Ace Wisdom

Everybody has events that occur that change their lives. It could be meeting someone special, it could be accomplishing some task or it could be a revelation about the meaning of life. Yep, everyone has occasions that shape their lives.
For example, my Grandpa Chalk (Bucky’s dad) died prematurely in 1946 of a stroke. It changed my Dad’s life and subsequently my life. My Dad lived the rest of his life hating the man his mother remarried. The hatred permeated everything in our lives. Bucky felt he had been deprived of the family business. It was a significant event.
My Dad dying at age 37 was traumatic. Christopher has already lived longer than my Dad and Paul is approaching that young age. When I view my Dad’s death in that context, it is unbelievable. It was a significant event.
Meeting your mom changed my life. It shaped the way my life was to develop. What can one say! It was magic. It was significant. The story is still being written.
There were job accomplishments that changed my life. I remember holding a meeting with supervisors at Vollrath to help them solve department problems (as an engineer that was one of my responsibilities). I remember the owner of the company asking if he could sit in on the meeting. The subject was quality of stainless castings in the foundry. The meeting turned into a major revelation of what was causing defects and it resulted in a program that probably saved millions of dollars over the years. And the owner of the company got to take part in the solution. My life changed after that day.
I figured out how to get steel manufacturers to do a cooperative effort wtih Vollrath to fight imports in the early 70’s. It resulted in millions of savings over the years. Significant! I ended up President.
I joined a group of business leaders around the state called TEC. At the time it seemed like an information sharing group but it connected me to lots of influencial people and provided the network for finding future jobs. Significant!
You usually are not aware of the nature of a life altering event until many years later. It is a form of “the 5 most important people you will meet in heaven”.
Of course the birth of each of 5 Grasshoppers was life altering. Each of you brought something different. Each has affect my life in a different way. The story is not finished. Significant things events are yet to come.
Make your own list. There are things that have happened in your life that have changed it forever. “Those things” are many times subtle and simple.
I close this blog on the longest day of the year. It is also by the way, your mother’s birthday. I’m sure you all remembered. Happy Birthday Shelby!
Love,
Dad

Father’s Day is Sunday. This is one of the years that it does not fall on your Mother’s birthday. That is right. I always share Father’s Day with a birthday. I know now what Kelly contended with on her birthdays. She was born on Dec. 30 which is close to Christmas. People either forget the birthday or combine Christmas presents and birthday presents. It is like being robbed of your own special day.
Not only do I lose exclusivity of “my own day”, I have constantly been charged with not being there for you kids. In these days of Oprah urging women to unite, men get labeled as unfeeling cads. As Dr. Phil spews forth his psycho babble, guys come off as the embarrassment in most marriages.
Well I have proof that I wasn’t as bad as alleged. As your mom does more and more scrap-booking, she has sorted through lots of pictures. The pictures have come from our own archives but family and friends have also produced many pictures. Guess what? I am in a lot of the pictures. I was there.
I was at every single baptism, confirmation and graduation of you kids.
There are pictures of me in the water at summer vacations at Lake Ellen.
Then there are the trips. The California trip. The Canadian trip. The Disney trips. Washington D.C. is included.
I was there at the lake. I dropped my Saturday golf dates to be with the family at the lake. It was no sacrifice. The lake is where I wanted to be.
We have pictures of me in the boat with all you kids.
I can prove that I “fried out” for the family every Sunday. The fire burning my eyelashes is evidence.
I have pictures of my graduation from UW-Oshkosh with my Masters degree. Of course the achievement had nothing to do with improving the family.
I have memories of doing something with every Grasshopper. I have memories of every Grasshopper achieving special things.
I know I am going to “pay for this blog”. I do get a little annoyed for all the Fathers of the world that work their ass off, provide all the “things” needed for the family to survive and try to keep moving forward and get nothing but complaints and dis-satisfaction for their efforts.
I want all the fathers of the world to know I understand how hard it is to play your role. I applaud your effort. When you work extra hours to afford braces for teeth, I understand. When you are out of town trying to save a customer account, I understand. When you have to choose between school classes to improve yourself or evenings at home, I understand. You fathers are special people and I hope your day is special.
There I feel better. I love your mom and I know her side of the story is just as compelling. It is the toil of both the mom and dad that makes for a successful marriage. I know she laments about things she should have done better but we all have those thoughts. She constantly strives to get better. Even today. I think she played a great role.
Dispel the notion that I was not there for you Grasshoppers. The pictures prove different.
Happy Father’s Day!
Love,
Dad

There is a new program on TV called “Windfall”. A group of 20 young “yuppie” types each puts money into a tin can at a party and signs the list of contributors. One young lady buys the lottery tickets and you guessed it, they win. $386 million dollars to be split 20 ways. It is everybodies dream to win millions of dollars and live the life of luxury for the rest of your life. It could happen to you! Yeah, right.
Lets look at the dispersing of the $386 million. If you split it 20 ways, each person will get $19.3 million. The calculation is made assuming you will take the payout over 25 years. That means a check each year until 2031 for $772,000 per year. Then you have to pay taxes so you’ll end up with $424,000 per year. You will be able to do many special things but Donald Trump of Bill Gates you are not.
Or instead of taking a payout over 25 years, you can take a lump sum payment. If the winners take lump sum, the payout amount is amount half or $193 million to be divided 20 ways. Each would get about $9.65 million but then taxes would be due. So in a lump you would get $5.3 million. If you invest it at 6.0%, you would get $318,000 per year. Still not chump change but not the life altering event you expect from winning the lottery.
Now the fun starts. Your family, “loved ones”, friends and every charitable organization in the country would be playing on your sympathy for handouts. Many winners of the lotteries change their phones, homes and even their names to avoid the blitz. You would have friends you never dreamed of.
Then of course, you’d have to set money aside for the education of your kids. The money would provide them with the basis to afford the “Harvards and Princetons” of the world. They can carry the family banner to bigger and better things provided they don’t flunk out of school first or “or go looking for themselves in some Buddist Monastery. Maybe the School of Scientology will light their fire.
Then you need a big house. A really big house. With a pool. A place where all your friends can come. You’ve got to remember that you made them all mad by refusing to give them financial handouts so they won’t come visit.
Then a new car. Yep, the “Beemer”. Fast, slick and a guaranteed ego trip.
Then there is the “shove it factor”. Every winner of a big lump sum of money dreams about walking into the boss’s office and telling him to shove his job where the sun don’t shine. Take that! You don’t need the income.
Trips. Yes, lots and lots of trips.
A lake cottage. It must be year around and have a permanent dock capable of mooring fashionable boats.
And then reality will set in. You’ve got to continue the journey of life. You’ve lost your friends, the “Beemer” really isn’t all that exciting, the kids have gotten out of control demanding everything and the job satisfaction that comes from being part of a meaningful organization is absent. You suddenly have to redefine your life purpose and goals. Good luck! You hadn’t finished the definition process before you won the money.
So while it sounds good and would certainly change the options you have in life, winning millions is not a panacea. It could happen to you.
But Grasshoppers, here is my advice. You don’t want all the mental anguish of winning the lottery. Give all the money to your mom and dad. They have the maturity necessary to deal with a “windfall”. Let them live in big houses, drive “beemers” and turn down all the requests for money. It is the perfect solution. Ah, the wisdom of Dad.
Love,
Dad

It has been 10 years since I attended a high school graduation ceremony. Margaret had just finished Xavier High School.
I was out of touch with what students do to sabatoge the ceremonies. It is usually cute little things but in today’s world, who knows. I think at Christophers graduation from North High in Sheboygan, every student had a single marble in his hand as he shook the Principal’s hand at the top of the stage stairs. The idea was to give the Principal 450 marbles, one at a time until his pockets were bulging or he had to find a way to get rid of the marbles. Cute! Harmless! It beats “mooning” or obscene gestures.
Well Appleton North High School had their 2006 graduation last night at the North Gym. Number 6 on my program was Nevin Andrews. Yep, he made it. It was right there in print. Let the bells ring out!
Your mom and I got to the Gym early to get good seats. That meant 45 minutes before the ceremony began. We did it! We were in the top row of the foldout bleachers and had the wall as a back rest. We could see the stage really well. We guessed right since Nevin marched in on our side of the gym.
The gym was filled with family and friends of 450 North graduates. There were military family members in attendance and there was even one student that didn’t attend the graduation ceremony because he had already left for “boot” camp to start his military tour of duty.
The procession started on time, 6:00 PM. Yep, number 6 in the line was Nevin. He as tall, walked proudly and certainly was the most handsome. The nice thing about the name Andrews is that you are always close to the front of the line. The procession finished their entry and all stood in front of their respective chairs. And they stood and stood and stood. It seems that they had not provided enough chairs for all the graduates and I counted 6 students in back that would be left standing if they didn’t find more chairs. So nobody sat down until enough chairs were provided. Then everyone remained standing. It was obvious that the “sound system” was not working and instructions to be seated could not be given. From our high vantage point in the bleachers we could see feverish activity as they kept checking electrical connections. As the crowd got more restless, the band played “Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here” to provide some levity. It was about 6:20 PM before the Principal finally could say “please be seated”. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
After several speeches, no lots of speeches, the 2006 graduating class was presented. Of course the 6th person to march across the stage was Nevin Andrews. He garnered the attention of the thousands in attendance. There were cheers from various corners of the gymnasium. It confirmed he as the most handsome guy there. Then we had to wait for the other 444 graduates.
It ended around 8:00 PM without further mishaps. Perhaps the graduating students had something to do with the sound system not working. No, that could not be. That would be presumptious on my part.
So you see, Nevin Andrews made his mark and graduated high school June 8, 2006. He can be proud that he has the basis for moving on to bigger and better things in his life. Oh, the things he will see. Oh, the things he will do.
I know this. Nevin is a bright guy with unlimited potential. A guy that has Eagle Scout credentials and a High School diploma is equiped to take on the world. My fondest wish is for Nevin to do things that he can enjoy and develop the talents he has. Go Nevin, go. Do it your way.
Love
Chas. (Dad)

It was June, 1963. I had completed 3 full years at Marquette University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Impressive, huh!. Actually, like Paul, I was glad to be moving on to my first real job and “living”. George and Lyla were anxious to throw us out of their home in Plymouth.
In 1963, engineers were in demand. The Marquette campus had a steady flow of companies coming in to interview engineering graduates. Some classmates did interviews just for the short vacation trips. You know, plant visits in San Diego but never really intend to take the job. San Francisco, Orlando and Atlanta were popular places to visit. I really wasn’t interested in chasing around the country but I did need to do enough interviews to get my first job. It came down to two companies. United Technologies in Hartford, Conn. offered me a engineering design position in their aircraft division for $630 per month. Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee offered me a job in a “trainee” position where I could experience several engineering related jobs and eventually “take my pick”. Their offer was $570 per month with a $30 per month increase after 60 days. So Allis-Chalmers did not offer the most financially, but there seemed to be a lot more opportunity. So I took it.
I remember my start date, June 16, 1963. By that date, your mom and I, Debs, and Kelly (Christopher on the way) moved into an apartment on north 62nd street near Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. Allis-Chalmers had sent me a complimentary parking pass for the first week and I remember looking for the proper parking lot. It was 8 blocks from the main office. This was a temporary parking location. I learned later that you had to apply for a parking spot and it took at least 2 years to get your own location. Allis-Chalmers had 12,000-15,000 people in the Milwauke suburb of West Allis. That was twice the size of Plymouth, Wisconsin. I found a street parking location 6 blocks from the plant and used it for over 4 years. I never did get a parking pass.
My first week was orientation to all the divisions and product lines of Allis-Chalmers. I joined 40 other engineers that began employment at the same time. We were all part of the Graduate Training Course (GTC). So for one week we gathered in a big auditorium and saw slide presentations, heard speeches about how great Allis-Chalmers was and got to meet lots of people. At the end of the first week, each engineer had to choose an open position in a department needing help. Somehow I got into the Processing Equipment Division as a Sales Engineer specializing in equipment for the sand & gravel, coal, and iron ore mining businesses.
It was a great starting job. It provided lots of good information, most of it on what I didn’t want. I didn’t what to work for a huge company where you can’t get a parking spot for 2 years. I didn’t want a large bureaucratic orgainization where you can get lost in the maze of people. Life had to have more to offer.
So in 1967, I made the move to Vollrath Company in Sheboygan and the rest is history. Vollrath did provide the opportunity I was looking for.
Allis-Chalmers was a good place for an inexperienced young engineer to start. I got to learn several businesses, I traveled around the country visiting customers and I started working on my Master Degree in Business at Marquette. When I left Allis-Chalmers, after 4 years, I was making $830 per month. My salary had grown a total of 40% over 4 years. Not bad! They really did like me and didn’t want me to leave. The decision to move on had more to do with wanting more opportunity.
I don’t know if the job market for engineers in still as strong as it was in 1963 but it seems good engineers are always in demand. Mechanical Engineering turned out to be a great choice for a “basic area” of expertise.
The closest analogy to my experience would be Margaret’s in Minneapolis. She didn’t start with a big company but she was in a large city like Milwaukee and it is easy to get overwhelmed by the big size of everything. She has stayed in the big city but is on her 3rd job. Why did she take her new position? It offered opportunity!
I never regretted reaching out for more opportunity. It was sometimes scary. It was always rewarding. It all began in June, 1963.
Love,
Dad

I’ve seen fad diets come and go. You know! Low carbs! Low fat! Calorie counting! Do they work? They do for short periods of time but then the “sameness” of the diet gets old and body cravings take over. Hence, the term “binge”. The diet becomes a roller coaster and all the benefits derived from careful eating disappear.
Then you need to mix in an exercise program. Everything from walking to working with a personal trainer. Usually the word becomes “balance”. Engage in a balanced regimen of everything and you will lose weight.
If all that does’t work, you’ve got to do pyscho-analysis and commit yourself to a healthy life style. Dr. Phil is even writing books to tell you why you are fat and traces the causes back to childhood rejection (or something like that).
If all fails, you can get your stomach stapled. I guess that works but my understanding is that the usable part of the stomach eventually expands and you can again gain weight if you do not eat properly.
Being the opportunist that I am, I stumbled on the perfect diet. Your mom and I went to see Riverdance, the original production at the local Performing Arts Center last night. These are people that you could mistake for vertical humming birds because their feet move so fast they kind of hover in one place. I noticed that the female dance troop consisting of 15-20 young ladies were all skinny. They were lean, mean dancing machines. They were not anorexic cases. They were physically fit, thin, healthy straight postured professionals. I don’t know what the percentage of body fat was, but it was very, very, very low. Throw away the birth control pills because body fat is critically low.
So what is the “perfect diet”? It is so simple. Dance your ass off! Seriously! It takes practice and muscle coordination to perform tap dance steps at “mach” speed. The dancing burns calories at rapid rates and tones the muscles. If you get really serious, you could audition for the Riverdance Troup.
I couldn’t help but think of Margaret’s dancing routines when she was in high school. I don’t know if her dance expertise ever reached the level of the Riverdance players, but she was pretty good. I never saw her reach the point where her feet moved so fast that she levitated off the floor, but she was working on it. She is already trained in the technique of perfect dieting.
The dance diet is for guys too!
So go forth. I don’t want to hear any excuses for being overweight and out of shape! Dance you ass off!
How is that for wisdom Grasshoppers?
Love,
Dad

An article in the local “rag” (the Post-Crescent) tweeked my interest this weekend. The author was in the process of buying a cottage “up north”. He really didn’t know why he was following this quest to a lake cottage but it was part of life’s fantasy. The author’s justification was he could make a pot of coffee in the morning, slip out to a beautiful deck and watch the sunrise over quiet water. The rest of the family had a place to flee when they needed to. Swimming! Boating! Water skiing! Family bar-b-ques. Oh, my! I have to admit that was part of my psyche when we bought our cottage.
Then reality sets in. Usually people have to travel busy highways to get up north to their cottage. Memorial Day kicks off the cottage season and Labor signals seasons end. Holidays are when amateurs arrive with the big boats, ignorance of lake laws and the huge inner tubes pulled behind boats. Oh, I loved the holiday weekends.
If you really think about it, most enjoyment of cottages is on weekends. Every summer season has about 12-13 weekends. You need to get the cottage living “out of your system” in 13 short weeks. Throw in other demands on your time such as family graduations or reunions and an occasionaly rainy weekend and you realistly have 8 shots at heaven.
Then there are the cottage repairs, the maintenance and cutting grass. And the water system! The life line of the cottage is good clean drinking water (and bathing). Sometimes the pump wouldn’t work. Or there was rust in the line. Or the sandpoint ruptured and sand permeates the whole system. But we remained undeterred.
Then there is the neighbor factor. If you are lucky you get sweet caring neighbors. We happened to get a neighbor from hell. One of our good neighbors caught Floyd on video camera raking weeds from his shoreline onto our shoreline. Come on! You can’t choose your neighbors.
What about the beetles that infested the floor, the raccons that got into the attic and the squirrels that got into the wall? Those problems got solved and the dream lived on.
Then it happened. Some magic would take place. Special family members would joins us for an “outing”. Or, I would find that there was still gas in the boat and I could use it for a change.
For me, the really big, big, big magic occurred when Margaret decided she would like to have her graduation party from high school at the cottage and we invited every family member and special friends. And they came. I can’t remember who didn’t come. Grandma, Grandpa along with the Ullrichs and the Stegers and the Andrews clan. I remember Marjorie and Alan. The Klusendorf family came down from Appleton. The Graf family from “up the road”. And the sun was shining. Little kids splashed in the water. Christopher took little people for boat rides around the lake. Almost all activity was on the lake front lawn. And at the end of the day I remember thinking, this was why we bought the cottage in the first place. A shining moment. The dream had been realized.
And then as with all things, the fantasy got old. It was time to move on. Kids got older. Things changed. But you can’t take away the memories. Having our cottage did fill one of life’s fantasies. I hope it does the same for the author of the Post-Crescent article.
Love,
Dad

This is the busy weekend. It signals the start of summer. Warm weather. Cottages. Boats. Swimming. Golf.
I think this is the first time in a year and one half that I have missed doing my blog on time. Usually it is the Tuesday/Friday routine. I deserve 20 lashes with a wet noodle.
I know that Debs and Tom are visiting the Train Museum in Green Bay. Kelly is painting and landscaping her house. Chris is planting a row of hedges along his driveway (using a company back hoe) with slave labor (Collin). Paul and I played a little golf. And Margaret, well who knows. She lives in this camelot city to the north and she seems to like her privacy (created by distance). As I ramble, it sounds like a typical 3 day, memorial day weekend.
My fondest memories go back to the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. It was a time that World War II had just ended. A lot of families had lost love ones in the War or knew close friends that had been killed. There were also men who returned and had disabilities that were constant reminders of the ravage of War. But, the War was over! There was a relief. People were thankful for the precious things in life.
When Memorial Day came, there was a reverence for all men and women who served. The Plymouth parade was attended by lots of people in tribute to marching Veterans and floats and bands. As veterans marched in the parade, many people stood at attention to salute or held their hands on their hearts. There were a few tears that were shed.
The parade went down the main street and ended at the cemetary along the river. Usually the weather was warm, flowers (especially Lilacs) were very fragrant. Unforgetable.
My guess in reflecting is that there was a relief that our country was not “at risk”. The fear that a loved one would be lost in some far off country or island was gone. After years of constant fear, things were positive. Somehow when you’ve experienced the worst, it makes the good things seem even better.
God Bless America. There is no better place in the world.
Love,
Dad

First, congrats to Deb and Tom. The wedding ceremony went as planned and everybody seemed to have a good time. Tom swooped up Debs on his great white steed and wisked her away to forever!
Now my occasional rant! The world seems crazy sometimes. The Milwaukee Sewer District (MDS) put out a warning to the residents of Milwaukee that they should limit their flushes of the toilet and minimize showers and baths because the big rains last week were flooding the sewer treatment plant and they were discharging raw sewage into Lake Michigan. So people tightened their bladders and smelled stinky because they didn’t bathe. Anything to help the cause. And then (this is the crazy part), the city of Milwaukee sent out crews to flush out fire hydrants dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of additional water into the sewer treatment plant. Here’s my question! Couldn’t flushing the hydrants wait for a few days? Some little old lady took the water conservation very seriously (so seriously her back teeth were floating from not going to the bathroom) while at the same time the City is being cavalier and dumping all this fresh water into the system. Come on folks! Maybe it is just me!
Then the State Attorney General brings formal charges against BP (British Petroleum) gas stations. Actually there were two stations affected in northern Wisconsin. The charge was for changing gas prices on the sign twice within 47 minutes. Apparently there is a law that says a station can’t change prices more than once in a 24 hour period. Whoooo! Naughty, naughty BP. The potential fine is $200 per station. I bet BP is shaking in their boots. $200! I bet that will keep them for ever making that mistake again. I think the fine for jaywalking is bigger? Maybe it just me!
And then, there is this CPI (Consumer Price Index) measured by the government. It has evolved into two numbers. Last month the CPI was up something like .6% (7.2% annually) but the “core CPI” which takes out food and energy was only up .2% (2.4% annually). They conclude that inflation is under control if you take out food and energy. I don’t know about you, but I eat every day, drive every day and pay the same $3.00 per gallon of gas that you do. How can you ignor food and energy costs? Come on! Nobody seems to question the real total CPI increases! Maybe it is just me!
I’ll stop the rant. There are things happening every day that just seem to be non-sensical in nature. Think about it! Or is it just me?
Love,
Dad

My heart is all “a flutter” with anticipation of the big day. Tomorrow, Deborah Kay Andrews will wed Mr. Tom Worash. One more day. It is exciting!
Once upon a time there was a fair maiden living in the backwash community of Sheboygan. She actually was a Princess looking for her Prince Charming. She was blessed with a keen sense of humor, a quick wit and caring attitude. One day she was checking her satelite linked “G” band internet cell phone and she was alerted that there was a Prince Charming in the kingdom of Sheboygan County.
Prince Charming came from the northland where he had grown up in the tiny hamlet of of Wausau. It was located on the futherest reaches of the tundra. He was looking far and wide for the fair damsel that could be the love of his life. He also was using a “G” band internet cell phone sending forth signals of his interest.
So as happens in all magical tales, he was sending and she was receiving (maybe it was the other way around)! It does not matter because they found each other. The sky brightened. The music played. They both knew that this would be special.
So tomorrow, Prince Charming will hoist the fair maiden onto the back of his white steed and they will ride off to the kingdom of Wausau to live happily ever after.
I think it kind of neat that two people from different corners of Wisconsin did find each other and I wish them every happiness. As Al McGuire of the Marquette Warrior basketball team would say (come on you all remember Big Al), “heres wishing you seashells, clowns, and balloons”.
Love,
Dad