The Lee Majors Bionic Hearing Aid. Doesn't cost you $6 million, "but you'll think it's worth it!" Yeah.

Welcome to the Granny's Got a Gun blog. Truth told, I do not own a gun. And no one I know wants me to have a gun. Will I ever be free from the tyranny of my friends and loved ones?

The blog title reflects my mood since I turned 50. Somehow children getting lost, stolen, killed, or any other vile thing woke me up that year, and now, whenever I see or hear or read about people with poor parenting skills I just blow up. I should be grateful that I don’t have a real gun.

Part of my fear for little ones is because I am a grandmother, a baby boomer grandmother at that. I want my grandson to know everything — how to stay safe, how to recognize trouble and how to avoid it, to love and respect nature, to believe in God, to offer help to people who need it, and to tell me everything. I can keep a secret. Baby boomers have lots of time and more disposable income these days to love their grandchildren. 

"Baby boomer" is not my favorite moniker; however, I am proud to be included in the largest influx of post-war births ever. We may not be "the greatest generation" or a "mature," as the 70+ generation is called, but if you were born between 1946 and 1964 you were already rebels. I wish our generation could be called that. We rebels caused the boom simply by being born. Look at our stimulus plan: the building and manufacturing of hospitals, schools, houses, cars, televisions, buses, interstate highways, tourism, jobs, Hula Hoops, Fizzies and lots of other stuff.

If baby boomers all thought alike, all 76 million of us, we would be a power to be reckoned with. But we don’t. There is an 18-year span from the oldest baby boomer to the youngest.

Born in 1952, I guess I’m a mid-boomer. I’m not as fond of ‘50s music as I am of the ‘60s. I remember seeing something on CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite about Americans beginning to go into Vietnam. These young men may have been baby boomers, 18-year olds. I must have been in the third grade when I saw the report, and it made a huge impression on me. By the time I was in high school, boys I knew were being drafted and sent to Vietnam. By graduation in 1970 the whole country was in turmoil. Unless they had a connection to the war, most of the youngest baby boomers never knew much about it, and they did not see President John F. Kennedy get killed.

There are many websites concerning baby boomers. Some are helpful and some are not. I’ll be sharing things for you to digest from every medium imaginable. It seems everyone wants to sell us something.

Recently I saw an early morning television ad hosted by Lee Majors. I remember him as the Six Million Dollar Man. He looked great. But he was selling The Lee Majors Rechargeable Bionic Hearing Aid. Oh, brother. Not only did it look cheap, it also was cheap because I heard him say it was only $14.95 plus shipping and handling. And guess what else, that’s the price for a 30-day trial. If you really want the bionic thing you have to make three easy payments of $66.65.

I’m guessing that baby boomers are not the target for this ad. Certainly we are not that gullible. But someone who is 70 or 80 years old might go for it. Warn your loved ones and pass on things you think might be scams. Our generation has always been skeptical. Question everything, remember?

Baby boomers, welcome to a blog that listens (and laughs). This is your chance to really talk about healthcare, aging, downsizing to a smaller house, fun things to do and places to go, politics, music, food, fashion, grandparenting, relationships, jobs, volunteering and anything that bugs you, amuses you and amazes you about getting older.