Ace Wisdom

When you hosted the dinner at St.Anna for our 50th anniversary, your Mom indicated that I had given her jewelry symbolic of the occasion.  She had chosen to have a custom designed pendant made.  The 50th is the “golden” anniversary.

Grasshopper No.2 introduced Mom to a lady in Madison that does custom design of jewelry.  You can “pick and choose” pieces of jewelry that match a sentimental desire.  The pieces selected can be assembled in some very creative ways.

Your Mom chose to take the single diamond that she has worn around her neck for 25 years and have it integrated into a white gold setting.  In addition, the gold setting would have one small birthstone representative of each child in our family.  During the design of the pendant, the different colored birth stones presented a “very busy” effect.  Too many colors mounted close together.  The final decision was to have 5 small diamonds mounted in a setting around Mom’s original diamond creating a stunning effect.  Your Mom picked up the unique design pendant last week.

So every time your Mom goes somewhere, you are there.  You are a stone around her neck.  There are five sparkling stones.  It is befitting that the pendant be attractive and yet have the sentimental qualities symbolic of 50 years of marriage.

You can always prove you are a member of the family.  One of the five stones on the pendant represents you.  How special is that?

The 4th of July weekend approaches.  No rain.  Hot!  Enjoy the Summer.

Love,

Dad

Today is Grasshopper No.4’s birthday.  He is “umtieight years old”.  It coincides with Anne Furst’s birthday who was his babysitter back in Sheboygan.   Anne is more than umtieight years old.

Today is Grandson Nevin’s birthday.

A sincere Happy Birthday to all.

Grasshopper No.1 and Grasshopper No.5 chipped in to buy your Mom an electronic birthday gift.  It arrived magically by UPS and it is intended to revolutionize the way your Mom records and stores television programs.  The VHS/DVR recording device allows transferring old VHS tapes to the new DVD format.  Of course you can directly record programs on DVDs.  My calculation says three machines we have hooked to our TV downstairs get replace by one new unit.  That means having to learn a completely new system.  Boogada, boogada!  Mature people don’t like having to let go of systems that work and go to “new” systems.  It should be interesting.

Grandson Tommy is playing Summer baseball.  This week the teams are going to do “real pitching”.  Up to now all the parents have done the pitching.  Look out Nolan Ryan.

The economy rebounding is dependent on our country’s ability to create new jobs.  Obama and the boys have decreed that our country will build no more coal plants.  If a coal plant is built it is at risk of being taxed for high carbon emissions.  Today, Bucyrus Erie in Milwaukee has been awarded a huge billion dollar contract to supply equipment to help build a coal plant in India (half way around the world), not the U.S..   Bucyrus needs a temporary loan from our “Export Bank” to provide funds until equipment can be built and shipped.  Bucyrus Erie has been turned down by the Washington “establishment” for an Export Bank loan because it is bad for the world “green” movement.  It means 300 Bucyrus Erie employees will probably lose their jobs.  Do we have a great jobs program or what?  What am I missing?

I see that France made one of fastest exits from the World Cup soccer competition ever.  They had a good team but couldn’t score and they couldn’t agree with each other.  What else is new?

Love,

Dad

 

Mom’s brother (Uncle Bob) is back in the hospital.  Apparently they are concerned about the build-up of scar tissue from his recent operation.  Scar tissue can form and create blockages within the colon.  Hopefully the problem is solved quickly.

Grandson Collin is on schedule to graduate from Marine basic training July 9.  He has lost 30 pounds over the last 10 weeks and looks handsome in his “dress blues.  There are lots of people applauding Collin’s accomplishment.  Did I mention proud!

My Dad has one sibling, my Uncle Bob.  He spent over 30 years flying commercial aircraft for TransWorld Airlines.  The career was an “out growth” of his military flying career during World War II.  He retired flying 747’s.  Bob and his family have lived in Sarasota, Florida for over 40 years.  His oldest son, Scott has lived in Florida near the family most of those years and youngest son, Rick presently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.  Grasshopper No.2 and Rick know each other very well and they frequent the same health club.  Recent e-mails from Bob’s wife Helene indicate that the whole family is picking up and moving back to Wisconsin (probably Madison) to be near Rick.  Some of the move has to do with failing health issues and the desire to be near “family”.  A looming black cloud on Bob and Helene’s radar is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Sarasota (their home town) is on the gulf coast.  There is a major fear that a hurricane could blast oil into the community and create a major environmental disaster.  I don’t think that would improve property values.

A final note.  Grasshopper No.3 and I joined a small investment club 6-7 years ago.  It was an “investment partnership”.  It went the way of most investment clubs.  Members lose interest and inevitably some members would like to cash in and get their investments to do other things.  The “club” dissolved last week.  In a way I am sad to see it go.  It was a great group of guys and everybody learned a lot about the economy and stocks.  I guess it is a microcosm of life.  Things change.

Now that Summer has arrived, enjoy it while you can.  Country USA in Oshkosh.  Summerfest in Milwaukee.  The Brewers are in town.  Picnics everywhere.

Love,

Dad

 

 

Early this year our democratically controlled Congress voted for a new healthcare plan aimed at providing better care for all Americans even though it cost $1 trillion (that is with a “t”).  To offset the tremendous cost, the program had projected savings.  More generic drugs would get used.  Corruption would get squeezed out of the system.  Better pricing for medical services would be implemented.  You get the idea!  Yada, yada, yada.

The AARP (American Association of Retired People) pushed the new healthplan because they are a democractic lobby group.  “Old” people were led to believe that the plan was a good thing.

This month (June, 2010), Medicare has implement a 21% across the board reduction in payments to doctors and medical specialists.  Most doctors already hate Medicare because the reimbursements are low and the paperwork is unbelievable.  Ask Grasshopper No.1 sometime about Medicare reimbursements.  Her eyecare company won’t accept Medicare.

With the new 21% reduction in Medicare services, more doctors are already threatening to drop patients.

Guess what?  Tomorrow I have one of my routine doctor visits and I get to present my Medicare coverage card.  The first hurdle is “will he accept my insurance”?  If my doctor continues to treat me, “what kind of care will I get”?  What happens to my Medicare Supplement Insurance that I carry in addition to Medicare?  So tomorrow a routine doctor visit turns in to a financial “crap shoot”.  Talk about anxiety.  My blood pressure will be sky high.

That is not the end of this medical odyssey.  The U.S.Senate has passed an emergency bill delaying the implementation of the 21% Medicare discount.  Whoa.  There go some of the savings of the original bill.  But wait, the House of Representatives has to pass it’s version of delaying the 21% discount.  Then Obama who promised big savings with a new healthcare plan has to reverse course.  Hmmmm!

Where does that leave me?  I have a doctor visit tomorrow and nobody knows what the hell is going on (including me).  I can’t wait until November to vote for the same politicians that gave us the great improved healthcare plan.

Love,

Dad

 

As I write this blog, I am watching and listening to the United States versus Slovenia in a World Cup Soccer match in South Africa.  The droning sound in my ear is the obnoxious plastic vuvuzela horns that some assh— invented and that is blown incessantly thoughout the match.  The vuvuzela sells for $8 and the soccer stadium holds 80,000 people.  My rough calculation says that somebody collected $640,000 for one match.  Estimates are that millions of fans could visit the month long soccer contest.  Suddenly you are talking big money.

Just a note on the French soccer team.  They tied their first match 0-0.  The French then lost to Mexico 2-0 in the second encounter.  Isn’t it just like a Frenchman.  He doesn’t know how to score.

I attended brother Jack’s funeral services yesterday.  It was a nice tribute considering Jack didn’t want anything.  Thank goodness his daughter Jackie talked him into a “simple” service.  A special thanks goes out to Jackie for organizing the special occasion on such short notice.  Jack’s son Jerry hosted a fryout after the service and lots of stories were shared.  I’m sure the horns of Heaven blew for Jack.  He is probably looking down with a smile.

Your Mom’s birthday is on Sunday.  She reaches a milestone but it is just one more day to celebrate on her way to forever.  As long as we are blowing horns and playing vuvuzelas, I think the band should strike up a tune for her preferably a “quick step”.  My wishes for a very Happy Birthday for a special lady!

Mom’s birthday and Father’s Day have always been very close on the calendar.  Sunday, is also Fathers Day.  So in reality, Fathers Day doesn’t exist.  It is kind of like Grasshopper No.2’s birthday on the 30th of December.  It doesn’t get celebrated properly because it is in close proximity to Christmas.  I wonder if they make a horn that sounds like cupping your hand under your armpit and squeezing real hard and fast.  Maybe Grasshopper No.2 and I should have our own special celebration.

My advice is you need to blow your own horn and tell the world to get out of your way.  Nobody else will do it for you.

Love,

Dad

 

My brother Jack died yesterday.

He was part of the “fabric” of my life.  He was 3 years younger and when we were growing up, it seems like he was always present.

Jack was a large baby.  I don’t recall the exact weight but I think he weighed between 11-12 pounds.  9 pounds was normal kid and 3 pounds was “stubborn”.  The stubborn was blaimed on my mother’s side of the family, the Stillers.  Jack always “pushed back” against authority.  If you said black, he said white.

My Dad lived his dream of becoming a major league baseball player through Jack.  To succeed in sports, you need to have a little bit of “nasty” in your personality.  Jack was able to demonstrate that fine edge of athletic superiority.  At an early age, Jack got a new catchers baseball mit.  He had a solid physical build and he was strong.  The magic route to the major leagues was through “catching”.  My Dad coached Jack’s teams.  He made sure Jack got as many baseball opportunties as possible.  I remember one game when Jack was 11-12 years of age.  Jack came to bat 3 times and hit 3 home runs.  For the entire Pee-Wee league season, Jack batted .750 meaning he got 3 hits every 4 times he came to bat.  That falls into the “wow” category.

My Dad always liked Jack’s sassy personality.  What Dad wouldn’t like to coach a kid with lots of promise?  Then my Dad died.  Jack was 14.  The one person that could manage Jack’s energy was now gone.  Jack had no authority figure to “push back” against.

Jack’s life changed after my Dad died.  He was constantly getting in trouble.  My mother couldn’t manage him and eventually she signed to get him into the Navy.  The Navy was the one new force in his life that he respected and he earned an honor guard assignment.  Wouldn’t you know that a cyst on his thigh bone would force him out of the service after only 3 years.  Here go went again.  No authority figure to “push back” against.

I guess the good Lord was watching Jack because Mary Ann entered his life.  She was as strong a “force” as Jack and was probably one of the few people that could play a major role in his life.  If Jack got “pushy”, Mary Ann pushed right back.  When Mary Ann passed away several years ago, Jack again had no person to “push back” against.

Jack’s early life held tremendous promise.  He was smart in school.  He was one hell of an athlete.  He had a Dad who wanted to cultivate his talents.  I guess in hind-sight, you could say that my Dad’s passing affected Jack the most.

Jack can stop fighting and “pushing back” now.  He is in a better place.  My prayer is that he finally found peace.

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

 

by Kelly C. Andrews
Chuck and Shelby met each other while attending Plymouth High
It wasn’t long they fell in love; their passion, it was high
On April second, 1960, finally they were wed
Initially in Milwaukee to Allis Chalmers Chuck was led
Deborah, Kelly, then Christopher – they quickly added to their lair
And settled in Sheboygan in their first home on St. Clair
Chuck climbed the corporate ladder to a Vollrath executive
And drove a green Camaro as a station wagon alternative
Shelby discovered Shaklee, taking vitamins was the rule
Biodegradable cleaning products and skin care “au natural”
When baby Paul arrived, one bathroom was not enough
A bigger home on North 6th Street had all the perfect stuff
Three teens and all their challenges, the youngest 5 years old
Along came little Margaret, a moonbeam to the household
Crystal Lake soon became a playground for everyone
With cottage, boats and lazy days, summers were lots of fun
Art Faire offered Chuck a job, so to Appleton they did roam
Shelby worked at Klusendorf and Greenfield Street was home
Surprisingly, soon thereafter, no one guessed Chuck would
Shift from pots and pans, then paper, to cookies at Rippin’ Good
The cars got more extravagant, from Chevy’s to Volvo and Saab
A few practical Toyotas, now a Beemer does the job
Alone again, kids moved on, most couples would downsize
But no, these two upgraded to their home on Wedgewood Dr
Shelby has a personal trainer; Chuck walks the mall each morn
Exercise and eating right has become the lifestyle norm
Five kids and eight grandkids later, describes the Andrews clan
Happy 50th anniversary, Mom & Dad, with all our love
Your Fam – April 2, 2010