Ace Wisdom

I have never reflected on Christmas while living at the City Club but here goes.
Living downtown in Plymouth, you were surrounded by Christmas decorations. The city would put wreaths on each and every lamp post, they would string lights across the street and hang a major “Merry Christmas” sign over the main intersection in town (we could see it right out our front window).
In the middle of our block on Mill Street, there was a Christmas Tree lot. I don’t remember prices but somewhere around $8 seems right. This was the 1950’s and artificial trees were not stylish. So we would trudge off to the tree lot, pick out the best looking tree and drag it home. By the time it thawed out and took a normal shape, it usually looked like a charlie Brown tree with lots of empty spots and a crooked trunk.
The tavern was always decked out to capture of the spirit of the season. Of course the beverages that were served also captured the spirit. There were patrons that started celebrating Christmas around Thanksgiving. I do remember a few Christmas trees being placed in strategic locations around the bar room. I don’t know if any of the patrons fell into the tree.
Myrna would always have a tree in her “back” apartment along with Christmas decorations and our family had the Charlie Brown tree.
On Christmas eve, the tavern would stay open until 6:00 PM. As a kid, I was always glad when the last patron left and the place fell silent. It meant family celebration and presents. On the afternoon of Dec. 24, the tavern was always packed. Busy shoppers stopping on their way home, people dropping in after work, and jolly sorts that wanted to be “well oiled” before going home (or to Church). The booze flowed, the music got louder and good time was had by all. Some celebrators had to be escorted out the door.
We always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. We would usually start with Grandma Myrnas stash and then retire to our apartment to open family gifts.
I guess I took the Christmas season for granted. It was all around. The City Club Christmas has some good memories.
Love,
Dad

The Chinese Zodiac is an attempt to explain a person’s personality traits along with physical and mental attributes. It is also supposed to predict your degree of success and happiness. My first response is to consider the Zodiac unadulterated “baloney”. Then being the curious person that I am, I figured that I had 5 Grasshopper experiments that I could examine.
The Chinese believe that the Zodia consists of a 12 year cycle, each year which is named after a different animal that imparts distinct characteristics to it’s year. The year of your birth correlates to an animal and explains much about you as an individual. So lets take a look.
Debs is a Rat. Yep! I’ve never thought of Debs as a rat but she is what she is. This means she is ambitious yet honest. She is prone to spend freely. She seldom makes lasting friendships. Now I ask you, does that describe Grasshopper No. 1? I guess only Debs can answer the question. I don’t know about the lasting friendships, but I do think she is maybe one of the friendliest people I know. The last part of the Zodiac says she is compatible with Dragons and Monkeys and least compatible with Horses. I have absolutely no idea what that means.
Kelly is an Ox. She is predicted to be bright, patient and inspiring to others. She can be happy by herself yet make an outstanding parent. I would argue with “patient”. Kelly isn’t patient about anything. Maybe that is Grasshopper No. 2’s challenge in life. To be more patient. Everything else seems to fit. She is suppose to marry a Snake or a Cock and avoid the Sheep because it will bring trouble.
Chris is a Dragon. He is suppose to be eccentric and his life complex. He is predicted to have a very passionate nature and abundant health. I can attest to Chris’ life being complex but I don’t know if I’d consider him eccentric. Maybe there is something about him I don’t know. He has a very compassionate nature. He is supposed to marry a Monkey or Rat late in life. Avoid the Dog.
Paul is also a Rat. Yep, he and Debs have more in common that I would have thought. They are both Rats. Is he ambitious? Yeah! Is he honest? Mostly yeah! Is he prone to spend freely? He hasn’t had alot to spend, so I really don’t know. From what I know of Paul, ambition may be his over-riding characteristic. The description spelled out by the Zodiac isn’t bad. He also is compatible with Dragons and Monkeys and not a good fit with the Horse.
And then there is Margaret. She is a Snake. That means wise and a tendency towards physical beauty. Also she is predicted to be vain and high tempered. I know she likes physical beauty but also examines inner beauty which takes her to another dimension. I have never perceived her as high tempered but after reading some her blogs and being exposed to some of the single syllable profanity, I really don’t know. Yes I do! She is not “high tempered”. The Boar is her enemy and the Cock or Ox are her best signs.
Now let me see. 2 Rats, an Ox, Dragon and Snake: Oh My! Rats, an Ox, Dragon and Snake: Oh My! It sounds like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
Your mother and I are both Dragons.
My conclusion is that Zodiac is an attempt to explain the complex nature of mankind in a simplistic way. It can’t be done. It is unadulterated “baloney”. But it is fun to know what kind of an animal you are predicted to be. You are all animals!
Love,
Dad

It was June of 1963. I had just graduated from Marquette University with a mechanical engineering degree. My last semester had included interviews with several companies needing engineers. I interviewed with two companies. United Technologies of Hartford, Conn. offered me $630/month and would pay expenses to move east. Allis-Chalmers was a conglomerate headquartered in Milwaukee and they offered $570/month with a guaranteed increase to $600 after 6 months. Your mom and I chose Allis-Chalmers because it closer to “home”.
Debbie was closing in on 3 years of age and Kelly was about 1.5 years old. Allis Chalmers moved us to Milwaukee and I remember the tears as we left Nana and Grampa’s comfortable home in Plymouth. Rent was $110 per month and it turned out to be a rental from hell. The landlords lived upstairs and never had any kids. Noise was an issue and we were afraid the kids would do something to screw up their perfect yard. We moved 3 months later to a different apartment paying $120 per month. Remember I was only making $570 per month before taxes.
We had one car. It was paid for. It burned oil. It had the gearship housing riveted together because it had cracked. It would have to do.
We owed $750 for a carpet we bought before any moving. Monthly payments were involved.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Grasshopper No. 3 was on the way. He would be born Feb. 7, 1964, 7 months after I started at Allis-Chalmers. Wouldn’t you know that he was not covered by insurance because I had to be at Allis-Chalmers 9 months to qualify for coverage of a birth. I had to take out a bank loan to pay the hospital and doctor bill. More montly payments. I had raised my salary to $600 per month before taxes.
Then our TV crapped out. I didn’t have the $225 to pay for a new black and white set so I took out another 2-year loan for about $15/month so we had some entertainment.
Then in the summer, the car (a 1956 Nash) died. I was across from a filling station when death occured. We pushed it into a stall at the station and determined it was worn out. They offered to sell it to a junk yard for $25 dollars. The next day I bought a 1963 Chevrolet Impala. It was 2 years old and I agreed to another 3 year loan with monthly payments. I was still making $600/month.
Your mom had $5 discretionary allowance. I had $5 discretionary.
And then, your mom called one day at the office and said that we had to meet with our dentist, Dr. Ney. He disclosed that many of the fillings in you Mom’s mouth were decaying underneath because they had been improperly years before. There were 29 fillings that had to be replaced and the bill was around $2000. He wanted us to sign a contract to pay for the new fillings. It was about 2 years, monthly payments. Remember I was making $600/month.
I remember thinking after the “tooth fairy” defecated on our parade “what other anchor can you throw me”?
Well slowly as my salary increased to $830/month by 1967 and with some creative financing of my occassional expense account, things eased a little but we wanted a house and the things that were promised by the good life. When we moved to Sheboygan in October 1967, I was offered $900/month and through brutal cash management, had accumulated about $2,000. It would be enough to make a 10% downpayment on a large old home on St. Claire Avenue in Sheboygan that we purchased for $17,000. We were still counting pennies and had just commited to a monthly mortgage including insurance.
It wasn’t until 1971 when Vollrath made me Director of Purchasing that things began to ease a little. That was almost 8 years since I started at Allis-Chalmers. Somehow we survived very difficult years and opportunity was always around the corner.
I wouldn’t trade those early years for anything. You mom complained about always being broke but somehow we made it and she remained a “stay at home mom”. Lack of money heightened enjoyment of family outings. Simple things seemed the order of the day.
So as the holiday season approaches, reach out and hug the ones most precious to you. It is the only thing that matters in this life. And then believe. Life will offer many chances to grab the brass ring. When it does, grab it with gusto.
Love,
Dad

I am back to random subjects. This one happens to be on finance and I have discussed it before. Apparently not everyone was listening.
My favorite daughter Debs had auto insurance with American Family back in 2002 when she owned that prestigious Dodge Ram that was always in the garage with transmission problems. She fought the Dodge dealership armed with the “lemon law” argument. She won her case! The Dodge was returned and Debs cancelled her auto (truck) insurance. Insurance payments had been on a month to month basis.
It is now 2005 and Debs went to insure a new vehicle, again with American Family Insurance. Again, she agreed to a monthly insurance premium with authorization to deduct the payment electronically from her checking account. You can almost see this one coming!
Debs got her monthly statement for her checking account and she was $300 short. It was not an error in addition or subtraction. What could it be?
It turns out that American Family never cancelled Debs insurance back in 2002 and kept it on their books as bad debt. When Debs authorized direct electronic access to her account, American Family not only deducted the one month payment for the new car but 4-5 months of payments that should have been cancelled in 2002. Scary!
I have discussed the electronic world in the past. Everyone wants direct access to your money with claims of benefits. Save stamps! Get to use your money right up to the date of payment! Never any late fee! It is the electric company, the gas company, the telephone company, insurance agents and mortgage companies all reassuring you that your life will be better if you authorized automatic payment. My position on direct access to your checking account or savings account is an unabashed, “don’t do it”. I know there are exceptions but why would you open you wallet and say “take whatever you need”. It is your money and you should decide when they get paid and how much.
So the Debs saga continued after she consulted her financial consultant (me). She contacted her friendly bank and retold the story. The bank said she had 60 days to file a form indicating that the money deducted was not authorized. They immediately redeposited the $300 into her account electronically reversing the American Family charge. In addition, she was asked to file “fraud” charges back against American Family.
Apparently there are laws protecting consumers against unauthorized charges made electronically against your account.
So far the story ends happily and Debs is busy spending her returned $300. I think American Family has up to 60 days to pull off some legal manipulation to challenge the “fraud” charge but my guess is that the whole matter will be forgotten.
In case you haven’t got the message – “Don’t give automatic electronic access to your money”.
Love,
Dad

It is summer 1976 and we are 17 days into our West Coast trip. Because I don’t remember the exact dates, I know we are getting close to Paul’s birthday on June 29th. He turns four. I’m sure the celebration was large and many gifts were bestowed on the the little fellow. If I know your mom, she had bought birthday gifts before we left and had them in one of the suitcases.
The launch point to head home was Bastow, California located on Highway 40 and on the western edge of the desert. I know Death Valley National Park was not too far away. The plan was to travel from Bastow to Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 4 days with an allowance for a 5th day if we got side-tracked. I admit that I don’t like desert but most of all, excessive heat. I’d had been told to traverse the desert in the early morning when it was cool. So we left early on a Tuesday morning. 6:00 AM. The trip across the arid desert land was about 150 miles and I think the early morning temperatures reached 90 degrees. The desert releases all kinds of pretty colors as the sun rises so it turned out to be a nice ride.
Interstate Highway 40 would take us all the way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where we turn turn Northeast on Highway 44. As we came out of the desert, I remember signs telling us that the elevation was as we slowly rising as we approached the mountain ranges. Somewhere around Flagstaff, Arizona there was a sign “Grand Canyon, 60 miles North, Exit 1 mile”. A poll was taken excluding Paul and everybody decided they wanted to continue the journey home. The hell with the Grand Canyon, it was just a big hole in the ground. In hindsight, I wish we had taken the Grand Canyon diversion. The truth was that everybody was tired and wanted their own bed.
The next motel was Albuqueque, New Mexico. Uneventful. Good food, nice swimming pool.
The following day we ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It ended two long days of travel but we were within striking distance of home.
It was Thursday and we had targeted St. Louis. Time to have a little fun. Once we arrived in St. Louis, we visited the Arch and took a ride up to the top. If you are claustraphobic, you don’t belong in the tram that takes you to the top of the Arch or even the limited space for sightseeing at the top. It was an encounter Im sure everyone will remember. The rest of the day was spent at Busch Gardens in St. Louis. I honestly don’t remember a lot about Busch Gardens but we’ve got the pictures to prove we were there. The pictures show amusement type rides and entertainment.
Friday morning was important because the intent was to make it home by nightfall. Going home was almost as exciting as leaving originally. Going through Chicago at 3:00 PM was slow as usual but our Sheboygan arrival would be close to 7:00 PM. I think that the 4th of July was on Monday so that if we made it home on Friday night, we had 3 days to recover.
We arrived home close to 7:00 PM. We had survived 3 weeks together in a Chevrolet Station Wagon. It would take time to realize all that we had seen and done. The credit card bills would not start arriving for several weeks and I think I had a job to return to on Tuesday morning. I don’t know how my employer could function at work without me but my guess was “very well”.
That trip in 1976 was the only extented 3 week vacation we would ever take. It was the event of a lifetime and created many memories that will linger forever. We covered 16 states in 21 days. Imagine you kids returning to school in the fall and when they asked you what you did last summer, for once in your life you couldn’t say “nothing”.
Love,
Dad

We are in Los Angeles on our 3 week trip in 1976. Our next visit was to be Grandma Alice’s younger brother, Big Jerry. He said come on over to his northern L.A. suburb of Oxnard.
First things first. We had heard that we should visit Knotts Berry Farm. All indications was they had the greatest preserves in the business and we shouldn’t miss going there. It was a surprise. Yes, it had great preserves formulated by the founding family but it was really a mini-Disney. It was a huge amusement park with lots of interesting rides and a central store where you could buy jams, jellies and lots of other things. One of the rides I remember was a parachute jump. The customer would be hooked into a harness and they would lift the parachute by the top and take it hundreds of feet into the air with you hanging below. Then they would release the parachute and you would float to the ground. We did not have any brave souls that would go on the ride. Knotts Berry Farm turned out to be a fun experience.
Then it was on to Big Jerry’s. It was one of the few nights that we would not sleep in a motel. Big Jerry was a rough and tumble camper and out-doorsman. We would use sleeping bags and occupy whatever beds were available. We obviously survived. Big Jerry lived in a ranch style home not far from the ocean. None of the kids had met Big Jerry. He was a retired naval petty officer and had a pension for life. He had supplemented the pension by working as a maintenance supervisor at the local school system. He married Jean, a lady 15-20 years his elder. They were very cordial. Big Jerry got his name because he was 6ft-5in. tall and in 1976 weighed about 250 pounds.
Highlights of visiting Big Jerry were a white and black jeep with open top for scooting around, a medal detector for finding hidden coins in the back yard, a black lab dog, and Paul getting knocked down continuously by the “playful” big dog. Paul didn’t think it was funny. Big Jerry figured it was a way to toughen up Paul. It really wasn’t funny to a scared 4 year old. Poor little guy!
All in all, “Big Jerrys” was memorable. Now it was on to visit Grandpa George’s niece, Mary Carpenter. Mary lived somewhere in the middle of Los Angeles. Mary was in the National Guard with her husband Jim and her 3 boys were either applying for military service or would some day. The house oozed of testosterone. What I remember most is that in the months preceding our visit, there had been a significant earthquake. The Carpenters had massive cracks in their living room walls and their swimming pool was emptied because it has shifted. Nothing was covered by insurance. We had a nice visit and were invited down to San Diego the next morning to the Naval Base. We would get a tour of an aircraft carrier. I think it was the Enterprise. Chris thinks it was the Nemitz. It was to be an unexpected treat.
We traveled to San Diego the next morning and had to wait outside the gate at the Naval Base because we didn’t have clearance to enter. We were told to wait and when Mary Carpenter and family arrived, we would all go in together and get our tour. They never came! I thought at one point I saw their car and they rolled right past us but I wasn’t sure. It was a “buzz-kill”. Lots of anticipation followed by disappointment. It is tough to be sad in San Diego. Weather is great with lots of sights.
We were at the point in the trip where we would have to start heading home. Still sights to see. The next hurdle was a hot desert in early summer. Are we having fun yet? I wondered if I still had my job.
Love,
Dad

I’ve been begging for feedback on our 1976 trip to the West Coast. The response on been as expected. Nothing! Hello! Did I take this trip alone?
Well in rummaging through some old pictures, your mom came across some old pictures of our trip and she stumbled upon some notes written by Kelly on the first few days of our trip. The following quote came from her on the second day of our trip as we approached Rapid City, South Dakota. “We went through the Badlands. We stopped at a tourist center. We’ve been staying at Ramadas. We went swimming in the pool including the slide. We ate at a Chinese restaurant. I had egg fu young, chicken chau mein and sweet and sour pork. Would you believe Chris had a hamburger! I got my sun glasses here. Paul had a blast at the playground with a rocket”.
We’ve looked for more notes by Kelly, but there don’t seem to be any.
Continuing my recount of events on our trip, we are in Los Angeles and have completed Disney. We moved to a motel in Torrence, California where Shelby’s Uncle Clarence lived. It also happened to be where Marineland was located along the Pacific Ocean. Marineland would build a bigger complex in Florida several years later called Sea World. We stayed in Torrence several days. We scheduled the first day at Marineland. They had huge aquariums and put on a 60-90 minute show with seals, dolphins and a killer whale. It was a warm and sunny day and in the background was the blue Pacific Ocean. It was fun. They had high “needle” type structure that served as the center of a “donut” type carriage. You would sit in the circular donut and it would rise very high into the air while you viewed the spectacular area. It was also a big thrill because it revolved around the needle as it rose and it seemed like you were on top of the world.
Later in the day, we contacted Clarence Steger (George’s borther) and his wife Rosetta. They lived in a trailer park in Torrence in a retirement community. They had a recreation center at the complex that provided events from bingo to swimming. The trailer they lived in was large and they were very cordial. Arrangements were made to return the next day for a home cooked meal.
We spent some time in Torrence just “bumming”. We stayed close to the ocean and discovered how “the other half lives”. Lots of sea-side castles.
At the end of the second day in Torrence, we called my Uncle Jerry located in northern Los Angeles in the Oxnard suburb. He said come on over. Tomorrow! Uncle Jerry!
Love,
Dad