Ace Wisdom

Your Mom’s side of the family gathered in Moorhead, Minnesota last weekend. The Kruschke clan came together “in mass”.

The thing you learn quickly is that there are a lot of Kruschkes. Your Mom’s Mom (Nana) was one of nine kids. Those nine kids had kids of their own and “so the explosion of future generations” goes.

Otto and Ellen Kruschke had nine kids. One remains. Lois Kruschke and she was the “caboose” of the family (kind of like our Grasshopper No. 5) and she was celebrating her 90th birthday. She looks like Nana. She has the same values as Nana. She talks like Nana. There was amazing resemblance.

So the reunion really consisted of the Grandchildren of Otto and Ellen Kruschke returning “home”.

The nine children of Otto and Ellen were Amie, Armie, Nana, Orville, Minerva, Harold, Caroline, Marvin, and Lois, in that order.

The senior Kruschkes that remain (are 65-80 years old), and are the Grandchildren of Otto and Ellen. Your Mom is one of the remaining “seniors”.

Most of the “senior” Kruschke descendants (not including your Mom) grew up around Moorhead and have farming tradition in their DNA’s. So they talked, talked, talked and talked some more about the good old days back on the farm. They all gave themselves permission to “go back and relive the good old days”. They enjoyed themselves. They allowed me to witness.

Love (more on Kruschke’s reunion next time),

Dad

 

 

One of the World’s largest cargo airplanes is on display at EAA this week. It carries water. When they have forest fires on the West Coast, these big planes swoop down over a body of water and scoop up thousands of gallons of water to be splashed on the raging fires. After a recent fire in California, fire fighters found a swimmer in a bathing suit with a mask and snorkel in the ashes. Apparently when the plane scooped up water it also picked up a scuba diver. The water and the diver were dumped on the water explaining how you find a dead diver in the remains of a forest fire. Be careful where you swim.

Oops, news flash just in. These big airplanes for scooping water only have maximum “pick-up” opening of 8 inches. A scuba diver would never fit in the belly of the aircraft. Somebody was stretching the truth. What the hell! Who can you believe? Oh, well there are always our politicians.

This last rant will at least make me feel better. When “we” download security software such as Norton, because of all the electronic intricacies, we never really know effective the security blanket really is. I’ve maintained Norton and it creeps up in price every year. This year Norton renewed automatically on my credit card and of course the price was again higher. I did not authorize (at least not knowingly), auto renewal. I never authorize auto renewal. Ever! So Norton and I are going to war. Now, I’ve got to see if I can get a voice to talk too! Bastards.

This will be the last weekend in July. Enjoy.

Love,

Dad

 

In the early 1980’s, our family bought a VCR for playing video tapes. There was a big controversy initially about the VHS format versus the BETA format. We eventually settled on VHS because it was universally favored. We even bought a VHS video camera to continue the format. The VCR is going the way of the buggy whip. The last VCR will be manufactured at the end of this month, July, 2016. The video tape technology lasted 33 years. Your Mom has many, many family memories in VHS format. If those memories are to be preserved, they need to be converted to a current format. What the hell is a current format?

I understand that one individual has maxed out the PokemonGo game challenges. He has captured 132 dastardly characters. In the USA, that is the most you can get. Apparently there are several “extra” characters available in foreign countries (like China and Japan). That means to be the ultimate world champion of PokemonGo, you must travel abroad. I think the design of the game is genius. I also think people need to get a life.

The Green Bay Packers started training camp this morning at 8:15 AM. They need to field a great team so they are successful and it protects my investment. I see that Jordy Nelson is listed on the injured, unable to perform list. All I’ve heard for months is that Jordy has been the model athlete and rehab has all been ahead of schedule. Then why is he listed as injured. I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes but I would think the Packers are scared to death that Jordy might get reinjured during practices. They found out last year what happens when someone as fast (and smart) as Jordy is not in the receiving core. I bet Jordy is not “injured” when official season begins.

Your Mom and I watched several episodes of “Stranger Things” on Netflix last night. It reminds me a little of the X-files.

Stay cool.

Love

Dad

 

 

 

Several years ago at Christmas time, Grasshopper No.4 gave me a subscription to the “Dollar Shave Club”. It was an internet company that sold high quality razor cartridges through the mail at a cost of $1 per month. The Dollar Shave Club was boldly targeting Gillette and Schick razor products. Gillette costs $4-5 per month. Several days ago, Unilever (a consumer product powerhouse) bought the upstart Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion. Is this a great country or what! Oh, to be an owner of the DSC!

I went to the Green Bay Packer Stockholders meeting yesterday. It was scheduled to start at 11:00 AM. An electrical thunderstorm blew through and postponed the start to 11:45. I hope the storm is not an omen for the upcoming season. The annual meeting is really not about financial results. It is a lovefest. People show up in shorts, lots little kids, crying babies, and old timers spinning tales of years past. Packers have their own “field of dreams”.

I predict the the PokemonGo is peaking. As it reaches worldwide distribution, the business world is joining in and trying to use Pokemon for personal gain. Business will suck the fun out of the game. McDonalds has created a Japanese McPokey version of the GPS treasure hunt designed to bring players into McDonald restaurants. Fads come and go.

Air Venture in Oshkosh begins Monday. The air will be filled with lots of airplanes over the next week.

Hot and humid this weekend. Stay cool.

Love,

Dad

 

 

What is the “deal” in Sheboygan? People being shot during a robbery. Fishermen being swept off the South Pier (I think two died). It sounds like a dangerous place to live!

Grandson Tommy was fitted for football pads and uniforms yesterday. Here we go! It seems kind of early for high school football but in reality football conditioning is now a year around activity.

Tommy also has downloaded Pokemon Go onto his cell phone. It does require a lot of capacity. The popular final destination to capture the dastardly Pokemon figures is Fountain Park in downtown Sheboygan. I think Tommy is wasting his time. I’ve never seen a single Pokemon figure running around the Park.

I wonder how long the Pokemon fad will last?

It sounds like Grasshopper No.2 has sold her house. I am amazed at how fast homes seem to be selling in the Madison area.

We have seen two good movies lately. Nexflix “Fundamentals of Caring” and Vudu “Criminal”.

Is it just me or are days really starting to get shorter?

Lunch today with brother Jerry.

Love,

Dad

 

There has been a valuation of sports team franchises by Forbes magazine. The team I own (The Green Bay Packers) has an estimated market value of $1.95 billion (billion with a “b”). By my calculations, my one share is worth $415. I paid $200. Whoa! This is turning into a financial bonanza. Alas, there is no place to trade Green Bay Packer stock. I can retire to Lake Moneybegone!

The used “Toyota car” we bought recently has lots of lights, switches, blinking lights and warning signals. The instruction book is 875 pages long. Really! I don’t think the novel, “Gone With the Wind” had that many pages. No wonder old people are intimidated with technology. The immediate challenge is figure out how to turn the radio on.

I see that Hostess Ho-Ho’s and Ding Dongs have new life. The company was bankrupt several years ago. A venture capital company bought the company out of bankruptcy, pumped some money into it and will issue stock in a revitalized snack food company for $2 billion. Is this a great country or what? We can suck the filling out of Ding Dongs to our hearts content while making some investors rich.

The rest of my day will be spent tracking down some unsavory character on Pokemon Go downloaded on my cell phone. My only concern is that I become so absorbed in my quest that I do something stupid like walk into a car or step off a cliff (which already have happened by the way). Pokemon Go gives purpose to my life since my Hoverboard has been recalled. My Hoverboard burnt up.

Is “tech” really making my life better?

Love,

Dad

 

I was told a tale this morning of a sunken pleasure craft. In this case, a fishing boat complete with a 90 hp engine is languishing under the Wolf River and it’s owner will attempt to “raise” the boat.

Back in Spring of 1978, we had just purchased our first cottage. I decided we should own a boat that we could use to cruise Crystal Lake and possibly use for water skiing. An ad appeared in the local newspaper for a used “little red boat” (14 feet long) complete with trailer. It had a 60 hp Mercury outboard. $1400. Grasshopper No.3 went along to “look at it”. We bought it on the spot.

The boat was all fiberglass and did not have the flotation specifications in boats today. We found out later that the transom had been torn up (probably from the engine torquing the back of the boat when it hit bottom). The transom had been patched but it never was quite strong enough. The engine turned out to be worth the money. In hindsight, it probably was the perfect “starter boat”.

Which brings me to my “sunken” tale. We had the boat anchored to our pier and covered with a tarp. There was a severe thunderstorm in which the tarp blew off. Lapping water and rain filled the inside. The boat went to the bottom of Crystal Lake. Fortunately, the water along the pier was only 6-7 feet deep. The ropes holding the boat were still lashed to the pier. The motor was a black shadow beneath the water. I needed to get that boat out of the water. I needed to get the 60 hp engine out of the water. Who do I call? I called Grandpa George. Who else would I call? He knew how to fix things.

Grandpa George showed up with several long wood 2×4’s and a submersible water pump. We used the wood 2×4’s to pry the boat up (using the dock as a lever). Once the boat moved up several feet, the top of the boat was slightly out of the water. Grandpa put the pump into the boat and water began to pour out. Several hours later our boat was floating again and I was wiping key components of the engine. I reset the spark plug. Two pulls of the starter cord and the engine was running. All was right with the world.

There is a learning curve that goes with boats. We actually needed a year to do all the “stupid things” that go with ownership. The next year we upgraded to a classy Glastron ski boat that had a gold flecked hull. We actually transferred the 60 hp Mercury from the “little red boat”. It would skim over the water at over 50 mph. We were now seasoned veterans of lake country.

Good memories. Life!

Love,

Dad