Hey, we all get older...

Selling the homestead and planning to downsize?

The real estate website Zillow analyzed data from over 32,000 homes and discovered that certain colors on the walls of individual rooms could actually increase the value of your home.

For instance:

• A kitchen painted a soft blue-grey increased the home’s value $1,809.
• A powder blue or periwinkle bathroom increased the value $5,400
• A Cerulean or cadet blue bedroom realized an $1,856 increase in value!

Have fun painting this weekend

The Hudsucker Proxy notwithstanding, the modern hula hoop was really invented by two guys named “Spud” Mellin and Richard Kerr. They got the idea from “exercise hoops” that were being successfully marketed in Australia. Only Kerr and Mellin designed their plastic hoop as a children’s toy.

Back in 1948, the two Californians had started a company they called Wham-O  to market a power slingshot they invented. A few years after that, they bought an idea from Fred Morrison for a flying disc. Fred had been inspired by construction workers who were tossing pie tins during their lunch hour. The pies (and the tins) came from the Frisbee Pie Company (but that’s a story for another day).

By 1958, sales of the slingshot were flat and the Frisbee just wasn’t taking off (no pun intended). So the boys took their hoop and joined it with the word “hula” (important as Hawaii was in the news often as it embarked on a campaign to become an official state of the union).

Within the first four months the Hula Hoop was on the market, sales had exploded! Twenty-five million hoops were sold in that short time frame. In two years, 100,000,000 had been sold and Wham-O was on its way to becoming a permanent part of American pop culture.

By 1967, sales of the hoops had fallen off. What did Wham-O do? They put 6 small ball bearings inside and faster than you could say “wham-o,” the Shoop Shoop Hula Hoop reignited the fad all over again.

Since then, the hoops have remained a consistent part of our pop culture scene, being used by kids, exercising adults, dancers at rock concerts, circus performers and more!

If you’re jogging for the health benefits, you may want to slow down just a bit.

According to a recent study, walking at a brisk pace provides just as much benefit as running when it comes to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol!

As we get ready for Halloween...

Having trouble falling asleep because something is bothering you?

A recent study shows that if you write down what’s bothering you AND how can solve that problem just before going to bed, you increase your chances of falling asleep faster!

At Boomtown America, we salute our nation's libraries during National Library Week (Mar 25-31) by remembering the sensitive, tasteful way those "mad men" of Madison Avenue depicted them in an ad campaign from the 1960s.

BTW - It is said this ad caused hundreds of the nation's young lads to rush to their nearest library so they, too, could discover the treasures waiting for them there!

Financial planners say you should check these things to ensure you are in control of your money:

Do You Have a Will? No one likes to think about it. But the experts say this is where you should start. Using a lawyer will cost you (probably a couple of thousand dollars). If you go the Do-It-Yourself route, you’ll save money, but pay attention to your state’s rules before you sign or your will might be invalid.

Can You List All Your Financial Accounts? More importantly, can your spouse and/or heirs list all your financial accounts. Take time to prepare a list as well as contact information for all your accounts and make sure someone else you trust knows where that list is located.

Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage? Surprisingly, financial planners say that sometimes the answer is “no.” You may still get a tax benefit from mortgage interest and you’ll free up more cash to invest elsewhere or just to enjoy life. Before answering this question, consult your financial professional.

How Much Credit Card Interest Do You Pay Every Month? The average credit card charges 16%. So getting you answer to $0 or as close to it as possible is the right way to go.

For 8 seasons, The Donna Reed Show provided Baby Boomers with a sort of Mother Knows Best amid a ton of family sitcoms focused on the father.

Cast as Donna Stone, Donna presided over a family with the proverbial sweet and lovely oldest daughter, Mary (Shelly Fabres) and mischievous, mildly rebellious son, Jeff (Paul Peterson).

Her TV husband Alex, played by Carl Betz, was a pediatrician who worked out of their home! Can you imagine any pediatrician doing that today? Also, can you imagine any pediatrician living in such modest accommodations?

The location for the show was the town of Hilldale. But in what state Hilldale was located was never mentioned.

At its peak, the show attempted to duplicate the success Ricky Nelson was having on the pop charts. Both Fabres and Peterson did find chart success with “Johnny Angel,” “She Can’t Find Her Keys” and “My Dad.” But neither really built credible singing careers.

The show also provided a launch pad for Bob Crane. He was a popular L.A. deejay who wanted an acting career. He was cast as Alex’s doctor buddy, Dave Kelsey. From there, Crane was able to land the title role in Hogan’s Heroes.

In The Donna Reed Show’s 6^th season (1963), the Stones adopted an orphan named Trisha. For an orphan, she bore a strange resemblance to the Stone’s son. That’s because in real life, she was his sister Patty Peterson. Maybe Dr. Stone wasn’t so wholesome after all.

As the 60s wore on, we started wanting our sitcoms with more gimmicks, like witches, genies and flying nuns; so, Donna Reed called it a day in 1966.

A few things you may not have known about Donna Reed:

• She was a pin-up during WWII and saved over 300 letters she received from GIs in a shoebox.
• She once milked a cow on the set of It’s a Wonderful Life to win a bet with Lionel Barrymore.
• She replaced Barbara Bel Geddes on Dallas & successfully sued the show when Bel Geddes returned and she was fired.
• When Nickelodeon acquired the reruns rights to The Donna Reed Show, that’s what inspired them to create Nick at Nite!
• You can still find her recipe for bundt cake online