Ace Wisdom

The Great Gatsby opened this weekend in Minneapolis. Your Mom and I along with Grasshopper No.5 went to see the movie in 3-D. I recommend the 3-D version. It is the best presentation of three dimensional film I have seen. Gatsby remains mysterious, has more money than God, and dies in the end chasing the love of his life. Same story, different cast!
Tomorrow is Grandson Grants birthday. Happy birthday Grant. It is also his night to go to the Prom. At last notice, his Mom (Grasshopper No.2) was going to let him have the car over night and into the next day. How lucky can you get? Car, Prom, girls and out all night. As my Mother would always tell me, “high school and things like the Prom are the best days of your life”. Enjoy!
Sunday is Mother’s Day. It is never planned this way but it seems like the 3rd or 4th time that we have been with Grasshopper No.5 in Minneapolis on Mother’s Day. Go figure!
Grasshopper No.5 always carries her i-phone with her and she keeps texting and tweeting and twittering along with showing us favorite pictures. Isn’t there a law that prohibits texting while you eat. Somewhere she found a picture of herself that Grasshopper No.4 had put in a blog years ago. I think No.4 was trying to embarrass No.5 but it turns out to be kind of cute. Also on her phone was a picture of an Apple IIe computer which is the first computer our family ever owned. The IIe introduced our family to the electronic age. For me it was the start of electonic spread sheets but for Mom it was the ability to type letters, notes and recipes (and correct mistakes at the stroke of a finger). And of course the IIe had games. I think the first game was “Pong” but I remember “Sticky Bear Basket Bounce”. The simplistic games were long way from “Halo” and “Minecraft” but challenging never the less.
Happy Mother’s Day to all. May your day be special.
Love,
Dad

The Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree I got from Marquette University in 1963 “opened the door” to a lifetime of career choices. That was 50 years ago. I just received an invitation to the Marquette alumni banquet to celebrate with my friends. Fiends? What friends? I was busy starting a family, hustling for money and trying to get good grades. Getting “wasted” over the weekend at the college fraternity was not part of my universe.
The Marquette graduation was held at the “Arena” in downtown Milwaukee. It consisted of thousands of graduates strategically seated on the floor of the Arena with friends and family around the perimeter and in the balconies. The colors blue and gold (University colors) were everywhere.
I remember that your Mom attended (we had been married 3 years at that point) along with George and Lyla (Nana), my mother Alice and my younger brother Jack along with his new bride Mary Ann.
When I walked across the stage to graduate, I didn’t get a diploma. I received the leather “jacket” that is supposed to hold the official diploma. It was blank on the inside. The diploma is actually mailed to your home. I remember thinking that even though I had been recognized as a graduate at the ceremony, it wasn’t official until I got the degree in my grubby little hands. I think it took 2 weeks before the certificate arrived.
I was the first member of the family to get a college degree (4 year curriculum).
I was recruited by Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee and began working as a sales engineer immediately. Having a full time job with cash flow was a good thing.
I immediately returned to Marquette get a Masters of Business Administration degree. I had to go at night. I skipped some semesters because of travel. For a lot of reasons, I eventually completed my MBA at the University of Oshkosh with honors. It took 15 years to eventually get my Masters but this year marks the 35th anniversary of that event. The graduation ceremony was at the Kolf Center in Oshkosh. Family members attending were your Mom, George and Nana and I think my Mom. In addition I think all Grasshoppers were there except Grasshopper No.5. She was only 7 months old at the time.
I was the first in my family to get an “advanced” degree.
To finish off the “milestones”, this year marks 55 since graduating high school.
There you have it. Three numbers that might make a good bet on this weeks lotto ticket. 50 years. 35 years. 55 years.
It is interesting to note that your Mom has been there with me every step of the way.
Love,
Dad

My Mother always had little “pearls of wisdom” that she shared with her kids. You know, things like “always wear clean underwear because if you get into an car accident you wouldn’t want to be embarassed”. The “pearl of wisdom” that she used over and over was “money can’t buy happiness”. What else do you say when you are broke?
Apparently my Mother was wrong. A research group from a major university has studied the effect of money on happiness. Their findings are that “money can buy happiness”. Not only that but the more money you’ve got, the happier you become. So if you have $100,000, you might find some level of happiness. If you have $1 million, you become even happier. Get this! If you have $1 billion you will be even happier. Dah! If you have $1 billion, you could wake up on your own Carribean island. You could make a call to your personal pilot of your private jet and schedule breakfast the next day in Paris, France to dine at a sidewalk cafe. Then you could fly home in time for evening dinner. You can’t do that without money. Does it make you happier? You bet your a– it does.
It is pretty simple. The more money you make, the happier you will be. I wonder what my Mother would say now.
I have my new Weber grill glistening in the sun on my deck. There is a plump mother “morning dove” sitting on the stainless steel side tray. She has left her “white droppings” all over the stainless. On top of that I found one of her eggs nestled next to my grill. So I wonder what the message to me is. I have a bird who sh— all over my new grill and lays an egg on it. It is a good thing I don’t believe in omens.
Tomorrow the weather changes. Sunshine and dry weather all through next week. Enjoy.
Love,
Dad

Today marks Grandson Dominic’s 15th birthday. He continues his “year around” training for football. I think he can bench press 325 pounds. Whoa! I also think he can begin taking driver’s education courses. Happy Birthday, Dominic.
My Beemer is acting up. I know. I know. Awwwwwh! There is an auxilliary fan that helps cool the engine in extreme heat conditions. It sounds like a “hover craft” taking off. The fan turns on and off whenever it wants. Thermostats and electronic monitoring devices are great until they fail. Maybe I’ll trade the Beemer for a Honda CR-V like Grasshopper No.5 has. It has all wheel drive, good gas mileage and is trouble free. Dah!
The Green Bay Packers (of which I am a stockholder) has created a way for me to transfer ownership of my stock. So, when I decide to pass my one share of stock on to one of my heirs, it is a simple procedure to change the name on the stock certificate. I intend to pass the stock on to my “favorite” Grasshopper. It entitles a person to enter the exclusive group of losers who paid several hundred dollars for a piece of paper that can never be cashed.
Today is the last day of April. 76 degrees today. Things are getting better.
Enjoy the changes. Allegedly, the ‘season changes’ are why we live in Wisconsin. The only other explanation is that we are stupid.
Love,
Dad

My birthday came and went. It was memorable.
I had indicated to Mom and Grasshopper No.3 that I finally knew what I wanted for Chrismas (see, I was thinking ahead). Usually I am asked and I don’t know of anything special. I wanted a new outdoor grill. I wanted the old one hauled away and a new grill assembled and put in place.
Well Christmas came early. Late on my birth date, Grasshopper No.3 handed me an instruction book for a new grill. The old grill disappeared. A new grill replaced it. It has the name “Weber” on it. It is shiny. It has a gauge to measure the fullness of the LP tank. It has a temperature gauge in the bonnet. It has multiple burners. You get the idea. I hope it will do brats. Special thank you to Mom and Grasshoppers No.3, No.4, and No.5.
Not to be outdone, I got a “care” package from Grasshopper No.1 and my favorite son-in-law filled with root beer barrels, corn nuts and assorted nuts, nuts and more nuts. The goodies will have to be hidden from the rest of the world or they will disappear quickly.
Grasshopper No.2 left me with nutritious, flavored water filled with natural “stuff”. The effort is to ween me off of aspartame. Clever, clever, clever. Devious, but clever.
I am now able to grill my own food with new equipment, indulge in equisite candy and nuts and drink healthy beverages. Suddenly I have a craving for pizza and a nice cold beer.
I did get two birthday cards on the my birthday. One was from my banker who is trying to figure out how to get me to pay for more services. The second was from my HMO featuring Wally A Pollop. Wally is a character with a hat. Wally is shown popping out of a colon and the card suggests that I need to investigate getting a colonoscopy check. There you have it. Two cards. Two organizations both trying to screw me over.
Thank you for the remembering. The birthday was indeed different.
Love,
Dad

It was 1940. The end of April was approaching. The weather was cold and snow was in the forecast.
War clouds were hanging over Europe. Some a–hole name Hitler was trying to take over the world. People of the small town of Plymouth, Wisconsin knew that our country would eventually be drawn into war.
On one particular day, April 23, a young bride named Alice was very pregnant and temporarily living with her parents on Hein Street in Plymouth. Her husband was off chasing the dream of playing professional baseball in western Wisconsin. The Chicago Cubs had invited him to a tryout camp.
Alice’s parents lived a “short” block from the Plymouth hospital. In fact, the hospital was visible from the front window of their home. Contractions began in the afternoon of April 23 and delivery was eminent. Alice walked alone to the hospital, checked herself in and around 9:00 PM, her first child was born. It was a boy! I had arrived!
My mother had always wanted a little girl but I would have to do. I’m sure all the male figures of the family were happy. My Dad (Bucky), his Dad (Charles), his Dad’s Dad (Elmer) were estatic. They named me after my grandfathers. Charles from my Dad’s family and Ervin from my Mother’s family.
All I know is that I had very young parents. My mom was barely 18 and my Dad was approaching 20. They had dreams.
My earliest memories were of living at the City Club. I had two sets of parents. My Mother and Dad. Secondly, Myrna and Chalk (Charles) who owned the City Club. When my Dad was drafted into the war in 1944, Myrna and Chalk became more family than my own Mother and siblings.
Fast forward 73 years. There have been many twists and turns but I wouldn’t change a thing. There are lots of thoughts of what “might have been” if certain events had turned out differently but as my Mother always said “things always happen for a reason”.
So Happy Birthday to me. It is again cold in April and there are snow showers forecast. It has been a “fun ride”.
Love,
Dad

The birthday parade of family members born under the sign of Taurus begins Sunday. Grandson Collin has a birthday on Sunday (I think this number 21). That means he is officially an adult. The problem is he is on the island of Okinawa in the western Pacific and he won’t be celebrating with family. Happy Birthday Collin.
On Monday, nephew Mike in Sheboygan celebrates his birthday. Happy Birthday Mike.
On Tuesday, the greatest family birthday of all is celebrated. Happy Birthday to Me!
Grandson Grant has stopped here for a day or two as he and his mother tour some potential college campuses. Yesterday was UW-Milwaukee. He got to see the “Lion King” presentation at the PAC here in Appleton last night. Yep, the play ends the same. Baby Lion Cimba reclaims the throne of his dead father. Spectacular costumes.
Now about my brush with “Green”. At the “Lion King” performance, I sat next to a man with the last name of Green. His father, Harley was the official Green Bay Packer photographer in the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s. Harley has many pictures on display in the Packer Hall of Fame. His pictures were released to newspapers and used for things like player portraits on “football cards”. I let the son (58 years old) know that I am an owner of the Packers. He wasn’t impressed. The father has had season tickets for over 60 years and now the son uses them. Some day, three grandchildren will have to fight over two tickets. Alas, my chances for buying season tickets fades because nobody ever releases their rights.
So the world keeps turning. Stay warm.
Love,
Dad