Ace Wisdom

Grandson Mitchell’s high school football team lost in the second round of the State Football Championship playoffs.  It was a good year.  Conference Champs.  Playoffs!

As Mitchell’s football season ends, he has gained a share of freedom.  He passed his Drivers Test and how has his drivers license.  If you are his Mom, you have mixed emotions.  He has his drivers license (happy).  He has his drivers license (oh, oh, oh).  Wait until Mom sees the auto insurance cost.

Today you can “be like Bruce”.  In the movie “Bruce Almighty”, God gets tired of carrying the load for all of mankind and chooses Bruce (played by Jim Carrey) to substitute for him while he takes a vacation.  Bruce inherits the power of God.  It takes a while for Bruce to understand the overwhelming power (and responsibility).  He finds he can walk on water, cause floods and instanteously procure new cars.  He has the power.  There is a tune in the movie where Carrey sings to himself  “I’ve got the power.  I’ve got the power”.  What an incredible feeling it must be to have the power over everything.  You, too, “have the power”.  You can control you life, your kid’s lives and your grandchildren’s lives.  All you have to do is vote for what you believe.  Today is a national election day.  As you march to the polls sing to yourself,  “I’ve got the power”.  Grab your pen and zap the ballot.  Feel the power.

Halloween turned out to be different this year.  It was cold and blustery.  The number of “trick or treaters” was down substantially.  Now your Mom and I have to eat all the extra candy.  Right!

Holidays are appraching, fast!

Love,

Dad

 

Grandson Mitchell takes the field with his football buddies as Middleton hosts Fond du lac in the State High School Championships tonight.  Can you throw a pass in 45 mph winds?

The temperatures today are supposed to dip into the low thirties with winds gusting between 40-50 mph.  Perfect for “trick or treating”.

It is Halloween.  Strange things happen on Halloween.

I’m sure as a kid you can remember scary situations.  Things like noises under the bed.  Maybe a banging shutter on the window.  How about a creaking door?

I remember going to the movie theater which featured “The Thing”.  It was about a monster frozen in the ice that becomes “unfrozen”  to frighten and kill military personnel in the Arctic.  In the movie, very door that opened and every hallway corridor became frightening.  After the movie I had to walk 2 blocks to get home.  Since we lived “downtown”, there were lots of close buildings and stores.  I walked right down the middle of the “street” (yes the street) in fear of anything that might jump out from the alleys and attack me.  Alas, I made it home.

There also was a cemetary in town near the Mullet River.  One night, a buddy named Carl (he was in high school a the time) walked through the cemetary to get home (he lived on a street adjacent to the cemetary).  He as attacked by someone who jumped out from behind a gravestone.  Carl was traumatized (and injured).  He missed an entire year of school as a result of the attack.  There were many times when cutting though the cemetary at night would have made my traveling home a lot shorter.  I do admit to avoiding the dark journey.  In my mind, there was always someone lurking behind a stone.  I don’t think they ever caught the person who attacked Carl.  Maybe he still lurks there today.

The mind can do strange things.  If you listen closely, tonight on Halloween, you can hear strange sounds and see things in the shadows that could harm you.  Don’t get run over by a flying witch!  Boogedy, boogedy, boogedy.

Clocks “fall back” tomorrow.

Love,

Dad

 

 

Grandson Mitchell’s football team, the Middleton Cardinals, won their first round game of the State Championships (Division 1).  They beat the only team that beat them this year, Sun Prairie.  Final Score, 33-10.  Mitchell kept bragging about a “bone crushing” block on offense.  The block occurred right in front of the coach.  Yep, my Grandson is not stupid!  Make sure the coach sees it.  The second round game is on Friday against Fond du lac.

Grasshoppper No.4 and family did a tour of the Kettle Marine area recently.  The colors this time of year are usually spectacular.  During the tour, they stopped at the Plymouth Cemetary looking for family grave sites.  There is one large stone that my Grandfather bought for his family.  It stands about six feet tall with the family name engraved in big letters.  No.4 was taken to visit the grave site as he was growing up many times by your Mom and I and I remember sharing stories.  For some reason my stories about my Grandfather (actually my namesake) never registered with No.4.  He was surprised to learn that “Chalk” (my grandfather’s nickname) was only 47 when he died.  They did not do an autopsy but he had high blood pressure and the spectulation was that it was a heart attack or a stroke.  The question of heritage comes into question.  Is there a family predisposition to heart issues?  I have always dismissed the thought.  Chalk’s brother lived to be 100 years old.  Chalk had an accident when he was in his 30’s.  He wrenched his knee and it required surgery.  They did not have replacement knees in those days.  Over the next 10 years he had a total of 6 knee operations, the last procedure actually locked the leg so that it would not bend.  He was in constant pain.  His back bore the brunt of the stiff leg as he walked.  My theory is that the crude medical procedures ( and anesthetics) made him susceptible to heart issues.  I guess we will never know.  Chalk’s dad lived to be 80.

Mom and I also enjoyed the fall colors last weekend.  Madison.  Badgers beat Maryland big time.  Temperatues in the mid-60’s.  Does it get any better?

Love,

Dad

 

Good things keep coming!  Social Security payments increase 1.7% starting in January.  Hey, $20 per month is nothing to sneeze at!

When your Mom and I were in Minneapolis, breakfast was “light” each day.  On Saturday, when we visited Ikea (the $100 store), we stopped at their restaurant before our marathon walk through the products.  The restaurant is designed to bring people in before shopping.  There were 3 of us and we each had the buffet.  Scrambled eggs, sausage links, potatoes and small slices of French bread were the “special”.  Coffee and water were free.  The total bill came to $7.97 for all three breakfasts.  No tip required.

On Sunday morning before leaving for home, we had the breakfast buffet at our hotel restaurant.  Same thing!  Scambled eggs, sausage (or bacon), potatoes and toast.  There were fruit offerings as part of their buffet.  Coffee and Tea was extra.  The total bill came to $59.  The tip was extra.  The $51 over Ikea’s bill was a lot to pay for “atmosphere.  Hey the “company” was priceless.

I got my hearing aids cleaned and adjusted this morning.  It was free!  It ought to be free after paying the intial price of purchase.  Now I’m gauranteed not to have to say”Huh” again.

Grandson Mitchell takes the football field in Middleton this evening.  7:00 PM.  We are not going but mentally I’ll be there.  It is fun to imagine the excitement of winning and moving on in the tournament.  Maybe, just maybe, Middleton will grab the brass ring.  Go Cardinals.

The weekend is lining up to be gorgeous.

Love,

Dad

 

Oct. 21, 1977.  It was an “Indian Summer” day.  Grasshopper No.5 was born in the early afternoon.  Happy Birthday No.5.  It was one of the special moments in our lives.  May all your wishes come true!

Grasshopper No.1 knows my weakness for fresh apple pie.  Second on my list is pumpkin pie.  No.1 baked “with her Dad in mind”.  Thank you No.1.  The pies were scrumptious.

Grandson Mitchell’s football team in Middleton ended up as Conference Champs.  It is the first time in 10 years as champions.  I see Middleton ended the regular season rated No.10 in Division 1 in the State.  Good luck in the playoffs.

I received a new wallet size ID card introducing Grasshopper No.2 as she embarks on her new venture.  She already is a chiropractor, biochemist, and nutritionist (it says so on the card!).  The added dimension is she is also a “paleovationist”.  I don’t know if there is such a word, I just made it up.  She teaches, consults and sells information on Paleo.  I’m not an expert but paleo has something to do with eating naturals foods coupled with “healthy” living habits.  I hope when No.2 is really rich, she remembers her dear old Dad and Mom.

Grandson Collin, fresh out of the U.S. Marine Corp. is working as an apprentice as a heavy equipment operator with his Dad’s company.  His fiance’ will finish school in May.  I know Collin is saving for a wedding, a home, investing for retirement and planning for unexpected expenses.  Wait!  He just bought a second Subaru “rocket sled” car.  Of course he did!  He is 23 and free.  Saving for all that other stuff will come later.  Actually I envy his situation.

I think Grasshopper No.4 coached his Freshman High School football team in Sheboygan to a winning record.  In Sheboygan, that is like winning the lottery.

Have a good week.

Love,

Dad

 

Today my “little world” gets better.  The new bridge installed over Highway 41 on Richmond street is complete.  As you know, the interchange is close by and makes moving around the community easier.  The whole detour system has been screwed up since February.   It doesn’t take much to make me happy.

Tonight is the end of the high school football “regular season”.  The extensive playoff system starts next week.  Grandson Mitchell’s team in Middleton has already qualified for playoffs.  Grandson Dominic’s Sheboygan team just missed the playoffs.  Let the games begin!

Several months ago I elected to have cataract surgery in both eyes.  After appointments to evaluate each eye, then scheduling the surgery (the actual surgery takes essentially several minutes) and then enduring 30 days of an eye drop regimen, I am finally done with the process.  I can see “in the far” 20/20.  I haven’t been able to do that for 30 years.  1080 HDTV is amazing.

Anybody with retirement accounts invested in mutual funds just lost 10% over the last 2 weeks.  If you are working, it is a temporary deviation.  If you are retired, you consider eating “bread and beans”.

Help is coming!  Energy prices are dropping.  Gas at the pump has dropped $.50  per gallon or more.  That is $5-$10 every time you fill up.

Energy prices bleed through to your electric/natural gas bills.  The utility companies pay less for the natural gas to run their plants and you should see a reduction in your monthly bills.

Whoops!  The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.  Don’t spend all the energy savings until you see what you are going to be paying for healthcare insurance next year.

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

 

Your Mom and I got to spend quality time with Grasshopper No.5 over the weekend.

We stayed at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis.  Herbalife fanatics were having a 3 day convention (with a Saturday night costume Party).  It was a weekend that the Minnesota Gopher team played on Saturday and the Vikings were playing on Sunday.  There were lots and lots of Detroit Lion fans staying at the hotel.  The Detroit players were staying at our hotel which included lots of security people.  Sunday morning I saw Ndamukong Suh who plays defensive end for the Lions (he is so big you couldn’t miss him).  No, I didn’t get his autograph.

As you know, No.5 took a one week vacation in August with friends (it included two young teenagers) into the “Boundry Waters” of Northeast Minnesota.  No.5 agreed to camp in the “boonies” for the first time of her life.  Your Mom and I were eager to hear her recount of the outdoor experience.  Her response was “what happens in the Boundry Waters, stays in the Boundry Waters”.

No.5 took us to the “$100 store”.  That is her description of Ikea, the Swedish furniture store.  Everytime you go to the store intending to buy $5 items such as picture frames or computer accessories, you end leaving the store having spent over $100.  Yep, No.5 was right.  More than right!

We got to see “Dirty Dancing” at the downtown Orpheum Theater.  Patrick Swayze lives!  He teaches “Baby” to dance.  It ends the same.  They have the “Time of Their Lives”!

Saturday night as we are leaving the Orpheum, we ran in zombies.  It was the night of the annual “Zombie Pub Crawl”.  People dress up as Zombies with hideous outfits and rove from tavern to tavern.  In other words, it is an excuse to get “smashed” while dressed in Zombie costumes.  We found eyeballs on the sidewalks, half of some Zombies face that had fallen off and lot of bloody costume parts.

Downtown Minneapolis was “alive” over the weekend and your Mom and I had plopped ourselves down in the middle of all the frivolity.  As usual, No.5 was a good host.

Love,

Dad