Point Made

Open your books to page 1. We find the requiem to the Green Bay Packer 2017 season. I want you to sing loudly for the high notes, and we will ask the orchestra to be silent as we sing acapella for the sad parts of this piece. In the first part of this song, we will be indicating the hope we had for the team. Then the dark Period of this saga, when the leader was injured and carted off the field. With our leader on that cart, it carried with his broken body the hope for a season of success.He would not return for weeks and when he did many observers thought it was too early. We are still writing the final verses, but my feeling is that no matter how well they play or even if they were to win all of their remaining games, the end is already here Now we turn to the family page. This is an illustrated page with the lyric's contained in the stories told by those images. If you can't see the words just hum along with the rest of us. Brogan & Tate (phot...

We welcomed some old friends over for our annual "tree cut "party. Some background here. When I met Maria, she had a tradition of joining with friends to travel to a tree farm to harvest fresh cut Christmas trees. After the selections were made, tied to the top of cars or loaded into trailers, and transported to Maria's house, everyone, plus other honored guests, supped on chili and bread and partook of the beverage of their choice. Over the intervening years, the event was reduced down to the family cutting trees and everyone else just coming to the party. This year we cut the tree the weekend before. The table has morphed into chicken tenders cooked and peeled shrimp, cheeses, veggie trays, store-bought deserts and other good stuff. Some people remark that they miss Maria's Vegetarian Chili. Every year there are new guests. On the other hand, some of the guests have been coming for many years. Helen Nagler has developed a following for her "Chex...

Parking Lots, Too Big, Too Expensive, Too Bad.  Like most retired people I've carved out a bit of a job that I do on a voluntary basis. I am a social media editor of Facebook pages. I am responsible for most if not all material posted on Metro Go and TSAC . Both of these sites are dedicated to informing people about transportation issues and the status of the development of our various transit grids. Transit Grids are the joining of various elements in the Transit System for a region that allows people to get from here to there in that region. Elements being as complicated as Airports and Train depots to as simple as walking right of ways and bike paths. The important thing is recognizing that all of the elements are important, but all of them must interface to be effective. The most glaring example of non-connection in Milwaukee is getting from the Mitchell to the downtown. Why people don't take the two buses that can get them from the airport ...

Murder in the US of A It came up during a conversation with one of my friends. We were talking about this week's mass shooting incident. This is a touchy subject for us. He is a concealed carry gun owner. I am not. I believe in common sense gun control. He does not. I mentioned that the Texas Shooter could have killed more people if someone had not begun shooting at him. My point was that because the shooter had an automatic weapon he was able to kill 26 people and not even going inside the church. His answer was what about Chicago? I don't know what Chicago's homicide rate has to do with a mass shooting in Texas, but I said what about it. He answered more people were killed in Chicago that weekend than the Texas shooter killed in his attack on the church. I checked. The toll of people killed in the City of Chicago this year is 606. The death count, for the month November 2017, is twenty-one. I do not know where my pal got his number. Homicides for this quarter...

This change of season. This dryness of the air. The leaves falling all around me. Is this it again? Is this a revolution on the carousel of life. Fleeting glances of what appears  then is taken away. No matter how many times it spins A different person on the pony, the seat for two, the kangaroo. The same course. but a different way. It is what it is as it appears today. I got a story for you today. It's about a pickup truck, the parking lot outside the Kof C on the south side of Milwaukee and a guy named Doc. Put aside the country western song you think I'm writing for background music. My pal, Lee Nimmer and I went to Milwaukee for a gathering of top-notch Blues Harmonica Players. We were promised four hours of one of our favorite music genres. They certainly delivered, but that's another story. When we got to the parking lot on South 92nd Street, Lee spotted an open parking space and decided to back into it. When we got settled and before I got ...

Commentator : He enters the conversation with a whining voice that reminds you of the late Andy Rooney. Do you have that problem where you are going through your list of internet news sources, and you end up watching a U-tube video of a guy playing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on his harmonica? (Full disclosure, I play Harmonica, and this guy was terrific .) Yeah, and it gets worse. I can't count the number of times, I've watched Simon be amazed, surprised, or moved to tears over some waif from Northern England, who appears to be the kind of woman / young girl, you wouldn't think could draw interest in front of a group in a small pub and yet she sings like an angel. Think Susan Boyle. And then there are the pop-up crowd videos. These feature the unexpecting shoppers at the mall who are serenaded by opera singers and symphony orchestras that appear and disappear like dust storms in the desert. And then suddenly, it's time for lunch, and t...

All Saints Day. Halloween. It makes no difference, we are talking about dead people. The saints, not the football team from New Orleans, Lousiana, but the hallowed people of the Catholic Church., who were lucky enough to be acting in a holy and often heroic manner when the right people were watching. Oh did I mention, being a member of the Catholic Church is mandatory? I don't believe anyone in the waiting room making out an application for membership, who was whipped, raped or burned at the stake for their faith while waiting for their membership card, ever became a saint. Halloween, it is said, might have been invented by a candy company, but I think that is just nasty gossip started by Hallmark, who was angry because no one got into the habit of sending their friends Halloween cards. It was actually created and popularized by Goodwill Industries. They were seeking new markets for the boatloads of donated old clothing, they can't get ri...

Only one more appearance . I will be playing the kind and misunderstood version of The Monster Frankenstein at the Hearthstone in Appleton. In addition, you can meet my friends Jekyll & Hyde, Dracula, Edgar Allen Poe and others. We wrap up this fun fundraiser on Friday, October 27th from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Yes, I'm aware that my lipstick is the wrong color, misapplied and otherwise off-putting, but in my defense, if you knew the lighting I was dealing with ... Far from the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd, the faint shade of fall finally visits us. I don't know about the landscape in your neighborhood, but the "color" seems to be a little late this year. I know it's fall because the NBA and the NHL started their seasons and The World Series begins this week. Oh, and then there all those roadside pop up stands that sell pumpkins.  Fall feathers on the wall. (Southwood)  Brogan & Tate,...

Forget the tongue in cheek references to high wind and paths of destruction that the Hurricane, dubbed Harvey, brought to Texas and Louisana. After all, hurricanes are an occurrence of nature and we can't really do anything to prevent them. (Unless you're one of those crazy science people who believe in man's influence on climate.) We simply rescue, rebuild and move on. ( Unless you live in Puerto Rico.)  As much as we like to think we can collectively fix everything, at the present time, we can't. Boxers will tell you that learning to absorb punishment is as important as learning how to deliver it. No, I want to say a few words about the other Harvey. Who has left another path of destruction which was uncovered recently? In this case, the destruction was directly in the lives of women that he harassed and allegedly raped. It is important that many of us men admit that our lives have not been without fault in this area. I will admit, I...

If you don't get the title, you're not reading or watching Game of Thrones. I've only read this story. It's a little like Tolstoy. I almost need a cheat sheet to keep the characters straight. Scary Stuff I have the privilege of playing The Monster Frankenstein for the next three Friday nights at the Hearthstone House in Appleton. I'm performing with a great cast of classic horror icons, Jekel and Hyde, Dracula, Edgar Allen Poe and The Invisible Man. We briefly introduce the character and the circumstances that made them so timeless. Also, you get to see one of the most unique historic homes in Wisconsin. Just like my eighth-grade class Photo, I'm in the back row in the middle Yellow Golf Balls Don't Help Mother Nature is being very kind to those of us that reside at the northern edge of the tension zone. We are going to play golf again this week, and if weather reports can be believed, I won't have to wear gloves o...

If you dial 911 and tell them you or someone in your care needs medical assistance, the will respond with Emergency Medical Technicians and a firetruck. Outside of a union rule that requires this, I have never been able to figure out why this is Standard Operating Procedure. If you know, please email me. In the meantime, I will be doing some investigative reporting myself. (jjordan65@gmail.com ) Given that fall came back with normal temperatures and lower dew points, the sudden heat wave we are experiencing now must be "Indian Summer." (I'm sorry if I've offended anyone by referring to our first nation people as Indians.) At any rate, it will extend my bike riding and golf seasons. Like a lot of the people, I follow on Facebook, & Twitter, I'm tired of hearts and prayers extended to disaster victims. I'm equally cynical about "charities" that suggest that your dollars will help those afflicted when all they do is support fat cat executives of...

I have said it too many times. I usually say it to people younger than I am, but than that demographic is pretty big and growing. "Don't get old it's a waste of time." Self-serving? No doubt. Easy to say, difficult to do? Of course. I think of how I reacted to my elders, and there is little doubt I'm getting some payback that I've earned. Were my elders wise to the level of suspending critical thinking? Not at all. My elders were "The Greatest Generation." A short description might sound like; "We won World War II." Becuase of this, we know some stuff you haven't learned. So just follow these instructions and you'll be fine. You should finish high school, volunteer for the military, come home marry the girl next door and move down the block, so we can enjoy our grandchildren. Sunday dinner at Mom's is compulsory. Drive whatever your dad drives because he knows better and you don't want to be driving something above your ...

If you talk about nothing but the weather in our fair state, eventually you'll hear something like, "Yeah, it's a nice day, but you know we're going to pay for it down the line." It's the rock-solid belief that if you enjoy something you'll pay for it with an equal amount of misery. A win on the field, (You pick the sport and the team) and it's payback for years of misery or watching for the misery to come. Some might think it's a charming holdover from a culture that doesn't like braggarts and self-promoters. Garrison Keillor once said it was the Luthern mindset that there is no joy in life just the pain we feel from trying to find it. With that in mind, I suggest that there is no force in nature that is charged with evening the scales. Making sure for instance, that for every eighty-degree day that occurs in September there will be a horribly cold day in October. Yeah, you just wait. One thing we know about the weather in Wisconsin. It wil...

Normally, during the 120 days of possible good weather in Wisconsin, we get the buffet version of climate variations. You know? I little of this and a little of that. This week while Florida got its backside handed to it, we sat in our short shirt sleeves and watched our Green Bay Packers hammer the Seattle Seahawks. In a game that demonstrated the value of linemen on both sides of the ball, we prevailed. The short shirt sleeve weather we experienced at Lambeau is hanging in for the entire week. WhoHah! R eport on the pile of boxes that mocks us every time we try to relax. Maria and unpacked and were predictably surprised at what we found in the boxes. We rearranged. We went out for breakfast. We paid to sit in a theater to watch a Rom-Com, (Home Again, with Reese Witherspoon). And when all is said and done, we created enough room for the car in the garage. WhoHah! Note: For Rom Com, Home Again wasn't that bad. It was kind of like putting down my copy of the Atlantic and pic...

It's not Fall yet, I keep reminding myself as Maria, and I motor through the Wisconsin countryside. However, I continue my interior dialogue, when the "color" does start its migration South, we have to repeat this trip. For a confirmed Urbanite, I've had spent a considerable amount of my life in the country. My industrial sales career may have kept me from joining the Rotary, Lions or Junior Chamber of Commerce because my travel schedule, but I could have written a book about small town dinners and supper clubs. That is until Micky D's, and the chain brass and fern restaurant's closed a lot of them down. Country roads are still picturesque and frothing with nostalgic views of dairy farms and that hint of the way things used to be. In between the still occupied farm houses and out buildings, there are new homes ranging from McMansions to factory built double wide mobile homes. I spotted a beat up old bicycle sitting in a yard leaning against a tree surrounded...

If you were to migrate from the deep South to Wisconsin this year, you might be forgiven if you said that you were feeling cold. First of all, it's still hot in the South. Temps range from the mid-eighties to the nineties with high dew points creating humid conditions. The truth is, we in Wisconsin have been experiencing some below average temperatures with cloudy days. If you add a tablespoon of northerly breezes, the smart person starts looking for the sweaters in the back of the closet. I know a number of us like this kind of weather. I'd accept a little more, no make that a lot more, of the sun, but fall is a great season for me. I don't like the freezing and seemly endless days of winter.  On the other hand, while it's better than winter, the heat and humidity that we didn't get much of this summer weren't missed either. All Hail the early arrival of Fall! We can finally see the light after our move from our tree fallen experience on the south side of ...

After one week off from writing my blog, I've just returned from my visit to the Portland / Seattle area. We have two sons and three grandchildren living in Seattle. Our friend Dr. Anne lives in Portland. It is in the eclipse zone, so things are a little crazy up there.  The weather had moderated. The Northwest had been experiencing record high temperatures just a few days before we got there. In addition, the fires in the North, all along the US Canadian border, provided inhospitable air to crawl into the area. All of that, with the exception of a fine dusting of ash, had departed. We had couple eating out experiences that were noteworthy. We had three meals out n Portland. all of them featured lines of customers in the street waiting to get in. One of them wanted you to try their Chicken Waffle. The dish consists of three breaded chicken breasts secured to an 8-inch standard waffle with a steak knife. Since the price was $14.95, most customers were tak...

At one time or another, writers are challenged to explain why they do what they do. It can be an icebreaker at a writers retreat, an inquiry by a friend or family member, maybe even a self-examination or, if they are lucky, a media interviewer. Depending on our maturity and experience at the craft, the answer can change. If your favorite writer is Gresham or Patterson, you might be inclined to dreams about fame and fortune. If your ambition is literary legacy, you might be more interested in reading Roth or Irving. When a person thinks about writing, they have a story to tell. It might be a love story, an adventure or a journey. Detectives, space travelers, and ordinary people have these experiences. So there are a number of ways to tell your story. If you get this far, it soon becomes apparent to you that all of these stories have been told. It's hard to admit, but admit this you must, or you would never go to the next level. I tried to sell my photo...

This last weekend we had undoubtedly the two nicest summer days we ever get during July in Wisconsin. Warm sunshine, low humidity, and a cool breeze all added to something like perfection. I can attest that the traffic on Badger Ave, here in Appleton, indicated that every Harley was on the road. And likewise for Bicycles and mopeds. We kind of hung close to home, but I'm sure anyone with the freedom to chose, selected Outdoors on the options panel. This has been a mild summer. Most of us enjoy the every three or four-day rain we've been getting since it means we don't have to water our lawn. Unfortunately, my raspberries have cropped out, but they were good while they lasted. Next year, I've been told, by the lady of the castle, we will have raised beds that will provide a bounty of herbs, vegetables, and decorative flowers. We will see. Time draws nigh for our departure for the "Left Coast." My enthusiasm is dampened somewhat because of the bevy of new...

If it were possible to define heroism in sports, you have to give a nod to sports that are played as individuals. You are on center court, the final hole or the last lap. The goal and the outcome are in your hands. You are pursued or maybe even behind other competitors who want to win as badly as you do. All eyes are on you. Television sets around the world bring your effort to millions more onlookers. There is no Hail Mary in your play book unless you can throw and catch the ball yourself. It’s just suck it up and put it out there for better or worse. Last weekend, at the most prestigious Open Championship, a young American Golfer showed what courage, grit, and determination can yield. After spraying a tee shot over the crowd and into the utility area of the course, Jordan Spieth hit an acceptable shot to get back in play. He followed that with an excellent approach and nasty little putt. And for his efforts, he surrendered the lead for the first time in the tournament. Improba...

I once remarked to friend of mine that I often wondered how I got through those years of thoughtless drinking and yet never got a DWI. He, another alcoholic in remission, told me that he often wondered himself. And then to capitalize our good fortune, we told tales where, if there was justice in the world, we would have been charged and spent at least a night in jail. I know that for at least fifty per cent of my drinking life, (I quit drinking for at least the fourth time when I was forty, I've been sober since.) I was fairly safe because I was white, male and wore a suit and tie. Thanks to Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD, and other organizations things changed. A tightening and an insistence on enforcement of the laws is the norm in many communties. We read of men, and it is usually men, who receive multiple DWI's and still drive. It's a great news story, but a rare event. Alcoholism is a terrible disease. Because for so many years, we looked on alcohol abuse as a ...

It's cool in the upstairs bedroom. A cool front has crept in over night and with the windows open it's almost cold. but that is not what wakes me up. I have mild but persistent pain in the lower left quadrant of my stomach. I've had this before. It's gas or maybe early signs of some problems in my bowel, either constipation or diarrhea. Normally the pain will abate and I can continue to function. I can't sleep an I don't want to wake up Maria, so I get up, make my coffee and start my day. As I sit reading the columns from Urban Milwaukee, The Guardian, Bloomberg, and Slate, I m getting more pain and concern. I gut it out until 8:30 and then ask Maria to take me to the ER at Thedacare. I'm laying on the exam table in room 10, gowned and in far more pain then my previous episodes exhibited. Nurse Wendy is going over some basic questions given my symptoms. Doctor McCloy comes in and does in indepth exam and postulates it's probably diverticulitis. The...