I see that Obama had a summit meeting to discuss the issue of racial profiling. It was the result of calling an arresting police officer stupid. Last night was the "beer summit". The type of beer was spelled out for each participant. Obama's choice was "Lite". All is now well. My suggestion is that when there is a problem between our family members, we need to have a "lite" discussion. Make mine Bud Lite.
When summer is long and life's issues suck, indulge yourself, buy a truck, "Fire-red with an extended cab, all wheel drive makes this "big boy" bad.
Grasshopper No.1 and spouse just contributed to keeping the economy going with a brand new F-150 Ford. Enjoy!
Grandson Collin might have played his last organized soccer game. The soccer season ended with a 3-0 loss. I noticed several times he intentionally slammed the ball into opposing players. Take that!
Grandson Tommy ended his MVP baseball season in the rain. I'm told that if you have trouble pitching, the coach will do it for you. Oh to be 8 years old again.
Grandson Mitchell finished the baseball season with a last inning pitching assignment. At last count he surrendered 8 runs to the other team. A pizza party made all the disappointment go away. The world will never remember.
Yesterday I was invited to Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Owning one share of Green Bay Packer stock, I'm an "invite-ee" to the annual stockholders meeting. I sat in the rain for two hours listening to how revenues were down, profits down and there are plans to honor Brett Favre sometime in the future (unless of course, the Packers change their mind. again.). Good thing there was no lightning was in the area. A great season was promised.
University of Wisconsin football season tickets arrive next week. The season starts with four straight games at home.
Grandson Dominic started football practice in the Youth Football Program Monday. Grasshopper No.4 is a coach. I think No.4 gets more excited than the kids.
As the fun of Summer fades, the promise of Fall creeps in. Rest assured everything is as it should be.
Love,
Dad
I recently was talking to Grandson Dominic who is a pretty bright guy. I asked him "where did you get your intelligence from"? He said "he must have got it from Dad because his mother still has hers"! Actually somebody sent me that joke in different form.
Grandson Collin (according to my sources) has signed to become a U.S. Marine. There are things to be completed but he would report for duty early next year. Just imagine. We've got the making of a future General. Congratulations Collin.
I've become conscious of drinking more water. I like bottled water because it is convenient and I can take it with me. I bought a bottle at my local convenience store for $.89. That was the lowest price. The next day I decided to buy a bottle of water from McDonalds because they advertise low pricesl. I paid $1.56 for a slightly larger bottle of water. Whoa! So then I stopped at the local grocery store and picked up a 28 pack of bottled water. The price per bottle averaged $.19 each. Talk about price gouging. Next stop? Tap water.
Your Mom and I visited the EAA Museum in Oshkosh last week before large crowds gather for the annual convention. I was impressed with the size of the facility as well as the number for planes on display. We did not try the "pilot simulator" but I guided a glider successful to a pin point landing.
We also attended Wisconsin Timber Rattler minor league game. It really isn't about baseball. It is a picnic. Nachos and Cheese. Low cost hot dogs. Soda and beer. Sticky, messy, icky cotton candy. Lots of skinny people to watch. Incidently the Brewers farm team won 5-4. Since the Brewers bought the Timber Rattler farm team, attendance has doubled (this year). It is a good value for 3-4 hours of entertainment (not necessarily baseball).
You can see that your Mom and I are spending money to keep the economy going. No wonder I need to compare water prices!
There are no significant lessons this week. Just watching life go by.
Love,
Dad
It is no secret that I've been hobbling around like a very old man lately. Most of my problem has been pain in the right calf muscle but my whole right leg aches.
Symptoms began to appear two days after playing golf. Suddenly when walking at the local health club my calf tightened like a severe cramp. Whoa! I essentially stopped walking that day and began trying to figure out the problem.
I started drinking more water. I'm told leg cramps come from not drinking enough water.
I stopped drinking diet soda after work outs because it is a dieuretic and pulls more water out of a person's "system".
I started putting more salt on my food because it helps the body to retain water.
I took calcium tablets because essentially low calcium can cause cramps.
I scheduled a special trip to see my favorite daughter in Madison who diagnosed my problem as "my back being out". It probably happened when playing golf. Vertabrae No.12 got jerked back into position as well Vertebrae No.4 which controls my psoras. It hurt. It really hurt. I was told to suck it up. Of course it hurt. When putting bones back in place, it hurts. Right! I was told it would take 4-5 days for the muscle swelling to go down.
I never stopped walking but I switched to our treadmill starting very slowly and building up to 80% of normal. I still had some calf pain.
Then I remembered your Mom bought me some orthatic shoe inserts to give better arch support. So for the last week I've had better arch support.
This morning was the first morning that my leg began to feel reasonably "normal". I'm almost afraid to confess that because I might be jinxing myself. As Shelby Jr. would say "don't even put the thought out there".
The question Grasshoppers is "what treatment did I give myself that seems to have solved the problem"? Put on your doctor hat and "you decide". Let me know your learned opinion.
So I'm sorry to say that the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. Damn, you are going to have to wait a llittle longer for any inheritance.
Love,
Dad
There was a famous investment guru with Fidelity years ago that said you learn the most about investing by just "walking around". If your favorite restaurant is seeing a falloff in customers, it is noticeable and you can conclude they are being hurt by the recession. Do not invest in that restaurant. Not very complicated! Dah!
Well I have been walking around lately and it seems to me that the alleged "turn-around" of our economy is just an attemp to pump sunshine up our butt.
We are being told the worst is over for unemployment. How many people do you know that have found new jobs? The fact is that Wisconsin's unemployment rate keeps getting higher. In the meantime Mercury Marine in Fond du lac is threatening to move over 1000 jobs to another state in an attempt to consolidate. New Page (a paper mill company that shuttered a plant in Kimberly recently) has announced closing a mill near Wausau. Another 500 jobs out the window. Harley Davidson is laying off 1000 more employees because of poor sales. The one exception is Oshkosh Truck that recently got a $1 billion government contract and will be hiring several hundred employees. Thousands of people attended their "application fair". Hmmm! That doesn't seem to be an improving economy.
I went to Subway for a sandwich Sunday night at 5:30 PM. It is usually packed with people not wanting to cook on a Sunday night. I was their only customer.
Most restaurants seem to be experiencing reduced volume. How do I know? I see it.
Defaults on credit card debt is rising at an alarming pace. That doesn't seem good.
The stimulus package passed in March is supposed to be igniting the economy. How is it working for you?
The Governor promised no tax increases. The new state budget increases my property taxes by 3.5% I guess I needed to know exactly what the Governor meant by the word "no".
I'm looking for the signs that the recession is turning. I must be walking and looking in all the wrong places. Ah what the hell! Our government will take care of us.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that you shouldn't believe everything you are told. The economy stinks. I know because I have been walking around more lately. Spend your money wisely.
Love,
Dad
"Over hill, over dale, we will hit the dusty trail and those caissons keep rolling along". I think that is the opening language of a favorite Marine song.
Some people live an entire life and wonder whether they've made a difference in the world. The Marines don't have that problem. I believe Ronald Regan said that!
Why the rhetoric on the Marines? I understand my favorite Grandson is considering the option.
Your Mom gave me a ticket to the the musical play, "Menopause". It gave me a better understanding of why my life occasionally was a "living hell". Women apparently go through this transition from sweetheart (Cinderella) to the Wicked Witch of the West. Then they revert back to sweetheart. It is called "the change". The musical is light, comical and attended by 99% women. I obviously was out of place.
For some reason all the women thought the spoof about mood changes, hot flashes, inability to sleep and magic estrogen pills was funny. Things like loss of memory are common and running to the restroom is quite common. A 10-15 year evolution from middle age sweetness to persistent self-discovery is obviously something men don't understand.
There are 20-25 famous songs from 1950's, 60's and 70's. Song titles like "I'm Sorry", "Heat Wave", "Good Vibrations" (I don't know what the hell that was all about), and "New Attitude" were included in the musical score. Your imagination will carry you to the comic meaning of each song.
I have to thank the conclave of ladies for inviting one lone male to the comic presentation. I wasn't sacrificed at the stake. They let me laugh along.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that undertanding leads to tolerance. To understand menopause gives all new meaning to guys leaving to play golf, taking their boat out, coaching youth football or just plain working in the garage.
Enjoy the Summer!
Love,
Dad
In the military they have a saying "shit runs down hill". That is another way of describing the formal military management structure. The General never gets the blaim for anything. It is always the fault of a "direct report" or some poor bastard at the bottom of the chain of command.
You have to feel sorry for the guy at the bottom. He gets all the abuse and no credit. Yep, that is me. I am a charter member of the "bottom" society.
Our government has a budget that will have a $1 trillion deficit for the first time this year. The deficit is still getting bigger. You and I will have to pay for the spending indulgence. We are all destined to remain on the bottom.
I decided to check the savings rate at my Credit Union. Instead of keeping a larger balance in checking, I could put money in savings account and transfer as needed. I could get a whopping .65% interest. That is "point 65%" annually. It means if I put $1000 in my savings account at the Credit Union, it would earn $6.50 per year. That comes to 50 cents per month interest. Two lousy quarters. I definitely am at the bottom of the chain.
I just heard that the Indiana Pacers (NBA basketball team) was chastised for not having more blacks on the team. Blacks were being discriminated against. Excuse me! The last time I looked, the NBA had 85-90% black players. Seems to me the whites are being discriminated against. Come on! I obviously never had a chance to make it in the NBA. I can blame it on reverse discrimination with my being white keeping me at the "bottom".
A lady in some community out East (apparently a very nice neighborhood) decided to hang her "wash" outside to dry. She loved the smell of fresh linens and clothing and it saved energy. It was a return to techniques used before dryers. There is a group of women in the neighborhood that think the garments hanging on a clothes line is unsightly and they want the lady to stop the practice. There go my plans to hang our wash outside in our neighborhood. Some complaining bitch will keep me on the bottom.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that there is a social strata. At the top are some very influencial and rich people. At the bottom and the disadvantaged and "not so rich". The key when you are at the bottom is don't look up. You might just get a shovel full of something.
Of course I'm just spoofing. I think people who have to "make do" with less learn more about life and certainly have more fun. Hug that special person next to you: the One/Ones who make life worthwhile. You need someone to help you shovel.
Love,
Dad
I got to spend a little time this week doing landscaping with Grandson Collin. He is making the transition from the high school to a lifetime of meaningful envolvement. For his parents it can't be fast enough. For Collin it is difficult to see the correct path.
I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I think both parties want the same thing!
Your Mom shared with me the difficulties she had as she approached graduation from high school (1958). She had decided she didn't want to go to college but had elected programs in high school aimed at being a secretary. Her typing skills were honed to a high level, office accounting was very important and because this was before computers, she had to learn shorthand (symbols designating words). Months before graduating from high school, her Mom (Nana) started to tell her she needed a job. Nana didn't ask what Mom was going to do, she sternly told her she needed to get a job. It didn't matter what the job was. It could be a store clerk, a production worker or a secretary. Mom was questioned regularly on whether she had found a job. Then one day, a local law office (Mooney and Mooney) in town contacted the high school for recommendations of potential candidates to be their legal secretary. Your Mom's name came up and the rest is history. She turned into a great legal secretary. Imagine the day Nana asked her the annoying question "did you apply any jobs"? "You have to get a job"! Mom responded she already had a job. Yes! Yes! Yes!
Collin is at the same crossroads. His parents want him hustling new jobs. Collin feels the pressure. Jobs are very scarce. Collin was unable to develop a special skill set like your Mom in high school. So the dilemma persists. Collin will find his place. It will evolve. He has lots of talent and will be very successful.
I have no right adding to Collin's pressure but my intent is very positive with years of wisdom (hence "acewisdom"). My advice is to pick something that interests you most and go after it. It could be trying to get a job in a field of interest. It could be pursueing tech school to develop needed skills. It could be college (he can do it). At this stage of Collin's life he can't make a wrong choice. It is a trial and error process. Try something. If it offers opportunity, keep going. If the choice is a "dead end", try something else. Failure is okay. Make looking for a job, a full time job.
The lesson Grasshoppers is when you are involved in making choices in life, the total picture is not always clear. Make the best decision you can. Keep developing your skills. Keep reaching for the stars. Suddenly you'll be thinking retirement.
Love,
Dad
I have been very disciplined about doing two blogs a week, one on Tuesday morning and the other on Friday morning. That has not changed. What has changed apparently is the speed with which the "blog website" makes available the new blog. I have been told that to bring the new blog to your screen immediately you need to hold the "control" key while simultaneously pushing the refresh button. Your screen should update immediately. Now the bullsh-- part of this process. Software is supposed to work for the user. There must be an instruction or re-program that makes new blogs available immediately. There I feel better. Maybe I need to "let it go".
Mom and I had an invite to Grasshopper No.1's (and Tom's) home on the 4th of July. The meat was pork tenderettes and tenderloin steaks. Throw in some homemade potato salad and a secret stash of strawberry pie, you have the perfect fryout. A sincere thank you.
During our 4th celebration, Grasshopper No.4 and the whole tribe wandered by. Stories were told. Lies ran rampant. As the stories centered on bad things that have happened in all our lives, a repeated theme became "let it go".
I complained about how I had been screwed out of $10 at a carnival in Sheboygan 50 years ago. I was trying to make a point about trusting people. Grasshopper No.4 said "let it go". Everybody laughed. What the hell?
Grasshopper No.4 complained about neighbor Randy and the bright light that burns all night long affecting the sleep of the family. Now Randy is hospitalized undergoing triple by-pass heart surgery so No.4 cannot even pursue his vendetta. It is an emotional saga. Almost in unison everyone told No.4 to "let it go".
I reiterated the story about Floyd, our neighbor at our lake cottage. He made life miserable with his little games. For the second time, I was told to "let it go". I don't learn very fast.
There were many more stories that ended in a cry of "let it go". There is a truth I totally believe. People get sick if they can't learn to "let it go". Grasshopper No.2 has an epic battle being waged with her neighbors as they complain about her planting trees. She has done nothing wrong yet she has a royal battle taking place. After she defends her legal rights, she eventually is going to have to "let it go". It is easier to say than to do.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that most battles are bigger in our minds than they should be. It is easy to say "let it go". It is difficult to do. It is an acquired skill. There are so many more important things in life. Stay healthy!
Love,
Dad
My walking routine has taken a "hit" lately. Something about not taking enough calcium, fiber, potassium or water. My life pardner has provided that diagnosis.
Then I consulted with my chiropractor guru over in Madison. Dr. of Chiropractic, Grasshopper No.2 diagnosed the problem as "so-ass" (some people mis-pronounce the term as sore-ass). Yep, that is me.
Grasshopper No.2 says that mid-back Vertebrae No.12 needs adjustment to release the tense muscle group to my butt. Then when you follow the muscle group to my butt, Vertebrae No.4 is out of place putting pressure on my psoas (pronounced so-ass) muscle causing my leg to have problems. Vertebrae No.12 was adjusted painfully. Vertebrae No.4 was adjusted from both sides painfully. Now with relaxed muscles and a perfectly alligned butt, I have a chance to get back to my old self. Time will tell. My butt still aches but I'm told it takes 5-7 days for inflamation to recede.
Of course pulling weeds and trimming bushes with Collin couldn't have exacerbated my problem.
Potentially playing golf 2-3 weeks ago without stretching exercises couldn't have caused my problem.
It couldn't be old age?
The lesson Grasshoppers is that health issues do occur in life. We each need to find the solution that works for us. I tried Grasshopper No.3's remedy for everything (rub some dirt on it) and it didn't work. It is really embarassing to tell people my problem is "so-ass". Then again, maybe the diagnosis is an appropriate discription. Hmmmmm?
Have a great 4th of July. Enjoy your freedoms. Live your freedoms. Fight for your freedoms.
Love,
Dad