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ARMY ENLISTMENT? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

September 7, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Me: Today is my Army enlistment anniversary. Did you remember. Wife: It’s also the day my Mom died. Me: It is? I mean, yes, it is, and also my anniversary. Wife: I’m glad you remember it. Me: And there’s another thing to celebrate on the same date. Wife: What?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, army enlistment, Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, education, family, for ord, history, learning, Love, MARRIAGE, married, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Social media, story, travel, wife, wise words, writer, writers, writing

WANTED MAN vs NEEDED. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE?

September 5, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

If you’re waiting for a wanted man to make life better, you’ll be waiting a minute. This man was a one-float parade around Silverton during my last visit. You could hear him from blocks away with his booming sound system blasting AC/DC. When I left, he followed my car out of town, then turned back […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, education, family, history, learning, Love, love you, MARRIAGE, millennials, music, need you, North Bend, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, silverton, Social media, story, town characters, travel, want you, wanted man, wife, writer, writers, writing

CLASSIC PORTLAND RIVALRY

September 3, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Social media Portland isn’t for the weak of heart. It’s either heaven on earth, or a hell hole from the underworld sticky goo. If you showed up recently, things are looking better; if you’ve been here a minute you’ve seen the ups and downs. Lastly, if you’ve lived here your whole life? Uh oh.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, chopping wood, classic portland rivalry, education, facebook, family, fitness, history, human rivalry, kids, learning, Love, millennials, North Bend, nostalgia, nostalgic, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, portland rivalries, rivalries, Social media, social media portland, wife, writer, writers, writing

FRESH AIR MAKES PEOPLE PEOPLE HUNGRY?

August 26, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for fresh air, and who isn’t, you’ll find it in abundance at your local nursery where acres of plants release oxygen. It may not feel, or look, like an oxygen tent, and you’re not a patient, but it does wonders. If it’s not the air that dazzles you, it’s the colorful blossoms, […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, breath, breathing, Canby ferry, dahlias, education, family, flowers, food, forest bathing, fresh air, get naked, history, hungry, Love, moody blues, Oregon, oxygen, oxygen therapy, plant nursery, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, rugged individual, story, swan island dahlias, wife, writer, writers, writing

LEAVING HOME? NO, JUST GET OUT OF THE HOUSE TODAY

August 20, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Leaving home is a life event? Not so much after the first time, whether it was leaving for college, the Army, or a first apartment. When baby boomers leave home what they’re doing is leaving their house. So when did leaving the house become such a big deal? Maybe right after some important study says […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, breaking news, customer, customer service, family, leaving home, millennials, opinion, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, slow news, slow tv, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

ONE QUESTION, ONE ANSWER, OR . . .

August 19, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Ask one question, just one, and if you know each other, things start clicking, woman or man. If you don’t know each other? Good luck. Maybe don’t ask anything. It’s not any particular question we’re talking about; it could be anything. “Is that a new car?”

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: answer, Baby Boomer blogger, blog magic, boomer parents, education, facebook, family, fitness, history, life altering, MARRIAGE, married, millennials, one answer, one question, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, question, remember, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

MATTRESS SHOPPING + BABY BOOMER = MARRIAGE COUNSELING

August 14, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Go mattress shopping and expect to find more than a mattress. Like what? The outstanding feature to me is meeting people who quote $20,000 for a new bed. Sound normal to you? Not to me, and here’s why:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bed frame, bed shopping, boomer blogger, deep sleep, education, facebook, family, head board, history, kids, kill you, learning, MARRIAGE, marriage counseling, married, mattress shopping, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

THE GREEN BOOK MOVIE REVIEW

August 13, 2026 by David Gillaspie

I saw The Green Book after watching documentaries on Bill Russell and Quincy Jones. The sequence matters because real people in the docs had already explained in pretty stark terms how it was to be black. The harsh reality they told showed up in scene after scene in a different context. How different?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blogger, boomer blogger, brooklyn, deep south, education, facebook, family, friend, friends, friendship, gay, green book, learning, life lessons, movie review, music, new york, race relations, racial strife, Social media, the army, the green book, travel, writer, writers, writing

DESCRIPTIVE TITLES ARE NOT ADMISSIONS OF GUILT

August 11, 2026 by David Gillaspie

If some well known celebrity shows up on a screen, any screen, talking about drug addiction, mental health, and suicide, they’re not talking about themselves. Instead, they’re using their recognition, their acclaim, and their name-fame, to get a message across to a broader audience. Why do they bother with adding their feelings? Because they […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, Ben Affleck, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, celebrity, commie, communist, describe, descriptive, descriptive titles, education, facebook, family, fitness, history, kids, learning, Nike, Oregon, Phil Knight, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, smoker, smokers, smoking, Social media, story, title, travel, twitter, urban growth boundary, vote, wife, writer, writers, writing

HOW TO BUSY SATURDAY AUGUST 8, 2026

August 9, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Focus on a busy Saturday starts Friday night. I’m looking at you, baby boomer: Go to bed early Friday night and get up refreshed and enthusiastic, instead of hungover and droopy. No one needs to see that beyond the mirror, and your spouse. Get up early, hustle through the routine, and get out the door. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, family, history, kids, MARRIAGE, millennials, Oregon, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, Social media, story, travel, wife, writers, writing