wowzers.....four days in the hospital...not fun, but the drugs were good

Saturday last I slipped...and went...boom....to the tune of a punctured lung.  Five days, four nights.  Not funl  I guess it was bad enough when the nurse asks you in the morning... "Coffee" Jueice"  Morphine?


gonna be off the pages for awhile...... y'all have fun.

Johnson Shrugs....

Well golly gees&Stuff..... our Senator from Wisconsin....is trying to make political gain from the Benghazi thingee, which, truth be told, was very tragic and must be addressed, but good old Ron Johnson was more intent on attacking Hilary Clinton and, through inference, the Obama administration.

OK....so after Hilary rather told him his questions were shallow, that he didn't understand what he was asking and really didn't have a grasp of foreign affairs (my take on it, see), Johnson gives an interview with USA Today in which he says,

"To answer Secretary Clinton, it does make a difference. It matters enormously for the American public to know whether or not their president and members of his administration are on top of a crisis and telling them the truth."

TELLING  THEM THE TRUTH ?   Now, that is what Ron Johnson has carefully avoided.  Not that there is scandal, or evil doings or any such....there isn't, but the real deal is Ron Johnson has, for the last three years let others pass HIM OFF as
someone he isn't.

He has let others, at introductions at political rallies and speeches describe him as an entrepreneur, a successful businessman who built a business from scratch and all sorts of similar blather.  He never corrected them.  The truth is .... Ron Johnson married into money and his father-in-law gave him a cuchy job in a business his father-in-law started.  None of that is a big deal.  Nothing illegal, but it is all common knowledge.  Ron is from my home town.  Everyone knows this stuff.  Ain't no deal.

Ron's Father-in-law, Harold Curler, started a company called Curwood in about 1958.  Plastics and packaging.  It would evolve into what is now Bemis Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.  Ron was fortunate to marry his daughter.  In 1979 Ron, at age 24, had failed to complete his MBA at the University of MN, so he moved with his bride to Oshkosh Wis to work for a company the Curler family had founded in 1977 in New London, Wi and moved to Oshkosh in 1979.  The company was renamed, PACUR, named for Harold's son, Pat Curler.  Ron was put on board to be an accountant.



"The company, formerly known as Wisconsin Industrial Shipping Supply, was founded by the Curler family in 1977 in New London to produce shipping pallets. A Feb. 16, 1986, (Oshkosh Daily)Northwestern company profile indicates the city of Oshkosh and its industrial-development arm, Chamco Inc., lured the company to Oshkosh in 1979 by securing a $75,000 federal grant to build a rail spur and by providing assistance with construction of a 20,000-square-foot factory in the North Industrial Park."

 Now, Ron was 24 at the time....had washed out of grad school and, as other bio info likes to state, moved to Wisconsin with about $7,000 dollars.  Not much to put into a 20,000 foot facility, even by 1979 standards.  Now, there is nothing wrong, or smarmy about working for your father-in-laws company.  Harold also took care of his other sons and son-in-laws the same way.  There is truly nothing wrong with that.  And Johnson may have worked hard and diligently to make that company succeed, but there is something a little discomforting in allowing, as what happened during his Senatorial campaign to allow GOP State Rep. Mike Huebsch introduced Johnson as someone that “built a successful manufacturing company from scratch.”, or to allow others to hail him as some grass roots industrialist.  That he doesn't acknowledge is start in business, is well, just a little less than honest.,
To imply that a woman with a law degree, who has served as well as any. and better than some, as Secretary of State of the United States as less than honest because of a choice of words smacks of a sense of dishonesty when he has allowed his own background to be enhanced by others without making correction. Rather rude, as well.

A week after engaging Hilary in the Senate Johnson gave a speech at the Atlas Shrugged Society where he said,
"It's a real concern," Johnson said, when asked if he saw examples of the private sector "shrugging"—that is, wilting under the pressure of government regulations. "As I talk to business owners that maybe started their businesses in the '70s and '80s, they tell me, with today's level of taxation and regulation, there's no way I can start my business today."

Now that rather smacks of some kind of dishonest as well.  Especially, origins excepted, for a company that took Federal and City funding  to get launched.

Johnson is noted in Oshkosh for purchasing a statue of Atlas....now installed at one of his buddies' properties, Shrugging.

I tried to read that book a few times, in High School and College....and I concur with Dorothy Parker's review of the book....

”This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”
oh well.

For another view of RON JOHNSON  please visit the link for a nice piece written by another Oshkosh Blogger, THE CHIEF

Things Considered and the Dirf-Mobile

Now I forget exactly when my son bought that car.  Five years sounds about right.  Someone had parked it at the Bistro where he was a Chef.....not a 'short order cook' he told me many times...."I am a short order CHEF", he explained. " I have a magic spatula...and no one, NO ONE", he would explain while grinning and shaking a finger in my face, "can flip a gourmet pancake like I can !"
And frankly....no one else would buy a 1990 Volvo that looked like that one either.  The headliner was ripped and sagging, one hubcap was missing and another was pretty dented.  The trunk interior was a sprouting mushroom farm.  But...the tires were good, it ran well, the brakes were ok.....and it was under a thousand dollars.  Done deal.  His friends liked it...liked it so much they would come by while he was working and decorate it for him.  Due to his proclivity to mispronounce certain words-"Waldorf Salad was always said "Waldirf"....the car had a name.

When he decided to ove west and pursue a career that coincided with his college degree, the Dirf-mobile became his sister's.  I due believe the deal included some CD's, DVD's and a special hooded sweatshirt that she had coveted.  Whatever. The first thing that occured under the new ownership was a name change.  It became simply, "The Volvo".  She put another two years into it...as well as some new tires.  Alas and Alack....it succumbed to terminal transmission disease in late December.  Daughter is a college graduate and it took her no time at all to realize that a car that has no reverse gear is not a suitable vehicle for someone who delivers gourmet pizza.  No spatula for that kid.
Jumping ahead...a week ago this last friday....she made a deal on a 2003 low mileage Chevy.  The ;headliner was intact, but her cigarette lighter thingee didn't work..."so what..you don't smoke'  "but that is where I plug in the GPS and my IPod"  Some things are important.  She immediately inaugurated the new used vehicle witha 'girl's trip' to Milwaukee from which, on the return trip, whe discovered that through some evil connivance, the trunk would open, but then, not close.  Funny thing, huh?  The following monday I accompanied her back to the dealership from whence the thing came from and that was rectified post haste.  Then.....on thursday night what every parent dreads, fears more than anything else happened.

.........while delivering pizza at 1:30am, on slightly icy roads, at about 45 mph, a SUV with a extremely inattentive driver turned right into the rear right side of the Chevy.  Her car did a complete spin and the SUV then hit her again on the right front.  She was wearing her seat belt.  All the air bags deployed.
She's ok.  A bruised shoulder, a slightly sprained wrist and as she puts it...." I have a really sore left but cheek."  The other dirver was cited....twice.....no insurance.  Miriam's car is a total loss.  But she is not.  Her mother and I talked.....without her present...and a few tears of gaditude were shed....Our daughter was still alive and OK....scared the Bejeesus out of us.

I need to jump ahead.  The Kid had all the appropriate insurance, including Uninsured Motorist and a supplemental she was wise enough to buy that will totally pay off the loan she has yet to make a payment on and the deductible in this case, plus pay for a rental and additional money to help pay for the next vehicle.

I just can;t put into words how I felt.  I don't want to.  They do not exist.  I just get this gut feeling, this heart feeling, everytime I think of it all.  I have not slept well the last few nights...that will change I'm sure.  The moon will come out again.  The sun will rise...I will lose money and then make more.  My back will ache from shoveling snow.....my sore knee will hurt some more.  Dirf-mobiles will come and go.  Some things you can count on.
........they both know I love them...with no reservations, no qualifying..... and I know, because of them......................................................I am truly the luckiest man in the world.

John Boehner: President Obama wants to 'annihilate' GOP - Katie Glueck - POLITICO.com

John Boehner: President Obama wants to 'annihilate' GOP - Katie Glueck - POLITICO.com


Boy&Howdy...... did he ever grab the ball, bounce it off the wall a few times....and said it hit a three-point shot to *Win THE Game."

Course...what he didn't say was...
"And we must make sure that every Republican is fully armed for the insurrection.  Buy your assault rifle now! "

Now... he might be right.  Why just the other day, out of the blue, I had a visit from Colonel F. Scott Pickwick who reported to me following conversation from the White House.

Michele woke up and asked Barack..."well,, the election is over, the inaugural is over...what do you have planned today?"
and Obama replied,
"Why gosh, I think I will fix the environment by reversing climate change...I will ensure equal rights for all ciizens, whether they are black, white, brown, or gay.  THEN...I will stop gun violence in America, safeguard voting rights for all.....make women's health care a WOMAN'S decision...guarantee health care for all citizens, and gees, reform the tax code.  THEN...I think you and I should knock off a quickie!  I can spare a couple of hours."
"Oh, Barry," Michele said.  "And what do you plan to do after lunch?"
"Well, Michele," the astutely intelligent and smilingly good looking President replied," I think I will annihilate the Republican Party."

Colonel Pickwick never lies.

It's NOT Guns that are a problem...it's the NUTZ

Wowzers! It's only a few days into the New Year.....and already some things irk me.....to begin with, some really irritating expressions.  Like, say, "Bucket List".  Not what is that really supposed to mean?  Sounds like an itemization of how many oats which horse gets.  Ohohoh.....and this "Double Down" thing.  I mean, really.... I would NEVER Double Down unless, see, she was really really gorgeous and asked nicely&stuff.  Hey, another one that is so so so overused is "Awesome"  It doesn't mean anything anymore.  Awesome?  I will tell you what would truly be awesome; when the lilac bush in the back yard suddenly goes up in flames and a voice from Heaven says, "Two pints of import beer for the price of one at Oblio's. No coupon needed."  Now that would be awesome.

Yessirree Bob....course, what truly would be awesome is if politicians would double-down on things that truly need to be done, make a bucket list to do it, and then GET IT DONE.....!!!  Of course, that will not happen.  Just before Christmas some nut kills 26 innocent children and teachers, the President makes an effort to try to stem the tide of gun violence, everyone gets excited....... untilHawiann Irish Football Player has an imaginary girlfriend who imaginarily dies of cancer.

Gees, what a flake.  I mean, first of all...if you are gonna have an imaginary girlfriend and you want to imaginatively kill her...I mean, c'mon....have her die in a sky diving accident or killed by pygmys in Africa while trying to find an AIDs cure.  Something original.  And golly gee-willikers ....get with the drift and paint some Bible verses under that eye shadowy thing.

 ohohoh.....and get an imaginary God, who cures cancer ....ya, there you go.  ohohoh...and then God trades you to the Jets.  Now that would be awesome.

 Course...iffen all that happened...we would easily forget all about dead children, gun violence and trying to find a sensible solution to fixing a problem that should be on everyone's bucket list.  But that ain't gonna happen...in fact, the only solutions that seem to be out there that the NRA feels would work is PUT ARMED GUARDS AT ALL SCHOOLS

Now that is nutty.  Nutz.  Nuttier than having an imaginary girlfriend who dies while giving the Pope a blowjob.  Nutza are the problem, they say, not guns

......and by golly...if the nutz are really the problem....why,gees, then I have a solution! Arm the Squirrels!

Think I'm joking?  Nope.... just think about it.... So we have all these automatic, semi-automatic, assaultivish weapons and the NRA says the solution is just to make sure nutz don't have guns...and really just get more guns and post a semi-retired, or automatically retired, person at the door of every school, hospital, day care center, post office, movie theater, shopping mall, churches, pawn shops, gift shops, coffee shops. antique stores, sports stadiums, McDonald's, Burger King, hospitals, animal shelters, convents, Planned Parenthoods, Neighborhoods, Robin Hoods and just plain old Hoods.  That's what the NRA says....which would really be good business for gun manufacturers and would really help reduce the deficit and the unemployment thing, except it would cost oodles of money and we would just bump our heads on the debt ceiling again.  So.....in my quaint Wisconsin Way...I have a solution.

Arm the squirrels and put 'em to work.  There are plenty of them!  We got grey squirrels, red SquirrelsBlack squirrels....betcha there are Christian Squirrels and Jewish Squirrels too!  Not to many Born-Again squirrels, though, cause I watched a dead one in the road and he ain't come to life in a buncha days.  Anyways, we gotZ lot of squirrels and we got lotz of guns....and anyone who has ever put up a bird feeder knows that squirrels will work really really hard for peanuts, or any other kind of nut, truth be told, and STUFF....we certainly have enough NUTZ in America...why, gees, just look at Congress!  Damn...let's do this!  I think that the only way to stop a BAD GUY with a gun is with a squirrel with a gun! oh oh oh...Squirrels are quick, determined, agile.....fact is....let's just bull all our troops of of Afghani-ville and replace them with Squirrels!  Think of the lives it would save.  The Talibananas would not know what hit them!

ohohoh...I am overwhelmed with how smart I are!  I am putting this on my bucket list....right after my imaginary girlfriend get done riding in the Tour de France and double down on a few beers.

Awesome!!!

And ain't it grand....just another year....

Ok....every year getting through the Holidays seems to get harder and harder.  Course, if there wasn't so much ice I wouldn't fall so much, and as they say, the older you are they harder you fall.  Ouchers and stuff.  Well, see, the Friday before Christmas we got a huge type blizzard.....ended up with about a foot and a half of snow.  Pretty darn windy, too, but it wasn't too bad if the Ex wasn't talking.....then the wind was moderate.   Then, the friday past we got another seven inches of snow.  This winter is overdosing on Viagra iffen you ask me.  We didn't get this much snow all of last winter and we still have three months left to go.  But we are a hardy breed in the Great White North and  most are optimmistic....but I guess that depends on whether you are one of those that thinks of your driveway being half full or half empty.  I love the irony of going out in the cold and snow, busting my hump shoveling this crap.... and then having to come inside and ice up my back.  But winter is here to stay...even the most hardy of folk have finally put away their BBQ grills and patio furniture.  Course.... now that we have all this snow...they are saying the temps are gonna fall below zero.  I'm gonna fall under a extra blanket....iffen I doan fall and kill myself on the ice, is what, see!

Boy Wonder made it back from LA before the weather turned nasty.  After a cursory amount of time with his parental units....(most time being spent at Peabody's seeing who else made it home) he packed up his snow shoes and heading to the Lower Eastern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.....which is only slightly less boring than the Upper Western Part of the Upper Peninsula only causee it takes less time to get there, see.
So I guess I have it correct...Max, Mark, Chris, Matt, Jess,Jim and a half barrel of beer, snowshoes, lentil soup, chili, beer cheese soup.  Ah, the young and there liquids!  I am sure Jim remembered the tequila as he is always been very concerned with having a balanced diet.  Maybe thirty years back I ould have been interested in that kind of trip....in fact I guess I did do a couple of trips like that, but now....if I can't use my bicycle...forget about it.

 The Princess screwed up her car.  The transmission.  Could be a gonna.  The only saving grace is that it is a vintage Volvo...we got almost five years out of it with the two kids and the parts dealer will give almost as much as we have paid in repairs over the ownership....so it's not so bad.  She is acting like there is no other car in the World, though, and has not been happy.  I am less than happy....I will be crawling up under that sucker in a few days and seeing if it is just the linkage.  Lucky me.  But I am blessed in having a daughter that thinks a good time does not entail a trip to the UP to get drunk with her friends.  They plan on doing that in the comfort of her apartment for a New Years celebration.

Ah, yes, New Years.  Whoopee.  I like to clebrate in a sensible way.  Gonna met Baseball Ed for a couple of beers.  Found him some old Detective Magazines from the 1960's.  Didn't pay much and it will keep him out of trouble for hours.  Billa Lang may stop by.  He spent four days with his girlfriend up in the UP skiing(ya, like what's up with theat UP shit anyways....and frankly. a man his age should take up something more sensible, like knitting or crochet, or Dominoes. Billa suffers from arrested develpment...but he can never remember what age he was arrested at, though I think it was once in '74 and maybe another time......who knows.  I cannot make that shit up, really.  I am not sure who else will show up on New Years early afternoon....Joe Cool has to work, Nick was there for the Packer game yesterday and probably will not show.  Maybe some other folks....but me...There is a pork roast in the crock post, some aged Brick Cheese....and I have some DVD's to watch...gonna do a Jack Benny Retrospective.  I always liked Jack.  A man that stops aging at 39 is a smart man.

oh well.....hope everyone had a good Christmas......and to all A Bloggy New Year.

Dear little kids.......

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