Ace Wisdom

There were many magic moments working at the “cookie factory”. Grasshopper No.4 and No.5 got to say that their Dad made cookies.

We had many unique products.  The factory made what was called “wire cut” sandwich cookies.  Chocolate chip sandwich cookies.  Butter pecan sandwich cookies.  Macaroon sandwich cookies  Nobody else including Nabisco or Keebler could produce an equivalent “sandwich”.  Did I mention we developed a chocolate sandwich cookie that “blew Oreo away”.  Alas, the Nabisco marketing machine crushed us (yes I said “crushed”).

And then there was chocolate coating (enrobed).  Chocolate marshmallow, mint wafers coated with chocolate and chocolate covered creme filled wafers.

For several years our cookie company held the record according to Guiness for making the largest chocolate chip cookie.  I think it was 30 feet in diameter and weighed 3 tons. It had over 1 million chocolate chips.

Grasshopper No. 5 would do “taste tests” on new cookies I’d bring home with her friend Shea.  They would have to rate taste, texture and color.  The more sugar they ate, the sillier they became.

Grasshopper No. 4 took a case of creme filled wafers (I think they were coated with chocolate) as a treat when Xavier made a bus trip to Florida.  No.4 said the wafers were gone by the time they reached Chicago.

It has been 15 years since I changed my occupation to “doing nothing”.  We sold the cookie company to Ralcorp, a spin-off company from Ralston Purina. Ralcorp was a big company with multiple plants and our cookies fit into their product offerings.  Ralcorp never really put energy into building the cookie business.  Several years ago Ralcorp sold their business to ConAgra. To ConAgra, the cookie plant was just another piece of the puzzle and it got lost.

Yesterday, ConAgra announced they were closing the Ripon cookie factory. 85 years of producing cookies will become a memory.  It is equivalent to Charlie closing the Chocolate Factory.  There were a lot of proud people that made a living producing cookies.  Over 320 people will be looking for new jobs.  It is a sad day for the employees.  It is sad for the City of Ripon.

I can only say that “making cookies” was a fun ride.  The continual smell of baking cookies, good people and did I mention delightful fringe benefits.  I’m surprised I don’t weight 300 pounds.  You can’t “close” the memories.

Love,

Dad

 

 

The moon is in one of those negative positions.  Little things!  Our kitchen oven puked (to use Grasshopper No.5’s colorful description). We paid for a “service man” to tell us we can’t get parts.  I guess it is too much to expect an appliance to last more than 20 years.

Our vacuum cleaner “quit”.

Lots and lots of more little “sh–“.

Alas, I found a penny this morning (face up which means someone is watching over me).  Help must be on the way.

A friend found a dime yesterday and after hearing my sad “woes”, offered it to me to defray expenses.  It’ll be a big help.

I think the sting of winter is gone.  I’ve been amazed at the new terminology describing bad conditions.  There is the “Sascatuwan Screamer” and “Alberta Clipper” that blow in from Canada.  The “Pineapple Express” is a storm hitting California from the direction of Hawaii.  Did I mention “Polar Vortex’s” and “Bomb Genesis” describing rapidly dropping barametric pressure.  Mix all that in with advisories, warnings and constant wind chill warnings and you have a steady barrage of depressing news.  We didn’t have all the alarms when I was growing up.

I see the Cellcom marathon is being run in Green Bay tomorrow.  I don’t know if daughter-in-law Jenny is running or not.  At “press time”, the indication was “no”.

Love,

Dad

Grandson Grant is home after his first year at Iowa State. Colleges seem to be ending spring semesters earlier and earlier. That should be a good thing because it allows Grant to get first “shot” at a summer jobs.

Your Mom and I attended the State Trap Shooting Championship on Saturday.  We got to watch Grandson Dominic bust 85 “birds”.  Grandson Tommy competed in a junior category and scored 68 (17 out of 25 in each round).  Conditions were windy which causes the “birds” to float on air and do funny things.  I guess it takes a week to release all the results.  I thought Dominic and Tommy did well in their groups but what the hell do I know.  Of course I’m biased.

Mother’s day came and went.  There were phone calls, books, flowers, chocolate and cards.  Two Grasshoppers (No.2 and No.3) visited your Mom and planted a few flowers for her in our front yard (I think pink petunias).  “Few” is an unfair description of the planting effort.  I think your Mom bought all the petunias in the store.  Our front yards has lots and lots of pink.  At the end of the day, your Mom had a big smile.  You did good.

I don’t make this stuff up.  With all the new gadgets available including the Apple “watches”, computer designers are getting more clever with devices to help you live healthier.  You can monitor blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and pulse.  One new gadget measures your intestinal gas (i.e flatulence, farts). Intestinal gas is really methane (CH4).  Based on the nuances of your particular fart, you can identify foods and liquids that are better for your body.  I guess there is good gas and bad gas. Really?

Grasshopper No.3 gets his boat this week.  It has been under repair for almost 2 years (it was perpetually 2 weeks from completion).  I’ll believe it when I see it.

Love,

Dad

 

Mother’s Day on Sunday!  Remember, she is the one person in the world who will always love you unconditionally.

Grandson Dominic and Grandson Tommy (new this year) will be competing in the State Trap Shooting Championship on Saturday.  There are age brackets and skill levels.  One thing sure, competition gets tougher and tougher.  Dominic won his junior bracket last year with 97 out of 100.  That is near perfection.

Grasshopper No.1 and our favorite Son in Law saw a production of “All Shook Up” at Fireside.  As the title implies, it was a play composed entirely of Elvis Presley songs.  With all the 50’s music it had to be good.  It was the first play I have attended in years that filled every seat.  It was a “full house”.  I have never seen so many gracious old ladies with tightly knit grey/blue hair curls.  It looked like a sea of “white” dandelions ready to release white puff balls into the air.  As my Grandson Dominic would say, “of course the place was filled by old people, they have all the money”.

Our local City fathers have decided to put new water meters in every house.  We already had meters that could be read for usage from the “road” and we would get billed accordingly.  The new meter has a GPS location and the meter will now be read at City Hall using a wireless signal.  I wonder what else they will monitor from my GPS “device”?  I wonder how many City employees will lose their jobs because of the productivity gains? I wonder how else I will get screwed as a home owner?  Do I sound like a mistrusting soul?

Great golf tournament to watch this weekend—The Players Championship.

Love,

Dad

Grandson Grant has a birthday next Sunday.  Happy Birthday Grant.  20!  I was married at 20.  He is smarter than me!

My Dad never quite finished college but he had 85% of the required credits at Lakeland College.  He was a little bit anal like me.  His emphasis was in accounting.  Remember, this was in the late 1940’s.  He did pass the State tests and was a Certified Public Accountant.  When I was in High School, he insisted I take “typing”.  Perhaps he selfishly wanted me to learn typing so that I could help him “type” the information into tax forms he did for clients.  I typed a lot of tax forms.

In the end, taking a typing course was terrific.  The teacher was J.C.Williams who had been a legenary coach of track teams (lots of stories).  Another benefit was a guy named Becker and I were the only boys in a class of over 20 girls.  Oh yeah, I learned to type.  “Passing” was typing 60 words a minute “error free”.

I transitioned easily to “keyboarding” for the computer age.  It was easy.  To me it will always be “typing”.

Speaking of computer age, the new Apple Watch has a faulty “tapping” mechanism that alerts you to messages.  Really!  The new watch also has trouble if it is mounted over a tattoo.  Apparently there is a light transmission issue causing problems measuring body vitals.  I put my order on hold for the watch.

Mother’s Day is approaching.

Love,

Dad

 

Growing up in Plymouth, there seemed to be a lot of small businesses that were started with intention of passing the enterprise from father to son.  There was a blacksmith shop in back of our house called “Nickolas and Son”.  It was implied the business would pass eventually to the son who would live happily ever after.  In the case of “Nickolas”, the need for blacksmith skills faded and it went out of business.  The son never inherited anything.

Grandpa George always dreamed of his son joining him in the heating and air conditioning business.   Grandpa George never put “and Son, Inc.” in the company title, but it was obvious he wanted his son Bob to join him.  Uncle Bob did take over the business and eventually turned it over to his oldest son.

For some reason, businesses usually were not passed on to daughters.  I don’t know why?  Maybe it was a German thing.

I notice that Herb Kohler is stepping down as CEO of the Kohler company.  Living in Sheboygan, you are aware that the Kohler Company was always the premier employer in the area.  Herb has been a driving force for 43 years.  People in the plant affectionately called him “Herbie”.  Herb was 3rd or 4th generation to lead Kohler Company.  The company does not carry the title “Kohler and Sons” but it has been strongly implied that a Kohler would continue to lead.  Herb’s son David Kohler will now take over.  I guess we will have to refer to David as “Davey”.  I don’t know if David has sons of his own or even if he would like them to continue the Kohler legacy.  What would be your guess?

Where am I going with this?  It occurs to me that I was born with the wrong last name.  I was denied my shot  at  being entitled.  Imagine if I was the son of Warren Buffett, Rockefeller or JPMorgan.  I would have had position, money and security.  I would have been happy.  I’m sure of it!  Wouldn’t I?

Happy May 1.

Love,

Dad

 

Another birthday (April) occurs Thursday.  Grandson Dominic turns 17.  Happy Birthday Dominic.  I’ve mentioned before that being born under the sign of Taurus gives a person special qualities.  I think the next challenge for Dominic is May 16 when  he tries to repeat as State Champion in the State Trap Shooting Championships.  He probably needs 98 birds out of 100.

Grandson Collin keeps trying to convince me that I deserve a M-5 BMW in my life.  Right!  Do you think the bank will loan me the funds?  I think the M-5 qualifies as a rocketship with a V-8 engine that gets 7 miles per gallon of gas.  That would mean a 75 year old man would be “on the loose” with a car that could be considered dangerous.  So being the wise 75 year old (hince AceWisdom) that I am, I told Collin that if he graduates from a 4 year college, I would attend graduation in my M-5.  He is assuming I will still have my drivers license.  No, we were not drinking.

I mowed my lawn yesterday for first time.

The air is filled with the smell of flowers.

Love,

Dad