditional path with literature, arts and especially music. She gravited to the blues and copied the style of Leadbelly, Odetta, and Jesse Smith. She played the coffee houses in the small towns of Texas. When I was in college, I had a beatnik professor from Texas. We would hang out at his house, discussing all thing relevent and listen to him play blues guitar. He often played with Janis in his town's local coffee house. Janis eventually landed in Austin where she became a student at the University of Texas. Living on the edge, she experimented with drugs, speed, and alcohol. At that point, she returned home for a year to get herself and life together. Not happy in college, even though she was a good student, she took up an offer from a friend and auditioned to sing with a group called, "Big Brother and the Holding Company." They played music in the Bay area and up and down the coast of California. Their unique brand of psychedelic rock made it to the big concert, The Monterey International Pop Festival. When Janis sang Ball and Chain, the whole world took notice. After leaving "Big Brother and the Holding Company," Janis formed other bands. She consumed more drugs and alcohol than ever. I had a girlfriend who wanted to be just like her and carried around a bottle of Southern Comfort in the apartment while listening to Janis sing the blues. Well, my friend sang the blues one day when she drank too much and had to be escorted to the hospital via the ambulance. The third band Janis formed was "The Full Tilt Boogie Band" and at that point she was happy with her new style of music. Pure heroin took Janis away in a hotel in Los Angeles one night at the age of 27. Her albums were gold, platinum and triple platinum. The "Greatest Hits" album still tops the charts in Billboard.
Wow! It's finally time to retire and it's on the road again! I can't wait! Just like old times. What am I thinking? I can't retire now, there's no money left in my retirement account. I'm not prepared. I'll outlive my money, then what? Social Security? There's no security in that! This is exactly the situation most of the boomer generation is facing. People aged 55 and older will almost double between 2007-2030 from 60 million to 107.6 million. That's alot of jobs. The gallop poll says that 63% of non-retired adults plan to work into retirement. There is really no choice. But, what can we do? Greet people at Wallmarts? Flip burgers at McDonalds? No Way! Did you know that people 55-64 start small businesses at a higher rate than any other group in the US? Sole proprietorships, home-based and online businesses are a perfect fit because they are less expensive to start up and more flexible. What better way to earn a living than to use the computer for profit! If you are interested in that route (instead of Route 66) check out the Small Business Association's website. There are many resources available to get started and pointed in the right direction. Small Business Association Website
, At a time when Americans are hiring coaches for everything from careers,tutors,personal shoppers, trainers or weddings, the boomer generation is also giving their funerals a personal touch. Funeral directors are now becoming party planners breaking away from traditional church services and organ music. We boomers like to be in control, so we want services that reflect our personal tastes and lives. Don't mourn death, celebrate life! One family asked for a memorial at their father's favorite golf course, and another wanted his friends to ride Harley's and scatter his ashes on his favorite road. The town's ice cream man in Massachusetts, had his ice cream truck lead the funeral procession. At the gravesite, popsicles were handed out. Some funeral homes even offer live streaming web cams. Most families now choose cremation, so the services are becoming more lively and less somber because there is no dead body around. Without that, there is more freedom to be creative to go to a bar or restaurant, for instance. The afterlife accessories are also gearing up for the boomers. Caskets now can be made with your favorite sports logos. The baseball urns are a huge success. Now that I have you thinking about your funeral, what about me? I thought about having my body neatly tucked into my sleeping bag with granola bars and apples for the afterlife. Then after being put into my canoe, light it on fire and launch me off onto the river at sunset. A true viking funeral. Cheap too. Berry's Funeral Home Bowling Shirt White Fifties Bowler Londons Times Funny Animals Cartoons - Pig Funerals - T-Shirts Bagpipe Funeral Music Cd
Remember coming home from school and asking your mom, "What's for supper?" In my case, it never failed. It seemed like she was going to make exactly what we had in the school cafeteria for lunch. Those were the days in the fifties of optimism and prosperity was in the air. Most people believed in the advertisers promises of brighter tomorrows. Homemakers were intensely motivated with convenience foods like canned soups and jello and the media created a peace time market for war time foods. They were foods that were totable and convenient.
We watched the idealized TV shows like Father Knows Best or Leave It To Beaver. Mom served the meals with perfectly designed hair and a crisply starched dress with a tiny apron. At the table sat the perfect children and the husband in a suit coat. Little did we know, that mom was actually killing us with all that convenient food.
I remember having to eat everything on the plate, as we all did then. How criminal not to, when there were starving children in other countries. I bet I sat at the table for hours trying to chew and swallow what my mother considered steak. I would have given it to the dog, but we didn't have one. Stuffing those little green peas down the metal table leg was a chore and time consuming. Years later when the old table made way for the new one, hundreds or maybe thousands of dried up little peas came pouring out the bottom of the table legs.
The casserole was the dish of choice back then. An abundance of processed foods were avaliable to let the cook, who really didn't know how to cook, create a dish of comfort. To this day, I can't understand why these foods were considered comfort foods. Was it because we fell asleep so easily after eating them? Or, was it due to the fact that they filled us up so fast? These casseroles were so high in fat and after a decade of rationing foods during world war two, plain cooking was all that housewives could do.
I really think the companies that manufactured can openers in those days made a killing. I know because my mother had at least ten. We always had canned food and I am sad to say, I didn't see or hear of brussel sprouts until I was in college. I also remember the only lettuce was iceberg. There were two kids of dressings, orange and italian when the cooking got fancy. When I think back on those days at the kitchen table, I shudder. Maybe that's why I learned how to cook so well. Bon appetite!
I'm not old, nor do I ever intend to be. My parents were, but I don't think they had a choice. They didn't care because they thought it was just to be expected of them. We as boomers have choices. The anti aging, health and beauty industries are seriously targeting us. They know we are the fountain of youth generation. Looking for that quick fix for the bags under your eyes? The buzz on the internet now is (hang on to your seat) Preperation H. Seriously, it is supposed to constrict the blood vessels, thus shrinking those big old bags. Now, I hardly can imagine myself going to the drug store and actually buying Preperation H in the first place. I can see the whole scene now. I'm standing at the counter with that purchase in my hand and I can read the cashier's mind. I say to her, "Really, I really don't have hemorhoids. This is not the reason I am buying this stuff, really." "Oh, sure," she thinks, laughing inside. I say, "It's for the bags under my eyes, really." She's not laughing inside anymore because she's ready to call 911. That's not going to work at all, so I guess I could send in some kid who can say he's buying it for his grandmother. But, that whole approach seems like sending in an underage person to buy me some beer. What ever happened to good old fashioned cucumber slices? Bliss All-Around Eye Cream .5oz Frownies,Loose Wrinkles While You Sleep!
I needed a guide. You know, someone to show me the territory. The territory of being an all grown up baby boomer. There's alot involved, plenty to know. So, I set out on my hunt, the expedition of knowledge. After many long journeys, I found the perfect specimen. The holy grail of grails. The knowledge I was seeking was right at my finger tips. I discovered it all. How to secure my financial future in a 5 part ecourse and how to invest and get the most from my returns. I uncovered the truth about aging, diets, and how to avoid alzheimers (aghhhh...) I learned how to manage stress and improve my heart and strength. Seriously, this is "The Ultimate Baby Boomer Guide" starring you! I highly recommend this book. Discover This Book Here! There's a whole big world out there!
I encourage you to read this book.
and is about her childhood growing up and her life as the first lady. It's great reading and I highly reccomend this book if you would like to know more about this truely amazing woman.
The 60's was a time of rebellion and counterculture in which younger people were questioning everything including corporations, authority, and the government. Some of the issues during that time were the Vietnam war, nuclear arms, civil rights, drugs, sexual freedom, the enviroment, and non-conformity. The movement made a change in American culture. The lifestyle included peace, harmony, love, mysticism, music, and religions outside of Christianity. Psychedelic drugs were used as a pathway to expand consciousness. A williness to challenge authority, enviromental awareness, and changing attitudes about gender roles and child rearing were also part of the movement. Utopian lifestyles, or communes were popular. Shared goals, farming, raising children and running households in longing for a simpler life was achieved. Many members of this counterculture saw their lives as a way to express social and political beliefs. Song lyrics, art and personal appearance, were used to make politicl and personal statements. "We are here to make a better world. We didn't end racism, but we ended segregation. We ended the idea that you could send half-a million soldiers around the world to fight a war people did not support. We ended the idea that women were second class citizens. We made the enviroment and issue that couldn't be avoided. The big battles that we won cannot be reversed. We were young, self-righteous, reckless, hypercritical, brave, silly, head strong, and scared half to dealth. And we were right." Abby Hoffman
Remember coming home from school and asking your mom, "What's for supper?" In my case, it never failed. It seemed like she was going to make exactly what we had in the school cafeteria for lunch. Those were the days in the fifties of optimism and prosperity was in the air. Most people believed in the advertisers promises of brighter tomorrows. Homemakers were intensely motivated with convenience foods like canned soups and jello and the media created a peace time market for war time foods. They were foods that were totable and convenient. 
