Boomers RulePro

Did You Know?

2008-02-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.

Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful mint frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simple chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yum

1. Reheat Pizza - Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

2. Easy Deviled Eggs - Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, and cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

3. Expanding Frosting - When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

4. Reheating refrigerated bread - To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

5. Newspaper weeds away - Start putting in your plants; work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

6. Broken Glass - Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

7. No More Mosquitoes - Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Squirrel Away - To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

9. Flexible vacuum - To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

10. Reducing Static Cling - Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- Static is gone.

11. Measuring Cups - Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

12. Foggy Windshield - Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

13. Reopening envelope - If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

14. Conditioner - Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

15. Goodbye Fruit Flies - To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

16. Get Rid of Ants - Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS - The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through

it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free -- that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, and well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly have.

Internet Slang Terms You Will See and What They Mean

2007-11-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Internet Slang used when communicating on the web:

Chat, Forum, Email, Internet Slang and Terms: LOL, BTW, EG, FYI, IDN

©Linda Roeder

When you're chatting, writing in a forum, or getting email from friends you'll come across Internet slang. See what some of the most common Internet slang terms mean.

Most internet users have come across LOL, one of the most pervasive Internet slang terms. This Internet slang term means Laugh Out Loud and it's used by just about everyone on the Internet. LOL, is an Internet slang term used as a way of expressing emotion via a medium that is virtually emotionless.

It's hard to show emotion when you're typing. Sometimes the things you write can be taken the wrong way because the reader can't hear the tone in your "voice". That's where Internet slang comes into play. Without Internet slang, chatting on the Net would be pretty boring.

Internet slang is also used as a short cut to typing out long phrases, or even short phrases. Take the Internet slang BTW, for instance. It's Internet slang for the short term, By The Way. It certainly didn't take long for me to type the whole phrase out, but by using Internet slang, I've shortened my typing time and made chatting or emailing a more pleasant experience.

Here are some other common Internet slang terms and their meanings:

· AAK - Alive and Kicking

· AAS - Alive and Smiling

· AFAIK - As Far as I Know

· AFK - Away From the Keyboard

· asl - Used to ask about personal information (age, sex, location)

· b4 - Before

· BAK - Back at the Keyboard

· BBL - Be Back Later

· BBS - Be Back Soon

· bf - Boyfriend

· BEG - Big Evil Grin

· BFN - Bye For Now

· BRB - Be Right Back

· BTW - By The Way

· CNP - Continued in Next Post (used in message boards when you run out of room or your post is getting too long)

· CYA - See Ya

· dd - Dear (or Darling) Daughter

· ds - Dear (or Darling) Son

· dh - Dear (or Darling) Husband

· DIKU - Do I Know You?

· EG - Evil Grin

· EM - Email

· ema? - What Is Your Email Address?

· ez - Easy

· F2F - Face To Face

· FAQ - Frequently Asked Question

· flame - Something said to hurt someone else's feelings

· FOCL - Falling off Chair Laughing

· FOFL - Falling on Floor Laughing

· FYI - For Your Information

· g - Grin

· GAL - Get A Life

· gf - Girlfriend

· GR or GTR - Gotta Run

· GR&D - Grinning, Running, and Ducking

· H&K - Hugs and Kisses

· HAGD - Have A Good Day

· host - Person running the chat room

· HTH - Hope That Helps

· IB - I'm Back

· IDK or IDN - I Don't Know

· IDTS - I Don't Think So

· IC - I See

· ILU or ILY - I Love You

· IM - Instant Message

· IMHO - In My Humble (or Honest) Opinion

· IMO - In My Opinion

· IRL - In Real Life

· IYO - In Your Opinion

· JK - Just Kidding

· k or kk - OK

· KIT - Keep In Touch

· L8R - Later

· LOL - Laughing Out Loud

· OJ - Only Joking

· OMG - Oh My God

· OTOMH - Off the Top of My Head

· OTW - On The Way (the file, or email, is on the way)

· PLZ - Please

· PPL or peeps - People

· QT - Cutie

· RL - Real Life

· ROFL OR ROTF - Rolling On Floor, Laughing

· RT - Real Time

· RU - Are You?

· s - Smile

· SH - Same Here

· SN - Screen Name

· SO - Significant Other

· SPST - Same Place, Same Time

· STR8 - Straight

· SYL - See You Later

· TC - Take Care

· TGIF - Thank Goodness It's Friday

· THX - Thanks!

· TRDMF - Tears Running Down My Face

· TTFN - Ta-Ta For Now (this one's from Tigger)

· TTYL - Talk To You Later

· TY - Thank You

· UW - You're Welcome

· WB - Welcome Back

· WC - Welcome

· WEG - Wicked Evil Grin

· WTG - Way To Go

· WT? - What The.. ? or Who the.. ?

· YVW - You're Very Welcome

· YW - You're Welcome

· Capital letters - If you write in all caps, it means you're shouting. Example: HEY YOU!

Duplicate letters - Extending words also shows emotion. Example: Heyyyyy Yoooouuuuu

Medicare, a System in a Mess

2007-11-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

When you have only Medicare as your health care coverage, you are in a sad situation because Medicare "rules", as it were. You have no opportunity for input.

Medicare is the only source of health care insurance many older people have. These people (and I am not talking about just the 70 somethings, but the 50 somethings and on up) depend solely on the choices and decisions Medicare makes, such as what prescription drugs Medicare will and will not pay for and how much they will pay. Yes, the new drug program is helpful, but right in the middle of the year, Medicare's drug "help" program tells you that you have reached your limit as far as what they will spend on your prescriptions, so guess what? You pay the full price yourself for the remainder of the calendar year. Many older people cannot afford to purchase the medicine they need so they end up "going without". There is something wrong with this picture.

I suppose the prescription situation would not be so bad, but with the new laws passed at the end of last year, Medicare now has lowered substantially what they will pay Doctors to see a patient. This is huge for many older people who count on Medicare as their sole health insurance provider. Doctors are just "saying no" to people who have Medicare now. Doctors are refusing to take patients who have Medicare. What are these older people, most of them on lower, fixed incomes, going to do? The amount of money Doctors were receiving prior to the new laws was a joke but now it has been lowered so much more that they cannot afford to have Medicare patients.

What are our lawmakers thinking? They are certainly not considering the interests and well being of their constituency. The baby boomers are coming into the age of "senior citizenry" now and are flooding the health care system everywhere. How wonderful it is if one has a great health insurance coverage policy that the Doctors can afford to accept. But again, what about the ever more quickly increasing numbers of people who count on Medicare? I received a letter from AARP, which gave me the phone number for my senator's office. I called to say that since the House of Representatives has already passed legislation to increase the amount that Medicare will pay to Doctors I ask that the Senate do their part in getting this put into law so people may benefit from the Medicare system as soon as possible. Sadly, I do not see a happy ending for many people if our lawmakers don't do something and do it quickly!

Bill O'Reilley vs Rosie O'Donnell

2007-11-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

To carry on with my “do the right thing” essay a while ago…a week or so ago I saw a video where Bill O’Reilley sent his cameraman & whoever else those guys were to a book signing by Rosie O’Donnell.

I confess Rosie is not one of my favorites, but this was really tacky of O’Reilley who puts forth a façade of integrity and fairness. Rosie handled it all very well actually; Bill O’Relley is trying to get her to come on his show so they can debate her 9/11 conspiracy theory. Rosie said she did not say that. I guess Bill must think she did because he wants a chance to get down and dirty. Rosie is not biting, at least not yet. To be continued…
If you would like to comment on this or any post just scroll down to the very bottom of the post and click on the word comments. You can choose to just send the comment to me or publish it. bye bye for now L. Jeannie

A BOOMER KNOWS !

2007-11-03T10:01:00.000-06:00

Dear All,

I thought I would check on exactly what the world considers as the birth years of the "boomers" and here it is.

A baby boomer is a person born between 1945 and 1965 in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, or Australia. Following World War II, these countries experienced an unusual spike in birth rates, a phenomenon commonly known as the baby boom. The term is iconic and more properly capitalized as Baby Boomers. The terms "baby boomer" and "baby boom" along with others (e.g. "boomies" or "boomers") are also used in countries with demographics that did not mirror the sustained growth in American families over the same interval. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
For further information, see Post-World War II baby boom

Just for a snicker or a smile: You know you’re a baby boomer if:

You remember the term “I like Ike”
If you know what a churchkey is
If you remember “you’ve got more __________ than Carters got little liver pills
how you felt when the Lawrence Welk show was about to come on TV...uh 1…anda 2…and uh 3
if you watched the Howdy Doody show or remember it
if you watched Father knows best
you know what a soda jerk is
you went to the drive-in every week (those were the days)--the "passion pit"
if you were a fan of either or all : "Have Gun Will Travel" , Steve McQueen in “Wanted Dead or Alive”, Clint Eastwood in "Rawhide", or Nick Adams in "The Rebel"
if this brings back a memory or two "A White Sport coat and a Pink Carnation"
you remember the phrase "Makin whoopee" and what it meant
you know who Ed Sullivan was
you remember when girls had Home Ec class (and typing class) and boys had shop class
Penny loafers, saddle oxfords, bobbie sox, or poodle skirts cause a bit of a flashback
you remember when girls jeans had side zippers
you remember the "bop" and watching "American Bandstand" on TV
you just HAD to have a pair of bell bottoms

More later OR if you can think of a good one--send it to me. Everyone needs a laugh; laughter is the best medicine, right?

Also, the boomers born at different times may have other memories that people today go blank at the mention of--like I have had people come in my home and ask me "what is that?" when they look at my phone (manufactured in '45 so it has a dial and they don't know what the dial is). Amazing, isn't it? Love and good health to all, Lynda

Do the Right Thing

2007-11-01T12:23:00.000-06:00

“Do The Right Thing”

I have noticed, over these past few years of my life, a very quickly growing condition in people of all ages and genders, faiths, countries, company policies, well everyone…. When a person or entity faces a decision of any kind he, she or it has three choices (1) do the easy thing (2) do the greedy thing, whether it be easy or hard (3) do the right thing. While I hope people will choose to do the right thing when faced with a difficult choice or decision, they very rarely do. Sad.

For example, someone you know is a twentyish person desperate to find a job outside the fast food business. This person has very little college and no real job experience but begs for jobs he/she is not qualified for, due to a sincere willingness to learn. Finally an employer agrees to train on the job and our “person” is thrilled…for about three to four months; then he/she starts noticing all the things about working in this new found job that make it awful.

The three choices now before our employee are 1) do the easy thing which could include getting back at the nasty boss or supervisor by sitting around not working, lying, calling in sick often and more… so the employer would fire her/him 2) do the greedy thing by stealing, lying, and finding ways to get more from the job financially so she/he would feel justified staying where he/she doesn’t want to be 3) do the right thing and explain the job is not a good fit and give a two week notice. My experience has been that “doing the right thing” is not an option in these cases anymore.

Doing the right thing is becoming an extinct course of action now. I am saddened as I see more and more people unwilling to work hard to make their living. Everyone wants their needs to be met but not as a result of their labor; anything but that! People today, want it fast and they want it easy. Doing the right thing and making a plan for their life and how to support themselves is just not one their options.

I want to know. What happened to “doing the right thing”?

Homeowners Insurance "What If's?"

2007-10-30T13:26:00.000-06:00

When I bought my first home I remember reading through the homeowners insurance policy carefully (young newbie). I was glad to see the many types of coverage available for my house. That good feeling of knowing that if something unforeseen happened the homeowners insurance would help and probably completely compensate for whatever damage occurred. As so many others, I felt that life offered enough challenges and this insurance was a good thing. Yes, the insurance premiums seemed very high to me then, but I assured myself the policy was a definite necessity.

Oh! The lovely home my friend had in the Bay area near San Francisco in the late 80's! I was very happy for them. Suddenly, without warning, during the World Series game in October of 1989 the worst earthquake during my lifetime shocked the world as its wrath spread ruin everywhere near its epicenter. A tiny spot in the mountains very close to San Francisco, California was the quake's starting point. In mid February of 1990 the homeowner's policy came and there was a bold notation of a change in coverage for all homeowners. I was curious what could possibly be happening? As I read further I found out: the policy would no longer cover damage caused as a result of an earthquake. Excuse me? Please note - my premiums went up that year but I had less insurance coverage. Figure that one out!

When I look way back to that first home I realize that the insurance premiums paid then seem like a pittance now. I remember getting the new policy on the house we are in now in late January of 2002. There was an emboldened enclosure explaining that there was new information each homeowner needed to know. The insurance would definitely not cover anything that occurred to the home that might be construed to have anything to do with terrorism. Oh! My premiums did not go down I noticed, but my coverage did. So, is there a pattern forming here?

When Katrina hit New Orleans my friend in Baton Rouge kept me up to speed on the situation in that area of the country. Even though Baton Rouge had huge losses themselves they still took in people from New Orleans by the droves. We all know how horrible it was. The new challenge facing homeowners in Louisiana and Mississippi or anywhere hurricanes might be prone to hit land is now upon us. Why don't you try to get homeowners insurance that will cover your New Orleans home from hurricane damage? Just try! No way, not anymore.

I cannot get my mind around what must be the feelings and fears of the half million people evacuated from their homes in and around the San Diego area so far. Terror does not even come close to what I would feel and no one knows what the future holds for these folks. I guess I can safely (and sadly) assume one thing. If and when they are able to have another home they might see a change showing less coverage in their homeowners policy. Yes, I think there is a pattern here. I hope I am wrong