Paul's Falls

 It is nearly two years since my doctor notified me that something irregular showed up during my yearly tune-up. Indeed, it was indeed irregular and was something that I was worried about for the past twenty years or so.  The dreaded diabetes has shown up once again in my family.

My grandmother, her children, and now I have been stricken.  In grandma's case it was fatal. In the 1930's very little was known about the disease and the most appropriate treatment was bed rest. How horribly wrong!  My grandmother died suffering from all the known progressions of this malady.  My family members tried their best to help, but eventually there was nothing but bedsores and a steady decline.

My father was a bit luckier.  Insulin was available.  His doctor had earlier told him that he was pre-diabetic.  Doc was probably trying to soften the news, but he should have been more forthright.  Dad had a full-blown case but didn't believe it.  So, he blithely chose to eat anything he wished believing that he was on the right side of the line.  Eventually dad developed neuropathy and vision problems common with the disease.

I am unbelievably fortunate.  Not only is diabetes more fully understood, but there are inexpensive drugs available for control.  Testing technology allows me to check my blood sugar levels at will so that I can be in total control.  I follow my doctor's orders, test regularly and eat a healthy diet.  So far so good.

Today I strayed.  Our family got together last evening and the dessert of choice was s'mores. I had two.  Knowing that this was a possibility I cut down on carb consumption at lunch.  If my testing results are a bit off kilter tomorrow, I'll adjust food intake even further until I'm on track again.  I'm really lucky to be living in this marvelous age.  And, if I keep my wits about me, the ravages of diabetes will never strike me the way it did  to my ancestors.

Diabetes be damned!

For information about diabetes prevention check out www.diabetes.org 

 I'm sure it is an ego booster to see the numbers mount up  and count the people who are check in to one's blog.
Until this week I have not counted up the hits on my several blog articles.

So, to The Vanguard, I offer this target:  100,000 plus: 
I'm not bragging, but you seem to need to know.

And, I'm sure that Karen T, had many more than that while she was sharing her thoughts.  I wish that she would come back.
 

 Somewhat over a year ago I told my employees that I would be retiring on my birthday in 2009.  I owed them that heads-up because I feel that each one of them is part of my extended family.  I did not want to dump a goodbye on them only weeks before my exit.

I have been looking forward to abandoning the daily grind for quite some time now.  My father stuck it out in the family business well into his eighties and never gave up.  He died with his boots on, as the saying goes.  I am made of different stuff.  I always felt that "when it is time to go, it is time to go". 

So a planned transition is going on in full swing right now in my business.  I have given my notice - the day is set. All will go as planned.

But...

As the time draws ever closer I'm having second thoughts. This is really hard to do - give up my life's work and pretend that I'm not interested anymore. Nevertheless I'm committed to following through with my plan. I have plenty of hobbies that are not getting proper attention and stacks of magazines and books that are collecting dust.

And so, my brain is pulling me in two different directions. It is very difficult to stick with my announced plans and not look back. Probably I and a few others who are at this juncture in life are the only ones who fully understand the craziness that Bret Favre has leashed on the community.   I wish him happy retirement in New York.

 For the best part of a decade we (my family) dutifully placed our red recycling totes on the curb - filled with stuff that we didn't want that might possibly be used again. Before that, we dutifully loaded that same stuff into our cars and brought it to the rear of Village Hall.  There, monthly, there was a set up of several large dumpsters to sort and collect the same recyclables.  It was something we felt that was needed to be done.  We happily obliged in the spirit of conservation. Our family collected, loaded, drove, emptied, thanked the recycling volunteers, and then then went on our merry way.

Times have changed.  Not only do we now get curbside pickup, but in the future, it will take a device that my wife claims is almost the size of our car.  I'm guessing that the old red bins held about 15 gallon volume.  Our new wheeled totes hold nearly 100 gallons.

I'm happy that the Village has our community recycling costs in mind and chose to switch to an every-other-week collection.  But, my gosh, do the new containers have to be 6 or 7 times bigger than before?  Mrs. W has noticed that these new containers are verrry heavy.  They do not fit into the previous space occupied by the red bins,  In fact, they do not fit into the garage at all. 

So, from August first I am going to keep a log to find out how long it will take to fill my 96 gallon tote with recyclables.  Remind me to give you the date if either of us can  remember that far back.

You will read elsewhere that a group of malcontents is now attacking Falls Fest as well as the people who operate it and the things they do with the profits.

 Year after year dozens of our neighbors donate their time and effort to put on this four-day event.  They volunteer themselves unselfishly for the good of the community. Sadly, their thanks is being accused of crookedness and are held up to ridicule by this small group of people whose main goal is to foment dissension.

I asked Bob Steliga for a list of community projects that Falls Fest sponsored or financially supported.  Here is that list:

     Miller Davidson Restoration at Old Falls Village
     Koehler-Zahn House Rehab
     The Ranch
     Defibrillator for Menomonee Falls School District
     Menomonee Falls High School Scholarship Fund
     Menomonee Falls Little League
     Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra
     Troops in Iraq
     9-11 Memorial Event
     Zoological Society of Milwaukee County
     Menomonee Falls Fire Department Survive Alive House
     Menomonee Falls Police Department Taser
     Riverside School Playground Equipment
     Shady Lane School Playground Equipment
     Muscular Dystrophy Association
     Hamilton Hight School Booster Club
     New Menomonee Falls Library
     Menomonee Falls Soccer Club
     Old Falls Village - Historical Collection Preservation
     Christmas Decorations for Koehler-Zahn House
     Menomonee Falls High School Cheerleaders
     Menonmonee Falls High School Pom Pon Squad
     25 Picnic Tables for Village Park
     6 Horse Shoe Courts for Village Park
     Tennis Court Fence Improvements for Village Park
     Menomonee Falls Falcons Youth Baseball
     Menomonee Falls Co-ed Hockey Club
     Menomonee Falls Christmas Parade
     Various Other Non-Profit Groups

 Isn't it a shame that the complainers don't spend their time for the betterment of our community rather than verbally tearing it apart bit by bit?

I invite anyone in these organizations to make a comment here.  I will publish all comments whether good or bad. I have noticed that the malcontents choose not to publish comments contrary to their opinion.
    
 

 Recently one of my sons noticed that another blogger on these pages often uses the 'royal we' in his posts.
He sent me the following snippet from an internet site he belongs to.

royal we

"Sir Mick leads the way, a smirk on those impossibly exaggerated lips. 'How are we all?' he asks. It's appropriate he uses the royal we -- after all, they've reigned supreme for almost half a century."
Gaynor Flynn; They Still Gather No Moss; The Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia); May 18, 2008.

 I have now subscribed to this site A Word a Day with hopes to increase my vocabulary.  If you are interested, check out www.wordsmith.org.  It's free!

 My hat's off once again to Bob Steliga and his family for organizing a great party.  Falls Fest has become a tradition in midsummer thanks to weeks and weeks of planning on Steliga's part and recruiting dozens of volunteers to help out.  To boot, the fest makes a couple of bucks profit every year - all of which goes back to the community as funding for local projects.

Having a safe street party with lots of fun for the whole family makes the Falls stand out and show surrounding communities our best side.  And, it is truly enjoyable to run into old friends and chat about old times.

 This year the music and fun happen between July 24th and the 27th.  Check out falls-fest.com for their schedule.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to grabbing a pork sandwich from BB Quick and then going to listen to Eddie Butts and his band in the music tent.  See you there!
 

 After a year's hype cable television now has serious competition.  All last year the phone company ran ads claiming that once a new law was passed the Citizens of Wisconsin would be on easy street.  A bill was in the works that would allow phone companies to provide television without paying a franchise fee to local governments. The claim was that new competition would force the cable operators to quit gouging us and lower prices. It was implied that the phone company would enter the market with significantly cheaper rates for equal service.  Every day the broadcast commercials told us to contact our legislators and demand that the new law be passed.  How nice it would be to actually pay fair prices for video service.

The law was passed.  Anyone (in the Milwaukee area)  can now sign up with AT&T and bring in video programs over the phone lines.  But guess what.  Their rates are basically the same as the cable operator. Poof....suddenly the commercials no longer talk about lower rates but instead focus on an old woman watching TV in an odd-shaped bed.

Oh, by the way, my TV bills have increased.  So much for the benefits of competition!
 

 I can't remember the last time I felt that I was able to choose for myself how to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Perhaps it was when I graduated from primary school in the 6th grade.  It was about that time that I first read 1984.  Ever since then I have noticed our Big-Brother Government adding ever-increasing restrictions on to my diminishing abilities and freedoms.

 The largest all-at-once loss was shortly after the 9/11 attacks when Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism legislation. We, as citizens, gleefully gave up many rights to the government with the assurance that these "few" restrictions would make everything right again.  Baloney!  Those laws must have been written well earlier because they are very complex and could not have been knocked out in such a short time following the attack.

Today I am on surveillance camera nearly everywhere I go.  Metal detectors surround the entrance to most public buildings.   My phone calls are being monitored and my prescriptions are entered into a government drug database.  I have to show a photo ID to board the Amtrak to Chicago.  Perhaps they expect I might hijack it and order it to go to Duluth.

The latest attempt will soon be debated in Congress.  Diane Feinstein has authored a bill creating a nationwide fingerprint databank.  Don't worry!  They only want fingerprints of anyone having to do with issuing mortgages - nobody else.  Just lenders and sales agents. Until next year that is.  Something is sure to come by creating the need for every person's prints in the bank.

I will resist it and be very uncooperative if this comes to pass.  The government will have to do without this bit of my uniqueness until the unlikely case that I commit a crime.  Be aware of your freedoms being taken bit by bit.  Do you ever get the feeling that it is all just a waste of our time and money?
 

Some good and bad items this time...

First the good:  I have finally had the opportunity to sample the wares at BBQuick on Appleton Ave.  I had heard rave reviews about the food, but never happened to be in the neighborhood when the store was open. They open and close twice a day and I finally stopped to read the store's hours of operation posted on the front door. Once I got it right I was rewarded.

Last Saturday it was a change.  The experience was all that could be expected.  It was just before noon, and walking in I instantly knew that I was in the right place.  The aroma of well-prepared barbecue hit me instantly.  What I didn't expect was the welcome I got from the proprietor.  He is a vibrant soul with a lot of enthusiasm.  I will not say more - it is something that you must  experience first hand.

By the way, beef, chicken and pork all fit under the BBQ moniker and if you choose to eat there and not carry out you will find a nice sampling of down home blues to fill your ears.  Oh, baby it's goood!

 The bad:  What's the matter with the pickets at Kohl's and other stores in the area?  Apparently they have an axe to grind about horrendous corporate profits.  Is it that the corporations buy blue jeans from SriLanka?  For sure our jobs have been lost to cheap overseas labor used by companies who operate under lax environmental and social standards.

Whose fault is it anyway?  I believe that our government has the major role in creating this confusion.  Maybe I'll say more about that another time.

Nevertheless the question -  who are the the greedy bastards raking in all the money from Kohl's and others?  We are!  We have met the enemy and he is us.  We who have invested in stock securities from thousands of worldwide corporations have only ourselves to blame.

 Notice to all mass media:

I have endured more than any reasonably intelligent person might be expected to do.  Political ads and political news suck!  From now on I will immediately turn off any news report that has anything to do with the Presidential election in November. There is nothing more that can be said about any issue.  Over and over and over and over, the same issues have been discussed in countless debates sponsored by .... the mass media purveyors.  We are being whipped up to a media frenzy in their hopes that more advertising revenue might benefit their enterprises.

It is nauseating.  Today, during my lunch hour in the employee cafeteria, CNN was blaring.  I endured Hillary pontificating for as long as I could and left quickly to finish eating elsewhere.  It was more than I could take. I quit!

Political news and political ads be damned.

 So, you media companies and candidates as well, I will listen no longer.  Save our sanity and your advertising money as well.  Enough already!

I know what you candidates stand for - perhaps only until next week when you might change your mind.  But if you do, I won't know because I've dropped out.

...see you again in November after I've made my vote when I'll tune in again.
 

Last week I had the pleasure writing in this blog about a good guy.  To our loss John Schilling is no longer a resident of our community.  Unfortunately, this week I have the unhappy duty to write about a person who is just the opposite.

The person in question has sent a scathing, critical letter to a family who recently moved away from Menomonee Falls due to declining health.  The family had served our community well for over 50 years and they were respected.  And yet this sick-minded individual sent such a vindictive, vengeful letter that it raised my anger to the boiling point as I read it.  My wife shed tears as she was reading. She couldn't believe that anyone could behave in such an un-Christian manner and be so cruel and hurtful. I would publish it here, but it would be in bad taste to do so and would only harm the family more.

Who is this spineless person that hides behind anonymity to attack a sick, old man?  I have a good idea of the identity and will post more here as details emerge.  In the mean time, whomever you are, be ashamed of what you have done and prepare to atone for your sins. An apology to your fellow citizens will be in order when a the rock you're hiding under is turned over and you have to crawl out from underneath and show your face to the rest of us.
 

 JOHN SCHILLING has written and published a story about his exciting life as an accountant.  Now, exciting and accountant don't very often appear in the same sentence, but his story certainly has both elements.

UNDERCOVER is a well written account of his actions as a whistleblower, exposing his employer's actions in their attempts to cheat the government out of a gazillion dollars. It seems they had set up a system to improperly report costs and payments to hospitals under Medicare.  What John discovered and reported to various agencies eventually blossomed into discovery of illegal practices nationwide throughout the medical benefits billing system. For his honesty he was very richly rewarded.

John, now living in Florida, grew up in Menomonee Falls.  I knew him back when he was a volunteer on the Menomonee Falls Fire Department where I was serving as Lieutenant.  His goal was to become a full-time firefighter - he thought that to be an exciting life.  Little did he know that there can be monetary rewards and a heck of a lot more excitement associated with other occupations as well.

Accountants and excitement?   Yes indeed! John has a story full of intrigue and suspense. There were a lot of ups and downs, but in the end the government and this good citizen eventually win big time rewards.  I am days late posting this blog because it is hard to put the book down and address other demands of my time.

UNDERCOVER was published by the American Management Association a few weeks ago.  I'm six chapters deep into the book and  sincerely recommend it to area residents.  I hope you will find his book worth your time and money.

The following paragraph was written by Owen Robinson and appeared in his blog Boots and Sabers:

Party In the Falls

Rumors are that members of the teachers union plan to picket the Menomonee Falls School Board meeting on Monday night (4/14/08).  The school board has actually been standing firm on salary and benefit increases that the union is demanding.  It would behoove some of the citizens in that district to show up at the meeting and support their school board. 

There are a lot of interesting follow-up comments on his website: bootsandsabers.com 

 Note to JD and others:

Since last week's election I have spent considerable time investigating corruption and I am now able to report the results. For several days I have been quite frustrated while working on my computer.  Program crashes happened often.  In the middle of doing my work the information would simply disappear from the screen.


Hours were burned while I tried to correct the problem.  Just as I was about to throw in the towel, I started digging a little deeper into directories.  As I was checking a message popped onto the screen:  "FILE CORRUPT - PLEASE RELOAD THE OPERATING SYSTEM"

I did and the problem is now fixed. Corruption has been wiped out in Menomonee Falls!

 Finally!  A couple of days with nice weather, and I didn't have to be working.  We chose to spend some of this time in southern Fond du Lac County in the Northern Kettle Moraine area.  This incredible place where glaciers ended ,has left us with nature's beauty at its fullest. The rolling countryside is delightful as spring blossoms forth, only to later be outdone as summer takes over.

We experienced the awakening of Long Lake after a bitter winter.  The ice has pulled several feet away from the shoreline so the rocks and the critters that live among them are again visible. We saw a crayfish scurry around happily nibbling on a zebra mussel or two, totally oblivious to our overhead intrusion.

Ducks were swimming in an open channel and a myriad of northbound geese have noisily joined the 20 or so year-round flock. Motorcycles, a sure sign of spring, were also in abundance as their riders enjoyed the mild weather.

We are eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Hamburger Haus, which is the first sign of summer. 

 Those of you who know me understand that in the past I have had unresolved issues with Jefferson Davis, a candidate for a seat on the Menomonee Falls Village Board.  This year I have been biting my tongue to refrain from speaking out against him publicly, but I cannot do so any longer.

Mr. Davis has, year after year, submitted campaign finance reports that either show his inability to add a column of simple numbers
or, heaven forbid, deliberately being deceitful. 

Earlier in March I wrote two e-mails to Mr. Davis questioning his reports from the past election and asked for a reply.  He has not given me the courtesy of a response.  It seemed to me that he had not appropriately noted all his expenses or how they were paid.

Later, I sent copies of my queries to the State Elections Board with a request that they review my queries and then take appropriate action.  I have not had any response from them either. 

Recent stories in The Journal-Sentinel have pointed out a few of my questions.  There are more still  that are unpublished.  Check out the stories and then vote for the candidate of your choice.  Mine won't be for Davis!

 Strange things are happening along Pilgrim Road recently.

Political signs are going up everywhere.  It's election season.
But recent drives along Pilgrim Road have me wondering what's up.

One day at a house just north of the police station, a large political sign supporting Sharon Ellis was mounted. The very next day the sign had changed it's mind and was now supporting Jefferson Davis.

Today the sign is back to supporting Sharon Ellis.
Mighty strange things are happening indeed.
 

 For several decades, I daily traveled from my home to the Falls Cable Access broadcast studio during election season to make sure that the Chamber of Commerce Voters Form replay was set for broadcast. The goal was to make sure that Falls citizens could intelligently choose their next years representatives. I noticed that on those March days every year, little crocuses and daffodil shoots would be poking up an inch or so above aground near the broadcast facility just at that time.

This year  for me it is a bit different.  Automation and technology do not demand that immediate broadcast attention.  Electronic devices and other people are overseeing those playbacks.  But the issues are as important as ever. Even though we have had a horrendous winter, spring is at hand.  And at my house, the crocuses and daffs are again emerging with their springtime dance.

Election season - March Madness - is at hand.  The Voters Forum is again on the air. Have a look at Community Access channel 14, evaluate candidates, and then make your intellegent voting choices.

 For anyone interested in a twist on election politics, might I suggest trying this website.
It is run by an unabashed Libertarian radio personality.

www.rollye.net 

The hostess, Rollye James ,spouts the Libertarian philosophy. 

My political philosophy is conservative.  And one of my best friends is an ultra liberal.
We are great friends, but  somehow agree that both of our philosophies meet somewhere else in the universe  and are still quite similar.

I think that he is left of Communism.
He thinks that I am right of the John Birch Society.

We agree on that and are still closer friends.

This little blog isn't going to change the world, but it may cement one or the other of your beliefs.

Try the site and I'll be happy to post your comments.