Ace Wisdom

The City of Kiel had a funeral for the young State Trooper (Casper) who died at age 21 after a shootout with a bank robber.  He had been on the job 3 months.  By pure coincidence, your Mom and I happened to passing through Kiel moments before the funeral procession to the cemetery.  The streets were lined with citizens in tribute to the “trooper”.  It was a moving scene to see how many people really care.  It reminded me of a similar scene from American Sniper.  Maybe the world isn’t going to hell.

The Badgers are still “dancing” which means they are part of the Final Four.  It doesn’t get easier because they play unbeaten Kentucky Saturday night.  Grasshopper No.4 and I both have a chance of winning our family pool.  Mom and Grasshopper 3 will have to wait again until next year.

I read a story on RR.  No, not Ronald Reagan or Roy Rogers.  The man’s name was Ron Read and he lived to age 92 in upState Vermont.  He worked in a gas station and later as a janitor at Penney’s.  He was a widower with two step children.  He left an estate of $8 million dollars.  He obviously lived very frugally, saved money from each paycheck and invested wisely in quality companies.  When companies paid dividends, he reinvested the dividends immediately.  The trust department at the bank found stacks and stacks of stock certificates from Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble and American Express.  Alas, when Mr. Read died he bequeathed his money to the local hospital and library.  I guess the papers to adopt me didn’t get processed in time for me to inherit a few bucks.

The question I ask myself is “was Mr. Read happy living frugally, denying himself many of life’s everyday pleasures and sitting on $8 million”.  Obviously only he could answer that but when people live that way all their life, that is what they know and it makes them happy.  Grasshopper No.1 would have bought a horse ranch and raised thoroughbred horses.  Grasshopper No. 3 would have bought a boat that goes 100 mph.  Grasshopper No.4 would have bought a company that makes Ferrari cars and he would personally test drive them.  And so it goes.  Mr. Read loved saving money, not spending it.

Go forth and find you own happiness.

Love,

Dad

Grandson Mitchell is working after school at Menards in Madison.  The sales at Menards are sure to soar.

Grasshopper No.2 has been playing her trombone with a UW Band Alumni group at Sports Bars during the Badger basketball “run” in the NCAA tournament.  She played again last night.  It was big screen TV’s, chicken wings, band renditions of the “Bud” song and lots of cheering as the Badgers won again. If my memory serves me well, adult beverages are served at the sports bar.  It sounds like she was in a good place.

My number one worry occurred last night.  Your Mom and I were scheduled to see the play “Annie” at the PAC.  The UW Badger NCAA tournament game was scheduled at the same time as Annie.  What do I do?  Annie or Badgers?  What would you do?

Next I worry about getting my snow tires off.  In Wisconsin it can snow in June.  Should I wait?  What do I do?  What would your do?

Now I have to worry about the end of mandkind.  I learned that some scientists (esteemed scientists) determined that our universe containing our blue planet Earth, is billions of years old and still expanding.  The prediction is that someday the universe will stop expanding and will begin to contract.  Ten billion years from now the Earth could be destroyed.  Really!  Now I have to worry about ten billion years from now.  Scarlett in “Gone With the Wind” always deferred by saying “I’ll worry about that tomorrow”.  Yep, thats me.  I’ll worry about mankind tomorrow.

Yesterday I picked all four NCAA basketball games correctly.  No worry there!

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

The Wisconsin Badger basketball team is still “dancing”.  From now on, they must face North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky and Duke.  The remaining opponents may be the four toughest programs in college basketball.  In my bracketology, I’ve got Wisconsin winning it all.  I never seem to learn.

After the first weekend of NCAA college basketball, my tournament picks have put me at the top of the “pool”.  Wisdom prevails.

Grasshoppper No.1 bought me a mini Louisville Slugger baseball bat while she was in Kentucky several years ago.  I still have it on the shelf over the my computer endorsed with my Dad’s name.  He finally achieved the fame he always wanted.  Louisville Slugger is “the name” in baseball bats.  The Louisville Slugger business has been sold.  Wilson Sporting goods plans to give it some “sizzle”.  Louisville bats have always been known for the endorsement on the fat part of the bat barrel.  When my Dad was coaching our teams in the 1950’s, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and  Ted Williams were the preferred names.  The only thing that seems to have changed is that wooden bats are breaking easier.  If you watch a 3 hour game (yawn), in the course of 9 innings, 3-4 bats seem to splinter.  The next step will be aluminum or alloy bats.  There goes 150 years of tradition!

Imagine!  We will be able to watch baseball on our Apple wrist watchs.

Tomorrow is snow.  Really?

Love,

Dad

Your Mom is winning.  We have a family NCAA basketball pool going for the current national championship.  Out of 16 games Mom had 4 “losing picks”.  With all the upsets yesterday, that borders on phenomenal.

I have often contemplated flipping a coin on all 68 games in the NCAA tournament and taking my chances.

The latest rage is to let the mascots determine the outcome.  For example, if the UW team with a badger mascot would play the Louisville cardinals, UW wins because the badger would devour the cardinal.  Laugh if you will, but the experienced basketball fan isn’t picking any better.

I understand Grasshopper No.5 has a new, huge HD smart Sony TV.  It must be nice.  Is 3D and 4K included?

Grasshopper No.2 is disgusted with the “high billing” games of cable and dish networks so she has cancelled everything that has to do with HDTV.  The cable industry has turned phone, internet, and TV programing into a “floating crap game”.  I have empathy with her plight.

Yesterday, March 19, was the birthday anniversay of my Mom.  She would have been 93.  Mom’s Dad (Grandpa George) had a birthday of March 15.  He would have been 108.  Gad, there have been a lot of March birthdays in our family.

Today is the first day of Spring.  I have considered taking my snow tires off but that would be tempting fate.  Not yet!

UW Badgers play tonight at 8:20 PM.  It should be interesting.

Love,

Dad

Lo n’ behold, it is St. Patrick’s Day.  Fairies!  Leprechauns!  Munchkins!  Whoops, munchkins belongs to the Wizard of OZ.

Happy Birthday to our favorite Daughter-in-Law in Sheboygan, Jenny.  It is a shame she has to share the day with all the lore of St. Patrick’s Day.  On the bright side, Jenny won’t have any trouble finding someone to celebrate with!

For those of you that are into “bracketology”, the NCAA national basketball championship begins this week.  The UW Badgers were one of four teams to be “seeded” No.1 in a region for the first time in their history.  I’m sure the State of Wisconsin will be watching closely.  First up for the Badgers, Coastal Carolina on Friday.  The Badger team may be the best blend of basketball players ever assembled at Wisconsin.  It should be fun!

This falls under the category of “I remember”.  My Dad would tell the same pathetic story of “what might have been”, over and over and over.  The city of Plymouth had one super basketball team in the late 1930’s.  I think the star player was Walt Lautenbach who went on to star at UW-Madison after graduation from Plymouth.  One year (1938), Plymouth made it through the regional and section tournaments.  They were one game away from going to the State tournament.  Plymouth lost on a shot at the buzzer and lost their best chance ever to be “center stage” in Madison.  The story of letting the State Championship slip away never died.  The dream was so close.  It was almost like the futile attempt to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on St. Patrick’s Day.

Lets hope the UW-Badger story is a good one.  Headlines will read “Badgers Win National Championship with a shot at the buzzer”.  Dream On!

Love,

Dad

 

A belated Happy Birthday to our favorite daughter-in-law in Appleton.  I can’t reveal her age but next year it will be “black balloons”.

Happy Birthday to Grand-daughter Keely.  She celebrates on Monday in far away Cleveland.  Cleveland?  Yep, Cleveland!

Mom and I went to see “The Imitation Game”.  Very well done!  Our gift cards have run out so we are spending your inheritance.

I understand that Apple has revealed their new wrist watch has a battery life of 18 hours.  I guess that means you can’t wear the watch to bed.  I just put a 5 year battery in my wrist watch and I don’t have to worry about it “dying” until the year 2020.  I guess if you are a “techie”, recharging the wrist watch each night is no big deal.  It is not about technical advances (the watch only does what lots of other electronic devices do), it is about “dreams”.  A watch for the future.

The UW Badger basketball team is something special this year.  Maybe the best talent in their history.  The Badgers are poised to make a good run in the upcoming NCAA tournament.  Hello “bracketology”.  Predicting basketball outcomes is fickle.  Little things like an injury to a key player or a missed free throw can ruin the “dream”.  Right now, the dream is alive.  Go Bucky.

The snow on our backyard deck is finally gone.  I can now use the outdoor grill.

Have a great weekend.

Love,

Dad

Mark your calendars.  April 24.  You can buy your Apple wrist watch.  Imagine!  You can get phone calls.  You can receive e-mails.  Of special note, you can also tell time.  The availability of the Apple watch also allows you to make a fashion statement.  The “gold” version is $17,000.  The new buzz-word is “wearable” IT technology.  I’ve never wanted anything so bad in all my life.  My heart is “a-twitter”.

In business (and personal investments), there is the term “sunk cost”.  You save your money.  You buy a recreational vehicle (RV) for $50,000.  Then sh– happens.  Gas prices go up so your cost of driving the RV increase.  You decide you made a bad investment so you want to get rid of that “RV piece of sh–“.  You put the RV up for sale.  The highest price you can get is $30,000.  Now you say “Oh, sh–!  You decide you won’t sell the RV because you will have to deal with a $20,000 loss.  No sir, not you.  You will not take a $20,000 loss.  So you keep the damn RV.

The truth is the $20,000 loss is real.  It is “sunk” in a bad investment.  You can lament about your poor investment in an RV or you can sell  your RV for market value and get $30,000 cash (in your hand).  Then you take the $30,000 cash and invest in something that might grow over time.  Turn the investment into a positive.  Buy stocks.  Mutual funds.  Property.  Or better yet, send the cash to your Parents so they can improve their standard of living (imagine the positive good feelings you would get).

Dealing with the reality of a sunk cost (a loss if you will) sucks but dealing with it can lead to positive reward!  A “sunk cost” represents bad karma.

Love,

Dad