Ace Wisdom

I was reminded recently of an incident involving Nana (your Mom’s Mom).  She was raised on a farm, lived very conservatively and was not afraid of hard work. Nana had the ability to listen intently and withhold most opinions to herself.

Come to think of it, you never, ever heard Nana use a swear word.

In 1983, Nana got pushed to her limit.  Grasshopper No.2 was attending UW-Madison.  It was April and No.2 was scheduled to perform in the Spring Concert put on by the UW-Marching Band. Your Mom and I invited Nana and Grandpa to join us for a trip from Sheboygan over to Madison to see the concert.  On the day of the trip, it snowed.  It not only snowed, there was heavy accumulation and blizzard type conditions.  The snow did not alter our travel plans.  We got about 10 miles west of Fond du lac and the engine in our car began to lose power.  Apparently the packing snow was building up around engine parts.  I was afraid of getting stranded in the storm with two elderly people in the car.  So I pulled to the side of the road.  I told Nana (and Grandpa) that this was just too dangerous and we were going to turn around and hopefully make it home with a “sick engine”. We would miss the Spring Concert.  And then it happened.  Nana uttered “Oh, Sh–“!  Did I hear right?  Yep, I did.  “Oh Sh–“!.

By today’s standards, “Oh, Sh–” is pretty mild.  For Nana, it was extreme.

I’m pretty sure on that April day in 1983, when Nana uttered those words, the Earth stood still.

The irony to the story is that Madison got zero snow from the storm. Madison had rain.  If we had driven another 10-15 miles we would have driven out of the bad conditions.

Do you know your limits?

Love,

Dad

 

My mother stashed money into coffee cans.  For her, it “felt safe”.  It was immediately available.  I’ve often wondered about when she died, was there money hidden someplace in the kitchen that we never found?

Keeping money in a coffee can is a lousy investment.  It can not grow in value.  In fact, cash probably drops in value over time because inflation is ever present.  My mother didn’t care.

People like my Mom who were raised during the Depression Years (1930’s) respected cash.  Cash was king.  During the Depression, the Federal Government did not guarantee bank deposits so if you put your cash in the local friendly bank to be safe, you might lose it.  Banks were known to close!  Forever!

Fast forward to the present.  Your Mom and I are unemployed. That means no “new” money is coming in.  We would like to put any cash in our coffee can in the bank and earn interest.  .001% interest! Are you kidding?  Why bother with the bank?  Since 2008 retirees have had to use their meager savings to survive.  Many have had to go back to work.

Which brings me to risk.  The only way to grow the “cash stash” is to invest in things that will be worth more in the future.  Stock in manufacturing companies, high tech companies, Real Estate, derivatives, puts, calls!  With the risk comes the chance to lose your “cash stash”.  It turns out, if you don’t like risk, we are right back where we started. What do you do with “cash”?

So maybe my Mom’s coffee can wasn’t such a bad idea after all.  She couldn’t lose it to a financial adviser. She didn’t have to pay management fees.  There were no transaction fees.  There were no ATM charges.  She had complete control.  She answered to no one.  it made her happy.

Bring back the “can”.  Folgers anyone?

Love,

Dad

 

Our prayers go out to Brother Jerry and his family.  Jerry’s wife Jane is in intensive care in a Milwaukee hospital.

This date 14 years ago remains vivid.  Two commercial airplanes flew into the Twin Trade Towers in New York.  Almost 3000 people died. Life was changed forever.  Do you remember where you were?

The Green Bay Packers are retiring Bret Favre’s jersey on Nov.26. That is a Thursday night game.  It is Thanksgiving.  But if the Packers had looked at a calendar, it is the middle of deer hunting season. 600,000 hunters retreat to the north woods.  If the hunters have tickets to the ball game, do they come home for the game or do they continue to hunt?  What do they do?  What do they do?

The weather Gods were working their magic this last week.  Grandson Tommy’s freshman football team from Sheboygan was scheduled to play Pulaski on Tuesday night (usually it is on a Monday night but Labor Day interfered).  Tuesday it rained.  I mean it rained.  The Gods dumped 2-3 inches of rain on Pulaski.  The decision was made to cancel the Tuesday game and reschedule Thursday.  Your Mom and I trundled over to Pulaski last night and made ourselves comfortable on the visitor bleachers.  The game started slowly.  By the middle of the second quarter, Sheboygan North found itself trailing.  And then, black clouds full of rain, thunder and lightning rolled in.  The game was suspended.  The team vacated the field.  Fans dispersed.  There would be a 30 minute delay for sure, longer if required.  Your Mom and I decided it was not meant for us to see Tommy (and his Dad, the Offensive Coach) play the game.  The Rain Gods won!  I do not know if they finished the game.  I do not know who won.  It was the second week in a row that rain ruined a scheduled football game.  We will persevere.

Packers.  Noon.  Sunday.  Chicago.

Love,

Dad

 

 

Grandson Mitchell’s high school football team finished 2nd in the ESPN (Madison) contest for the most exciting game of previous week.  Alas, no truckload of Gatorade.

Starbucks coffee is re-introducing their “pumpkin” coffee lattes. Supposedly pumpkin is popular.  Starbucks has gone to all natural pumpkin additives.  $3.50 for a small cup of flavorless beverage with 300 calories.  I can hardly control my excitement.

If you are a guy, you are obligated to be “tough”.  If you are a big burly football player, “crying” isn’t part of your vocabulary.  Football players don’t cry.  Last Friday night the planets aligned perfectly and Sheboygan North high school’s football team came from behind in the fourth quarter and won 21-18.  This might not seem like a big deal but North didn’t win a single game last year.  The lost their first league game this year by 30 points.  Friday night all the hard work turned out.  A win.  The win released a torrent of emotion.  Excitement.  Joy. Tears. Yes, tears of joy.  But there is no crying in football.  Apparently there is.  When all the off-season conditioning pays off, relief in the form of tears.  When all the practice and game discipline pays off, tears.  When the team comes together to reach their collective goal, tears.  There are pictures to prove tough football players cry.  Okay, just this once, the players will be forgiven.  They have to promise never to cry again!

If the rain stops, your Mom and I might venture to Ray Nitschke territory (his home town of Pulaski) to watch Grandson Tommy play frosh football.  If his team pulls out a win, I’ll cry.

Love,

Dad

 

 

Today Star Wars dolls representing the upcoming movie release of Star Wars went on sale.  Toys R Us had people lined up for 6-7 hours waiting to get the first offerings.  Really?  The movie is to be released on Christmas Day.  I assume the frenzy is aimed at nostalgia and the Christmas opening.

I know Grandson Collin is a Star Wars “affectionado”.  Collin had indicated that he was going to attend the premier showing of Star Wars on Christmas Day dressed in costume.  I want to know if his impending marriage to Audrey will affect this fantasy?  Will Audrey allow him to attend?  Marriage changes things!

The ESPN radio station in Madison is running a contest to determine the most popular Wisconsin high school football game of last week. The Middleton Cardinals (Grandson Mitchell’s team) is one of 5 teams in the running sponsored by Gatorade.  I think the first prize is a truckload of Gatorade.  At last check (as I loaded the ballot box), Middleton was a close second.  Voting ends today.

I don’t know why this caught my interest, perhaps because of my late sister Addie’s name.  There is a start up company that has developed a female arousal pill equivalent to the male Viagra.  The pill is named Addyi (pronounced Addie).  The FDA approved the drug for prescription last week to the start-up company, Sprout, that owns the patent. The day after the approval, Sprout was purchased by Valeant for one billion dollars.  I am not recommending purchase of the stock Valeant but if I am a judge of human nature, Addyi is going to be a blockbuster success.  I know the pill worked for the owners of Sprout stock. They are smiling all the way to the bank.  Is this a great country or what?

Labor Day.  Summer essentially has last gasp!

Love,

Dad

Your Mom and I made an attempt to watch Grandson Mitchell play football Friday night.  Being mature and wise, we noticed it was raining really hard at game time and there was no forecast of “let up”.  We decided to join Grasshopper No.2 at an Irish Pub in Madison and enjoy a fish fry and Irish nourishment.  We did not see the game which Mitchell’s team won 7-3. He plays tight end and in the mud, the muck and the rain, caught two passes.  I admit we whimped out.  Twenty years I ago I would have sat in the driving rain and wiped the water from my brow.  We will get anther chance.

We got to visit with Grasshopper No.3 and spouse and their whole family (the only missing link was Nevin).  Yep, Keely (who is expecting in December), Pedro, Myla and large dog Cosmo.  And then there was Collin and fiance’ Audrey who will exchange vows this month.  There were 4 generations of family at this impromptu clambake.  Nice!

A special thank you to Grasshopper No.1.  We got vegetable beef soup and an apple pie.  Isn’t there something about a way to a person’s heart is through their stomach.

Last night, we journeyed to Green Bay to watch powerhouse Bay Port host Sheboygan North’s freshman squad (and Grandson Tommy).  Bay Port clearly has a great football program.  Sheboygan North had a total of 18 active players. Bay Port must have had 50 kids ready to play. No contest!  Bay Port controlled the night.  Grandson Tommy played offensive tackle and “held his own”.  I was impressed by the coaching fraternity.  Bay Port played very conservative in a sporting effort to keep the score down.  They didn’t have to do that.  In this world of “win” at all costs, seeing competitive compassion is refreshing.

I was leaving a parking lot this morning and a Saab convertible had just pulled up.  The lady had the top down enjoying the morning.  As she left the car, she locked it.  Really?  What am I missing?  Why do you lock an “open convertible”?

Love,

Dad

 

I was told 60 years ago that there was no reason a person shouldn’t be able to keep their permanent teeth for their lifetime.  How come I lost a tooth last year?  I will lose a second next week.  If seems like you can’t believe anyone any more.  If you can’t trust your dentist, who can you believe?

There must be something in those “Subway” sandwiches.  How else would you explain “Jared’s” behavior.

A friend of a friend bought a 1986 air-cooled Porsche.  Black.  Mag wheels and an exhaust system with a sound that sets your heart a-flutter.  I got to sit it in (not drive).  I was struck by how austere the inside upholstery was.  Leather.  Very simple.  A Porsche is not a car. It is a finely crafted machine with a steering wheel.  It would be tough to justify buying a Porsche as a “grocery getter”.  Maybe in my next life.

I understand that movie theaters are considering doing purse searches before you enter their facility.  A close friend I live with would have to explain what the home popped popcorn is doing in her bag.  These “nut cases” that insist on shooting up the world are ruining things for all of us.

Packer Bishop’s Charity game Saturday night.  Lombardi, who was a devout catholic, always prepared special for this game.

Love,

Dad

Collin and Audrey.  September 29, 2015.  It promises to be a great day.  Congratulations.

Your Mom and I ventured over to Green Bay to watch Sheboygan North (and Grandson Dominic) open the conference schedule against Green Bay Southwest.  Dominic helped cause a fumble in the fourth quarter.  He tried to pick the ball up.  It kept sliding away.  Finally he fell on the ball to complete the recovery.  It is tantalizing to have the ball bouncing in front of you just ready to be run in for touchdown. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.  Dominic will always remember the one that was so close and “got away”.  I have a couple of similar memories.

Grandson Tommy kicked off his Freshman football career last night for the Sheboygan North Freshman team.  He had a few “bone crushing” tackles!  Maybe I’m exaggerating a little.

Jordy Nelson tore an ACL in Sunday’s Green Bay-Pittsburgh game. Repair requires taking a tendon from somewhere else on the body and replacing it in the knee.  In a year, he will be as good as ever.  Sure he will!  Nelson’s injury is big.  He has had the ability to stretch the opponent defenses with his speed.  Now the Pack goes to plan B.

I’m beginning to crave Apples.  It must be close to Labor Day.

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

Grandson Collin found out my gutter on the garage was flooding when it rained.  Obviously something was clogged up.  So Wednesday night, Collin risked his life to crawl up my only ladder (someone borrowed my good ladder 25 years ago and has never returned it) and “fixed it”. Pine needles!  Thank you Collin.

I did battle with my local cable company.  I was armed with an article from Consumers Reports describing my options and suggesting ways to keep my costs low.  I found the “key” variable was me.  I apparently am the problem.  Every station I wanted came in a “bundle” meaning you will pay more.  I wanted ESPN but it comes with 5-6 sister ESPN programs in a bundle.  I wanted NFL network for Thursday night NFL games but I need to include Fox Sports and MLB (major league baseball).  Another bundle. I wanted TNT because they have NASCAR and PGA golf.  TNT only comes in a bundle with USA and TBS.  And then your Mom wants HGTV which is bundled.  Don’t forget Oprah. And so it goes.  By the time you get your favorite programs picked and bundled, the costs have gotten out of hand.  The cable company forced expensive choices by requiring me to take programs I don’t want in order to receive the programs I do want.  Does that make sense.  All I know is that I am apparently “weak” and I let the cable company lead me into the same quagmire that I’ve been in.  In the end, I reduced my monthly costs slightly, got a “premium” subscription for free and attained a $50 gift certificate.  I can’t imagine life without ESPN.  I guess you might say I’ve been bundled.  I am so weak.

Labor Day falls “deep” into September this year on the 7th.  It makes everything seem out of sync.

High School football dreams begin tonight.

Love,

Dad

Grandson Dominic has a part-time job at the local “Pig” in Sheboygan. He handles “check-out”.  The same people go through his register as I observe while I’m waiting in line at my local grocery store.  You know, the lady with “piles of coupons”.  The lady with an item needing a “price check”.  The lady with a credit card that won’t register.  Yep, same people, different place.  Dominic is going to play right guard on the High School Raiders football team, work the Pig is his spare time and finish his senior academic year with straight “A’s”.  I don’t know if he has a girl friend?

The official High School football season kicks off Friday night.  Really?

I haven’t heard from Grandson Mitchell, also a High School senior.  I assume he is playing tight end for the Middleton Cardinals.  His final football season should also begin Friday night.

I watched the Whistling Straits extravaganza over the weekend.  I was stricken by the fact that the professional golfers (the good ones) don’t play Par 5 holes anymore. They hit the ball so far with their drives that a Par 5 becomes a drive and a wedge.  Essentially it is now a Par 4. The equipment is so good. The physical conditioning of the golfers is superb. It is a game that I will never play.

Is it just me?  World oil prices have plunged to 20 year lows of $40 per barrel.  Oil prices are really low.  Natural gas prices are low. Why then, were gas prices 50 cents per gallon higher when I filled up my car yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah!  There is a refinery someplace in Indiana experiencing equipment problems and they are causing gas shortages. Somebody is screwing us over.

I am in the process of mortal combat with my cable company.  You all have been there.  They just raised my rates 25%.  It is me against Darth Vader (the dark electron monopoly).  I know I can’t win but maybe I can inflict some pain.

I was awakening every morning to sunshine just 4 weeks ago.  Now I get up in the dark.  What does it all mean?

Love,

Dad