I got a nostalgic comic book for my birthday from Grasshopper No.1. It is from 1950 and is vintage Rocky Lane, the cowboy with his trusty steed "Black Jack". For some reason, I thought that Rocky's horse was named "Thunder". Who the hell does "Thunder" belong too? The comic book originally sold for 10 cents.and included the normal advertising for Daisy B-B guns, Double Bubble gum, Wheaties and Brownie cameras. Ah, the return to yesteryear!
Officially yesterday I signed up for another year of league golf at Chaska Golf Course. Insanity is believing that this year will be better that last. I sound like a baseball fan believing that the Brewers will do better this year. That is insanity.
This morning news includes the story about the Presidential plane flying low over the city of New York doing a "photo op". Turns out that the Mayor knew nothing about the photo shoot nor did the citizens of New York. How would you feel with this giant 747 air craft cruising over your city in the area of the Statute of Liberty and the fallen Twin Towers. Kind of scary after the 9/11 experience. Well all will be forgiven. After all it was the Obama administration that authorized it. Imagine if Bush had attempted the same thing.
Grandson Collin is signed up to play soccer with the "big boys" this summer. Returning college students and high school seniors have their own league. Tough, kick-ass soccer. Should be exciting.
Grandson Mitchell is signed up to play baseball. I think he plays outfield but I'm not sure.
Daughter-in Law, Shelby Jr. is off to France. I hope the aircraft has been dis-infected for the outbreak of swine flu. I don't know if the Mexican outbreak has reached France?
Grasshopper No.2 ran the "Crazylegs" five mile marathon on Saturday. I know she ran the course in 43:59 minutes (and seconds) but I am not sure how she finished among her peers. It rained for the whole race. Splish-splash, she got a bath for free.
So here we go. Spring-summer is beginning. Trees have buds. Grass is getting green. Boats are sitting in driveways being readied for the open water. Birds are "dumping" on my back deck. Let the seasonal symphony begin.
Love,
Dad
My birthday came and went. Lots of calls. Some gifts topped off with an evening dinner with your Mom. Usually on my birthday, my siblings send me a silly card. In the past, the first card each year was from my Sister Addie. I missed that this year. Your Mom (who of course is in touch with the universe) suggested that my thought about Addie was her wishing me a Happy Birthday? Hmmm!
I do get lots of dreams. They seem strange. Apparently you need to go to a psychologist to have them decipher the deeper meaning. You are supposed to write them down to determine trends and themes. A dream might represent someone from the "other side" trying to contact you.
Last night I dreamt about going to a Green Bay Packer game with your Mom. Someone gave us the tickets. When we arrived at the game, the ticket usher did not know exactly where the seats were located but he pointed me in a certain direction. I told your Mom to wait while I went off to search for the seat location. When I got there, I was told the seats were "up there in an elevated section". There were no steps to get there. I had to step on people's shoulders to get up to the proper section. I didn't attempt to climb up because I had to go back a get your Mom. Once you got up the the proper section, there were no restrooms or refreshment stands. To come down you would again have to step on peoples shoulders.
I observed the seats faced away from the playing field. Not only couldn't I get to my section but if I did, I couldn't watch the game.
On the way back to get your Mom, I found an open section to sit with church pews arranged back to back. Some fans could look forward and some back. No one could see the game. Why would I want to sit there?
Finally I got back to where I left your Mom. She wasn't there. Now there is a dream!
Someone pointed out where Mom had sauntered off to and I did find her. We left the game never witnessing a single play.
I'm sure there is some deep significant meaning to attending a Packer game, finding a really bad seat, not being able to see the game and losing your Mom in the stadium. Go ahead, have your fun, make your guesses. I really think is was the fish (salmon) I had for supper.
Have a nice weekend.
Love,
Dad
Today is Grandson Collin's 18th birthday. It entitles him to begin transition to the great opportunities that life has to offer (including school and jobs). Happy Birthday Collin!
I see that Obama has come up with budget cuts of $100 million. Too bad it amounts to such an infinitesimal fraction of the total government expenditures. To put it in perspective, it would be the same as someone making $50,000 per year cutting his expenses $5. Come on!
An extended male member of the family named Tom living in Sheboygan has suggested that he and I "pan" for gold in "them thar hills". When the glaciers of long ago carved out the Kettle Moraine, it left gold in the mounds or hills. The theory is that the Kettle Moraine is full of gold nuggets such as found in California during the Gold Rush of the 1840's. I'll comtemplate it!
But there are "nuggets" of another nature. I keep looking for little ways to save money that reduce my cost of living. I'm on a "roll".
Nugget No.1 is I've stopped insisting on getting my cancelled checks back from the bank each month. I save $5 per month or $60 per year. Don't laugh. On a percentage basis that one move saves more than Obama proposes in his budget by a magnitude of 10.
Nugget No.2, I cancelled HBO from my cable company. Savings $15 per month or $180 per year. I might end up with withdrawal symptons but I'll survive.
Nugget No.3, I switched our phone service to the cable company for unlimited long distance service. I save $600 per year.
Nugget No.4, I succombed to buying the new Gillette "fusion" razor blades. They are expensive but last 3 times longer than the old. Based on longer use per blade, I save $70 per year.
Nugget No.5, I actually switched to "private store brand" canned soup versus Campbell. Savings should be $25-$30 per year. Hey, it is the same soup with a different label.
And so it goes! Being slightly anal retentive, I can find lots and lots of "nuggets" of savings out there.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that you don't have to go hiking through the Kettle Moraine to find more money to put in your pockets. "Nuggets" are all round you! You can find them too! My daily senior Diet Coke from McDonalds for $.51 a day is off limits. I don't want to get carried away with this program.
Love,
Dad
As you know, I am a big believer in "change". Last week I switched to phone service provided by my local tinkertoy cable company, I also threw out my 20 year old "deck shoes" (that were crumbling) and I installed several new digital phones into our house. Yep, I was rocking with change.
My health club (the local mall) has also been changing lately too. Little things! More stores within the mall have been either leaving because it is too expensive or they have changed physical location. That usually tells you the retail environment is very difficult. The parking area of the mall has always been well maintained during the winter (and snow hauled away) by a local landscape contractor. Last winter, the local mall "pickup" trucks had plows installed and the contractor was not used. The slow removal of snow made mall access difficult at times. I have always exercised in short sleeve shirts and it has been comfortable. Lately it is cold. My guess is they turn heat down overnight to reduce costs. Controlling costs is an obvious effort.
Yesterday the parent company of the local mall (General Growth Properties) headquarted in Chicago declared bankruptcy. Officially it is called Chapter 11. That means that the parent company is under court supervision and they are allowed to operate until problems can be resolved. People who loaned $24 billion (that is with a "b") to build over 200 malls can not get their money until things get better.
What does this mean for me? In theory nothing because the mall will operate as always but there is this ominous threat of foreclosure hanging over the operation. Potentially I could lose my established exercise routine. I've only been doing it for 10 years. What are my alternatives? What should I do? Oh my!
The lesson Grasshoppers is that "change" affects all our lives and we need to adjust. It is a good thing that I am so flexible and embrace change. Bring it on! Now if I can just get my new "blankity blank" phone system to work!
Love,
Dad
I was shocked to hear about an animal lover in England that jumped the barrier of a polar bear exhibit in England. She was attacked. Unbeknownst to her, there was a second polar bear in the cage. It was the first "bi-polar" attack on record.
There are moments in time where the stars seem to align perfectly. I remember my Grandma Myrna wanted to organize a Thanksgiving gathering at the City Club in Plymouth. She knew that the City Club would be transferring to new owners. Myrna was in her late 70's at the time. It was her attempt to gather in all the my Dad's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in one place for a special occasion. Usually clambakes like the City Club Thanksgiving are not successful because everyone has their own priorities. Amazingly, Myrna was able to host several very special Thanksgivings in the huge "side-room" of the spacious City Club. Anyone who was related to my Dad was there plus special loved ones.
Your Mom's attempt (prompted by my sister Addie) to have a family reunion several years ago in Sheboygan began with low expectations and it turned out to be a very special gathering. Since that gathering, Addie has passed on along with Mary Ann and Johnny Andrews. That same moment can never be created again.
Easter Sunday turned out to be a special gathering. Everyone in our family along with special guests were in attendance with the exception of Grasshopper No.5. That doesn't happen very often. The weather was excellent, the food was "bring a dish" and of course ham anchored the whole thing. Everyone had time to visit and nobody "punched a relative out". Nana's attendance meant that four generations were in attendance. A special thank you to all that made it happen. "You created a memory" as Shelby Jr. would say. The only negative was that I was looking forward to finishing the French Vanilla ice cream that somebody brought and it mysteriously disappeared. It was indeed, a special moment in time.
Life goes so fast. Gatherings are rare. Family is precious.
Love,
Dad
I have always struggled with the concept of letting you kids win a contest to make you feel good! It must be a "mom thing". Grasshopper No.4 and I would play the basketball game of "horse" on our driveway hoop. I would beat him continuously! Mom would ask, "why don't you let him win"? "It would encourage him and make him feel good". I could never bring myself to fail on purpose. I guess it wasn't in my character.
So in this life of "feel good" attitudes where teachers are afraid to discipline kids, students are not graduating in record numbers, playstation games dominate the exercise scene (I guess the thumbs get plenty of action) and kids live at home until they are 50 years old, I ask, how is this "make your child feel good working"?
Feel good my a--! Let kids learn the hard lessons in life. The good things are worth earning. Hard work pays off. Losing is part of the journey. Suck it up. As Grasshopper No.3 would say "rub some dirt on it".
This week I played 8 games of "horse" with my youngest Grandson from Madison. He is very energetic with an unrealistic belief he can beat me. I did consider for a short moment (very short), maybe I should let him win. I won all 8 games. There were a couple of "skunks" where he didn't get a point. Did I mention he can't count. Sometimes I had 3 "horses" on him and he could a only remember one. I thought only "old" people had short memories?
The lesson Grasshoppers is that life is tough. Losing is part of life. If you don't like losing, develop the skills to make you a winner. When you earn the win, you will really feel good. I love the word "earn".
I think I saw the Easter Bunny in the back yard eating my flowers.
Love
Dad
I've been searching for something to believe in! Something that is grounded in reality. Something that promises a "sunny future".
Some people believe in baseball. It is a tradition that has 150 years of history. It has heroes of long ago. Today it has modern day steroid monsters. The Brewers charge $5.00 for a hot dog. It takes $200 to take a family of 4 to a ball game. Nope, nothing to believe in here.
Perhaps I could believe in the new Obama administration. Whoops, North Korea just shot off a intercontinental ballistic missile. It might reach the U.S. and blow up one of our cities. Our leaders shrug their shoulders and profess we need to love our neighbors (didn't the 1970's have their flower children). Nope, nothing to believe in here either.
Maybe the new stimulus package has promise (so far it ain't working for me). Bridges to nowhere? Building art museums in the desert? The list of boondoggles is long. Nope, nothing to believe in there either.
It dawns on me that the Easter Bunny might be safe to believe in. They are cuddly little creatures capable of laying Easter eggs, spewing out chocolate bunnies and putting smiles on the faces of little children everywhere. Now there is something to believe in.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that there is always something of substance to attach your dreams to. Until you prove different, the Easter Bunny is the most promising figure on the horizon. I get first dibs on the long ears of the chocolate bunny.
Have a hip hoppity day!
Love,
Dad
Yesterday your Mom and I celebrated our wedding anniversay. A special thank you to all who remembered us on our special day!
I have many memories of our wedding day. It was a Saturday. At age 20, I had no idea of the enormity of uttering those two little words "I do". I did. She did. We did. We are!
It was 1960. My dad had died 2 years before. I was going to UW-Oshkosh studying to become a math teacher. I came home most weekends. Our family was living above the City Club. My siblings ranged in age from 17 down to 13. My mother was the sole breadwinner for the family. My life was about to change!
The thing I remember about the morning of the wedding was getting dressed for the grand event. I was not comfortable in dress suits complete with tie (thank goodness it wasn't a tuxedo). I got to the point where I needed to "tie" my tie. When you wear leather jackets and casual shirts, you don't get much practice. So I asked my Mom if she knew how tie the knot I needed. Nope! My siblings obviously didn't know how to do a tie. So I did as I always did, I went down stairs into the bar room of the City Club. There was always somebody with necessary skills.
Sure enough! At the bar next to the coffee machine was Chuck Andes, my Grandma Myrna's second husband. He knew how to tie bow ties, regular ties and any other kind of decorative cloth you might drape around your neck. I was informed that I needed a "windsor knot". It was a little more complicated because it was a double loop but it looked better and you could slide it open so it could be lifted over you head. Then you could use it again. So I was set. I had a good looking knot on my tie, it hung properly and I was ready to get "tied up" for life.
Chuck Andes performed the "tie" procedure to a bar room of acclaim. Lots of wedding jokes. Lots of advice about still being able to change my mind. Lots of laughter.
I don't remember much else about the morning of the wedding. Maybe the symbolism of getting my tie tied and the tie of marriage have something to do with creating the vivid memory.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that wedding days are precious. We remember lots of different things. Being "tied" to your Mom for many, many, many years is the best thing I ever did.
Love,
Dad