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The Greatest Generation

aubreywoods — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:08:39 +0000

I’ve always enjoyed talking with those men and women of journalist Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation.
And Leonard Trimpe of Seymour is one of my favorites.
That’s because he was along with first wave of soldiers to hit Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day.
Over the years, I’ve had to talk with Leonard and wrote his story several times.
At 89, Trimpe can still recall vividly the details of June 6, 1944, and his thoughts on what was one of the bloodiest days in American history.
It’s easy to hear the pain in his voice when he talks about the 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers who didn’t live through that day.
It’s also easy to understand why he expresses such pride in what was accomplished that day and during the drive to end Hitler’s reign over Fortress Europe.
I learn more and more about that day every time I talk to Leonard.
He and other veterans, not only of those WWII, but every vet, brings history alive for me and anyone willing to take the time to listen to what they have to say.
That doesn’t mean I think I’m any better than anyone else because I get paid to listen to vets like Leonard talk about the sacrifices they’ve made for every American.
And I’m as guilty as everyone else when it comes to thanking vets for those sacrifices. So I’m going to do it now.
“Thank you” Leonard, and thanks to the rest of the men and women who have served and sometimes given their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted.

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Memorable

aubreywoods — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:02:22 +0000

My son, a sophomore, spent the last year and a half talking about going to Panama City, Fla., with his buddies, all high school seniors, for spring break.

I think he honestly thought my wife and I were going to let him go to Florida on his own with a bunch other teenagers. I, on the other hand, always thought the trip would never happen.

As the Friday for spring break neared, however, it became obvious that my son’s friends were on the ball and trip was going to happen.

The only problem was none of the parents showed a willingness to go.

That’s where I entered the picture because I told my son that he wasn’t going unless an adult (someone with a little more life experience than a bunch of boys with raging hormones) was going.

Can you guess who that person wound up being? That’s right, it was me.

I was more than little surprised that my wife was so willing to let me go off with a bunch of boys and spend a lot of money going to Florida without her.

I should have known something was wrong with the whole picture and there was.

For one thing, no one had a vehicle big enough or in good enough shape to haul seven people to Panama City so we decided to rent a van. That, however, meant I was the only one old enough to drive.

So I wound up driving the 700-plus miles to Panama City and the 700-plus miles back seven days later. That was an adventure on its own and better saved for another time.

We left in the early morning hours of the Friday before spring break, which was just the first of eight days I would spend with a group of teenage boys who had just one thing on their mind — meeting girls.

At 51, I have not forgotten what it’s like to spend most of my time thinking about thinking about the opposite sex because I’m not dead and buried yet. I have, however, forgotten what it’s like to spend all my time and energy chasing girls (I put that one in there for my wife).

Our first full day in Panama City, I managed to hook the boys up with some girls from Bloomfield. I don’t think they thought I actually knew how to “talk the talk” anymore, but I showed them how it’s done.

I spent my mornings in Florida relaxing because none of the boys, especially my own son, woke up very early. I spent my afternoons in Florida sitting next to the pool, drinking a cold one, reading a book and getting a little sun because they were all off on some adventure on the beach.

I spent my early evenings wishing they would leave our condo so I could have some peace and quiet. And I spent the late night hours wishing they would come back so I could make sure I brought all six of them back home.

We started the week with a plan to purchase food jointly and share it across the board. That was my idea, but it wasn’t a very good one because if you teenage boys you know how much they can eat. By the end of the week, I was finding food hidden all over the condo including my bedroom. Talk about a bunch of hoarders.

I did managed to find a couple of other adults from home to talk with and that help eased some of my apprehensions about what the boys might be getting themselves into during their never-ending search for the next girl or party or wet T-shirt contest. I even spent one day watching a friend from Brownstown try his hand at catching some fish.

It was a memorable week. We eventually made it back in one piece although the remnants of my run in with a jellyfish in the 68-degree waters of the gulf can still be seen on my right arm.

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Less is more

aubreywoods — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:26:24 +0000

My wife did it to me again on Valentines Day.
That’s right she tricked me with that old worn out talk about how we don’t have the money to be spending on gifts for special occasions such as birthdays and Valentines Day. It’s a story that I’ve heard (and fallen for) more than one time over our 20-plus years of marriage.
And you would think by now that I would have stopped falling for it, but she made a pretty convincing argument that since we just had to purchase a new washing machine, we weren’t buying anything for each other on Valentines Day.
So I didn’t get her anything. You know the rest of the story. That’s right, come Saturday morning she gave me a pair of slip-ons to wear around the house and money to purchase tokens for car washes.
She said it wasn’t much, but it was more than I gave her (insert nothing here).
I managed to salvage a little bit out of the day by agreeing to take her to a place that I have only ate at a couple of times since I moved to Jackson County back in the summer of 1986.
It’s amazing how some things just never change because the double cheeseburger (smothered in fried onions) I had at The Brick in Jonesville during our romantic getaway tasted just as good as the first one I had there.
If you’ve never been to The Brick you need to eat there one time unless you’re a vegetarian.
The menu is simple: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chili, soup, potato chips and of course, beer.
I’ve been telling my wife for years that we need to simplify our lives more, leaving with less and all that good stuff.
You don’t have to put a lot of thought into what you’re going to eat at The Brick. You can’t say that about some restaurants.
The place was packed, however, and its not hard to see why. Both the food and the atmosphere were great.
Sometimes less really is more.

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Shovel update

aubreywoods — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:43:27 +0000

My luck held out until the end of January - almost - and that has to be some kind of record for someone like me who generally doesn’t have much in the way of good luck.
But in case you haven’t noticed, it snowed last week and that means my wife and son finally had a chance to try out the “monogrammed ” snow shovels I gave them for Christmas.
I earlier wrote that I purchased to shovels for them and because I was prepared for snow it wouldn’t snow this winter. As usual I was wrong.
Something went terribly wrong when it did snow, because on that day I couldn’t find my son anywhere despite the fact that school had been cancelled.
So guess who spent part of his morning shoveling out the driveway? That’s right it was me. You knew all along that I would be the one on the working end of one of those shovels if by chance it did snow enough to be used this winter.
But to my wife’s credit, she was on the working end of the other shovel.
When I first wrote about the two new shovels I bought for my wife and son, my wife wanted a chance for a rebuttal and she wanted me to write it for her in this space.
I said she could do all the rebutting she wanted, but she had to do it without my help. There’s ways to answer these blogs and she needed to figure that out without my help.
She claims she has always supported me over the years, but that she and my son always get a “bad rap” when I write about them, and she’s right. I can’t pick on them at home, so I have to do it somewhere and work just seems like the right place to do it.
She also claims I always have unrealistic goals such as making a list at Christmas time and then expecting to go out and buy all the presents in one day’s time. She may be right about that for the most part, but I still don’t see what’s unrealistic about that goal.
She also said I shouldn’t complain about the crowded aisles and people refusing to move when I spend part of my time “shopping” watching the Colts or Pacers playing in the entertainment department.
She also says she can’t understand why I complain about the kids being in the toy department and how they shouldn’t be allowed there during Christmas. She thinks if that’s true the same rule should apply to me, and I shouldn’t be allowed in the sports, electronics, books or any department containing food.
Do I have to say it again? She’s right, I shouldn’t be allowed in any store at Christmas or at any other time of the year for that matter. It’s something I’ve been advocating for years.
She said I did get some things right including the part about my son always taking his mom’s side especially around Christmas time (which means he knows he’s more likely to get whatever he’s really after from her rather than from me).
But she also says I’ve never been prepared for anything, and she’s not even sure I ever was a Boy Scout. She’s right about the first part, I’ve never been prepared for much of anything, but wrong about the Boy Scout deal because I did learn about tracking in scouts.
And that’s how I found my son, snuggled up in bed with our other child, Rookie, our three-year Bischon. They sure had the right idea that day.
PS: I lost one of the shovels when one of my son’s buddies broke it on the second day we received snow. So much for being prepared.

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Timeless

aubreywoods — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:27:42 +0000

I saw the Harlem Globetrotters perform in person for the first time Wednesday night.
They put on a great show.

A lot of the tricks were predictable especially to those of us old enough to remember watching Meadowlark Lemon, Fred Curly Neal, Bobby Joe Mason and Reece Goose Tatum decades ago.

I mean who hasn’t seen the old water in the bucket trick? And who hasn’t seen the debate between the Globetrotters’ clown prince and the coach of the Generals about who was going to win the game?
The Generals, however, haven’t beat the Globetrotters in 38 years and everyone knew it wasn’t going to happen at Lloyd Barney Scott Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

But the Globetrotters have been entertaining fans for more than 80 years, and it’s easy to see why. If nothing else, the younger children seem to get a kick out of the amazing ball handling skills shown by the players and the tricks they pull on each other, the coaches and the fans.

And every once in a while even those of us who have been around for a while see something new.
Although aren’t new tricks, I enjoyed the radio-controlled basketball and the Plexiglas placed over the Globetrotters basket.

And Globie the team mascot brings a home other level of entertainment to the experience of watching the Globetrotters perform.

I have to admit some of his antics had me almost in tears from laughing so much.

It’s easy to see why people like spending a relaxing winter night watching the Magicians of Basketball perform. They are truly timeless.

The Globetrotters are more than just a basketball team to many. They’re an experience and a positive one at that. It was a show worth remembering.

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Nobody’s perfect

aubreywoods — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:40:18 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hearing about the never-ending Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
I’ve been listening to it for my entire life, and I’m over it.
It seems to me there’s plenty of blame to go around over there. It also seems to me that plenty of what’s been going on there for decades has to do with myths perpetuated by both sides and others around the world including some of our country’s leaders.
What it really boils down to is something called “face saving.”
That means to me that you can do what you want to me as long as I come out looking good as well.
There’s nothing wrong with that because that’s how most of tend to operate anyway.
Let the chips fall where they may as long as I come out smelling like a rose as well. Want an example of that; take a look at that now famous or infamous governor who lives next door to us. One of his early tactics has been to try to divert attention away from himself by appointing a senator for his state when everyone else justs wants him to go away.
But every once in a while, it would be good for someone to step up and plainly say, “I made a mistake.”
It sure would save a lot of time, money and grief for everyone else involved and even those watching from the sidelines.
I once had a boss who would say, “Help me understand” whenever a mistake was made. I hated to hear that so I always tried to give him the short, honest answer “I screwed up.” It generally didn’t work because he was looking for ways to make sure it didn’t happen again, but it sure made me feel better because I told the truth.
I’m not trying to say I’m perfect or anything because God knows I should be using that strategy at home a little more. But it’s human nature to try to put the best face on everything.
Maybe it’s time for the Palestinians and the Israelis to be a lot more honest about what’s going on there and set about trying to fix some of the problems.
I’m betting that will never happen.

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The work goes on

aubreywoods — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:39:50 +0000

I’ve attended a bunch of commissioners meetings over the years, but Tuesday morning’s was special.
Why, because for the first time in many years, Gary Darlage and Steve Gill, weren’t sitting behind the table.
Both those men dedicated years of their lives to public service.
Did they do a perfect job? No, in fact, there were times when I thought they both made mistakes.
Public service, however, is never an easy job for a lot of reasons. In fact, it’s generally a thankless job, and the pay isn’t that great either. Both generally tried to look out for the interests of every Jackson County resident and not just themselves or some special interest group.
So I want to thank both Darlage and Gill for their public service.
I think the next four years will be interesting.
The new members, Republican Jerrry Hounshel and Democrat John Schafstall, are no strangers to politics or public service for that matter so I expect the work of the board will continue as normal. And yes, they will make mistakes and decisions that are not always the most popular.
Hounshel, who replaces Darlage, served the county for years as a police officer and as sheriff. Schafstall, who replaced Gill, also served a stint as commissioner back in the 1990s.
I think both tend to speak their minds, just in different ways. Hounshel, who lived in Virginia before moving to Vallonia as a child, is soft-spoken and rarely gets rile. He does, however, has his views on how government should work.
Schafstall is not as soft spoken as Hounshel, but he gets his point across as well.
In the middle of those two will sit Republican Monte Striegel who seems to be strong when it comes to supporting the people who put him into office and expect him to do his job.
It looks like it could be a good four years.
P.S. By the way, I also think the commissioners’ decision to hold one of their two monthly meetings at night is a good one. Sure it will mess with my schedule, but I think that our public officials need to be more accessible to the people they serve. I hope this experiment works out.

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Be prepared

aubreywoods — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:37:46 +0000

I’ve always tried to operate under a motto I learned back when I was a Boy Scout. Anyone who has ever been a scout knows what “Be Prepared” means.
Unfortunately over the years I’ve never really been prepared for anything.
This year, however, I found myself with some money left over from a home remodeling project and decided to invest in a BOGO deal for two snow shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - at a local home products store.
I thought it was just a good idea to replace our old handleless, beat up shovel we’ve been using for years with two new shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - just in case we get another 29 inches of snow dumped upon us.
But guess what?
It’s not snowed one time since I purchased those two shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - about a month ago.
Right now, I’m taking credit for the lack of snow this winter. If I hadn’t bought those shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - we would have had several measurable snowfalls.
Every day it doesn’t snow is one day closer to spring. I can’t wait.
PS: By the way, if it does snow and you drive by my house, don’t expect to see me with one of those shovels. Those were Christmas presents to my wife and son. Merry Christmas.

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Send them away

aubreywoods — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:11:42 +0000

It’s not really surprising Congress has turned over billions of dollars in taxpayer cash to financial institutions and then not asked for an accounting of the money.
These are the same people set to receive an automatic 3 percent pay increase next year.
How can they even consider keeping a raise when many in the private sector have gone without for a long time now? Unemployment’s on the rise, the housing market continues to struggle and the stock market will take years to recover from the losses it as incurred during past few months.
I don’t find anything that comes out of Washington, D.C., surprising any more or fact that matter funny.
The people we have elected and sent there need to get their acts together. They might want to take a lesson from Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels who recently decided state employees should not have a pay raise this coming year. Many in the private sector haven’t had raises for longer periods than a year.
Everyone needs to tighten their belts until we get through this recession or depression.
I once thought that we ought to ask Iraq to pay us back the money we have spent rebuilding that country, because we need the money here. But if they did so, Congress would find some other way to squander it.
It’s easy to see why Congress’ approval rating has fallen from about 50 percent four years ago to 20 percent recently.
I love reading and borrowing Will Roger’s quotes about government. Here’s one I think fits the present situation pretty well.
“The taxpayers are sending congressmen on expensive trips abroad. It might be worth it except they keep coming back.”
Let’s send them all aboard and then not let them come back home.

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It’s done

aubreywoods — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:29:40 +0000

I’ve always agreed to go shopping for Christmas presents with my wife at least one time before Dec. 25 arrives.

Like most men, I would prefer not to go anywhere near a store this time of year or any other time of the year for that matter.

Generally things go badly when my wife drags me along when it’s time to shop for Christmas presents, and I know she really regrets having to listen to me whine the whole time we’re out.

But I’m feel like I’m better than one of my brothers-in-law, who went shopping with his wife at Christmas one time and just starting pulling toys for his grandkids off the shelves and putting them in the cart. His wife promptly dismissed him, and he went to a Colts game. That’s how you do it.

I was really mad at him for awhile, but only because he was smart enough to come up with the idea. I even envied him until my wife later told me he went shopping with his wife one other time and even took the initiative to venture out one day for his own shopping trip. Talk about ruining it for the rest of us.

But the day I decided to go shopping for Christmas this year generally went better than I thought it would. That may have been because my 16-year-old son decided he wanted to go as well. He kind of serves as a buffer between his mom and me. He also tends to behave as well as any 16-year-old can be expected to this close to Christmas.

You don’t have to look very far to see that the economy is bad, but you sure couldn’t tell it from the crowds we encountered at a mall on the south side of Indianapolis that shall remain nameless.

The place was so packed I was afraid once we made it inside the ring of cars circling the parking lot we would never get out of there in time to make my family’s annual Christmas party.

I think there needs to be some ground rules put in place about shopping at Christmas time.

For one thing, I don’t believe any children should be allowed in the toy section. I found myself in a near panicked state after spending about 10 minutes in the toy section of one store.

I found myself in a similar state while visiting the electronics sections in that same store. I could just not believe the number of adults and children crammed into those two departments. It’s easy to see what most people will be getting for Christmas this year.

As always, I managed to survive the day despite a lot of moaning and groaning, but its a good thing Christmas only comes around once a year.

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