An article in the local "rag" (the Post-Crescent) tweeked my interest this weekend. The author was in the process of buying a cottage "up north". He really didn't know why he was following this quest to a lake cottage but it was part of life's fantasy. The author's justification was he could make a pot of coffee in the morning, slip out to a beautiful deck and watch the sunrise over quiet water. The rest of the family had a place to flee when they needed to. Swimming! Boating! Water skiing! Family bar-b-ques. Oh, my! I have to admit that was part of my psyche when we bought our cottage.
Then reality sets in. Usually people have to travel busy highways to get up north to their cottage. Memorial Day kicks off the cottage season and Labor signals seasons end. Holidays are when amateurs arrive with the big boats, ignorance of lake laws and the huge inner tubes pulled behind boats. Oh, I loved the holiday weekends.
If you really think about it, most enjoyment of cottages is on weekends. Every summer season has about 12-13 weekends. You need to get the cottage living "out of your system" in 13 short weeks. Throw in other demands on your time such as family graduations or reunions and an occasionaly rainy weekend and you realistly have 8 shots at heaven.
Then there are the cottage repairs, the maintenance and cutting grass. And the water system! The life line of the cottage is good clean drinking water (and bathing). Sometimes the pump wouldn't work. Or there was rust in the line. Or the sandpoint ruptured and sand permeates the whole system. But we remained undeterred.
Then there is the neighbor factor. If you are lucky you get sweet caring neighbors. We happened to get a neighbor from hell. One of our good neighbors caught Floyd on video camera raking weeds from his shoreline onto our shoreline. Come on! You can't choose your neighbors.
What about the beetles that infested the floor, the raccons that got into the attic and the squirrels that got into the wall? Those problems got solved and the dream lived on.
Then it happened. Some magic would take place. Special family members would joins us for an "outing". Or, I would find that there was still gas in the boat and I could use it for a change.
For me, the really big, big, big magic occurred when Margaret decided she would like to have her graduation party from high school at the cottage and we invited every family member and special friends. And they came. I can't remember who didn't come. Grandma, Grandpa along with the Ullrichs and the Stegers and the Andrews clan. I remember Marjorie and Alan. The Klusendorf family came down from Appleton. The Graf family from "up the road". And the sun was shining. Little kids splashed in the water. Christopher took little people for boat rides around the lake. Almost all activity was on the lake front lawn. And at the end of the day I remember thinking, this was why we bought the cottage in the first place. A shining moment. The dream had been realized.
And then as with all things, the fantasy got old. It was time to move on. Kids got older. Things changed. But you can't take away the memories. Having our cottage did fill one of life's fantasies. I hope it does the same for the author of the Post-Crescent article.
Love,
Dad
This is the busy weekend. It signals the start of summer. Warm weather. Cottages. Boats. Swimming. Golf.
I think this is the first time in a year and one half that I have missed doing my blog on time. Usually it is the Tuesday/Friday routine. I deserve 20 lashes with a wet noodle.
I know that Debs and Tom are visiting the Train Museum in Green Bay. Kelly is painting and landscaping her house. Chris is planting a row of hedges along his driveway (using a company back hoe) with slave labor (Collin). Paul and I played a little golf. And Margaret, well who knows. She lives in this camelot city to the north and she seems to like her privacy (created by distance). As I ramble, it sounds like a typical 3 day, memorial day weekend.
My fondest memories go back to the late 1940's and early 1950's. It was a time that World War II had just ended. A lot of families had lost love ones in the War or knew close friends that had been killed. There were also men who returned and had disabilities that were constant reminders of the ravage of War. But, the War was over! There was a relief. People were thankful for the precious things in life.
When Memorial Day came, there was a reverence for all men and women who served. The Plymouth parade was attended by lots of people in tribute to marching Veterans and floats and bands. As veterans marched in the parade, many people stood at attention to salute or held their hands on their hearts. There were a few tears that were shed.
The parade went down the main street and ended at the cemetary along the river. Usually the weather was warm, flowers (especially Lilacs) were very fragrant. Unforgetable.
My guess in reflecting is that there was a relief that our country was not "at risk". The fear that a loved one would be lost in some far off country or island was gone. After years of constant fear, things were positive. Somehow when you've experienced the worst, it makes the good things seem even better.
God Bless America. There is no better place in the world.
Love,
Dad
First, congrats to Deb and Tom. The wedding ceremony went as planned and everybody seemed to have a good time. Tom swooped up Debs on his great white steed and wisked her away to forever!
Now my occasional rant! The world seems crazy sometimes. The Milwaukee Sewer District (MDS) put out a warning to the residents of Milwaukee that they should limit their flushes of the toilet and minimize showers and baths because the big rains last week were flooding the sewer treatment plant and they were discharging raw sewage into Lake Michigan. So people tightened their bladders and smelled stinky because they didn't bathe. Anything to help the cause. And then (this is the crazy part), the city of Milwaukee sent out crews to flush out fire hydrants dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of additional water into the sewer treatment plant. Here's my question! Couldn't flushing the hydrants wait for a few days? Some little old lady took the water conservation very seriously (so seriously her back teeth were floating from not going to the bathroom) while at the same time the City is being cavalier and dumping all this fresh water into the system. Come on folks! Maybe it is just me!
Then the State Attorney General brings formal charges against BP (British Petroleum) gas stations. Actually there were two stations affected in northern Wisconsin. The charge was for changing gas prices on the sign twice within 47 minutes. Apparently there is a law that says a station can't change prices more than once in a 24 hour period. Whoooo! Naughty, naughty BP. The potential fine is $200 per station. I bet BP is shaking in their boots. $200! I bet that will keep them for ever making that mistake again. I think the fine for jaywalking is bigger? Maybe it just me!
And then, there is this CPI (Consumer Price Index) measured by the government. It has evolved into two numbers. Last month the CPI was up something like .6% (7.2% annually) but the "core CPI" which takes out food and energy was only up .2% (2.4% annually). They conclude that inflation is under control if you take out food and energy. I don't know about you, but I eat every day, drive every day and pay the same $3.00 per gallon of gas that you do. How can you ignor food and energy costs? Come on! Nobody seems to question the real total CPI increases! Maybe it is just me!
I'll stop the rant. There are things happening every day that just seem to be non-sensical in nature. Think about it! Or is it just me?
Love,
Dad
My heart is all "a flutter" with anticipation of the big day. Tomorrow, Deborah Kay Andrews will wed Mr. Tom Worash. One more day. It is exciting!
Once upon a time there was a fair maiden living in the backwash community of Sheboygan. She actually was a Princess looking for her Prince Charming. She was blessed with a keen sense of humor, a quick wit and caring attitude. One day she was checking her satelite linked "G" band internet cell phone and she was alerted that there was a Prince Charming in the kingdom of Sheboygan County.
Prince Charming came from the northland where he had grown up in the tiny hamlet of of Wausau. It was located on the futherest reaches of the tundra. He was looking far and wide for the fair damsel that could be the love of his life. He also was using a "G" band internet cell phone sending forth signals of his interest.
So as happens in all magical tales, he was sending and she was receiving (maybe it was the other way around)! It does not matter because they found each other. The sky brightened. The music played. They both knew that this would be special.
So tomorrow, Prince Charming will hoist the fair maiden onto the back of his white steed and they will ride off to the kingdom of Wausau to live happily ever after.
I think it kind of neat that two people from different corners of Wisconsin did find each other and I wish them every happiness. As Al McGuire of the Marquette Warrior basketball team would say (come on you all remember Big Al), "heres wishing you seashells, clowns, and balloons".
Love,
Dad
My lovely wife used the term "ka-ching" the other day. I hadn't heard that phrase in a long time. It represents the sound of a cash register as it rings up the money you owe.
It is the sound you hear when you go to the grocery store to get some pickles and you come home with two bags of groceries. Ka-ching! You just blew your budget.
You go to buy a skateboard for your favorite grandson and the better board costs "just a little bit more". Ka-ching.
Your car is getting serviced and they tell you the brake pads are shot. Ka-ching!
You go to a restaurant with the 5 Grasshoppers and you tell them to pick something modest off the menu. Chris orders steak. Ka-ching!
You buy a new microwave and they offer you a 5-year warranty for $20. You take it! Ka-ching! By the way, never take the insurance programs offered by retail outlets especially on items costing several hundred dollars.
You decide to have a simple wedding with just a few guests. Suddenly the total soars because you don't want to leave anybody out. Ka-ching!
You rescue a kitten from the Humane Society and then you buy a portable animal carrier, kitty litter and special animal dishes. And then there are the toys. And there are special vitamins. A collar. We need a special collar. Shots! We need to make sure they get the shots. Did I mention neutering. Ka-ching. Ka-ching. Ka-ching. All the photographs are free. Bottom line? Who cares, he is cute!
Which brings me to the event that triggered this rant. We needed mulch put around the house. One solution was Collin and myself working side by side to spread mulch around. I know how that goes. Collin goes to soccer practice and Chuck spreads mulch alone becaise it is clogging the driveway. We needed 19 yards of mulch. That is a full dump truck of mulch. So we hired a couple guys to bring it in and spread it. While they were working, they invited me out to look at some things that they had found. You know, "this bush is dead" and it should come out. Being the quick decision maker that I am, my response is "yah, go ahead". Ka-Ching! When the bill came it was higher than they quoted and I had apoplexy. When I mentioned it my bride, she said the work crew had asked her also about moving some bushes and small trees and she said "go ahead". Ka-Ching! Ka-Ching! Ka-Ching!
So my message Grasshoppers is lookout for the Ka-ching Factor. It will grab you when you least expect and it can be avoided. It is a sneaky phenomenon.
Love,
Dad
Andy Warhol, a painterand photographer believed that everyone will enjoy 15 minutes of fame in their lifetime. It is a nice thought but most people will live out a life of quiet existance with little or no recognition.
My solution is an "imaginary applause machine". Because most people never get the 15 minutes of fame they deserve, I can lend you a machine that will applaud your effort whenever you do something special. You can enjoy the applause for as long as you like (more that 15 minutes if you like). My only requirement is that you return the applause machine when you are through.
When Debs and Tom walk down the aisle, my applause will be on. For both, it is a new beginning and special. Let the applause ring out!
When Dano starts her new nursing career, she gets my applause. Go for it girl.
When Nevin walks across the stage to receive his high school diploma, he gets to use the imaginary applause machine.
When Addie witnesses Valerie receive her Law Degree next week, a very special applause. In fact I have two machines and Valerie gets to use one for the long hard road traveled to get her degree and Addie gets the second applause machine for the unwavering support only a mother knows.
Grant Hollander gets the applause for riding his bike (for the first time) from home to school in a system of roads that is rather complex. He felt good about it and it deserves applause.
Margaret gets applause for taking the chance to change jobs (again). Taking risks in life is ongoing. With Margaret I'm probably going to have to pry my applause machine from her grasp (just kidding).
You get the idea. Almost everybody does things in their life everyday that deserve applause. Most things are never recognized by others. But it doesn't make any difference. You can always use my "imaginary applause machine" and enjoy the special things that you have done. All you need to do is feel you need recognition. You don't even have to ask me to use the machine. Just wish borrow it. And you know what, if you want you own imaginary applause machine, you can build it into your mind. How about that? Then you could turn it on everyday when you do something special.
This weekend my imaginary applause machine will be given to my wife. Five beautiful children and an exemplary mom! She never stops being a mom. It is part of her soul! I love her for it. Happy Mothers Day!
Love,
Chuck
In the mid 1950's, my dad was General Manager of The Plymouth Foundry. His role as accountant and CPA had evolved into more responsibility. The ower of the Foundry, Rich Goldberg was from Saukville, Wisconsin and had family money to invest. He bought a 200 acre farm south of Cascade and put Bucky in charge (in addition to the Foundry).
The farm had an old farm house that was slowly remodeled so that guests could stay overnight. Remodeling seemed to take forever.
Ponds were dredged into the landscape near a stream and stocked with rainbow trout. The idea was to entertain customers by letting them fish from the ponds.
A couple of horses were purchased for Goldberg and his family.
Prized white faced cattle were purchased to generate some income along wtih chickens for egg production. Some land was leased for production of corn, hay and wheat.
You guessed it! My brother Jack and primarily myself got roped into going out to the farm to help with farm duties. For several years there was little doubt on what we did in our spare time. We'd ride out to the farm to feed the trout, collect the eggs, feed the horses and tend the cattle. In the summer, we helped harvest hay and filled silo's with silage. You have to think about this arrangement. Goldberg buys a hobby farm, my dad assumes management and Jack and I do all the work. What the hell?
Actually there were lots of good moments. Learning the trout business was interesting and we got to fish. We did get to ride the horses. I was never interested in hunting, but the farm was stocked with pheasants and Bucky and Alice's brother Jerry would go bow and arrow hunting. My hunting memory was "Big Jerry" stalking a pheasant in a corn field and flushing it out. As the pheasant took flight, Jerry took a shot with a arrow and put it right into the middle of the bird. It was an impossible shot and Jerry probably never did it again. The bird flapped and flopped around for several minutes until he was dead. We had pheasant for supper. By the way, there isn't a lot of meat on a pheasant.
So what did Goldberg do? He bought another 300 arcres adjacent to the first farm to raise more cattle. Heck, running a farm was easy.
Chuck and Jack never got paid. Once I got my drivers license, my dad didn't even go out to the farm. He just sent his slave labor, Chuck and Jack.
Bucky died in 1957 about the time the farms were really getting developed. I don't know if the Goldberg family held on to the farms or not.
I will say that the Cascade farms were an interesting experience. It was an extravagant hobby for the Goldbergs. It was work for the Andrews with a few benefits thrown in. It also kept me away from my girl friend. Who do you think that was?
By the time I was 17, I knew quite a bit about the Foundry business, the tavern business and hobby farms. I am sure that there were many lessons in all of that that helped me in my own career.
Come to think of it, my Dad was a pretty smart guy!
Love,
Dad
It is that time of year when "May Flies" begin to propogate the Lake Winnebago area. These are ugly flies (they are not small) that you don't want to crush because the leave great big gobs of greasy green staining guts. There are times when so many land on a screen that they can actually block the sun from coming in a window. The May Fly phenomenon lasts for a week or two and then it is over till next year.
Here is the real story! May Flies live 24 hours and then they die. Imagine being a May fly. You get up in the morning, have breakfast, go to school, have some fun, fall asleep and die. It is a human's life in a microcosm form. So as a May Fly, your life is short and you never have a chance to accomplish much. A human being lives 30,000 times longer than a May Fly. A May Fly life is pretty insignificant.
Shakespear has a quote in one of his plays that "life is but a fleeting second in eternity". The idea is that your life in the perspective of all eternity is also pretty insignificant. In fact your life is so short in relation to forever that a blink of an eye is a generous discription. Our feeble human minds can not comprehend the concept of forever. As Margaret might say, it is a fricking long time.
When a minister says "do you take this person to have and to hold forever" there is no comprehension of what that means. Forever is so long that it can not be understood.
So when Deb and Tom say "I do", they are doing so in the context of forever and don't know what they are doing. All the other people in the world that have married didn't know what they were doing either. Wait a minute, I got married?
It is now 15 days and counting.
Love,
Dad
18 days until Deb and Tom vow to be together forever. Forever and ever and ever. Boy, that seems like a long time!
Sometimes you get lessons about money in unexpected ways. When I was 12-13 years old, I was always around the tavern. A man named Jim Ryan supplied orthaphonic machines to the City Club on a shared revenue basis. Jim owned the machines. He would place them in a conspicuous location in the tavern, load popular songs in record form on the machine and then people could play music as they drank their problems away. It cost a dime to play one tune and 3 for a quarter. Jim Ryan would come around once a week and empty the coins from the machine. Myrna and I would help count the coins and put them in paper wrapper rolls. After the total was tallied up, Jim Ryan got his fee for supplying machines. Myrna got the remainder of the revenue. Imagine a little kid being able to count up all that money!
Jim Ryan would take me along on his route to other taverns in Sheboygan County where he had the same arrangement with other tavern owners. He enjoyed my company. Imagine that! He liked me. Besides I could help him if he was installing or removing equipment. I got all the soda and potato chips I wanted.
Jim was a fun guy. He was about 5'10" tall, kind of handsome with locks of curled black hair and a distinct mustache. He looked like he had stepped off a south sea island in World War II with short sleeved shirts and bulging muscles. He could also be a "no non-sense" kind of a guy.
I remember going to Cascade to a tavern on the main highway through town. On this occasion, my buddy John Zelm came along. John may have been one of the most uncouth characters in my childhood. Jim Ryan had emptied the coins from the orthaphonic equipment and placed it on a table. He and the owner were counting it. John and I wandered over to the table and apparently behaved very obnoxiously. Jim Ryan took both John and I over to some bar stools, made sure we had something to drink and ordered us to stay at the bar. Jim finished splitting the money from the machine and we left the tavern.
And then Jim Ryan unloaded! He grabbed the arms of both John and I and looked at us sternly. When people are conducting personal business transactions such as counting money, that should be respected. He considered the antics of John and I disrespectful and it would never happen again. His tone and his look said it all. Fun is fun. Business is business. Then we went on to the next tavern and you can bet that we did not impose on the business dealings of Jim Ryan. Even my buddy John got the message.
I never forgot that. Jim was right. When people are conducting personal business it is private and to be respected. If I see people transacting financial affairs, I will walk away from the situation. There are details and facts that are none of my business. The corollary to my respecting other people's business is that they respect mine. If I have a personal dealing taking place, I expect other people to respect my privacy.
The lesson Grasshoppers is to always respect business dealings of other people and you should demand the same thing. It is common sense folks!
Love,
Dad