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Oh, Garry - that is even more sophisticated than the time we went on an all day trip and left the garage door open so the burglars would be tempted to take the less valuable things in the garage, and forget about the house.

06/03/25 02:43 PM

#3614

Way to go Terri! I hadn't thought of that one but it does reflect well on our Californian creativity and awareness of the criminal mind. If you'd have lived in Wisconsin you'd be worried about losing snow blowers, rock salt and jumper cables. Out here we only worry about our surf boards, golf clubs and robo lawn mowers. Since everybody already have those they're not worth stealing. It almost makes our 10X cost of homes worth it.

06/11/25 04:54 PM

#3615

Kenneth Pallaske

Dear Friends,

A couple of months ago I had a myelogram and CT scan done on my poor old back. It not only displayed the damage I have done and ignored to it, a mass on my left lung was discovered.

The mass turned out to be stage IV metastatic lung cancer. It has spread to several bones in my spine (8), my right shoulder and 3 ribs in my right back. I have since had 10 radiation treatments for the lesions in my cervical spine and shoulder. A new level of pain was discovered during these sessions. They ended a week ago. I am happy to report the pain is much mnore manageable since the radiation started taking effect.

Today I had my first roud of chemo therapy. I was supposed to have immunotherapy along with the chemo, however, the blood test indicated my thyroid is now hyper. So, this needs to be corrected before immunotherapy can start because the therapy will make the already crazy thyroid worse.

The doctor gives me less than a year to live without Chemo/immunotherapy and a 40% chance of a 5 year survival with it, which prompted our decision. We trust in God and have asked Him for a miracle. Please keep me and Lu (Luanne) in your prayers.

Peace to all of you.

Ken and Lu Pallaske

06/14/25 12:58 PM

#3616

I've sent Ken a personal note in response to his difficult position. I know we all join together in sending Ken our support and hugs. It reminds me that it is "our season" as the O.G.'s (old guys) of this period. All of us know our day is ahead of us, some closer than others, but it's getting pretty damn close! We've all outlived over half of our classmates and are beyond the "average lifespan" (which decreased by a couple of years because of Covid). What concerns me is that we're missing so many others from our class who are struggling with major health issues, not to mention so many that we've never been able to locate since graduation and many of whom have, no doubt, already passed on.

I belong to an old timers golf club. There's a position whose responsibility is to report on the health and welfare of members on a monthly basis. When I first joined I thought, "How morbid!" But the longer I play the more I appreciate hearing why somebody hasn't been seen in a while and what they're dealing with. It gives me an opportunity to express to them how much I appreciate their friendship and the good times we've spent together. It's so much better than having to say, "Oh shit! I didn't get to tell him ... " after he's gone.

So many of you are dealing with major, major health issues. If not today, how far in the future? Many of us want to know so we can support you, some may want to pray for you, and all of us don't want to lose you without having expressed our love and appreciation for having been part of your life.

Personally, I'd like to hear what you're dealing with, like Ken just did. If you're not the type to express it publicly you can always send me an email directly or through the website "Contact Us". I can then add a note to the website. And here's an even more morbid thought, let somebody in your family know to contact us should you pass away (let them know before you pass. Afterwards is a bit spooky!) We've had at least a half dozen classmates do that and that's how I learned of their passing and could put it on the website.

Not quite sure how to handle it when my number comes up! Almost everybody who knows anything about the website is already gone!!!

06/16/25 07:37 AM

#3617

Ken,

Hang in there. Garry nailed it. Things like this remind me that God has a plan for all of us. How, why, years past, years to come, we don’t know. We are the product of so many things we can’t control, that have come to us as blessings, earned or not. We have always been in HIS hands, and at this stage, at our age, we can appreciate and trust that all the more. HE’s given us so much. HE’s also given us the doctors, nurses, and research, and therefore, hope. We live on what we are given.

So, hang in there -

“If there's one thing that I pray for,
As I live my daily life,
It's that I may be courageous
When I'm faced with bitter strife!...
So, I humbly pray for courage
To be with me morn and night,
Thro' the coldness of the Winter
And the Summer's bright sunlight!"
~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham (1880–1971), “Courage”

Semper Fi

06/22/25 11:26 AM

#3618

Sports fans -

What happens when you live in an area without major league, professional teams?

Since we moved to this Florida place, we, of course, have a different TV provider. For sports entertainment, we do get a major league baseball game, the remains of the NBA basketball series, and golf.

And, our TV provider also graces us with a plethora of other sports, including such things as the national air-guitar championships, national sign-spinning championships,and regional axe and knife throwing contests.

Somehow, down here we also get minor, minor league baseball almost every night, hardball and softball. For some reason, they televise games from the Northwoods League, which is mostly teams from WI, MICH, and MN. They're college kids from all over, like it's their summer job. So, I get to watch Wausau, Eau Claire, Fond Du Lac, and the likes, with teams like the Hot Tots, Pit Spitters, Dock Spiders, Night-mares, and Habaneros.

With all that, I hardly worry about what's going on with the Packers.

06/23/25 01:29 PM

#3619

Gordon "Allen" Mitchell

Sports: here in Orlando it's always interesting to see what's on! I use "YouTube TV" for provider! Get fair coverage from ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports. With t-mobile phone I get MLB! MLB is good for my since I follow the Brewers some. All Florida teams MLB are blacked-out! NFL is limited to network games plus Amazon prime games. I refuse to pay the high prices for NFL NETWORK or NBA! All the playoffs were covered well on networks! YTTV has golf channel! So good coverage! The interesting sport has been tennis. Tennis channel went to ay status but have been getting the "majors" through FoxSports and other networks. Anyway hope this gives some assist.

After years of tests, my PSA went up so went for more testing and biopsy on prostrate. Found Stage 1, cancer areas. So, after weighing the options I have decided to go through a procedure called HIFU! It's a high falooten ultra-sound procedure! "In & out" in one day! Pin point dissection! Should be interesting! Scheduled: July 3rd! Only down side I feel will be a catheter for a week or so! But on the plus side, no radiation or chemo!

Otherwise, not too bad here Just slow walking these days!

Can’t drive because of my eyes - macular degeneration! One wet! One day!

06/23/25 02:11 PM

#3620

Allen, my brother had that exact surgery last August and is doing well! There was the catheter thing and some pain for awhile, but now good as new and cancer free, Fingers crossed.

06/23/25 02:16 PM

#3621

Allen, my brother had that exact surgery last August and is doing well! There was the catheter thing and some pain for awhile, but now good as new and cancer free, Fingers crossed. I also have the "one wet/one dry" MD, but so far can still drive. Had 1st injection and 2 more to go. Then cataract surgery! Life is so exciting these days, isn't it?

06/24/25 01:15 PM

#3622

Gordon "Allen" Mitchell

All good information to hear Terri! Where did your brother go for the HIFU procedure! Apparently many from across the country come here for Dr Yowell's team! I can hope for the same results! Two months ago I had not heard of this option. So just a little discussion may give others another option too!

Hope your cataract procedures go well! I had that more than 5 years ago now and it was all great. Had great results back then.

The macular degeneration came up about 3 years ago. The dry left eye they just observe as I come in for my "shot in the eye" at 12 week intervals for the right eye! They tell me this can remain the same "forever!" Whatever that will be! lol.

Yup, I'm smiling and taking it all in stride! I went many many years without much as a kidney stone! Lol So all is ok 👌

Thanks for the kind note I'll post results in July! 👌😘

07/04/25 04:53 PM

#3623

Sorry about the unpatriotic homepage without mention of the 4th. I'm visiting my son's place in Bend Oregon with his 4 dogs, 4 goats, 2 cats, a horse and a mule! Bend has a 4th of July Pet Parade where 100's and 100's of pet owners march mostly with extremely well behaved dogs as well as goats, horses, ducks, chickens, lizards, a boa, a baby kangaroo, and miscellaneous other critters. At the end there were a couple dozen protesters chanting about the unfairness and discrimination against cats! It was hilarious. Along the route were 100's of other pets with their owners watching the progression. And nowhere did I hear a single bark, snarl, or see a leash being strained. It was the most friendly and congenial event I've ever seen. Even the city's clean up crew drew applause at the end. I think I witnessed the best America has to offer. It's hard to lose the smile on my face, even with thunder threatening tonight's fireworks from the butte in the middle of town.

07/26/25 06:19 PM

#3624

Al,

I go out to the back yard several times a day to walk the dog and count the gators in the lake behind us. Anytime I look off in the direction of Orlando, It seems you always have big storm clouds over there, and you put on a good lightening show. I see why you call yourselves the lightening capital. You must get sunshine sometime, or is Disney covered with a giant, retractable dome now?

08/01/25 07:06 PM

#3625

I'm not sure what message we get from the doctors now -

They seem to interlace every visit with things like "your lab results (or XYZ test, or something values) are a bit off, but for your age. . . ."

I wish our teachers at Custer would have been generous like that - "your algebra test score was a little bit low, but for your age. . . ." Cut us some slack maybe.

08/09/25 01:20 PM

#3626

May be a point of interest but the banner announcing the September 20th luncheon was created entirely on ChatGPT! I gave it a photo and some data and artificial intelligence did the rest. Of course it took me days to understand how to use the website for graphics and it came back with misspellings. I'd tell it what to correct or what I wanted differently and it'd come back completely changed and maybe new misspellings.! I'm going to run this paragraph through it too and you'll see the changes below. I'm preparing for the day I'm unable to do this website anymore and AI takes over!!!

Believe it or not, the banner for the September 20th luncheon was made entirely by ChatGPT! I fed it a photo and a few details, and artificial intelligence took it from there. Of course, it only took me three days, a gallon of coffee, and several mild headaches to figure out how to make the website do graphics. Along the way, it gifted me with some truly creative misspellings. I’d ask for a simple fix, and it would come back looking completely different—plus a bonus typo or two, just to keep things exciting. I’m even running this paragraph through it now, so if anything sounds odd… blame the robot. I’m just getting ready for the day when I can’t run the website anymore and AI gets the keys to the kingdom!

Now is that spooky or what?

08/11/25 01:24 PM

#3627

David Holm

Frightening!!

08/11/25 01:28 PM

#3628

David Holm

Ai has already learned what CYA means.

08/12/25 06:06 AM

#3629

This AI stuff isn't all that new or exciting. My teachers used to tell me I had awful intelligence all the time. That's AI, aint't it?

08/14/25 01:15 PM

#3630

Ronald Imig

Been fun watching the Brewers play this year. Will someone in Milwaukee go get me that free hamburger at George Webb's with the Brewers winning twelve straight? Been looking at ways to part with some of my stuff. Leaning toward Facebook Market Place cash and carry. Decide to go to the Doctor and get checked out since I'm having a hard time getting from the couch to the refridgerator. Doctor told me that the good life I lived to get those extra years. Well they are here now.

08/15/25 02:27 PM

#3631

Ronald Imig

Decide to check on how much hamburger, onions, ketchup, mustard and buns were used on George Webb's hamburger give away were used in 1987. They ordered 25000 lbs ground beef, 173,000 hamburger buns, 673 gallons ketchup, 286 gallons mustard, 2868 lbs of onions (57 50 lbs bags) and 367,180 pickle slices. there is about 800 pickle slices in a gallon so that would be about 459 gallons pickle slices. They get about 200 lbs out of each head of cattle so that would be 125 head of cattle. Suspect a little less ground beef out of a bull because much of the bull is used for bull -loney.

08/16/25 10:40 AM

#3632

As I’m lying here, in my hospital bed, I’m thinking about some of the medical issues and concerns I’ve read here the last couple of months, I realize how incredibly blessed we’ve been to be here in our 80s. And I realize that my shot at humor a couple of weeks ago - “the doctor said for your age. . . , “ wasn’t far off. Up ’til now, any illness, hurt, or glitch, I always considered an isolated event, s*&*! happens, and I’d get over it or adapt. Now, it’s beginning to set in that things are no longer isolated, things happen because of “my age.” My parts are way beyond warranty. My heart beats funny because the atrial spark plug has been banging for so long, the parts for moving, walking, lifting, eating, and all that stuff, are getting worn after several million uses, their tread is getting a little thin. I need to accept that “at my age” things are different, I can’t do what I did when I was 30, or last year, for that matter. Not only does my body have to accept that, my brain does too. Fortunately, most fortunately, that is still working darn good “for my age,” but it’ll have some new thinking, a different life, to get used to.

08/29/25 04:00 PM

#3633

Since Jim won’t say it himself — and several people have asked — I’ll report that he’s doing fine and is out of the hospital. As they say, only the good die young, which means Jim (and the rest of us reading this) are safe for a long time yet! No need to worry, Jim, unless John Wayne shows up beside you again. Vacation’s over now, my friend.

On another happy note, Barbara Blair Brenzel shares that her daughter is responding very well to the new drug therapy. We’re delighted for both you and your daughter, Barb, and look forward to seeing you at the September luncheon.”

08/29/25 05:05 PM

#3634

OK. So as a followup, I had an appointment with the cardiologist yesterday, and had a near-death experience. He said everything looked fine, called me "low maintenance," and said I could go run a marathon. I almost died laughing!

08/30/25 02:01 PM

#3635

I'm so happy you made it through your cardiac incident, Jim! And thank you for that excellent description of the real world us "80's" now have to live in. I am at my sister's bedside just following her second open heart surgery to patch up a hole that broke open next to the new valve she received only 3 years ago. Yes, we are grateful for the wonderful science and skilled surgeon that will allow ber to return home to her beloved dog and her well-tended garden.

09/05/25 04:51 PM

#3636