Ace Wisdom

For some reason the subject of the Circus World Museum over in Baraboo, Wisconsin has come up several times in recent weeks. Maybe it’s because Debs is anticipating the Budweiser Clydesdales visit this weekend in Wausau. The Clydesdales were one of the featured attractions of the Circus Museum.
My memory takes me to a trip our family made in the late ’60s to Baraboo and I think Nana and Grandpa George came along. I know we visited the museum building that has a lot of artifacts from the past including a large organ that played continuously.
It was a sunny June day with, I think Debs, Kelly (she remembers some things about the visit) and I think Chris. I know it was June because Circus employees were preparing for their annual trip by train to Milwaukee for the Circus Parade in early July. As we walked the Circus grounds, they were loading big Circus wagons onto flat bed railroad cars practicing for the real trip in several weeks. I don’t remember if they used Clydesdales to pull the wagons onto the train or not. Debs remembers standing on the flatbed railroad car before they actually loaded it.
The highlight of the day was the performance in the “Big Tent”. They had tents set up with bleachers in a large circle. I think the whole thing was “free”. We paid to get into the Circus Museum grounds, but everything except food was free after that. The “Big Tent” performance was spectacular. I remember trapeze acts as well as animal and juggling performances. I think it lasted about an hour.
It was one of those special days that started out to be just a visit to the Circus Museum and ended up being so much more.
Several weeks later, the Circus Train made its way across the Wisconsin countryside visiting lots of small towns. I think the journey from Baraboo to Milwaukee took 3-4 days. It got to Milwaukee usually on Thursday evening and then Sunday would be the huge parade down Wisconsin Avenue. I remember the 40 horse hitch (Chris would call it a hutch) with 40 Clydesdales all hooked to one large Circus wagon snaking its way through the streets.
So I’m sure when Debs watches the Budweiser Clydesdales this weekend, she will travel back in time. The camera will be clicking and the air will be filled with smells and memories. Enjoy the trip.
The lesson Grasshoppers is you never know when special moments will come along. That is why they are special. The day in Baraboo with family enjoying the old tradition of a an Old World Circus will always be special.
Love,
Dad

Many things in life are not as they seem. You grow up believing certain things in life are true and then “bam” someone changes everything.
One of the Grasshoppers talked to me at Deb & Tom’s wedding reception last Saturday. She told me everything I wanted to hear. Her car payments were coming to an end and she was going to put the money from the payments in the bank (when payments ended) so she could save up for a large cash payment on her next automobile. How sensible. How practical. How smart. Then the following Monday evening she went out and bought a new car (actually 2 years old). Did I miss something? I guess everybody was happy. I heard what I wanted to hear and she got her new car.
Well today the Planet Pluto was taken off the official list of Planets. There are no longer 9 planets. Every text book I had as a kid talked about the exciting find in 1930’s of a 9th Planet. So my whole life has had Pluto in it. Pluto was a cute name. A stupid puppy who played with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck had a planet with the same name. I guess they decided that Pluto was too small and without significant rings or orbiting moons. It is just one big cold asteroid. Again things are not what they seem. One day there is Planet Pluto, the next day it is consider a “dwarf Planet”. I guess it just didn’t measure up.
I can’t help but wonder about Uranus. Isn’t that now the most distant planet from the Sun? If they ever take that off the official Planet list, it will sort of be an “Up Uranus deal”. I don’t know if I can handle that.
So Grasshoppers, hang on to the sides of your bed tonight because you are in danger of waking up in the morning and significant “truths” will be different. You thought the “Big Bad Wolf” in the fairy tale Red Riding Hood was just a fictional character. He may be real and terrorising Grandma’s everywhere! You think that the Green Bay Packers will have a competitive team this fall. It is not as it seems. You think Beliema who now coaches the UW Badgers will have a credible football team and he will carry on in the tradition of Barry Alverez. You silly fools.
My advice is remain skeptical (yep, as I am). Believe things when you actually experience them yourself. And then, and only then be prepared to have your heart ripped out when someone dumps Pluto to dwarf status.
Love,
Dad

Owning your own home is great. It is the American dream. There is this thing called a “mortgage” which makes home real estate possible. I can’t help but make a few observations about mortgages.
First, you don’t own your home. The bank, Savings & Loan or Mortgage Company owns it. You have a legal document making it yours and the lending company has a pile of “rights” should you default. If you really think you own your home, default on payments and you’ll find out who the eight hundred pound gorilla is. Normally you take hard earned savings and put 10%-20% of a house’s value into the mortgage. The bank puts in the other 80-90%.
Second, Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM) are very dangerous if you live on a budget. “Adjustable” means just that. If interest rates go down, you should get lower rates. That is nice. If rates go up, your mortgage cost which includes the new mortgage rate will go up. That is bad. Right now for people with a mortgage tied to the clever banking rate (which changes daily) called “prime”, could be subject to mortgage rates over 10%. That is just plain ridiculous. Mortgages are usually long term instruments of 15-30 years. Interest rate cycles are usually 3-5 year cycles. Don’t do the adjustable rate mortgage unless you plan to hold a house less than 3 years. As a rule, don’t do ARM’s. Lock in your fixed long term rate.
Third, home equity loans are an attempt to take what little equity you have in your home and borrow on that. Most banks and S&L’s send out an appraiser to look at your house and you are left believing that your house is worth much more than you thought. What the hell! Just tap some of that equity with another Adjustable Rate Mortgage. No! No! No! Now, if you fail to make payments on your home, the bank will make sure it gets sold and you will have nothing left because you used up all the equity. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Some mortgage companies will lend you up to 125% of the value of your house. Don’t do it.
Some people insist on paying down their mortgage by making “extra” principal payments. It can reduce the amount of time it takes to pay off your home from 30 years to 20 years. There may be some good reasons to do it, like your retirement coincides with your last mortgage payment. Many times there are better financial decisions. If you have 30 years of fixed payments at 5%, why pay it off. The interest is tax deductible, both Federal and State, which takes the effective rate to less than 4%. Take that same money, put it into a 401k at work, have the company match your contribution and earn 6-8% over time. All 401k money is deferred until you pull it out. Paying off your mortgage might bring peace of mind. Then do it. Paying off your mortgage may not be the best financial decision. Since your mortgage payments are fixed, you will be paying cheaper inflated dollars in the future. That is really good.
A final thought. If you think your mortgage company has your best interest at heart, you are living in a fantasy world. If you think they will be compassionate when your financial budget gets tight, you live a fantasy. If you think they will hestitate to put your house up for sale or auction if you default, you live a fantasy. Lah-lah-lah-lah.
Mortgages are a fact of life. They make houses available to 70% of all households. Use the mortgage wisely.
Love,
Dad

Actually the title to this particular blog is a “hook”. It was intended to get your interest. I remember a folk singing group named “Peter, Paul and Mary” from the 1960’s. More later!
I listen to CDs when I walk every morning. Debs is responsible for downloading most of my CDs but Margaret gets honorable mention. One of my favorite CDs is “The Smother Brothers”. I love the interaction of Tommy and Dick Smothers. One brother plays the dummy (Tommy) and the other plays the self righteous brother (Dickie). Their jokes contain cynicism, sarcasm and simple humor. Simple humor from simple people.
I got the thought that the job that Tom and Dick Smothers have is petty really cool. They play folk songs, recognizable ballads, and modern songs. The songs get interrupted regularly with their humor. The blend of music and humor make their routine seem like lots of fun.
So my next thought was, who could I team with that could produce the “dumb Tommy” look and do jokes that would be in rhythm with the straight lines I would feed him/her. There is an assumption that one could play a guitar (Paul and Margaret have had some practice) and I would learn a base fiddle. Each of five Grasshoppers has something to offer for the “dumb Tommy” role. If using a Grasshopper in my act, I had to make a choice.
I want to team with Grasshopper Paul. He would play the Tommy Smothers role and I would feed him straight lines. Paul has a warped sense of humor and he could develop skills on the guitar. Both our singing voices are in question, but hey these are folk songs and nobody would know the difference. We need to name our group (twosome) and I think Peter, Paul and Chuck would be perfect but we have leave out the Peter. So there is no Peter in our group. It would be Paul and Chuck (in concert).
It would be dynamite. My sarcasm has no end and Paul is able to play off that with the dumbest retorts and looks that most people could ever imagine. We would cut albums. We would perform on Leno and Letterman and all the talk shows. We could play Carnegie Hall. We would be popular. We would be rich. We would have fun.
As you can tell, it was a slow walking day if all I can think about is doing a knockoff act of the Smothers Brothers with Grasshopper No. 4. It is intriguing to think about the dummy and the brain teaming to do music.
By the way, I think Tommy Smothers (Paul’s role) is a member of Mensa which puts him in an elite intellectual class. He is also rich! Now who is the dummy?
Love,
Dad

In the past, Debs attended our family gatherings armed with a high quality camera. She would slip around when you weren’t looking and snap a picture when you had your mouth full of cake or something else. Sometimes an obscene gesture would work its way in to a photo.
I know Debs has been “out of the serious camera business” for awhile so I was safe in attending Deb and Tom’s reception in Wausau this weekend. Then favorite Grasshopper Margaret shows up with her high powered Japanese camera with assorted lens’ and begins snapping unexpectedly all over the VFW hall. It was the re-incarnation of Debs. Lots of embarrassing poses. To top it off, Margaret’s friend Shawn was also armed with a high powered machine. The new cameras let you push the button to take a picture and hold the button down so that you can get “rapid fire” moments. So we had an evening where pictures were being taken constantly by two people at an alarming rate and I think Margaret and Shawn had a bet to see who could get the most embarrassing poses. It was like “dueling cameras”. I can’t wait to see the final pictures. Yeah, right.
Debs and Tom held up pretty well. By the time the disk jockey went home, I could see Debs “battery” getting very low. She had done well. And Tom, he was surrounded by family and friends all evening. They didn’t seem to care if he was in a wheel chair. I didn’t know you could dance in a wheel chair. Now I know you can. I didn’t know you could twirl around in circles to the music. You can even lead a “conga line” followed by guests who felt no pain.
They came. The Andrews family. The Steger family. The Warosh family. Friends and guests came from far and wide. They left. It is now official. The wedding has taken place. The celebration has been held. The bride and groom can relax.
If there is a regret it is that it is almost impossible to spend quality time with everyone. I know I didn’t get enough time with our family meaning that meeting all of Tom’s relation seemed impossible. Alas, such is life. So much to do and so little time.
The next morning was very enjoyable. I got to spend quality time with each of the Grasshoppers staying at our motel and I got to harass the Grandchildren for a change rather than them harassing me.
I know that the celebration did not end at the VFW hall on Saturday night. Debs and Tom were entertaining at home all weekend. They created many special memories and will enjoy them for a long time.
You did well Grasshoppers. You made this Dad proud!
Love,
Dad

This weekend your mother and I will travel to Wausau, Wisconsin located on the tundra north of the artic circle. Of course I jest but Wausau is one of the last civilized northern outposts in Wisconsin. It is the new home of Tom and Debs.
T&D are hosting a party in Wausau. It is the reception of the year to celebrate the May nuptials. We are going to the ball! Whoopdeedo! It will be capped by the Bride and Groom dancing to some magic music that is symbollic of their commitment to each other.
I haven’t checked the current health of the married couple but Debs was fighting 103 fever from pneumonia as of Tuesday and they still haven’t solved her rapid heartbeat. Lots of rest is required. Tom is diagnosed with cellulitis which is very painful and dangerous. He has been declared immobile and must keep his feet elevated until mid-month. There is also a chance that he has a broken bone in his foot. The X-ray results were not known at this writing.
So picture Tom with his cellulitis and maybe one foot in a cast and Debs bedraggled from pnuemonia with rapid heart beat stepping on the dance floor to cellibrate the glorius event. Don’t miss it! It promises to be special.
In the end, all that counts is that family and friends are getting together to celebrate the commitment of Tom and Deborah. The night will be filled with re-newal of friendships, seeing long lost relatives and just enjoying the event. It doesn’t get any better.
See you there.
Love,
Dad

My inside sources tell me that Debs has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. That explains the 103 degree fever. What bothers me is that they did not catch it with the first set of X-Rays last week. I guess massive doses of anti-biotics are being administered. The second part, rapid heart beat is un-explained. Believe it or not they have medication for that too. She needs to get well for the Tom & Deb reception this weekend. I understand Tom is struggling with some sort of foot infection. What is going on here?
When I was working at the “Foods” we would regularly buy tickets for the Wednesday/Saturday Power Ball Lottery knowing full well that our odds were about 100 million to one. But, we dreamed together. Because I was in charge, I always had a slight twinge of conscience that if a group of 20-25 of us won, we would all leave the company and it would have to scramble to hire new people. Believe me, I didn’t think about it long. It wasn’t my problem. I would take my money and run. Alas, it never happened.
Then Saturday night a group of 100 from Sargento in St. Cloud, Wisconsin bought a winning Power Ball ticket from the “miracle mile” in Fond du Lac. They get to split $208 million dollars. Whoopee!
Now the reality. Each person wins $2 million if taken over 20-25 years. That is not a good alternative I’m told because you forfeit all monies not paid to you. So lets say you live 2 more years, the last 23 years of payment are forever gone. I don’t know if that is true but it is rumored. Most people want the lump sum payment. If you take a lump payment you would get $1 million gross. Now you have to pay federal tax of about 35% and state tax of 7% so you would receive $600,000 cash. It is a nice chunck of change but if invested at 6%, you would get $36,000 per year. It is not enough to retire on but when added to your present income, it would be pretty nice.
Most people are sensible. They want to pay off their mortgages or buy a different home. I have heard new cars mentioned along with boats and vacations. After that short spending spree, it is back to living life.
I will say it would be exciting to deposit $600,000 in my savings account. Suddenly you have that cushion for emergencies, college education for kids becomes available and you have a “leg up” on early retirement.
Putting any money on a Power Ball Lottery ticket is stupid. The odds are so much against you that it really is a stupid wager. I would guess the employees with the winning ticket from Sargento don’t think it was a lousy bet.
My advice Grasshoppers is work hard. If you happen to piddle away a few dollars on a lottery ticket be advised that it is really stupid and a waste of money. Of course I knew that and I stupidly would throw a few bucks into the pool each week because there was that one possibility that I could become instantly rich. Nobody’s perfect.
Love,
Dad

My wife knows that I have a past rooted in baseball. With my Dad (Bucky) having aspirations to play professional baseball, I have memories of leather baseballs, “Nesefoot oil” being rubbed into leather gloves and sweaty jocks. So with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (a semi-pro team located in Appleton and part of the Seattle Mariners) just down the road, my wife seemed driven to get me out to the old ball game.
In the movie Bull Durham, Kevin Costner is trying to make it to the “Big Show” for one last time. The Show is short for major leagues. Anyone playing for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers aspires to make the Big Show. By the way, Alex Rodriquez, the highest paid player in major league baseball came through the Appleton Farm System.
So we went to a ball game. This is a game of detail. It is fun to watch a hitter work a pitcher to a full count. A double steal is a thing of beauty. A pitchout is a strategic call. Details, details, and more details.
Grandsons Dominic and Tommy happened to be in town and guess what, they joined us. The term “show” took on a whole different meaning. “Circus” might have been a more appropriate description.
We walked into the stadium and we got advertising materials handed to us, four (I counted them) computer mouse pads sponsored by different groups, some coloring books and a free ticket for Dominic and Tommy to get a free hot dog and soda. Welcome to Timber Rattler Stadium.
I walked our “tribe” down to one end of the stadium where they have a grassy knoll and the kids could get rid of some energy. They rolled down the hill and threw Tommy’s precious stuffed elephant back and forth like a baseball. Pretty soon another boy was throwing “Peanuts” around and my biggest fear was it would end up on the playing field. The closest it came was hitting the protective fence. While all this was going on I was watching this “drop dead” gorgeous gal talking to one of the baseball players over the fence. Those baseball players get it all.
Eventually it was on to hot dogs and soda. My wife added cotton candy which is the fluffiest, stickiest stuff in the world. Dominic on one side of me eating cotton candy with gooie fingers and Tommy on the other side of me with gooie fingers. Talk about being in a sticky situation. A trip to the water fountain solved the whole thing.
Did I mention Fang. He is the Timber Rattler mascot. Tommy and Dominic got their pictures taken with Fang. They also got an autographed baseball card of Fang.
We got a stuffed baseball that was thrown into the stands as a promotion and when Timber Rattler Mirano got a base hit, they threw frisbees into the stands. Yep, we got one of them too.
You get the idea, the “show” was not professional baseball for the purist. It was all the entertainment taking place around us. It included a slicked up Pee Wee Herman type leading cheers and dance routines between innings.
We left after the sixth inning with the Rattlers leading 6-0. I don’t know who finally won the game. I don’t really care. A good time was had by all.
Next time, if there is a next time, I am going to Rattler game with a baseball affectionato that knows the fine details of the game and is not distracted by all the diversions. Baseball is a serious game. It is statistics. It is strategy. It is steeped in tradition. It is not some “Pee Wee Herman knock off” dancing with an umpire to the song YMCA. Or, maybe I’ve got it all wrong? No, I don’t think so?
It was a memorable evening.
Love,
Dad

The oppressive heat wave we are having draws on my vivid memories of growing up. Yes, it was hot in the summer when I was growing up. I have my stories.
There was no air conditioning when I was a kid. Not in the cars. Not in the home. Not in public school systems. So we had to adjust. We had lots of fans. Window fans to pull in cooler air. Window fans to draw heat from the buildings. Lots of shades and blinds to keep sunlight out. Lots of trips to Elkhart Lake and Mauthe Lake beaches.
Ice cubes were in all the drinks and ice cream was common relief.
Driving the car with the windows open was the only way to achieve reasonable relief. When I was 17, my folks traded my personal car (that I paid for with my money) for a 50′ Oldsmobile convertible. I had mixed emotions because they traded “my car” without permission but I was getting a cool convertible. Driving a convertible as a teenager on a hot night with your best girl was a good way to stay cool (I refrain from joking).
My Dad’s (Bucky) passion was baseball and of course Jack and I played on many teams. The only cool place on a public baseball diamond is the “dugout”. I remember many hot afternoons standing in the outfield waiting for the other team to finish their turn an bat. Somehow the heat was never a deterent against playing. Of course some of the games were at night and practice sessions were always late afternoon.
I worked in the fields for the local Stokely Canning factory weeding beets in the summer. My mother would always give me a one gallon thermos filled with kool-aid and jammed with ice cubes. It was usually gone by the time I got home. I wore a wide brimmed straw hat to combat the sun. Once in a great while, Stokely would shorten the work day to avoid oppressive heat.
For some reason, my most vivid memory of coping with heat was being in Grandma Myrna’s apartment. She had fans all over but I was mesmorized by the oscillating fans. The metal guards over the fans were nowhere near as effective as they are today and we kept getting warned to keep our fingers out of the fan. There was one rubber bladed fan I remember that didn’t have a guard and you could put you fingers along the outer edges and actually bring it to a stop. Eventually we wore out the blades.
Growing up we survived the heat without air conditioning. Believe it! It can be done. I know it sounds like a tall tale, but it is true. So no more complaints!
Love,
Dad

Last night was Collin’s last soccer game. I think the team lost one game all year. I don’t know if they won the championship? Collin keeps getting shots at the goal from the left side of the field meaning he needs to use his left foot. He tries but it is like a “skatter gun” result because he is right footed. Then last night, late in the game he is flying down the right side of the field and he got to use his right foot to attempt a goal. Bingo! It was a nice way to end the season. Make a goal. Enjoy the moment. Go home. Dream about next year. Next is sophomore soccer at North High School.
Now about wieners. The Milwaukee Brewers announced that they were adding a new sausage to their current stable of hot dogs that stage a race at Miller Park (people dressed in costumes) during the baseball games. I don’t know all the current types but I think there is a Brat, a Hot dog, a Polish sausage and something else (maybe a Kielbassa). The new sausage to be added has to do with Latino heritage. It is supposed to be hotter and loved by all hispanics. The new sausage races will be 5 “dogs” instead of 4. Here is the strange part. The new Latino sausage will be introduced Saturday when it attempts its first race. Then you have to wait until 2007 to see the “Latino” on a regular basis. It seems there is a rule in baseball that you can not introduce a new mascot during the current baseball season. Huh? What difference does it make to other clubs? It is a local celebration! Technically the Latino sausage is not really a mascot. Bernie Brewer is the mascot. So all the fans will have to wait until 2007 to see the full compliment of wieners race because of a stupid rule. Maybe they have to check the “green card” status of the Latino dog. The biggest wiener of all is Major League baseball. How can you deny a wiener introduction.?
Now more recognition of wieners.
Collin was mentioned earlier but he is not a wiener. A hot dog maybe, but not a wiener.
Never promise you will take a family member fishing and then not follow through. That is a wiener.
The French have denied Floyd Landis the Tour de France cycling title until they check his positive urine test for testosterone. The French continue to be wieners.
Then if Landis really did use steroid enhancers to get his testosterone level up, he would be a wiener.
I end by mentioning that Debs ends her Wisconsin Vision career today. I think it is about 18 years of her life. It is now on to Wausau, a new career and a new life. That sounds very positive to me! There are no wieners here except maybe Wisconson Vision because they didn’t realize all that Debs did for them. She cared about their customers. Oh, my!
Love,
Dad