Yesterday was Grasshopper No.2's birthday. I'm not sure how old she was but the numbers "7" and "4" rattle around in my mind. She shares the date (Dec. 30) with Tiger Woods. Imagine that. Two tough minded, successful personalities dedicated to excellence.
2008 is ending. Finished! Over! There are always pluses and minuses in every year but 2008 seemed to have had more than it's share of bad news. Notice I did not use the word "sucked".
We lost two special family members. Mary Ann Andrews died of agressive cancer. She was a driving force in her family and I'm sure is sorely missed.
My sister Addie May succumbed to the same dreaded disease in late October. I keep waiting to see an e-mail pop-up on my computer with the name "Eisenhardt" spelled wrong. She was always in my Christmas. I miss that too.
Shelby Jr. had both parents experience very serious health issues. They both seem to be coping but it is a reminder of how very precious life can be.
It was the worst economic year since 1931, which was the height of the Depression. Anyone with a 401k plan can attest to lousy financial results. Job layoffs are occurring at an alarming rate and our government is spending money like a drunken sailor. My consolation is that your Mom and I can always go to live with our kids.
In the midst of the storm, there is always hope 2009 will be a transition year to something better.
It is a good time to refinance your home and lock in long term money. I understand that you can get a 30 year mortgage for 5.1%. That is an excellent rate. Good time to jettison ARM's.
Enjoy the low gas prices. I paid $1.69 per gallon at the pump this morning. It sure beats $4.00 per gallon early in 2008. Prices should remain low.
Sometime during 2009, stocks and bonds are going to "bottom" and investments in your retirement accounts will increase nicely (I resist using the word soar).
Starting in Janurary, my social security checks will increase 5.8%.
Finally, there is the election of the "One" to the Presidency. Obama takes office in January and is committed to leading us to a promising future. Now I can sleep at night.
I look forward with optimism to 2009. We will need to seize the moment! Grab the opportunity! Attack!
So here is wishing you a Very Happy New Year. May good health and prosperity follow you.
Stay Warm.
Love,
Dad
A horse walks into a bar and the bartender asks, "why the long face"?
Grasshopper No.3 walks into Menards and inquires, "how do you make a hot dog stand"? The attendant says, "you take away his chair"!
How do you get rid of a snowblower (old or new, any size)? Just leave it standing unattended in Sheboygan. It seems that 7-8 snowblowers have been stolen in the last week in that great metropolis. Who would want to steal a snowblower? There is no place left to blow the snow! We lived in Sheboygan for 17 years and I don't remember getting as much snow as they have this year. There a literally "caverns of white".
Mom and I did get invited to Christmas Eve Church services. It was a prelude to a lengthy CD that the Church choir intends to make. Oh yeah, there was a token "service". The best part is we were with cherished family!
And, of course, this first day after Christmas brought more snow. I tackled 3-5 inches more this morning so I could get out of the driveway. My favorite son-in-law says that Worsor (Wausau) up on the tundra was never like this.
The Green Bay Packers play their final game of the 2008 season Sunday in Green Bary. The forecast is for wind and snow. Of course! My prediction is that the Detroit Lions will win. Detroit is in danger of becoming the first team ever to go winless in a season. They will play inspired football. Detroit 20, Packers 17. The stars seem lined up to make it happen.
Grasshopper No.5 has this mercurial fast Mini-Cooper negotiating the streets of Minneapolis. The twin cities have had their share of snow also. When your windshield wipers are broken and your engine overheats, it is time to call your local BMW dealer. The next thing you do is arrange a loan at the local bank to pay for the high quality service. I don't know why I'm kidding about her situation. I have the same "back-up" quality service here in Appleton.
Snuggle with your loved ones. Let the wind blow and the snow fall. Find a really good movie and enjoy. Last night your Mom and I watched "Casablanca" from beginning to end. It was a commitment we made. That is more than I can say for Grasshopper No.1 and hubby who commited to watching "Gone With the Wind" and never made it to the end. Something about complete boredom!
Drive Careful!
Love, Dad
Yep, it is snowing again this morning.
My car has a ground clearance of 8 inches. We've already had 4-5 inches of snow. What happens when the depth reaches more than 8 inches? I don't think that is good.
I really can't complain. When I feel really disgusted with the snow, I look at the little community of Sheboygan nestled along the shores of Lake Michigan. They seem to get 25% more of everything because of the "lake effect". Why would anyone want to live there?
Years ago my Grandpa Jiggs had a home on Lake Nemacagon up "nort" near Cable, Wisconsin. It was a central Lodge (home) surrounded by 5-6 cabins. It was called Wildwood Lodge. This was during the late 1940's and most of the 1950's. There was no electricity in the 1940's and water for the kitchen was obtained with a cast iron hand pump mounted on the kitchen-counter. That was considered indoor running water. An outdoor toilet was located 100 yards away from the Lodge. It was a "two holer". Going to the bathroom was a commitment especially in below zero temperatures. There was absolutely no lingering. Of course there was always a "chamber pot" in the house for going "No. 1". Central heat came from a big pot stove fueled by wood cut over the summer. The stove got stoked before everybody went to bed. By morning, there were just a few glowing embers in the stove and somebody (usually Grandpa Jiggs) needed to get up and put new wood on the fire. There were no fans to evenly spread heat around the lodge. The bedrooms probably got into the low 50 degree temperatures during the night.
Snow was always plentiful at Wildwood Lodge. It was 30-40 miles south of Lake Superior and it also got lots of "lake effect" snow every year. Despite the crude living conditions, there was always a feeling of being able to cope and Jiggs along with his only son "Big Jerry" did plenty of hunting and fishing. I remember the snow as being part of the identity of Wildwood Lodge and it was pretty and pristine. They didn't have snowblowers in those days and you shoveled just enough to keep paths open (like to the outdoor two holer).
I guess the dilemma with snow is that it is so pretty as it falls to earth and creates a blanket of white. Then comes the cold, the blowing and the shoveling. The nostalgia wears thin. Wildwood Lodge had a blanket of white that lured you into its spell. It made for pretty postcards.
So grab your shovels and snowblowers and ice scrapers and salt and sand. Go forth and get that white crap off your sidwalks and driveways. Remember how tough our ancesters had it.
Even though I vacilate between the pros and cons of snow, I can't imagine Christmas without it. Snow defines Christmas. Well, we've got it and isn't it great!
Love,
Dad
Thank goodness it is not Winter yet. Winter doesn't begin until Dec. 21. I can hardly wait!
As you know our plan was to cleverly avoid the chaos of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by having a celebration at our house early (Dec. 20, and Dec. 21). It sounded like a good idea. Someone forgot to tell the weather gods. Nobody should put themselves or their families at risk with bad driving conditions. There are lots of alternatives.
I was programmed to go out to the mall to do my exercise this morning. I have always felt comfortable driving in the snow and navigating bad conditions. The plowing at the Mall has been so bad lately that I'm not sure I could find a place to park without getting stuck. So this morning I had my cup of coffee and did the "treadmill thing".
Grasshopper No.3 has been taking good care of me by plowing the driveway during or after each snowfall. I've counted 7 plowing events. It is only mid December. A sincere thank you to my favorite Grasshopper. Yep, my driveway was open this morning.
I see that "W" (President Bush) announced this morning that bridge loans will be extended to the auto industry to keep them viable until March of next year. Merry Christmas! That is $17 billion we will never see again. I actually agree with keeping the auto industry viable until a better solution can be reached. There are just too many jobs that our economy doesn't need to eliminate right now. A viable auto future holds lower rates of pay (and salaries), less ridiculous benefit programs and most important, "cars that have appeal". We can make cars that people want.
The good news is that crude oil prices have dropped from $140 per barrel to $35 per barrel. That is a drop of 75%, Come on, admit it! Isn't nice to fill your gas tank and be pleasantly surprised by the amount you have to pay.
As the pressure of making everyone happy during the Christmas season increases, take time to remember the real reason for the celebration. It is to commemorate the birth of the God Child. Santa wasn't even in business at that time. We have brought the "gift giving thing" on ourselves. So take a breath. Have a flavored drink, hug a loved one and stay warm and safe.
See You Soon!
Love,
Dad
The last few years your Mom and I have attended the Xavier High School Christmas program. It runs for 10 days. It is really simple and is basically for kids. They have lots of penguins, silly animals and a "twirp Christmas Choir" composed of little boys and girls under the age of 8. There is nothing pretentious, just plain folk doing basic Christmas routines.
Last Saturday we attended the afternoon performance of the Christmas program. As the performance got close to intermission, little children dressed as "snowflake" ballerinas were prancing around the stage. Two ballerinas hooked up in a harness began to descend as floating snowflakes from high above the stage creating a nostalgic effect. Simultaneous an annoying sound began to accompany the Christmas music almost like announcing the snowflakes were approaching from up above. The annoying sound did not stop when "child snowflakes" had fallen. In fact the annoying sound kept going. Enough already!
People began to understand that the annoying sound was the fire alarm. Normally you would see people rushing to the exits. The crowd was great-grandparents, grandparents, parents. and little kids. Nobody rushed anywhere! Somebody had to actually announce that the loud sound was a fire alarm and that the auditorium had to be evacuated. By the time the elderly lumbered to the aisles and wheelchairs and supporting walkers were activated, we could have had lunch, Conversations broke out everywhere as people discussed the season and kidded about the evaculation. Nobody got trampled.
It seemed that the alert was not serious because there was never smoke or even a hint of fire. So we stood in the cold outdoors as the fire department had to arrive and do a walk through to find the cause of the alarm. It seemed like forever, probably because it was so cold. A lot of people didn't have coats because they left them in the car as they were let off at the entrance when they arrived.
After twenty minutes and a cold toush, we were finally told the building was safe. So the elderly crowd slowly waned their way back to the seats and the performance continued.
What happened you ask? Let your imagination work. The building was filled with small kids and fire alarms placed everywhere with either a button to push or a lever to pull. Some innocent little cherob activated an alarm and probably got the scare of his/her life. You might say they rang the bell of their life.
So our Christmas this year will be memorable. "Ringing the bell" has an all new meaning. Hey, it isn't as bad as someone pushing over the Christmas tree.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that it is Christmas Season and it doesn't pay to get your shorts in a bunch. Some cute little "Christmas Munchkin" activated the fire alarm system. What is the big deal? That curious little munchkin may turn out to be President someday.
Love,
Dad
Most people have seen the movie "The Money Pit". It stars Tom Hanks and Shelley Long who buy a huge house in the country. It is their "dream" home. Once they purchase the home, they begin to find little things (like the front door falling off) that are wrong with the house. As the movie unfolds, Hanks and Long have to deal with rebuilding or replacing almost everything in their dream house. It is very funny because we can all relate to the exaggerated problems.
Talking to Grasshopper No.4 recently, he described little things that urk him about his present home. It seems there are things that constantly need repair or upgrade. He is experiencing the "tarnished dream". Every homeowner goes through it.
Our family bought the big old house on 6th street in the early 1970's. It was a dream. It was priced at a huge discount because it needed work. But hey, the price was right. It had a huge yard and it was in the right location on the north side of Sheboygan. Your Mom and I envisioned all the things we could do to make it better. And we did some things. We put in a long, long concrete driveway. They we added a large two car garage. Immediately after we bought the house we remodeled the kitchen. As so it went, we kept improving the house as our budget allowed.
But like the "money pit", there were always things that were wrong with the 6th street home. The floor in the kitchen sank towards the middle of the house. If you dropped a marble in the kitchen it raced to the inside wall. The back TV room was always cold so we had to use a floor heater. The small bathroom next to the front entry way (you had to go down 2 steps) had water pipes on the outside wall and they froze when weather got cold. I would use a hair dryer to unfreeze them. We were lucky because the pipes never burst. The mold from the wall paper in Grasshopper No.4's bedroom almost did him in with a respiratory problem. The shower in the master bathroom always leaked into the downstairs back hallway. We needed to put a glass front on our fireplace to keep the bats out. And so it went.
But it was our home. It was ours. Every house has it quirks. That is what makes it unique. If you think it is ever going to be perfect, you need counseling.
The lesson Grasshopppers in that every home has defects. It is tarnished. But owning a home also allows you to dream of things that might be. So put your feet up, light the God damn Christmas tree and watch the Green Bay Packers lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Enjoy your investment. Don't forget to hug the person closest to you!
Love,
Dad
This is the first day I can remember that I didn't drive to my local health center (Fox River Mall). There are lots of excuses. My local snow plowing contractor has not plowed out my driveway. I also know that this white sh--won't end until later in the day so I'll wait it out. The roads are really lousy. You need excuses, I've got them.
The real reason I didn't attempt the local Mall is that it is owned by a Chicago Property Company and the company is teetering on bankruptcy. They have decided to cut back on the plowing of the parking lot to save money. The Mall only contracts for plowing when absolutely necessary. So the parking areas have lots of "ruts" from unplowed snow and they even plow "just the lanes" between cars which means you step knee deep into snow. Now let your imagination work. We've had 7 inches of snow and it is still falling. Could I get in and out of the Mall without getting stuck? Who knows?
What is "with" Sheboygan. The thriving metropolis seems to get more than it's fair share of snow. We get 4 inches, Sheboygan gets 6 inches. Today we got 6 inches so far but Sheboygan has already received 8 inches. What the hell is the story? It sounds like a good place to avoid. Kind of the "Buffalo, N.Y. of the Midwest".
I have noticed a pattern the last few years that December seems to get more than it's fair share of snow. December seems to be the snowiest month. Maybe it has to do with global warming.
One last reflection. I drove for over 14 years back and forth to Ripon and encounted some really lousy road conditions. I would watch the weather forecasts very carefully. My dream was always to be able to look out the window in the morning, see lots of snow and go back to a warm bed. I couldn't do that because when you work you need to be macho and demonstrate a dedicated effort to get to work. What a crock of sh--! If the boss can't make the effort to get to work, why should anyone else? By the same token, if the boss made it to work by driving 35 miles through 6 inches of snow, everyone else would experience a big guilt trip if they stayed home.
So finally my life has evolved to the point where I get to stay home where it is nice and warm. Ahh that second cup of coffee tastes good! The snow is beautiful as it settles softly on the branches of our trees. Magnificent! Don't work too hard Grasshoppers.
Love,
Dad
There are moments in all our lives that are memorable. Graduation from high school. Wedding days. Birth of children. You get the idea.
But then there are "stunning events". These are things that rock your world. You can remember every detail of your life at those times.
Sunday, Dec. 7, commemorates one of those moments. It was 67 years ago that the Japanese invited themselves to Pearl Harbor and made it an "explosive" event. I was only 20 months old at the time so I could hardly remember. I would live the consequences of the bombing for many years. As significant as the bombing was, there were a lot of Americans that had to be told where Pearl Harbor was. We didn't have the instant CNN real time broadcasts.
The events that are stunning to me begin with my Dad dying at age 37 in 1957. I know exactly where I was. Your Mom and I had gone to see a Sunday afternoon movie at the local Plymouth Movie Theater. The manager of the theater found me in the theater and told me I was needed at home immediately. I left your Mom at the theater intending to return. It was an event that rocked my world.
The second stunning event I can remember was Kennedy being shot in Dallas. It was a Friday and I had my first engineering job at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee. My buddies and I would walk down to the local VFW hall for the Friday Fish Fry. I was sitting in a booth when a "buzz" fell over the entire restaurant. Out waitress wandered by and asked if we had heard the news. President Kennedy had been shot. Nobody knew if he was dead or not so the restaurant TV became the focal point. Suddenly getting back to work on time seemed to lose relevance. It would be another hour before the fate of Kennedy became known and I was back at work.
The last stunning event was the 9/11 assault on the Twin Towers in New York. An airplane had crashed into one of the towers and there was a lot of confusion about whether it was an accident or an intended assault. When the second plane hit the second tower, all doubt was removed. We were under assault! I had finished my walk at the local mall around 8:15 AM. I was driving my Volvo Wagon to the local McDonalds when WTMJ in Milwaukee joined the national broadcast of what was happening. I guess I couldn't believe that some hateful foreigners would have the guts to kill thousands of Americans on our soil.
I don't know if there will be any more stunning events in my life time. Only time will tell!
Events that are stunning to me may not affect other people the same way. The question Grasshoppers is "what events have rocked your life to the point where you can remember every detail of where you were when it happened"?
Love,
Dad
Your Mom and I went to see the movie "Australia". There was a risk that the movie was being over hyped and we were being sucked in. Not so! It was very good! I'd recommend it to anyone.
What has this got to do with "writing the story of your life"? There was a reference in the movie suggesting that each of us has our own personal story about how we've lived (finished chapters) and of course chapters to be written.
Each of us is unique. We grow up viewing life from our own perspective. We are all subjected different experiences. We all accomplish different things. In the end, all that matters is that you live your "story" the way you'd like and personal success defines your happiness.
For example, my life would probably begin with City Club chapters including the effect of World War II. There would be high school chapters including a major tragedy followed by an unlikely college era. Mix in the Love of my life, 5 children and a successful business career and you get to my current status. The final chapter(s) are yet to be played out. I need to figure out a clever epitaph for my tombstone.
Obviously I can expand my story with lots of personal experiences on all the phases of my life and probably turn it into some epic like "Gone with the Wind". Or I could turn it into a series of "shorts" like "Tuesdays and Fridays with Charley". Whatever I'd do, I'm writing my story and it is unique to me.
Now the challenge! What is your story? If you had to do a brief overview of your life to this point, how would you describe it? Obviously you have chapters to be written, How would you like future chapters to play out?
Imagine that Grasshoppers. We are all the lead characters in our own Novel! We write new material every day.
Love,
Dad