Ace Wisdom

Thanksgiving is in two days. It kicks off the Holiday season. The major retail stores like Wal-mart, Target and Best Buy are advertising their “black Friday” deals. The problem is that stores open to their day of terrific deals earlier every year. This year Wal-mart will open at 8:00 PM on Thursday. I guess we will have to call it “black Thursday”? Or, “black Thanksgiving Day”. I sense a trend here. More emphasis on shopping. Less care about Thanksgiving.
Two Grandsons joined Grasshopper No.4 and myself at the Badger football game on Saturday. It was the second home game in a row that the Badgers lost in overtime. Grandson Tommy attended both losing games. There seems to be a trend here! Grandson Mitchell got his wish to attend “the” game of the year.
I understand Grandson Dominic was deer hunting on opening weekend. That has to be a thrill. There is a thing call “buck fever”. You don’t know until you come face to face with a deer whether you will stay calm or “freeze up” and become unable to pull the trigger. I’m pretty sure Dominic would stay calm (maybe not on the inside). I’m waiting for a picture of his first deer to be e-mailed to my internet website.
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Thanksgiving was a family gathering. It was food and family bonding. I remember that in Plymouth, a small town of 4000 people, the whole community shutdown. There was no Wal-mart to offer “black Friday”. There was no McDonalds for french fries and soda. Movie theaters were silent (to use a pun). Taverns, drugstores and grocery stores were all closed. Maybe, if you were lucky, there was one gas station in town that stayed open. For one day during the year, there was truly peace. It created a time to reflect on all one’s blessings.
From your Mom and myself, have a Happy Thanksgiving and may your blessings be bountiful. Hug someone!
Love,
Dad

Your Mom and I did the Christmas “thing” last night at the local Performing Arts Center. The musical was about the oversized “cotton-headed ninny muggin”. Off course I’m talking about “Elf”. If I’m lucky, the play won’t return for years, and years and years.
I grew up in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Wonder Bread was very popular and it was advertised to “build bodies” twelve ways. Nutritious and mmm-mmm good. Wonder Bread always had a very soft texture. In fact, if it got wet from a sandwich (ingredients like tomato, pickles and mayonaisse), the bread would literally fall apart. The kids in our family loved the soft texture (I don’t know why). Wonder Bread was also affordable (cheap). The parent company of Wonder Bread is Hostess Brands.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that Ho-Ho’s, Ding-Dongs, and Twinkies were all part of the same company as Wonder Bread. Every lunch my mother packed for school or summer jobs had Hostess products.
Hostess went under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection 11 months ago. The company has been managed by a court appointed judge until it can present a viable plan to emerge from bankruptcy. Part of the process meant negotiating new union contracts that allowed the company to be viable. The unions ignored the court order to continue to work and they imposed a company wide strike. As of today, Hostess is shutting the doors and the company as we’ve known it will be dissolved. I’m sure the union wasn’t the total cause of collapse and there reaches a point were the pay scale is so low that it doesn’t make economic sense. The closing of Hostess will put 18,300 more people on the street. I’m sure the consumer demand for nutritious foods had a major role. But hey, no more Ding-Dongs, Ho-Ho’s or Twinkies. No more soft Wonder Bread. Sad, sad, sad! My childhood is disappearing. Ah, but not the “Wonder”-ful memories.
This weekend has unbeaten Ohio State visiting Camp Randall and the Badger football team. Ohio State is unbeaten at 10-0. Maybe “upset city”?
The wonder of it all!
Love,
Dad

The recent hurricane that blasted the northeast brought out the best in people as neighbors helped neighbors.
First there was the “bagel” incident. A baker in New York wanted to help feed displaced people in shelters. He prepared large amounts of extra bagels but was not allowed to deliver them. It seems that “somebody” in New York deemed the bagels to be unhealthy (salt, fat, etc.). So hungry people were denied bagels for health reasons. Really?
And then there were the public service crews that traveled from the southwest to help restore power to all the residents of New York and New Jersey. They were told to go home because they were “non-union crews”. So as of this date (2-weeks), there are still thousands without power. I understand the union protecting the brotherhood, but come on. So some residents are still shivering in the cold.
Finally, with all the marvelous electronic communication we have these days including satelite, people were able to exchange lots of information during the crisis. Craig’s List connects willing buyers and willing sellers. There were sellers in the northeast that had pumps and portable electrical generators. They posted them on Craig’s list and in some cases asked for rather high prices. There were buyers that were willing to pay almost any price because their flooded basements or power outages were so dire. Nope, our government stepped in and denied the sales. There is some national law that kicks in after a disaster that prevents people from making more than 10% premium on items. I guess I can understand protecting poor people from predators but with Craig’s list we are talking “willing sellers” and willing buyers”. Is this a great country or what?
Somehow we keep losing our “common sense”. Let people do extra-ordinary things as they always do in a disaster.
Love,
Dad

Grandson Dominic played on the freshman high school football team this year. He trained in the “off season” and was in great shape for playing offensive guard and defensive tackle. I think he played almost every “down” during the 8 game season. They give out the “Golden Raider” award each year to somebody special in each class. The award is for work ethic, character and “team play”. This year’s freshman winner was none other than Dominic. Congratulations on achieving something very, very special. I understand the whole family had to pick their buttons off the floor after they popped off their shirts as the swelled up with pride. Damn! Hard work and dedication does pay off!
I am always very cognizant of Nov.10 each year. Maybe because it still seems like yesterday. Maybe because it changed my life forever. My Dad died on that date in 1957, 55 years ago. 55 years?
My friendly acquired local bank (M&I which was purchased by BMO) recently doubled my annual rate to rent a safe deposit box. They didn’t increase the rate 5%, or 10% or 20%. It was a 100% increase. I refused to pay it so we shopped around. Not only did we find another local bank with the same service but it costs 15% less than my old rate. Yep, good-bye M&I. I have said this before but whatever happened to friendly, community banks that wanted to be your partners and friends in your life?
As my favorite daughter in Minneapolis would exclaim “the f—ing mice are gone”. She pulls no punches with her frankness at least on her websites and blogs. We caught 5 mice and I suspect there is one more quivering in a corner (hiding) somewhere. I will get him too!
The weekend is supposed to be in the 60’s in (Wisconsin in Nov.). Enjoy!
Love,
Dad

On Halloween night I put “Jaws” on my DVD player (I got the DVD from Grasshopper No.1) and watched during “trick or treat” hours. Jaws is one of my favorite movies. The main character has large jaws and big teeth.
I couldn’t escape the comparison. On Halloween night tiny vampires, goblins and witches roam the neighborhood like sinister sharks. They in fact are “little jaws” and prey on unsuspecting households. Like sharks, the “trick or treaters” travel in packs and ravage large amounts of candy. My perfect revenge would be that the little darlings all get upset stomachs and rotten teeth.
We encountered over 60 “little jaws” all with paper bags, plastic pumpkins with straps and cloth bags. Some costumes were cute. Some did little to disguise they were simply out for the candy.
Like migrating large sharks, the little critters will be back next year looking for another handout. I will know them by their sheepish smiles and bad teeth.
We wonder why our children are obese!
We had lots of candy left over which I put in a plastic bag and threw in the garbage. The problem is that people in our household (yes, I’m guilty) have been known to go into the large garbage cannister outside and pull out the wrapped candy. As most of your know, we have had mice in the basement. As of this date, I’ve trapped 5 mice. I disposed of the mice in the same bag as the wrapped candy. It is the ultimate way to remove temptation to eat candy because it is protected by dead mice. Candy anyone?
Make me proud. Vote today!
Love,
Dad

First, a belated Happy Birthday to the father of my favorite son-in-law. The father lives in Wausau and just turned 90. A special family tribute was held.
Second, vote on Tuesday. It is your right. This is your country. Choose good people who share your values.
Lastly, “The Apple Jar”. Many, many years ago when I was in my “teen years”, our family was always struggling financially. Life was “pay day to pay day”. My mother had developed her own system of squirreling away cash for a rainy day. If she could save some cash, she would put it in a red apple shaped jar in the kitchen cupboard. I guess the idea was that nobody would ever suspect she had money hidden there. I remember needing cash for something special and she pulled the jar out of the cabinet and gave me a $20 bill. I asked her how much she has stashed in the jar, but all I got was a smile.
With all the devestation from hurricane Sandy, Easterners are flocking to ATM machines for cash. With no electricity, the ATM’s don’t work. Alas, no cash. When the electricity works, the ATM’s are running out of cash because everybody wants some. Again no cash.
Rejoice, if you can’t get cash from an ATM, you might use your credit card (or debit card). But if the electricity is out, credit cards don’t work. Even if your local store (a grocer for example) has electricity, the card has to be cleared through a central credit service in another location. There is the chance that the central credit service won’t have electricity to grant the needed approval. Again, no money available.
That brings me full circle. In an emergency, cash is king. My advice is to do what my mother did before there were ATM’s and credit cards. Create your own Apple Jar Stash for a rainy day. You never know when an emergency is headed your way.
It is amazing the wisdom of my Mom.
Love,
Dad

I know this guy that woke up early one morning and his alarm clock read 5:55 AM. He was sure this was a sign because it occurred on the 5th day of the 5th month of the year. He decided to go to the race track and bet on horse number 5 in the 5th race. The stars were aligned. He would be rich. His horse finished 5th.
The news services out of Green Bay this morning reported that a family of 6 had gone to New York last week on vacation. Hurricane Sandy prevented them from returning to Green Bay as scheduled Sunday morning. The good part is that their hotel said they could stay a few more days (I’m sure at outrageous rates). The bad news they were stuck in New York with massive flooding and no electricity for 2-3 days. Imagine being on the 50th floor and no electricity to run the elevators. Maybe hell on earth does exist.
The east coast hurricane might affect the Packers Super Bowl chances. Greg Jennings was supposed to get groin/stomach surgery today in Philadelphia. Recover is at least 3-4 weeks or longer. Jennings can’t get to Philly and even he did, all surgery has been postponed and as yet, not rescheduled. So Jennings can’t get his surgery. The Packers don’t have a deep pass threat. Potentially, the Pack could lose another game or two because of it and there you have it. No Super Bowl. Stupid scenerio? Laugh if you will.
The phenomenon of “Facebook” was an alternate source of help during the hurricane. 911 lines were overloaded because of emergency calls for help. People turned to Facebook and friends and pleaded for help getting their calls through. In some cases, friends actually answered the distress situations. Hmmmmm! Maybe social media does have some redeeming value.
Be thankful that your basements are dry and electricity is un-interrupted.
Love,
Dad