Be aware, the "Message Forum" is NOT password protected.  Unlike profiles that are password protected, anybody who gets to this webpage can see what is written here.  Nobody can contact you directly based on this forum unless you reveal your personal contact information.  Use the "Message Center" for sharing personal contact information with another classmate.

This message forum is an ongoing discussion about anything and just about everything ... within reason.  One thing our class was good at was having opinions.  Almost 70 years of life experience certainly qualifies us as experts on most everything!   Ask a question ... give an opinion ... share some insights ... it's our web site, it's our forum.  That said, it's probably not a good idea to get into arguments about politics, religion, and the like.  While we're experts on everything, we also have a wide range of values and beliefs. This site belongs to all of us ... the whole range ... and we are not here to isolate, alienate, or subjugate anybody.  Of course insults, humiliation, sophomoric barraggadocio, and demented humor is expected behavior among some of us less mature people.
 

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Thanks, Jeanne! At least some of the musical  earworms I'm experiencing came from our singing together to the 1962 music CD that you put together. . . ."Don't take your love. . away from me. . don't you leave my heart in misery. . .think of all the things we do. . .breakn' up is hard to do. . ."   over and over. I guess I'll try some ear drops! Nancy & Karsten, it was so nice to see you again; and Jane Bednarz, Jeanne Gottschalk and Kathy & Howard Radke, and Jim Cejka who weren't at the 50th! You all look exactly the same as you did at Custer, subtracting a few well - earned gray hairs. Now, to figure out how to upload my 55th photos.

Jim Cejka

Veterans' Day, 2017

Carol Albers (Pederson)

Thanks Jim, for reminding us the importance of Veterans Day!  We should give thanks every day.    I enjoyed catching up with all your adventures on Friday.  Wow, I sure have lead a very quiet life in comparison.  As a member of the reunion committee,  I want to thank all of you who were able to make it to the 55th.  Your kind comments online and at the event mean a lot.  For me, it was great to sit back and see so many happy, smiling faces while  watching Garry entertain us.  DJ, comedian and game show host!  Garry, speech class must have been breeze for you at Custer!   Thanks again to you all of you!

Bonnie Buck (Walter)

It was difficult and weird for me to come to the reunion this time without Ken at my side, but everyone made me feel comfortable, welcome, and happy.  It was fun to be with so many people who remembered Ken.  Sad to see that there were several other widows, but good to see that we are all endeavoring to live life to its fullest!

Thank you to everyone on the committee for planning and delivering a fun two nights!  Garry, as always you cracked us all up with your numerous jokes.  The music was great and brought back zillions of memories.  I know you went through stressful times obtaining and then retaining all the songs, but so glad you kept at it and were successful in the end.  ;*)

Bonnie Seitz Kenny, Gordy Sauer, Bill & Sheryl Bailen, and Nancy Doyle, it was especially great to be able to spend time with you.  I enjoyed reconnecting with everyone else too. 

Garry, let's plan that next California contingent Sheepshead game at my house as usual and probably after the holidays.

Jim Cejka

Reunion Recap, part 1

Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but no value can be placed on the memories of having good friends.

I went to three reunions in Wisconsin on this trip - Custer, family, and old neighbors/friends. I liked Custer's best.

I can't get over the feeling how great it was to sit down with the "old gang" and have conversations as if we saw each other only a couple days ago. 

We probably didn't realize it in '62, but we know now that we had a very special class. The friendships, camaraderie, comfort, and whatever, that we feel and show when we get together was noted by several non-Custer (including mine) spouses. 

The whole reunion bucket list was completed, even good Milwaukee pizza (None of that fru-fru stuff we get in CA with avocados and no meat.) (Hint, future reunion planners - we found a Mama Mia's pizza place about 2 miles from Brookfield Square, on Bluemound, complete with a Kopp's in the same parking lot.)

Somebody should have brought at least one six-year old to help Garry and Co. with the computer program.

Riding on AmTrak back and forth across the country is the only way to fly. 

And, I got to spend 9 says without driving in CA traffic.

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Soooo well said, Jim! Thanks for putting the reunion weekend into words that really count. Great seeing you again. Hope it won't be the last time!

Jim Cejka

Reunion Recap, part 2

Walking through Brookfield Square again was almost a surreal experience.

Seeing people, some as old friends, and some as "hardly-knew" classmates, and realizing that so many went from starry (bleary?) eyed teens to really neat and interesting people over the years. Happy and proud to know, or get to know, all of them. 

Our family used to go "up north" every year for my dad's two-week vacation. It was our big, long trip of the year to drive up Hwy 41, turn left at Oshkosh, to Silver Lake near Wautoma. This year we bopped up there for a quick lunch with some old neighbors. Seems like Hwy 41 got a lot shorter over the years, and our idea of a road trip has changed a lot.

Between the meals on the train and the great food at the reunion, my waist line and blood sugar will take a year to recover. 

It was nice to be in a place where I could order an Old Fashioned and have someone actually know what I was asking for. 

Kudos to everyone who helped create such a relaxed and happy atmosphere, and made this old curmudgeon feel at home again.

Jim Cejka

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving (National Endorphin Day?)

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

~John F. Kennedy

Barbara Blair (Brenzel)

Especially grateful this Thanksgiving for our wonderful 55th reunion.  A HUGE thank you to everyone that had a part in putting it together for us.  I haven't had so much fun in such a long time!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Barb Brenzel (Blair)

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Thanksgiving wishes to all of my Custer classmates. We are enjoying a warm 84° day. As our weather reporters dubbed it, "The Air-Conditioned Thanksgiving." I am so grateful for being able to make the reunion and see so many of my classmates, some for the first time since graduation, and some of you looking exactly as you did at the 50th! And Cejka, the same as last year. Thanks again for a wonderful time. I agree with Barb - it was a blast!

Jim Cejka

Reunion Recap 3: Reflection

1. Comfort - I'd forgotten how it was to feel comfortable and accepted in a group of people or have friends. Since  the "nasties" of PTSD, I have been to lots of places and lots of activities, but always kept people at an arms distance. I developed a whole different definition of "friends." Being at the reunion put me back into a mood of ease, and re-ignited my real feeling of friends. I want to thank everyone that was there for a few moments back in my "Garden of Eden." (The one before the snake and apple thing.)

2. Fifty-five years has changed our bodies, but not, as was evident all around the reunion room, the people we were. It just took a long time to realize that.

3. And last - now what? Aging and the course of nature doesn't stop, but I hope that, as long as my brain and fingers still kinda work, to keep up with this site, and maybe some of my newly re-affirmed friends. My crystal 8-ball says, 'Signs point to yes." Would the 8-ball lie to me?

Jim Cejka

OK, so which is really St. Nicholas night - tonight the 5th or tomorrow, the 6th. Now that the grandaughter is old enough, bad grandpa here can't remember when to hang her stocking?

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Stocking goes up on the 5th, goodies are discovered on morning of the 6th. I just went out and bought St. Nick goodies for myself. Guess they won't be a surprise!

Cheers!

Jim Cejka

SoCal fire primer

1. Ana - as in Santa Ana winds. Normal winds in SoCal are on-shore/off-shore from the ocean. They vary during the day and night, might be gusty at times, and contain some moisture. The generally dissipate quickly when they hit the coastal hills and mountains. Santa Ana winds come in off the deserts east of SoCal. They are very hot and very dry, like single digit humidity, The winds are strong, sometimes up to 70mph, and sustained. They funnel through the canyons, which increases their velocity and directs them to high density chaparral and populated areas, and, in some cases, down to the ocean.
2. Blaze - The beautiful SoCal ecology and weather turn the local chaparral into a blaze waiting to happen. Any ignition source, no matter how slight, can blow up like a match to gasoline. Don't know if it is still true, but when I lived there in the 60s and 70s, there was a $10,000 fine for just having a lit cigarette in a car.
3. Chaparral - The chaparral is a low vegetation scrubland that makes up 5-8% of the SoCal environment. Unfortunately, that's where most of the population chooses to be. The brush and trees are quite short. They foliate and seed during the short rainy periods of the year, and become very dry, dropping their leaves and seeds, during the long dry months. These droppings accumulate in the canyons and hillsides for years, just waiting to burn. That's the catch. The chaparral is designed to burn naturally every so many years. Many of the seeds and plants need to go through a burn cycle to hatch or propagate. People and populations alter those burning cycles. Without fires, the droppings can accumulate to several feet thick, dried and oily (There are creosote bushes.)

A + B + C = D - Disaster

Chaparral fires spread extremely fast and are extremely hard to contain. Once ignited, an acre of chaparral can burn over, literally, in minutes. Add a 60mph Santa Ana wind, and they flash over in seconds. The fuel mass is feet thick, layered, dry stuff, Water and fire retardants don't penetrate. The fuel mass burns deep and long, like a stack of charcoal, so the firefighters can't just spray water until the flames are gone and move on. Cutting fire breaks, or natural breaks like roads or developed areas, don't work either. The burning seeds and leaves can be blown by those Santa Ana winds for miles, jumping barriers and starting fires in areas thought to be safe, or landing on houses and torching them. Animals also spread the fires, catching fire themselves, and running to unburnt areas. 

Not much can be gained until Mother Nature changes the weather patterns and the Santa Anas stop. 

The ground buildup in the chaparral also controls the water runoff in the rainy season, so after the fires, there will be flooding and mudslides that'll change the landscape. 

Just a few things people don't think about when they're "California Dreamin'." Best of luck and prayers to our classmates living down there.

William Nelson

Jim,

Thanks for the primer on SoCal fires. While we don't have any desire to move there -- it's way too expensive for us if  we did -- we have several family members who already live in that area and at least one more considering it.  Would you mind if I copied this and pass it along to my FB friends?

Jim Cejka

Bill, go ahead. I did my undergrad down there studying that stuff. I know we have several of our class living down there, and thought somebody might be interested. We moved from there about 4 years ago, and just heard my daughters best friend, and her parents places, have been evacuated. If you haven't seen the pics of the fires taken from the space station, you should Google them. Really shows the effects of the Santa Anas on a chaparral fire.

Jim Cejka

Every day, firefighters in Los Angeles receive a brush burning index report that indicates the fire danger. If it's 162 or higher, that's considered extreme. The number for Thursday was 296, a record. The smoke plume from the fires extends 1000 miles out into the Pacific.

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

We ALL weep with Santa!

Jim Cejka

Reunion Recap #4: Wow

Had a light bulb, “duh” moment the other day, thinking, again, about the recent reunion. I realized that, with one or two exceptions, that was my first contact with everybody as adults. I think it took so long to realize because, outside of a few physical aging issues (and McCarthy getting red hair), nobody seemed to really change. Good friends, or people I hardly knew, were the same, fun, and interesting “kids” I knew back then. That’s so cool. Nice life, class. Thanks.

Jim Cejka

Fire update. For a Wisconsin comparison, the Thomas fire is now the largest in CA history, and has currently burned over an area about twice the size of Washington county. It's only 65% contained. 

Not a Merry Christmas for everyone.

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Thanks for the music, Garry. I've never seen a piano used as a whole orchestra before, and they even supplied the chorus! Merry Christmas to you and my very special and terrific Custer classmates. ☃️🎁🥂<>>

Barbara Blair (Brenzel)

Totally agree with you!!  A Merry Christmas to all!

Jim Cejka

It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags! . . . Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!"

~Dr. Seuss

And, a very un-Grinchy Christmas to everyone.

William Nelson

Merry Christmas to all!
Our youngest son will bring his family to our town tomorrow. They'll be staying with his in-laws initially and then move to our house on Thursday. We spent nearly an hour with them on FaceTime today, followed by nearly three hours with our eldest son Wisconsin. Our middle son's family will be here with us beginning Wednesday and spend a few days in our home. We had a 3-hour phone visit with him a couple of days ago. In the meantime, Mary and I have celebrated by ourselves, mostly remembering Chistmases past. 47-years ago, I proposed to her and she accepted on Christmas Eve. 

Remembering even farther back, my mom used to bake 50-60 different kinds of cookies for Christmas, in addition to fruit cake, candy, Yule Kaga, and stollen. (I'd love to have one of those stollens again!) Some of the cookies, but no stollen, are shown on the picture. Ken Rabas lived three houses away, so we'd often walk to and from school together. Mom asked me to invite him in to fix a cookie plate for his family. The cookies were stored in large jars in the guest room. Mom gave him a large aluminum platter my dad made and told him to take at least four of each so everybody in his family could sample them all. When he came down with the full platter he asked, "Mrs. Nelson, would it be OK if I stayed over in your guest room for a night?" My dad made a lot of aluminum trays and we still have a few. We also have one I made in 8th grade metal shop at Edison. Roger Pederson's dad was the teacher and he engraved all my family's names on it.

A few years later, 50-years ago to be exact, I was in DaNang, RVN for Christmas. I was fortunate enough to receive a lot of Christmas cards and some goodies to share with my buddies. Three things stand out in my mind about that Christmas.  My dad made a little Christmas tree with miniature ornaments and an aluminum canister to ship it in. I lived in a formerly French barracks and that tree was on my little wooden table. A pen pal sent a wreath of hard candies for me to share, and Ken Rabas' mom sent a little "tree" made from green ribbon and  a pipe cleaner trunk, with a gold star on top. I taped it to my locker door and thought about Ken's family every time I opened my locker

.

Jim Cejka

Musings on a New Year

Can't believe another one is coming.

In only about 12 hours, I'm going to have to remember a different year when I write a check.

Not even any football to worth watching. Sorry, but all this college bowl series stuff hype doesn't do anything for me. I'm old school. Growing up in Wisconsin, football meant winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl. Nobody carried about the other conferences, "national championship," or any of that stuff. If you were in the Big Ten, the Rose Bowl meant everything. In the Southwest, it was the Cotton Bowl, the Southeast, the Orange Bowl, and the Northeast never had any good teams anyway. There's no tradition to the bowls anymore. And, there's now a hundred of them, and such fun names - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl, and of course, the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl. C'mon.

The Badgers are done (Congrats) and Packers aren't playing into the new year.

Like Garry said, dry December. Here we go drought again? We haven't even put this round of fires out yet.

A new year means watching the grandgirls grow.

Stay up, go to bed early? There's no big thrill to greet the new year anymore. There's no sense in going to bed early either. Around here, WWIII erupts for just about any celebration day. There's enough fireworks, bangs, and booms, to make a John Wayne movie sound quiet.

And, where will we be next year, this time? Son's due to be transferred. To follow or not to follow, that is the question.

Anyway, hope everyone has their own Happy New Year.