Grasshopper No. 1 gave us a copy of the DVD "The Longest Yard" recently. Ray Nitschke was in the movie. He plays a mean spirited linebacker on a Prison Guards football team (no front teeth and all). He meets his match when the quarterback (Burt Reynolds) throws a football into his groin and renders him unconcious.
It dawns on me that I have never talked about meeting Ray Nitschke, one of the most famous Green Bay Packer players from the 1960's dynasty. People would stand in line for hours to get Ray's autograph and to shake his hand.
I want you to know that your Mom and I got to spend personal time with Ray. Grasshopper No.4 had met Amy Nitschke while taking a class at the Fox Valley Techical College and the Nitschke's had requested a chance to meet our family (in the early 1990's). One evening, while we were living on Greenfield Street, Ray and his wife, Jackie came to visit.
Your Mom and Jackie ended up in one room and "us" guys in another. I was watching Indiana (coached by Bobby Knight) on TV smash some Big 10 foe when he arrived. We had an instant connection because Ray knew Bobby personally.
What do I remember about our encounter? I remember a friendly, gentle balding man with huge hands. His hands were massive (somewhat like Grandpa George's). He wasn't as big as I thought. I think he was on all 5 Lombardi coached Packer NFL Championship teams of the 60's. He talked more about growing up in Chicago and playing fullback on his high school football team than the Packers. He went to the University of Illinois where the transition to linebacker took place.
7-8 years after our encounter, Ray Nitschke died at the early age of 61. I guess the years of physical abuse and perhaps cigar smoking took its toll. I'm sure that Ray would not lament about an early death. He would celebrate the fairy tale life he had led. He became a legend.
How many people can say they had a legend as a guest in their house? Hey! Living in Wisconsin? Having a personal connection with the Green Bay Packers? Then getting to walk with greatness? Does it get any better? My regret is that I didn't get a picture but it didn't seem appropriate to ask at the time.
Is being a Green Bay Packer stockholder great or what?
Love,
Dad
It has been 50 years since I graduated from High School. 1958! That means that our class of old fogies is featured at the June celebration of alumni.
Part of me says it would be nice to revisit people that I grew up with but I remember them as they were 50 years ago. I might not want to disturb those memories. Another part of me says it would be really interesting to see how everyone's life turned out. I know that 21 classmates out of a graduating class of 128 are deceased.
Saturday morning I was home minding my own business when a classmate from the 50's called to determine if your Mom and I were planning on attending the June reunion.
The voice was Richard Shovan, a twin to Roger Shovan (now deceased). The Shovan family ran a restaurant in the building that Grandpa George bought on Mill street and used as his shop until he retired. I would walk 2 blocks down Mill Street in Plymouth each morning and pick up Richard and Roger on the way to school. Richard's Mom would greet me at the restaurant door and give me a hug (she weighed over 300 pounds but she was a delight). Sometimes I made her chase me around the kitchen before she got the hug. She always said she wanted to adopt me. Richard's Mom and Dad were killed in a car accident when he was 13-14 years old. The restaurant closed and Richard and Roger had to live with sisters and ultimately with a close Aunt and Uncle all through High School. It obviously changed their lives. I played basketball with Richard all through High School.
Richard went on a class exchange trip as a senior with 30-40 Plymouth students (along with your Mom) to some place in Louisiana (in exchange, 30-40 students from Louisiana came to Plymouth). He made many friends on the trip and ended up going to college and marrying someone from Louisiana. His field of endeavor was social work, maybe because he was sympathetic for people that had been dealt a "tough hand" in life.
I got to travel down memory lane for almost an hour. Richard's voice sounds similar to what I remember. Then, only as I can do, I indicated that we were certainly considering going to the reunion (notice I didn't commit). I have to admit it was a "blast from the past".
I'm not real good at lamenting about what might have been in the past. You can't change it anyway. The real lesson Grasshoppers is enjoy the moment (it will soon be the past) and keep looking ahead. Dreams are the essence of life!
Love,
Dad
Spring arrived on Thursday. The snowstorm arrives on Friday (today). What the hell?
Madison (home of Grasshopper No. 2) is in the middle of the path of snow. The forecast is for 8-10 inches. The irony is that kids are off school anyway because of Good Friday so kids do not get to experience another "snow day".
Also Easter coming on the 23rd is one of the earliest possible dates. It won't occur again this early for over 200 years (probably not in my lifetime). The earliest possible date is Mar. 22 which happens once every 250 years. So snow this Easter is somewhat a result of it's early date.
Grassshopper No. 4 and I have picked teams in the NCAA basketball tournament for all the brackets and the winner gets a big time prize. I picked 15 games right yesterday (out of 16) and Grasshopper No. 4 picked 14 games right. By my calculation I am winning. Just a side note. The one game I picked wrong was Marquette, my alma mater. I predicted Marquette would lose to Kentucky and they didn't. Go figure!
So rejoice. Spring is here. Easter is Sunday. Good weather is on the way. Be happy.
Have a nice Easter!
Love,
Dad
Our fore-fathers formed a whole new government over 200 years ago and one of the platforms was that we would not have taxes without representation. Well we've got representation and our taxes are higher than ever.
We have a Presidential election in 8 months and you can bet that taxes are going to go up. We are living under lower federal tax rates enacted 4-5 years ago. So when you make out your Federal Income Tax forms, you are paying less tax on earned income, dividends and capital gains. All the reduced tax rates expire in 2010 and tax rates will return to higher levels experienced in the early 2000's. So if our representatives do nothing, in 2010 we will all get automatic tax increases.
Don't stop there! Hiliary wants healthcare for all and will get it through higher taxes. She also proposes raising the tax rates on top of the automatic tax increases that will happen. Obama has a modified healthcare program. I'm not sure what McCain stands for!
There are plenty of hidden taxes. You pay a 15% gas tax as prices at the pump approach $4 per gallon. If you buy a gas guzzler SUV you will pay up to $7700 special dealers tax (I'm not sure this is a bad tax). There are local hotel taxes. If you smoke, you pay a cigarette tax. There is a beer tax. Can you believe that? How about taxes on guns, fishing equipment, and food products protected by import tariffs.
Add in a 5% State sales tax. Did I mention local property taxes.
Look at your pay check. You pay a social security tax (as does your employer) along with a medicare tax and an unemployment tax.
So you see, we got just what our forefathers wanted. We have taxes but we are well represented by our Senators and Congressmen. How is it working for you?
The lesson Grasshoppers is that you should stay informed on what your representatives are doing in Congress and if you enjoy having you taxes increased, keep voting for the same pompous assh----.
Love,
Dad
As you know, Mary Ann's funeral was yesterday. The attendance of friends and family was over-whelming.
Sometimes things happen that can't be planned and turn out to be very special. Willie, Mary Ann's grandson (Jackie's son) had asked if he could say a few words during the religious service. After the Priest had led some prayers, Willie stepped to the podium.
He had written a tribute to his Grandmother. It was delivered very deliberately and it was heartfelt. Willie portrayed a person who cared and was unconditionally supportive. You could sense from the people who had gathered that Willie "nailed it". By the time he was finished, you felt like you'd like to clap and applaud. Applauding didn't happen because of the solemness of the occasion. Too Bad! A standing ovation was in order.
So I know that Willie's mom was very proud. Jack had to be very proud. I'm positive that Mary Ann was proud.
Willie presented a beautiful tribute!
Love,
Dad
As you know, Mary Ann Andrews (your Aunt) passed away Sunday. I got to visit with her last Thursday. She will be missed. The relationship she forged with her son Johnny was very special, one that only a mother/son can truly understand. My sympathy to Jack's whole family.
It has been 8 years since I wore suits and sports jackets to work. The suits have been hanging in the closet collecting dust. Anticipating that I would need to wear a suit to Mary Ann's funeral, I pulled out a dark colored suit. I wiped the dust off the shoulders. Then I tried the suit on. Remember, I've lost 20 pounds! None of the suits fit very well. I look like a drowning rat. Two buttons fell off the suits, I think from 8 years of decay.
Next I tried on some white dress shirts. Would you believe I was up to an 18 inch neck back in the 1990's. An 18 inch neck in my shirts looks ridiculous. I had some 17.5 inch necks. Ridiculous. I had some 17 inch necks, ridiculous. When I stopped at my local clothing store, I found I'm down to 16.5 inches.
So time marches on. I have been walking at my local health club (Fox River Health Club) for over 8 years. I figure I have logged over 10,000 miles (maybe closer to 12,000). That is equivalent to one half the way around the world. Unbelievable!
And then as a reminder of the ravages of time, I notice on a regular basis as I walk up the steps from the basement (your Mom has a full length mirror positioned at the top of the stairs) that fraility is creeping in.
I am not complaining! I can still score in the low 40's playing 9 holes of golf. I can still shoot a basketball better that most people. How many people walk 4 miles everyday?
Grasshoppers, I think I'm describing life's process. Pursue your dreams! Enjoy the moment! You too will lament someday that "time flies"!
Love,
Dad
Admit it! We all need to believe in something. Something more. Something better. It is what inspires our very existence.
The whole state of Wisconsin and sports fans around the world are "mourning" the retirement of Brett Favre. Part of me says get over it, but the other part understands the promise that Favre's prescence meant.
Whenever Favre took the field, there was a chance the Green Bay Packers could win. Sometimes he would have a few "brain farts" and throw stupid interceptions but at other times he would unleash his cannon arm and lead the team to unbelieveable victories. For the fan there was constant optimism that something great might happen today. What a gift! Something good may happen to you today. We live for that.
I am reminded of the musical production of "The Music Man". A flim-flam salesman comes to town and convinces the whole community to buy new musical instruments and uniforms for their children. Excitement builds over the summer as everyone waits for the equipment to arrive (via the Wells Fargo Wagon). Of course when the instruments arrive, everyone realizes that the kids do not know how to play. Anger! More anger! The flim-flam man should be tarred and feathered. In the end, all is forgiven because they realize the gift of "promise" has inspired the whole community for months. Dreams of kids developing skills! Common purpose! People dreaming of something better. Hey, there ought to be a parade led by 76 trombones.
My perception is that none of our Presidential candidates generates a vision of something better. The last visionary to generate excitement was Kennedy (and I'm not even a Democrat). He dreamed of going to the moon. How stupid was that? Yet 7 years later, we landed on the moon and the country collectively rejoiced. How great we were!
You see Grasshoppers, we need to believe there is something better. And there is! Don't give up on your dreams. I predict something good will happen to you!
Love,
Dad
Tell me it isn't so. Fox Sports.com is reporting that Brett Favre has made the decision to retire. How can this be? He engineered a 13-3 league record last year. The team went to overtime in the league Championship game. Favre is only 38 years old. He makes one million dollars every month. Packerland depends on him. He never misses a game. He is a gunslinger. He is tough! His back up, Aaron Rogers got to play a major part of one game recently and pulled a "hammie". He can't win games sitting on the bench. Well I won't believe it until Favre holds a news conference to officially announce his retirement. It is just a rumor. It can't be true. Gasp!
As you can tell, I don't always deal with change real well. It has been reported that the government is contemplating elimination of the penny. They have postphoned the decision but it is clear that it costs two cents to produce a penny that is no longer copper. I guess one way of looking at it is that every penny you now hold is worth two. Another gasp!
When I was a kid, the "mill" had been eliminated as a form of currency. It represented one tenth of one cent but with all the inflation it had become meaningless. Now it is 60-70 years later and the "mill" is still used by the oil companies to peg prices at the pump. You've seen the prices as $3.099 per gallon. Why would an oil company that is used to raping and pillaging the consumer for big bucks even consider posting the 9 mills at the end of the price. How insulting can you be? Call it what it is: $3.10 per gallon.
If the penny is dropped as one of our standard coins, my life falls apart. Years ago I would take 5 pennies and buy 5 pieces of bubble gum. I could put pennies in a machine and get prizes. Beserdicks General Store in downtown Plymouth thrived on "penny candy".
It gets worse. You can't say "a penny for your thoughts". It makes you sound cheap. Now you'll have to say "a nickel for your thoughts". Inflation does that. A package of terrible cookies can no longer sell at Aldi's for $.99 because it doesn't allow use of nickels.
You can't have a "penny jar" any more.
You'll have to wear out your pockets with nickels rather than pennies.
If you find a penny lying on the street, do you pick it up. It is hardly worth the effort. There is a common understanding that if you find a penny lying on the ground and it is "face up", someone is thinking of you (and something good will happen to you). Does the same philosophy apply to finding a nickel face up. I don't know!
So you see, this day is turning to sh--! First Brett Favre retires. Then the possibility of losing our penny. Did I mention my coffee pot ran over this morning.
I guess I'll adapt. What choice to I have? Actually I found a penny this morning (and it was face up) so the promise for something good is strong today. I'll just enjoy the moment.
Love,
Dad