Ace Wisdom

The last few years your Mom and I have attended the Xavier High School Christmas program. It runs for 10 days. It is really simple and is basically for kids. They have lots of penguins, silly animals and a “twirp Christmas Choir” composed of little boys and girls under the age of 8. There is nothing pretentious, just plain folk doing basic Christmas routines.
Last Saturday we attended the afternoon performance of the Christmas program. As the performance got close to intermission, little children dressed as “snowflake” ballerinas were prancing around the stage. Two ballerinas hooked up in a harness began to descend as floating snowflakes from high above the stage creating a nostalgic effect. Simultaneous an annoying sound began to accompany the Christmas music almost like announcing the snowflakes were approaching from up above. The annoying sound did not stop when “child snowflakes” had fallen. In fact the annoying sound kept going. Enough already!
People began to understand that the annoying sound was the fire alarm. Normally you would see people rushing to the exits. The crowd was great-grandparents, grandparents, parents. and little kids. Nobody rushed anywhere! Somebody had to actually announce that the loud sound was a fire alarm and that the auditorium had to be evacuated. By the time the elderly lumbered to the aisles and wheelchairs and supporting walkers were activated, we could have had lunch, Conversations broke out everywhere as people discussed the season and kidded about the evaculation. Nobody got trampled.
It seemed that the alert was not serious because there was never smoke or even a hint of fire. So we stood in the cold outdoors as the fire department had to arrive and do a walk through to find the cause of the alarm. It seemed like forever, probably because it was so cold. A lot of people didn’t have coats because they left them in the car as they were let off at the entrance when they arrived.
After twenty minutes and a cold toush, we were finally told the building was safe. So the elderly crowd slowly waned their way back to the seats and the performance continued.
What happened you ask? Let your imagination work. The building was filled with small kids and fire alarms placed everywhere with either a button to push or a lever to pull. Some innocent little cherob activated an alarm and probably got the scare of his/her life. You might say they rang the bell of their life.
So our Christmas this year will be memorable. “Ringing the bell” has an all new meaning. Hey, it isn’t as bad as someone pushing over the Christmas tree.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that it is Christmas Season and it doesn’t pay to get your shorts in a bunch. Some cute little “Christmas Munchkin” activated the fire alarm system. What is the big deal? That curious little munchkin may turn out to be President someday.
Love,
Dad

Most people have seen the movie “The Money Pit”. It stars Tom Hanks and Shelley Long who buy a huge house in the country. It is their “dream” home. Once they purchase the home, they begin to find little things (like the front door falling off) that are wrong with the house. As the movie unfolds, Hanks and Long have to deal with rebuilding or replacing almost everything in their dream house. It is very funny because we can all relate to the exaggerated problems.
Talking to Grasshopper No.4 recently, he described little things that urk him about his present home. It seems there are things that constantly need repair or upgrade. He is experiencing the “tarnished dream”. Every homeowner goes through it.
Our family bought the big old house on 6th street in the early 1970’s. It was a dream. It was priced at a huge discount because it needed work. But hey, the price was right. It had a huge yard and it was in the right location on the north side of Sheboygan. Your Mom and I envisioned all the things we could do to make it better. And we did some things. We put in a long, long concrete driveway. They we added a large two car garage. Immediately after we bought the house we remodeled the kitchen. As so it went, we kept improving the house as our budget allowed.
But like the “money pit”, there were always things that were wrong with the 6th street home. The floor in the kitchen sank towards the middle of the house. If you dropped a marble in the kitchen it raced to the inside wall. The back TV room was always cold so we had to use a floor heater. The small bathroom next to the front entry way (you had to go down 2 steps) had water pipes on the outside wall and they froze when weather got cold. I would use a hair dryer to unfreeze them. We were lucky because the pipes never burst. The mold from the wall paper in Grasshopper No.4’s bedroom almost did him in with a respiratory problem. The shower in the master bathroom always leaked into the downstairs back hallway. We needed to put a glass front on our fireplace to keep the bats out. And so it went.
But it was our home. It was ours. Every house has it quirks. That is what makes it unique. If you think it is ever going to be perfect, you need counseling.
The lesson Grasshopppers in that every home has defects. It is tarnished. But owning a home also allows you to dream of things that might be. So put your feet up, light the God damn Christmas tree and watch the Green Bay Packers lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Enjoy your investment. Don’t forget to hug the person closest to you!
Love,
Dad

This is the first day I can remember that I didn’t drive to my local health center (Fox River Mall). There are lots of excuses. My local snow plowing contractor has not plowed out my driveway. I also know that this white sh–won’t end until later in the day so I’ll wait it out. The roads are really lousy. You need excuses, I’ve got them.
The real reason I didn’t attempt the local Mall is that it is owned by a Chicago Property Company and the company is teetering on bankruptcy. They have decided to cut back on the plowing of the parking lot to save money. The Mall only contracts for plowing when absolutely necessary. So the parking areas have lots of “ruts” from unplowed snow and they even plow “just the lanes” between cars which means you step knee deep into snow. Now let your imagination work. We’ve had 7 inches of snow and it is still falling. Could I get in and out of the Mall without getting stuck? Who knows?
What is “with” Sheboygan. The thriving metropolis seems to get more than it’s fair share of snow. We get 4 inches, Sheboygan gets 6 inches. Today we got 6 inches so far but Sheboygan has already received 8 inches. What the hell is the story? It sounds like a good place to avoid. Kind of the “Buffalo, N.Y. of the Midwest”.
I have noticed a pattern the last few years that December seems to get more than it’s fair share of snow. December seems to be the snowiest month. Maybe it has to do with global warming.
One last reflection. I drove for over 14 years back and forth to Ripon and encounted some really lousy road conditions. I would watch the weather forecasts very carefully. My dream was always to be able to look out the window in the morning, see lots of snow and go back to a warm bed. I couldn’t do that because when you work you need to be macho and demonstrate a dedicated effort to get to work. What a crock of sh–! If the boss can’t make the effort to get to work, why should anyone else? By the same token, if the boss made it to work by driving 35 miles through 6 inches of snow, everyone else would experience a big guilt trip if they stayed home.
So finally my life has evolved to the point where I get to stay home where it is nice and warm. Ahh that second cup of coffee tastes good! The snow is beautiful as it settles softly on the branches of our trees. Magnificent! Don’t work too hard Grasshoppers.
Love,
Dad

There are moments in all our lives that are memorable. Graduation from high school. Wedding days. Birth of children. You get the idea.
But then there are “stunning events”. These are things that rock your world. You can remember every detail of your life at those times.
Sunday, Dec. 7, commemorates one of those moments. It was 67 years ago that the Japanese invited themselves to Pearl Harbor and made it an “explosive” event. I was only 20 months old at the time so I could hardly remember. I would live the consequences of the bombing for many years. As significant as the bombing was, there were a lot of Americans that had to be told where Pearl Harbor was. We didn’t have the instant CNN real time broadcasts.
The events that are stunning to me begin with my Dad dying at age 37 in 1957. I know exactly where I was. Your Mom and I had gone to see a Sunday afternoon movie at the local Plymouth Movie Theater. The manager of the theater found me in the theater and told me I was needed at home immediately. I left your Mom at the theater intending to return. It was an event that rocked my world.
The second stunning event I can remember was Kennedy being shot in Dallas. It was a Friday and I had my first engineering job at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee. My buddies and I would walk down to the local VFW hall for the Friday Fish Fry. I was sitting in a booth when a “buzz” fell over the entire restaurant. Out waitress wandered by and asked if we had heard the news. President Kennedy had been shot. Nobody knew if he was dead or not so the restaurant TV became the focal point. Suddenly getting back to work on time seemed to lose relevance. It would be another hour before the fate of Kennedy became known and I was back at work.
The last stunning event was the 9/11 assault on the Twin Towers in New York. An airplane had crashed into one of the towers and there was a lot of confusion about whether it was an accident or an intended assault. When the second plane hit the second tower, all doubt was removed. We were under assault! I had finished my walk at the local mall around 8:15 AM. I was driving my Volvo Wagon to the local McDonalds when WTMJ in Milwaukee joined the national broadcast of what was happening. I guess I couldn’t believe that some hateful foreigners would have the guts to kill thousands of Americans on our soil.
I don’t know if there will be any more stunning events in my life time. Only time will tell!
Events that are stunning to me may not affect other people the same way. The question Grasshoppers is “what events have rocked your life to the point where you can remember every detail of where you were when it happened”?
Love,
Dad

Your Mom and I went to see the movie “Australia”. There was a risk that the movie was being over hyped and we were being sucked in. Not so! It was very good! I’d recommend it to anyone.
What has this got to do with “writing the story of your life”? There was a reference in the movie suggesting that each of us has our own personal story about how we’ve lived (finished chapters) and of course chapters to be written.
Each of us is unique. We grow up viewing life from our own perspective. We are all subjected different experiences. We all accomplish different things. In the end, all that matters is that you live your “story” the way you’d like and personal success defines your happiness.
For example, my life would probably begin with City Club chapters including the effect of World War II. There would be high school chapters including a major tragedy followed by an unlikely college era. Mix in the Love of my life, 5 children and a successful business career and you get to my current status. The final chapter(s) are yet to be played out. I need to figure out a clever epitaph for my tombstone.
Obviously I can expand my story with lots of personal experiences on all the phases of my life and probably turn it into some epic like “Gone with the Wind”. Or I could turn it into a series of “shorts” like “Tuesdays and Fridays with Charley”. Whatever I’d do, I’m writing my story and it is unique to me.
Now the challenge! What is your story? If you had to do a brief overview of your life to this point, how would you describe it? Obviously you have chapters to be written, How would you like future chapters to play out?
Imagine that Grasshoppers. We are all the lead characters in our own Novel! We write new material every day.
Love,
Dad

Thanksgiving 2008 has come and gone. Black Friday is in full gear as crazy people pack the malls to get super, super deals. There is risk of being trampled to death.
I know Chris and Shelby made a special effort to have her Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving. Sue (Shelby’s Mom) has been struggling with crippling inflammation in her spine but she seems to be responding to new treatments. Every moment is special.
Debs cooked dinner for her and Tom’s combined families. I know almost everything that Grasshopper No.1 prepared because there were many phone calls interpreting Mom’s Cookbook.
Grasshopper No.5 was invited to her friends house for dinner. No.5 made the stuffing. There is a deep tradition including gizzards and hearts and hamburger and, and, and……! No stove top stuffing here. She also needed interpretation of “the” Cookbook.
And then there was our Thanksgiving. Nana chose to join us. Grasshoppers No.2 and No.4 joined in as well as Cousin Rick. There is always one poignant moment after the meal that everybody sits around the table and seem to let there defenses down and discussion reverts to “times gone past”. Bitching is okay. Everyone is “fair game” in discussions. There is lots of laughter. Stories about deep dark secrets are common and nobody leaves the table in fear of missing something. Of course those that were not in attendance will never know what was revealed.
The Grandchildren of Grasshoppers No.2 and No.4 are pretty close in age. They play well together and fun was had by all. I am always amazed at how tall Grant gets. He has to be over 6 feet tall and is only 13. Maybe I’ll be tall in my next life! Tall people seem to get special attention.
Your Mom outdid herself. She commited to baking everything this year. Those of you that prepare Thanksgiving meals, know the detail of being the host. Of course the meal was delicious and I’ll get my “fair share” of the leftovers.
I will remember the Thanksgiving because I went down to Plymouth on Wednesday to pick up Nana. We began to reminise about Plymouth on the way home. We both forgot the name of the downtown butcher that cut everything fresh for your order. About an hour after being back in Appleton, of course Nana remembered it was “Schelpfeffer”. Not bad for 97 years old. But then she recalled working at the Ben Franklin (five and dime) store across the street from the City Club. She had applied for a Christmas holiday job as a sales clerk. She said the stack of applicants was very high (some things don’t change). When she followed up on the job, John Scanlan (there is a name from the past) gave her the part time job. The job would continue for several years in addition to her other two jobs. Let me see! She was holding down 3 jobs and being a Mom too! Her wages (which amazingly she remembered without hesitation) were $.50 per hour. Imagine that!
Thanksgiving has come and gone. It brings all the emotions from eating too much to becoming aware that Christmas is not far away.
So from me to you, a Belated Happy Thanksgiving. Stay warm.
Love,
Dad

I have been watching big companies attempt to control their spending as the economy has gotten weaker. Some of it is a joke.
I see that General Motors, who is on the brink of bankruptcy, got criticized for flying their 20 passenger Gulf Stream Jet to Washington, D.C. to beg for money to bail them out. The cost of flying the jet from Detroit was $20,000. The cost of a commercial flight (first class) was only $800. Needless to say, GM was embarrassed. So now GM is selling two of their private jets. That qualifies as a joke! They have a whole fleet of other aircraft.
Nissan Motors is dropping out of the expensive Detroit and Chicago annual auto shows in an attempt to control costs. My question is “who goes to car shows anyway”? It certainly isn’t the average consumer. I commend Nissan (oops, they are not an American Company).
Citicorp is the biggest bank in the world and it was 2 days from declaring bankruptcy. Yep, we taxpayers gave them a loan. Citicorp pays the New York Yankees $20 million per year to be the official stadium sponsor. Citicorp has a 20 year contract for continued sponsorship. So we the taxpayers bail out Citicorp and they pay the Yankees for the right to display their name. I don’t think Citicorp gets it. How many more customers does Citicorp get because it is a sponsor of the Yankees? Citicorp also leases luxury boxes at Yankee stadium for $800,000 per year for customers. I guess that gets covered by our bailout.
And it goes on and on. AIG Insurance was bailed out by us and several days later they held an outrageous retreat for executives on the West Coast. Included were spas and whatever pampering is offered at costly hotel complexes. Yep, we taxpayers loaned them the money to do that.
What do you and I do when finances get tight? We drive less miles to conserve gas. We substitute food products and use coupons. We go to rummage sales. We shop at Craig’s list and e-Bay. The point is that we sacrifice to “makes ends meet”.
The taxpayer is at the bottom of the food chain. Who bails the taxpayer when we are ready to go bankrupt?
I really don’t think anybody really understands the total world economic system because it too big and too complex. Common sense tells me that we can’t keep loaning money to the world without penalty. Eventually we are going to pay higher taxes, accept lower wages, get less benefits and live more frugually. Dah!
Love,
Dad