Ace Wisdom

When I was a kid, my mom would buy canned Spam.  She would slice it into patties, fry it in a pan and serve it on a bread.  It tasted like a ham sandwich.  I liked it.  I guess you could call it “the poor man’s ham”.

The Carnival Cruise Ship that blew out it’s engine off the coast of Southern California lost all refrigeration and food spoiled very rapidly.  It took 3 days to push 4500 customers back to San Diego.  The Navy flew in Spam and Pop Tarts.  The news media makes that sound like bad thing.  I ask you, what is wrong with Spam.  The 3 days became the poor man’s festival.  Spam, Pop Tarts and all the liquor you could drink.  Sounds like Heaven to me.  Toilets not working is another story.

The Holiday season is approaching.  While it is a time to celebrate, it produces a lot of anxiety.  It causes people to get their undies in a bunch.  My advice?  Keep it simple, minimize spending and share “yourself”.  Beyond religious significance, people sharing time is what it is all about.

Minneapolis is under a snow storm watch this weekend.  The prediction is that they could experience 4-8 inches of snow.  That means that we soon will get the same “sh–!

The main components of Grasshopper No.1’s kitchen are completed.  I should have known because Menards and Kohler announced record earnings.  Must be nice.

If the UW Badgers win this weekend, they will have two remaining conference games.  They travel to Michigan on Nov.20.  If they could “get by” the Michigan game, they will be at home for the final game of year against Northwestern.  That would be for the Big 10 championship.  I would face the dilemma of using our tickets to endure potentially lousy weather to see a historic game or sell the tickets.  I guess I’ll have to see how it plays out.  There are a lot of “ifs” in the championship scenerio.

Stay warm,

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

I had a call from Grandson Collin last week.  He must be running out of airplanes to fix if he calls his Grandpa.  He told me that he was going to a big party this weekend to celebrate the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.  It starts on Friday night and I am not sure how long it lasts.  Probably all weekend.  Coincidently this morning I was exercising with my retired Marine Corp. buddy and he mentioned the official birth date of the Marine Corp. is Nov.10, 1775.  That is one year before the birth of out nation (1776).  That makes the Corp. 235 years old.  So now, Collin”s conversation about the “big” upcoming weekend has more meaning.  It sounds like trouble to me.

There are some things in life that you can’t make up.  Our U.S. Congress has hired “grief counselors” to help our departing losing legislators (and their staffs) deal with losing their jobs.  Give me a break.  Who counsels our neighbors when they lose their jobs?  Who counsels people who exhaust their 99 weeks of un-employment?  Who counsels families that lose their home?  Who is going to counsel me because I did not get a cost-of-living increase in my Social Security benefit?  Unbelieveable!

We are well into the month of November.  It has an indelible mark on my brain.  Tomorrow (Nov.10) marks 53 years since my Dad died.  Saturday, Nov.13, marks 52 years since my Grandma Helen died.  Nov.22 will mark the date your Mom and I moved to Appleton in 1985 (25 years ago).  It is the longest we’ve lived in one place.  Who would have guessed?  Next week will be 8 years that we have lived in our present home.

Under the category of “freaky”.  A contestant on the Wheel of Fortune gameshow had the chance to solve a “phrase” puzzle after one letter.  She picked an “L”.  The phrase was five words (“Got a feeling about it”).  After the contestant guessed the phrase, she was asked how she got the answer with such few clues.  Her answer was “I had a feeling about it”.

My snowblower works.  It has a new spark plug and fresh oil.  Bring on the white stuff!

Stay warm

Love,

Dad 

 

 

I was exercising this morning and a friend mentioned that they had just visited their doctor for a checkup.  The doctor commented that he liked to see his patients carry a little extra weight (not fat) because they seem to weather any minor illness better.  I asked the friend for the name of the doctor.  I am switching to someone who likes my carrying extra weight.  It was music to me ears.

I understand that the fate of the $1 billion high speed train from Milwaukee to Madison might get stopped.  It had a top speed of 71 mph (so much for high speed).  Europe has trains that approach 200 mph.  Cancellation of the “high speed train” is symbollic of fiscal restraint.  We don’t need a high speed train.  We don’t want it.  There are better ways to spend $1 billion.   More music to my ears.

Randy Moss, the tall rangy pass receiver that was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings because Brett Favre wanted a “deep pass threat”, is gone after 4 weeks.  It is an indication that the Vikings are beginning to “listen less” to Big Brett.  It was the right decision.  Moss is a negative influence where ever he goes.  His mouth is always flapping and nothing intelligent comes out.  It also means that Brett won’t be back.  He is losing his magic.  Awwww!  Music to my ears.

UW Badgers play Purdue Saturday.  They should win.

Packers play Sunday night at Lambeau against the Dallas.  This is a trick game.  Dallas is dangerous despite a 1-6 record.  A Packer win would be “music to my ears”.

Stay warm.

Love,

Dad

 

 

I got to vote this morning.  In 2008, which was a Presidential election year, I was number 41 at my voting location.  This year (at approximately the same time in the morning), I was number 121.  Without confessing my political affiliation, I have to admit that voting this morning gave me great satisfaction.  My goal this time around was to vote incumbents out (Republicans or Democrats).  Let them find jobs in this lousy economy.  Anything to get our government to stop spending our money.  And the next time around (2012), if the new guys keep spending our money, I’ll try to vote the new guys out..

I met a friend this morning and they noticed I had a “I Voted” tag on my red sweatshirt.  They observed that I had a red sweatshirt, blue slacks and white tennis shoes.  I was a billboard for the American way.  Yep, thats me!

I have to admit I felt bad for Brett Favre on Sunday.  He doesn’t know when to quit and this year, at age 41, health issues are beginning to mount.  He has two fractures in his ankle but he continues to hobble around.  He has tendonitis in is throwing elbow, but he makes some pretty good passes.  Now he has 10 stitches in his chin but he can still talk and call signals.  He is going to start for Minnesota on Sunday.  The next injury might be really serious as he pushes to show how tough he is.  I hope that doesn’t happen.  His ego is killing him.

I was in charge of our “trick or treat” effort on Sunday afternoon.  The number of ghosts, goblins was down a little from last year.  Because we are in the suburbs, I noticed that mini-vans would pull up at one end of the street, 6-7 darlings would pile out of the van and begin going house to house.  When they reached the end of the street, they jumped back into the mini-van and moved on to another street.  Pretty good system.

Today I am going to try to start my snowblower.  I notice that weather forecasts are beginning to include that four letter word, snow!

Don’t forget to reset you clocks this weekend.  Fall Back!

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

Vote next Tuesday.  It is your country.  It is your future.  It is your kid’s future.

Regardless of how the economy is doing, there is hope.  Grasshopper No.4 is driving a new (2008) Dodge Avenger.  Somebody spent the money.  Grasshopper No.1 (and favorite son-in-law) are putting in a new kitchen.  There are things like new doorways, new counters, new appliances, new floors, and new ceilings.  It must be nice.  That will hype the economy.

Grandson Collin is apparently heading for California to get training in “advanced hydraulics” as applied to aircraft.  Go Collin!

I have a friend John that I exercise with.  He is 82 years old.  He told me that when he retired, he was only 62 years.  Only 62?  He made it sound like a young pup.  Then I mentioned I turned 70.5 years of age this year and I had to make mandatory withdrawals from my 401k plan.  John indicated that because I was so young, I had to be careful to make sure it lasts my lifetime.  At 70.5 years of age, John thinks I’m young.  He did say when I get older like him (82), I’d find myself slowing down.  So there you have it!  I’m young and will transition to “getting older at 82”.

Now for some bigger perspective.  I watched “60 minutes” last week.  One segment was on the life in San Francisco in 1905, the year before the 1906 major earthquake and fire.  There was film footage of streetcars in the street and some old Model T Ford cars.  The statistic that struck me was in 1905 the average person died at age 47.  Now the average age to death is 80.  We have come a long way baby.

I am not really sure where I am in the journey of life.  I am already 23 years beyond the average age of people in 1905.  According to my friend John, I am still young.  I have 82 on my radar as a point where I will slow down (according to John).  Hmmmm?

The nasty wind is finally gone and the ghosts and goblins will ring our door bell late Sunday afternoon.  How could you not like the little darlings?  Maybe I could turn off the lights and make believe we are not home.

Stay warm,

Love,

Dad 

 

There was a hit song by The Big Bopper years ago called “Chantilly Lace”.  The song began with the Bopper receiving a phone call and telling his date what he liked; “Chantilly lace and a pretty face and a pony tail hanging down… oh baby you know what I like”.  That is your Mom.  Chantilly Lace, a pretty face and hair cutely styled.

Mom is back to her sassy ways.  She is surfing websites of different dating services looking for a younger man.  I guess I look to old for her these days.

My football TV marathon over the weekend was exciting.  The UW Badgers eeked out a one point victory over Iowa to keep the season “alive”.  The Packers survived Favres valiant attempt to pull out a Viking victory.  I think you have seen the last of Favre at Lambeau.  So I guided the Packers to a 4 point victory.  Rumor has it that Grasshopper No.4 and Dominic won their last game on “championship Saturday”.  Congrats!  I guess I couldn’t have written a better football script for the weekend.

The forecast for the next couple of days is ugly.  High winds, rains, potential power outages.  The good news is that it isn’t snow.  Tie down the dog.

Just a note on my M&I bank saga.  I had received notice that my checking account would be charged $25 per month if I didn’t carry a $5,000 daily balance.  I called the bank and was told that because I did various banking services through them, I was consided a preferred private customer.  They valued my business.  My checking account would continue to be free.  Now I know what it feels like to be a “big cheese”.

Stay dry.

Love,

Dad

First I have acknowledge the “spirit” that controls my blog.  She lives in Minneapolis.  She is the “period at the end of the sentence” marking the end of our immediate family.  Grasshopper No.1 opened the family saga in 1960 and the birth of Grasshopper No.5 ended it.  Grasshopper No.5 had a birthday yesterday.  I told her she now is one third the age Nana was when she passed away.  No.5 has two thirds of her life in front of her.  I will not give her age but 1977 is memorable.  Happy Birthday No.5.

I finally have a weekend where I can “vegetate on the couch”.  We have been going to UW Badger games or traveling throughout Minnesota on recent weekends.  The highlight will be when the Favre Circus invades Lambeau on Sunday night.  No phone calls please.

Now “follow the clues”.  My local M&I Bank sent me a notice of new fees covering checking accounts.  It seems that unless I carry $5,000 minimum balance in my checking account, I will incur a $25 per month administrative fee.  My quick math says that suddenly I need $300 per year to write checks.  Well, I’ve got a news alert!  It ain’t going to happen.  Our credit union has a pretty good deal.  So clue number one is my checking account rates are going up suggesting M&I is having trouble making money through traditional ways.

Clue No.2 is that M&I reported losing only $128 million last quarter.  Relax.  That is better than the $256 million loss from the same period last year.  Hmmmm!  The bank is losing money because of bad management and I incur new fees.  This isn’t rocket science folks.

Clue No.3 is that Chairman of the Board of M&I is retiring suddenly but will remain on the Board.  That is another way to move an ineffective leader out of the way.  There is tension in the executive ranks.  So the Chairman will retire, get his big retirement package and my checking account fees are going up.  Yep, there is definitely a connection.

Clue No.4 is that a recent press release acknowledges that M&I expanded outside it’s sphere of comfort by buying banks in Florida and Arizona.  Guess where the biggest exposure to losses due to poor real estate investments exist.  By golly, it happens to be Florida and Arizona.  So the “brain trust” in the executive row positioned the Bank for big losses.  Do you think those decisions affected my checking account?

M&I Bank isn’t the only financial institution struggling to return to profitability.  I just don’t think they should “stick it to the little guy” (that is me).  The lesson Grasshoppers is to stay vilgilant concerning charges associated with your banks, credit unions and credit card companies.  They are planning to get deeper into your pockets.

Love,

Dad