The Best Gift of All

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to everyone.

Christmas has passed for another year, and I was thinking about all the gifts both given and received over the years.  All the toys and clothes and books.  All of the electronic things from cassette players to camera to computers and tvs.  Dolls and legos and trucks and "things for the house".  The silly stuff you don't need, and the things you hold near and dear.  All the boxes and paper and bows.  There are many wonderful gifts from throughout the years, but I think I have finally realized the best gift of all.

I have decided that the best Christmas gift that I ever gift is just spending time with friends and relatives.  I look back through my life and the things I remember probably more than the shopping and the gifts are the times spent with the relatives.  Going to my aunt's or grandparents house when I was a kid.  Having people over to the Misses and my place after we got married.  I think I have finally realized that the getting together with people is much better than stuff.

I wish that I would have learned this sooner, because as we get older, we lose people.  Parents, aunt and uncles, friends move on or pass away.  It is always sad when those we love are no longer with us, and it always seems rougher around the holidays.  You know, once they're gone, they are gone. 

So I try to spend as much time as I can with he family as I can.  The kids are home from school so that is nice (who knows how much longer that will happen!), and grammas in from Florida (a great sacrifice for her during this time of the year).  We don't really do too much, but just being together is nice.

Looking back I should have spent more time with the people and been less concerned with the stuff.  In the hurry up right now get it done world we live in, I find that I would prefer just to spend my time with my family and friends.  You just never know when the chance will come up again.

I'm Back....

I am back.  Reenergized, revitalized, rejuvenated.  So what's on my mind today.......

Recently I've been reading about these walls and blackboards popping up letting people kind of list or write what they would like to do before they die.  Since I guess I'm heading into the fourth quarter of life here (if I'm not there already!), I decided to think about what I'd like to do before the end comes....

As I think I've stated before, I do like to travel.  And I really have no desire to leave the country, although the Misses may have something to say about that.  The family and I have been all over the country, but there are still a few places I'd like to see.  I would like to see New York City.  Think it would be interesting.  I'd like to see the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  I like museums and historic stuff, so I'd like to spend weeks at the Smithsonian in DC.  Think it would be very interesting.  I'd like to see a glacier before its too late.  I have really enjoyed the southwest US and would like to go back sometime.  And it would be real nice to get back to the northwest one more time.

I'd like to get to retirement so I can do absolutely nothing if I feel like it.  Read a book, walk in the woods, go for a swim, whatever.  Sometimes I just like to sit and watch the world go by.  Wouldn't mind just having some time to just sit.  Everything goes right were looking at six years, two months, three weeks and two days.....not that I'm counting or anything.....

Finally, I'd like to be around long enough to see the kids get graduated from college and kind of get settled into their lives, whatever that may be.  Don't know exactly what the future will hold for them, but I would like to at least see them settled in and started down the roads of their lives.

So that's about it.  Don't really need anymore stuff.  And if I'm not able to do any of this stuff, well I've been awful lucky and blessed as it is.  Can't wait to find out what the future holds.......

Random Rumblings of a Middle Aged White Guy: That's Home......

Random Rumblings of a Middle Aged White Guy: That's Home......: I was thinking recently that I have lived nearly my entire life within about 20 minutes of the same place.  Although I was born in the state...

That's Home......

I was thinking recently that I have lived nearly my entire life within about 20 minutes of the same place.  Although I was born in the state of Washington, I have always lived here in the Milwaukee area, and for a good portion of it no more than 10 minutes from one place to the next.  So I decided to take a little trip down memory lane.....

This is 2115 S. 68th street in West Allis.  Mom says I lived here.  I have no memory of the place.  None.

My first memories of my entire life are from here, 3270 S.98th Street, in Milwaukee.  This is where I had my growin' up years.  We had great neighbors--Tony and Isabelle, The Bauers, the Thomasers, all my childhood friends, like Henry and Barry and David.  My grandparents lived about 10 minutes away.  I walked to grade school, rode my bike all over town.  It was a great place and time to live in this neighborhood.  Everyone seemed to watch out for everyone.  I lived here until about 1973, when I was in 7th grade, and we moved to....




 
 




7000 W Plainfield, in Greenfield.   It's hard moving when you're in your middle school/high school years, and I was no different.  But we made new friends like the Champagnes and the Wehrs and things weren't bad.  So this is where I spent my high school days and was the mailing address of record when I was away to college in Oshkosh.  I also lived here after graduation for awhile.  This is about 10 or 12 minutes from the house on 98th.  Must have lived here until '84, when I moved about 5 minutes away to....

 

3660 W. Loomis.  Don't remember too much about this place except that I could walk to the golf course for a little pitch and putt, and that it was close to the freeway.  Never knew any of the other tenants there.  I was on the second floor.  First and only time I ever lived alone.  Oh, and I got engaged...which led to.....

The first placed I lived with the Misses.  American Colony (this is the back door, the one we used most of the time). Not even 5 minutes from my place on Loomis.    Big apartment complex, 2 bedroom and 2 bathrooms.  It had a big pool.  I was in it once I think  Not a bad place to start out, but after a year they wanted to raise the rent.  Didn't sit well with us, so for the first time in my memory I moved north of Oklahoma to....

1631 N. 57th Street.  We had the lower, with the landlords--the Coopers---living upstairs.  That is, when they were around, which really wasn't that often.  The Jahn's were the neighbors to the south, and they were great.  We enjoyed living there, were close to things, it was a nice situation.  This is where the Misses and I really started getting on our feet.  So much so, that it was time to buy our own place.  Since Cath was teaching in Milwaukee, we had to live ....so back to the south side and our first house, at

2911 S. 45th street.  This was a real nice starter home for us.  I was basically back in my "neighborhood".  It was easy to get to places.  We put a lot of work into the place, and I truly enjoyed our time there.  My children were born here.  We didn't really know a lot of the neighbors--except for George and Isabelle (again!) and the Ciganceks, but everyone was friendly. Soon Cath had left MPS, and although the kids were less than 2 yrs old, we were already thinking about their schooling.  I really didn't want to be moving them once they started school, so we decided to start looking for a different place.  One day in the mail came 3 different ads from realtors, so after one told us the price she could get for our place, I told her if she could get that for this house to sell it.  Thee days later it was gone.  After a lot of looking and a couple of months of our buyers not being able to sell their place, we got lucky and moved to....

...Rolling Ridge in Menomonee Falls.  When I think of all the places we looked and all the places we could have ended up I am amazed this is where we landed.  It was a brand new subdivision with lots of young families, plenty of kids to play with and neighbors to hang out with.  The schools were great for the kids in every way.  It's typical suburban living, and I feel fortunate to have had it.  The neighborhood has started to change over again, and we are seeing a lot of kids around here again.  Kind of makes me nostalgic.  I've been here almost twenty years now, the longest I've ever been in one house.

 

So these have been "my home".  I have really been very lucky to have nice, safe places to live.  I have memories from most all of them, some better than others.  I said when I moved into the present place  that I'd be moving out feet first.  When the kids went off to college, I told the Misses we had to "lighten the load" for our next move.  Is there going to be another?  You never can tell.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things I'm Missin'

Was thinking about things that have changed over my 50 some odd years here....

I miss Popeye and Road Runner cartoons.  Somebody must have decided they are too violent.  A lot of the old cartoons are gone.  Guess they weren't politically correct.

I miss pre free agent baseball.  Andy Messerschmidt and Dave McNally are not friends of mine.  Players stayed pretty much with the same team their entire career if they were any good.  Al Kaline was a Tiger.  Willie Mays was a Giant.  Mickey Mantle was a Yankee.  You knew who was playing on every team.  Owners got rich.  Players still made more money than most everyone else.  Games were more affordable for folks to attend.  Things were simpler......

I miss the days before the proliferation of cell phones.  Who the hell are we talking to all the time?  What is so important?  What did we do before we had them?  We can carry around the knowledge of the world in our pockets.  We IM and text and snapchat and what not.  Not near as much face to face conversations as there used to be, I notice....

I miss the little mom and pop stores and restaurants and what not.  Economy of scale I suppose.  Trying to be everything to everyone, make more money for the shareholders.  The big got bigger, the little went away.  Oh well...

I miss Michelob Classic Dark.  Really enjoyed that.

I miss my grandparents.  Never really knew them on my mom's side, but I miss them from my dad's side.  Gramma's baked potatoes, quarter for a lost tooth, playing cards, all kinds of good memories.  Miss them.

I miss all the friends that have come and gone over the years.  People from childhood and college and old neighbors and the workplace who have passed through my life.  Once in awhile they show up again.  Suppose I could make an effort to track them down, probably should. We'll see.....

I miss my Dad.

I miss my kids from when they were kids.  Boy I had some fun.  I got to be a kid again.  What a wonderful time I had.  Now I get to miss them when they are gone. 

There are plenty of other things that I miss, but time moves on.  There is also plenty that I don't miss, so I suppose things have a way of evening out.  Enjoy the people and things you enjoy while you can, because you never know when they will be gone.....

This and That

A few things on my mind....

Shame to see those wild fires out in Yosemite.  I have been there on a family vacation, and the place truly is a sight to be seen.  I remember the family heading  out early one morning for a daylong hike to see the Giant Sequoias.  They are majestic.  Hope they are able to get the fires put out without too much more damage.

The Harley's are coming....or are already here!  It's the 110th birthday party, and they are rolling out the red carpet here in southeastern Wisconsin.  There are highway signs pointing out different attractions, big doings on the Summerfest grounds, and the city is spending time and resources cleaning up the Third Ward--sweeping streets, fixing roads, picking garbage.  Seems to me they should be doing this all the time.  Some folks are unhappy with the distractions and inconveniences, but I look at the economic impact and am glad to have the visitors.  And they'll be gone in a week anyways.

It's back to school time. Every years the kids go back to schools and the Misses goes back to work.  I watch the neighborhood population decrease as kids head off to college.  I know there are many folks who look forward to having their kids back to school, but it's always kind of a sad time for me. Not only is summertime just about done, but it always means the kids are getting older.  I have always liked having my kids around, and I miss them when they are not here. Time marches on.

Of course, this means the NFL season is upon us, and that means Packer football around here.  And for many, if not most, fantasy football as well.  I've played for years, either having a team of my own, or sharing a team with a neighbor.  This year, I am out!  I did this a few years ago before being drawn back in, and am looking forward to not worrying about a yard here or an extra point there or who the third string tight end for the Browns is.  I won't worry about lineups when I'm out of town, and won't be concerned about some guy from Tampa Bays knee injury.  I will probably miss it dearly.

Finally, we have come to the end of an era.  The Misses and I have decided there will be no Chuckapalooza this year.  We've been having our little get together for 20 years, but have decided to take a break.  We need to get the darling daughter back to college, and the getting ready  has become more of an effort than I care to put up with.  We have had more fun over the years than I can put into words.  Gone through hundreds of brats and burgers, pounds of slaw and spuds, and many of gallons of beer.  It has been great having neighbors and friends and relatives over, and the memories I will cherish forever.  But doing it every year has finally become a chore, and when it becomes work then that's enough. I am pretty sure that this is not the last Chuckapalooza though. After all, we have a bunch of new neighbors who have never had the chance to experience this great event, and I am sure old friends will miss it as well.  So, make your plans now for 2014, we'll see you here on the Sunday before Labor Day,,,,,sooner as well I hope!

One Last Ride

In a couple of hours the Misses and I will pile into the car and take our little boy to St. Louis for his final year of college.  It doesn't seem that this is possible.  It isn't that long ago that he was being Elmo for Halloween,  learning to ride his bicycle, or starting kindergarten, or being a cub scout, or finishing middle school, or learning to drive, or graduating high school.  It can't be three years ago that we first moved him into Greis, with that kid who's name I have no idea what is.  There is absolutely no way that he will soon be finishing college, can he?

It really is amazing to me how fast these years have passed.  I still really have no idea how Stewart choose SLU.  We looked at a number of state schools, some smaller schools out of state, and some big public universities.  St. Louis has really been a great fit for Stew.  He has some wonderful (and interesting) friends and classmates.  He has done very well in the classroom, and has traveled all over the place running track.  Don't see how things could have worked out any better anywhere else.

Stew is ready to go back.  His friends are in St. Louis for the most part now.  For all I know, so is his future.  I dearly miss him when he isn't here, but have finally come to peace with it.  I have decided that I shouldn't be sad that he is gone, instead being happy that I had the eighteen or so years with him here all the time.  There is no way that I would have experienced all that I have if Stew and his sister hadn't come along.   It has been a pleasure.  I am excited for him and his future, and look forward to seeing where things lead him.   I wish him all good luck, because he will need it.  I am damn proud to be his father, and he has made it easy.  Thanks for everything son, thanks.