Several weeks ago we had Ranger Dan look at our front red maple tree. It clearly was struggling. Ranger Dan's opinion was that it was planted improperly and that the roots were not growing properly. He also thought the tree might be the victim of some sort of disease that is occurring in maple trees. Doctor Dan (notice I didn't say Ranger) wanted me to watch the tree over the next week or two and give it lots of love. He thought between minor root surgery and love, we could save the tree.
Since Ranger Dan visited, the leaves have continued to turn brown. Brown has gone from one side of the tree to encompassing the whole tree. We have been holding off on root surgery until we saw the effect of tender loving care and love.
Sh--!
I talked to my favorite son, Grasshopper No.3 and his opinion was the same as mine. The maple tree had been struck by lightning and it was dying. The tree was in pain! The decision was made to kill the tree. In less than 90 minutes, Grasshopper No.3 cut the tree down, the stump was removed and black dirt back-filled into the hole. My maple tree had gone to visit other trees in plant heaven.
We planted the old tree 8 years ago and we watched it grow to an impressive height and fullness. It was painful to seen it wither and die.
It makes me wonder. Does loving a plant (tree) work? I put a lot of effort into caring for the tree but it didn't seem to make any difference.
My conclusion is loving a tree to impart a positive energy is a lot of crap!
Love,
Dad
September 1 is shaping up as a "super Thursday". The Green Bay Packers play their last pre-season game at Lambeau. The UW Badgers kick-off their first game of the season at Camp Randall in Madison (night game). The Brewers are in the middle of a incredible run for the divisional crown and they play the same night. What do we do? Packers, Badgers or Brewers? Oh my! Packers, Badgers or Brewers? Oh my?
My decision was made months ago: UW Badgers at Camp Randall versus UNLV. 7:00 PM kick-off on ESPN. To put things in perspective, the Packers game is a pre-season game (isn't that like practice) and the Brewers are playing one of 162 season games (how important can one game be). Dilemma solved.
The next big decision is going to be concerning the Green Bay Packers. They are going to add 6600 new seats (with seat backs) in the south end zone. To help pay for the new seats, they are going to offer stock certificates similar to what they did in 1998. My guess is that for $300 dollars, you will get one share of the Green Bay Packers. You get bragging rights to "I own stock in the Green Bay Packers". There is no market to resell your shares but you get a stock certificate that you hang on a wall with your name on it. You get the right to join 25,000 other owners at the annual stockholders meeting in July of each year. So your next dilemma is do I take advantage of this limited stock offering.
My decision is made. Screw the purchase of a stock that can't be resold. I've got better things to do with $300. All you get is a piece of paper to brag about. You could paper you bathroom wall with the certificate or use it as toilet paper (limited one time use). My decision is made. What will you do?
When I was in high school, I played football. In the Fall of the year, their is a musty moist smell from the grass in the cool of the evening. If you've ever had a big bully football opponent stomp your face into the grass, you never forget that smell. Yep, the smell is there. Things are "a-changing".
Love
Dad
I have always felt the effects of the Depression Era. My grandparents were hard working and very frugal. My grandpa Chalk, was a barber, pool hall manager and ran the City Club tavern. He managed to navigate the Depression and save some money besides. People who lived on farms canned vegetables, fruit and even some meats. Nothing was wasted. Clothes got mended when they frayed. Shoes got re-soled when they wore out.
I recently watched a History Channel special on the Depression. It officially ran from 1929 to 1939. I was born 1940. I was surrounded by people who survived the Depression and their memories affected everything I did. Unemployment was 16-20%. Breadlines existed for people to eat. Banks collapsed. My friend Gordy, grew up in Plymouth and as a kid amassed a $300 fortune and kept it at a local bank. The bank closed and never opened again. Gordy lost his $300.
I have often wondered how many traits I have "rubbed off" on me from the Depression.
I don't like owing anybody anything. There are some purchases in life that are tough to avoid such as home mortgages and car payments but my goal was always to eliminate debt.
I have never had a credit card debt that I didn't pay when due. Never. I remember Nana bragging about never having a credit card balance that went unpaid. When you came through the Depression, you didn't want to be beholding to anyone.
Cash is king. The arguement that cash needs to be put to work so that it grows over time is rooted in financial management theory. Tell that to people that retired in the year 2000 and now 11 years later, they have less than they had when they retired. People who had cash during the Depression were able to control their own destiny. They also got to buy valuable things at very low prices.
I think I've created a pretty good balance between being frugal and spending enough to enjoy life. Down "deep" I can be cheap. For example, I can resist buying blackberries in the grocery story while waiting years for my Son-In-Law to nurture a few plants to bear fruit.
I never lived the Depression years but I was a beneficiary of the lessons. They were actually very good lessons based in common sense. Best of all I can sleep at night.
Love,
Dad
I have always placed a high value on personal integrity. You know! Honesty! The contract that a hand shake creates! Your word is your bond! You get the idea.
I see that the Japanese have been recovering wallets in the aftermath of the psunami that struck last spring. Over $78 million dollars has been recovered and returned to the rightful owners. It is the right thing to do.
In 1977, your Mom and I bought a cottage on Crystal Lake. The owner, a man who had worked at Kohler all his life, gave us a tour of his personally built structure. He wanted $30,000. We agreed to the price. We shook hands! When we signed the formal papers several months later at the lawyers office, we were told that a Chicago couple had offered $35,000 the same morning after we left. The ower said we had a contract (handshake) and he turned it down. It was the right thing to do (and appreciated).
At a recent hockey even out east, there was a half time contest designed to test scoring ability with hockey put. A 3 inch puck had to be put through a 3.5 inch slot in a board from 50 feet away. A 10 year kid picked at random attempted the feat and made the shot. He won $50,000. But wait! It turns out the kid was not the person drawn at random from the crowd. His twin brother made the shot. If you were the parent, would you admit that $50,000 was won improperly by the brother. Yep! The error was admitted and the prize refused. It was the right thing!
Desmond Bishop was invited along with over 50 Green Bay Packers to the White House in recognition of winning the Super Bowl. He got off the team chartered airplane and bussed to the White House. He thought he had his wallet in his pocket but it was his cell phone. To gain admittance to the White House, Desmond had to show identification. He didn't have any. No drivers license or other document such as insurance cards etc. He couldn't go into the celebration. No exceptions. No. I.D. No admittance. Now come on! Desmond had 49 other team members that could vouch for him personally. Nope. Desmond waited on the bus. His promise of a memorable moment was lost on a technicality. It was not the right thing to do!
I have to believe that we are country of good and honest people. That thought sustains me. As I look around it seems "truth" gets harder to find.
Love,
Dad
First things first. Today is the 34th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. He died August 16, 1977 in Memphis. I was in Memphis that day. I was in town on company business. I tried to drive down close to the Presley mansion which had a souvenier store across the street. Between people buying memoriabilia and mourners placing flowers at the entrance to Graceland, I couldn't even get close. I remember Grasshopper No.1 asking for something of significance from the day. Alas, I think I disappointed again.
We have a maple tree in our front yard that was planted 8 years ago. It is becoming a significant part of our front yard. After our lightning experience, I was sure that lightning had struck the tree and an electrical spike been transferred over wet ground to the garage. The tree has lots of dead leaves. There is a tree service in town called Ranger. Their speciality is tree removal but they are experts in helping trees survive. Yesterday one of their experts named Dan examined our tree. I think saving a tree is akin to saving a person with the Obama Health Care System only slightly more expensive.
Ranger Dan, he is our man. If he can't save our tree, nobody can!
Ranger Dan uses tree examination as a teaching moment. I got a lesson on proper planting of trees, root behavior and stress management. Yep, our tree was planted too deep originally and the nature of root growth has stress the tree. He might be able to save the tree. I think he said the tree can sense if it is loved or not. We need to modify roots and give the tree love. It will be touch and go for awhile.
Ranger Dan says that the tree suddenly showing dead leaves had nothing to do with an electrical strike. I think Dan may be pumping some sunshine up my butt. With all respect to Dan, I think my tree got an electrical jolt that accelerated the problems of a stressed tree. What do I know?
But like my doctor, I need to learn to trust Ranger Dan. Stay tuned.
Love,
Dad
Your Mom and her brother Bob have embarked on a journey across the fruited plain. Across Wisconsin. Across Minnesota. Maybe a little of North Dakota. This time of year you can hear the corn grow in the hot summer sun. The fields are flush with wheat and grain. And the smell. How do you beat the smell of fresh cowsh-- in the barnyard. Oops! Wait, that is liquid fertilizer being spread by huge tanker trucks on the fields. You get the idea. Rural living at its best.
The quest is to discover more information about Nana's side of Mom's family. I know there is a lot of longevity and men tend to lose their hair at an early age. There has been a transition from a family of farmers to a family dominated by school teachers. So the trip is a renewal of family and friends laced with stories of the "old days". Memories. Pictures. More memories.
The trip allows Mom to spend quality time with her own brother. How special is that?
Maybe I can persuade your Mom to do a "guest" blog about her family reunion. It would be nice to log a bit of family history.
I am told by reliable sources that this will be a bumper crop of black raspberries. I am fortunate to have a son-in-law offering all the "berries I want". Better yet, they are free! Ho ho ho!
Today is a full moon. Watch out for broomsticks that are out of control.
Love,
Dad
The lightning strike we had on our red maple tree keeps generating surprises. If something doesn't work in the house we blame it on the electrical strike. A piece broke out of our fiberglass shower stall upstairs. It had to be the lightning. A sink stopper fell apart for no apparent reason. Yep, the lightning. Your Mom lost the crown to a major tooth (a huge piece). I'm sure it it was an electrical surge. I can't understand why the insurance company keeps turning down those claims. What will we discover next?
Football season is beginning in earnest. Grasshopper No.2's oldest son is now a sophomore in high school. He played football last year. I talked to him early in the summer. He was emphatic that he would not play football this year. He still intended to play basketball. Guess what? Grant is again practicing with the school football team. Somehow when you are 6'4 and solidly built, coaches have a lot of interest in you. It ain't fair. I remember at the same age being around 5'8 and 150 pounds. Nobody was recruiting me!
Grasshopper No.4 is again coaching in the Sheboygan Youth League. It is the last year he have son Dominic on his team. Dominic has been "working out" during the summer (I wonder if painting the family home counts as exercise). Of course No.4 thinks this is going to be the best year ever. Why do all coaches think "this will be the best year ever"? I guess it is better than entering the season thinking "we suck".
Also Grasshopper No.4 has Tommy playing in the Youth League. As a Dad, how do you manage being in two places at one time.
The UW Badgers are rated 10 in the country. Again, lofty expectations.
Coach McCarthy for the Packers is disgusted with the Team's practice performance. Yep, things are going as expected.
People can't find jobs, the State can't resolve all their problems and the Federal Government is a joke in it's effort to balance the Budget. But, we have football. Thank goodness we have football. Ready! Hut 1! Hut 2! Hut 3! Hike!
Love,
Dad
Our government gets money from us. The management of that money is just like your personal budget. Money coming in. Money going out. If you spend more than you make, credit card debt increases until you hit your "credit limit".
Our government reached it's credit card limit recently. They arbitrarily increased their own limit on credit by several trillion dollars. I wish I could increase my own credit limit! Now the government can spend more money. Things are good! At least until the new credit limit is reached.
The solutions are pretty simple. The government needs to stop spending more money than they have coming in. It is called a budget. It means we need to prioritize our national needs. They've promised to cut expenses. Yeah, right.
Next we need to cut up our credit cards. No more increases in national debt. We are drowning in debt.
The government needs to stick to their budget. Do it just like "real" people.
On another note, the mystery to our recent electrical spike has been solved. We have a beautiful red maple tree in our front yard. It has been dropping dead leaves off one side in recent weeks. Upon examination, it looks like lightning struck the tree and killed branches and the front part of the trunk. Now the question is "will our tree survive"? Stay tuned. Ranger Dan is coming to look.
Upon further reflection, the lightning that struck our tree was less than 30 feet from where I was sleeping. It missed me this time.
Love,
Dad
Four years ago, my regular doctor had me submit to a battery of blood tests. One reading was for blood glucose (AC1). If the numbers are between 6.0 and 7.0, it indicates you are pre-diabetic. I think my reading was 5.9.
I was told to watch my diet, avoid sugar products and of course the obligatory speech on losing 20 pounds. I was not diabetic but family history with my Mother put me in a higher risk category. I asked the doctor how I would know if I was making progress. He gave me a "free" meter for testing my blood glucose so I could check myself daily. The meter indicates how close I am to normal 100. Most people fluctuate between a low of 80 and can spike into the high 100's after eating. The body is supposed to metabilize back to 100 hours after eating.
You need a prescription for tiny paper test strips for the free meter. The strips cost $1 each. The presciption is for 100 strips or $100. A typical diabetic may use 3-4 strips per day. I was only testing myself once per day to determine trends. $1 per day. After 4 years of testing my morning blood glucose, I was usually around 115 which I understand is fairly typical after sleeping.
I stopped testing for blood glucose levels.
It took about 1 month for a call from the prescription service department of Walgreens. They noticed that my purchase of blood glucose strips had fallen off and they were wondering why. I should have said "none of you damn busines" but I wasn't quick enough to go into my nasty mode. I told Walgreens that I was no longer testing for diabetes. The next question was "was that my decision or my doctor's". I continued my "stupid interview" by saying that it was my doctor's" (it really wasn't, it was my decision)). Walgreens responded with an "oh" and hung up.
Here comes my rant! It really annoys me that Walgreen's and the drug companies are montoring my use of diabetes test strips. It is none of their business. The truth is that diabetes is big business. My guess is that the test strips cost less than $.05 to make and there is $.95 in profit. My decision to stop testing myself was screwing up the profitability of the "drug cartell".
My personal medical information is between me and my doctor. Walgreens is just a supplier of medication. I suspect the doctor (who gave me the free meter), the drug company who makes the free meters available to the doctor and the Drug store (Walgreens) are all in collusion. Is there anyone out there that really cares about me as a person?
Love,
Dad