Tuesday, August 30, 2011

50 ways to see your city...

She said to me
The answer is easy if you
Take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle
To see thee
There must be fifty ways
To see your city

I truly love my ex. I truly usedta not like it though when she would say "Victor, you've just gotta realize, sometimes, people aren't as whooped up about an idea you might have as you are"


She said it's really not my habit
To intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning
Won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself
At the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways
To to see your city...
Fifty ways to see your city

[CHORUS:]
You Just slip out the back, Jack (McLarin)
Make a new plan, Stan (Clark, Savage, Sales)
You don't need to be coy, Roy (Jones, McAdans, Armstrong)
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus (Gene Getilius?)
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee (Boggess.. Wood?)
And get yourself free

Friday night.. 9/9.. 5:30pm until 7:30 pm, we're taking a bus for a tour of Liberty. Yes, it's mostly our class (1970) BUT, we want more old people, so all are welcome.. we're gonna spend 2 hours traversing Mill and Main.. where we grew up (our house).. of course the business'es all around...blurting is very much permitted, as well is BYOB too...

She said it grieves me so
To see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do
To make you smile again
I said I appreciate that
And would you please explain
About the fifty ways

To see your City. Chappler Drug's. Trail's Inn. The InSet.. Mace Shoe Repair.. Woodys... MAttinglys.. PN Hirsch.. The Koo Koo..

She said why don't we both
Just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning
You'll begin to see the light
And then she kissed me
And I realized she probably was right
There must be fifty ways
To see your City...
Fifty ways to see your City...

There are 16 of us signed up. Company that provides the vehicle can accomodate 36 or so. Come. I honestly can't fathom a more pleasing two hours of entertainment than driving around Liberty with other "back in the day folks" and reliving, lighting up "yesterday," (Unless of course should Sarah Jessica Parker somehow get my cell number and ask me if I'm free 9/9 as she will be in KC"... just kidding, kinda sorta..

There must be, 50 ways to see your city..

Seriously, who gives a rat's, class of '65, '70, '74, '68, '76... let's put our eyeballs together for two hours and go back to yesteryear....

If u can attend.. meeting up by Bank of The West (plz park on the Price Chopper side) and bus will depart at 5:30, 9/9/11. (Price depends on attendance.. figure $15-$17.. bring a twenty, you'll be cool.) I can't wait, hope u agree. Just hop on the bus Gus, we need to discuss much. Victor

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

FUN BUS TOUR.. FRIDAY 9/9.. 5:30P-7:30P (Class of '70, or thereabouts)

(Howdy howdy.. we ran this by our class first.. got 16 folks.. we'd love to have u join us if u think fun/worthy.. [we do!])

Fun Bus Tour of Liberty, “As it was back then,” 9/9/11.. Class or ’70 ( or thereabouts)..


WHO: You, 1970 graduate, spouse, friend(s) (OR THEREABOUTS)


WHAT: A 2 hour Bus tour of Liberty, remembering “What was where, back then.” Stopping anytime we please, going by our old neighborhood homes, relating who your neighbors were, any special memories.. a return to yesteryear… Of course driving by old businesses in town – to see who remembers where The A &P, Schoellers, Trail’s Inn, Harolds, Bud’s Pool Hall, Chappler’s, The InSet, Eisens, TG&Y, yada, yada – where.. A return to the 60’s, so to speak. Fun Bus allows BYOB.


WHERE: Bus will depart from Price Chopper parking lot (pull down close to Popeyes, Bank of The West, we might gather on the patio at The Dish after… their parking is scarce, and Friday’s they are busy, so we don’t want to hinder their business)


WHEN: Friday, 9/9/11.. Bus Departs @ 5:30pm, to return, 7:30pm


WHY: Because “who says you only go around once.” Come, let’s live, conjure up yesterday.


HOW MANY/HOW MUCH: The company we’re contracting has various sized vehicles. The MAX we can have (hint hint, sign up now) is 34 passengers. If we fill the Trolley (360 degree panoramic views) it would be $17.34 per person (includes bus rental, fuel, gratuity, etc) … If we only have 28 folks, their Mini-Coaches (5’x20’ long windows) would be $14.46 per person. Please note, rate is not set in stone. Say we have 32 sign up, we’ll get the Trolly, we’re responsible for 34 times $17.34 = $589.56.. thus, divided by 32 = $18.42. Bottomline, bring a $20 bill for each attendee, you’ll be cool.


“Flexible” DEADLINE to sign up: We’re to give the bus company 10 days notice so we can insure what size vehicle we need. That’s let me know by August 30th if you plan on attending. If you learn after August 30 you can attend, email me, I’ll do my best to include you.


How do I sign up? Email vicschultze@hotmail.com details of how many, names.. I’ve lived a life of having that misspelled. S-C-H-U-L-T-Z-E. I’d hate to see anyone left out for a typo. Please include in your email the address of the house(s) you grew up in ‘back in the day’ so we can have some semblance of a game plan for the driver.


I think: There’s no way this won’t be fun. After the bus ride: Open to ideas. The Dish has a nice patio – and several of us from our Class met up there last year and had some fun. (Or whatever.)


“Class of 1970 (or thereabouts)” We (sorry) ran this by Class of 70 first (and hope u understand).. got 16 "yes's".. we've got more space

Look forward to it, please email me (vicschultze@hotmail.com) AND DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE ADDRESS(es) WHERE U GREW UP.. thanks, Vic Schultze (816-394-1662)

Thus far attending:

1) Betty Anderson

2) Dennis Anderson

3) Doug Brodbeck: 1201 Middlebrook

4) Nancy Brodbeck: Birmingham Road

5) Janice Wyatt Clack: 627 N. Grover

6) Susan Robinson Faulkner 1017 Orchard (Across the street from “Billy”?)

7) Robert Robinson (Susan’s sister, Class of ’64) 1017 Orchard

8) Karen Gibson-Hull: 441 Arthur St & 302 Corbin St.

9) Karen’s hubby, plz shoot me for not remembering first name!

10) Debbie (Flickinger) Gilham: 1318 Lake Road

11) William Melton: 1016 Orchard Road & La Frenz Road

12) Carrie Ponder: 313 Nashua Road

13) Vic Schultze 8 S. Ridge & 449 Miller

14) Jim Stokes: 1044 Highland Dr

15) Peggy Manness Stokes: 765 Hillside

16) Jeannie Clothier Tyson: 118 Gordon





Tuesday, August 16, 2011

One man's tribute.. sad, yet so beautiful....

Letter to the editor in this morning's KC Star....

Love that endures

As my wife, Twila, an Alzheimer's disease patient approached her chair at the dinner table, she was greeted with "This is the queen's chair." She smiled. It made her happy. Nothing could destroy her status as queen, not even the cruel Alzheimer's disease that causes a saddening deterioration of the mind.

The happy and lofty position of queeen for Twila came more than 65 years ago when she said yes to a proposal. Here was the beginning of a true, happy and everlasting relationship that grew over the years and formed the loving, caring and honest thought as queen.

In continued thoughts, in verbal expression and in caring actions, "I love you" was a centerpiece in life. Togetherness brought wonderful joy and helpful identification, a willingness to listen, share and compromise was our strength. And the times of praying, laughing, crying and working together, and helping each and others were binding and honest times.

Although Alzheimers has caused a physical separation, every night before sleep I call out, "Good night , precious Twila. I love you."

Doug Sutherland
Raymore, MO.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

I don’t know what I’d do……..

No humor. There’s really not any humor with cancer. Met up with a buddy tonight, early 30’s, good guy.. extremely family orientated.. his mom, early 60’s, diagnosed a bit ago with cancer.. chemo, radiation.. gone.. for awhile it was gone.. a recent test.. metastasised.

She, for years an oncology nurse… asked her son.. “Do you know the odds of me being alive in three years?”… He knew the answer… He caught her words “don’t bullshit me… I know.” Squirming for an answer, “mom, miracles happen.”

Tuesday of this week, they had a sit down with the Oncologist. A serious talk. “But you know what? Those test results don’t mean anything. They could, in fact, be wrong.” His method of seeking “get up and fight this bastard, you just never know.”

She hasn’t. Isn’t eating. Staying up nights vomiting, even without chemo. I perceived, she’s giving up. Friend, who makes a moderate income, spoke of trying to borrow $5000 from his well to do uncle (with intent to pay back).. to buy a trip for his mother/father, some place cool.. Mom/dad, been together since teens… “Vic, when they were 16-17, they’d already been together three or four years…. She’s my Dad’s everything.

I wasn’t very good in knowing what to say. “Hey, sounds to me you’re doing everything you can the right way. Please go home and Google “cancer miracles” and I bet you’ll find a long, long list. (And I just did, and it is.).. I have a very good friend who is a Nurse Practitioner that works at a Children’s Hospital. There is so much admiration of her from so many of us… I cannot imagine her feelings driving into work, driving home from work… attending a fun event, trying to block ‘the bastard’ out.. laying down at night.. trying to fall asleep, escaping ‘the bastard’.

I don’t know what I’d do if I learned my time here was short. I believe I would spend as much time as I could with my son, his fiance, and my gorgeous (I’m biased) granddaughter.. I would write (NO, not YOU Victor!) those in my life that have touched me, and give thanks. I would make arrangements for my departure, as if planning for a ‘party’ and having it all arranged, paid for, before it happened.

I couldn’t begin to guestimate my mental state. I think my eyes would be opened with greater appreciation for virtually anything/everything. I’m not good at much in life, but I’d like to think I’m “kick ass” in observance. Knowing days were numbered would even heighten this.

We’ve all been led to tears by cancer. For me, sister, grandmother, uncles, aunts, many friends, classmates, coworkers. Just last week, lost a giant of a man – ‘the bastard’ reduced his final days to 100 lbs. Many of you now are perhaps going thru this battle, and that saddens us all.

Again, I didn’t have any great answers for my friend. Our ‘team”, who visited my sister @ St. Lukes Hospital 72 consecutive days in her battle, had the war cry “beat the bastard.” My sister was spirited until the very end – and I hope my buddy’s mom grasps some spirit. One of the proudest days of my life was the day before my sister expired, barely cognitive, very little speech at the end.. that evening when I walked in, she looked up, smiled, and said “baby brother!”.

Again, there are no right answers on what to say, what one would do… I pray for anyone going thru this, or having a loved one/friend going thru this… I pray for a some day cure – where cancer will be in our rear view mirror, and Wiki will tell us “before the cure for cancer occurred in the year _____..................”

Love………… ‘cause love is a good thing, Victor

Monday, August 08, 2011

The scales…

Another word that’s been running thru my head (scary thought eh?) of late: balance…

Before ever opening a word document and spilling letters on it, I always try to take a look see so I’ll make sure I kinda know whatinthehell I’m talking about. So……. I go to Google.. type “define balance” and lo and behold ‘bout the 8th definition down “The zodiacal sign or constellation Libra.” Yes.. I am that.. (Libra… not balanced)..

Driving home this morn from my unbalanced Mickey meal..”I’d like a sausage biscuit, sausage McMuffin (yummy), a Senior coffee, and a water please”.. driving home… one fresh day from watching my 7 month old granddaughter bootscoot across the carpet to the comfy chair… slither her way up to her two feet… dad running over semi-frantically with two hands out to stop a fall – it came to me.

Life is all about balance. We enter this world, and leave this world, struggling with physical balance – and alst the while in between- nearly EVERYTHING is about balance.

Balance the check book, finances, investments (the hell is that?).… stability (balance) of one’s mind, feelings.. harmony of design or proportion… hell, even sound needs balance.

Work/play. Organizational charts, hirings, terminations, promotions, demotions, comptrollers, receivables, payables... Balance.

Pro sports. A draft is held to offset (balance) the few that perhaps are aging, stills declining.

He can’t cook, she abhors yardwork: jualah, green grass and ham.

Farmers/crops.. need the balance of sun, rain, wind, dark, proper temps. Wine is all about balance. Some whine to balance. Some find having alone-time is a balancer..

To balance criminals, killers, no goods.. we have preachers, priests, doctors/nurse practitioners/paramedics who bring folks back to life. For every loud, incessant person, there’s the shy one over in the corner. For every ‘looker’, there’s a ah-not-so-much.

Good folks, not-so-good folks. Believers, non-believers. Chuch attendees, and those that worship from their homeplace. Revival once.. Preacher had 'em stirred up, a heightened frenzy.. feller in the 3rd row stands.. "Fill me Lord, fill me." Happens again and again. "FILL ME LORD, FILL ME!".. after about the 6th "fill me", little old lady in the back (neighbor across the street) stands and shouts "DON'T DO IT LORD.... HE LEAKS!".

The echo system. Survival of the fittest. Balance.

Have an idea? A plan? A belief? Throw it out amongst friends, family, coworkers – nab the balance of their thoughts. Balance is educational.

I don’t balance my time very well – but, I offset (balance) that by “eh, it’s who I presently am in life, and where I’m at.” I’ll do it (be more balanced)………. tomorrow. 2 in a relationship (cog/wheel) lends balance, adding another cog or wheel, don't work, lends one to be 1, unbalanced. 2 in a relationship, losing 1 forever, really throws things out of balance..

We sleep for balance.

Off balance. Beginning way back in the day, with Candid Camera, and running thru America’s Funniest videos – we’ve laughed, hooted, hollered and cried about the balance, lack thereof, of others. Onea the funniest emails I think I’ve received was bloopers of ‘seniors’ losing their balance upon various scenarios.

He’s off kilter, “out there”, unbalanced. Took a date to Ponaks one time, little gal. Two margaritas later, the waitresses had to help her with her balance on return from the john back to our table.

There is never perfection. We all struggle with balance. Marriage, self worth, self confidence, inter-relationships, work, play, abilities, inabilities and having the ability to realize “ok, that’s something I’m just never going to be any good at”.. a balanced approach/thought/realization.

Pills, innoculations, elixers, potions, diet, weightlifting, running, jogging, walking - all about seeking balance.

We vacation, to gain semblance of balance. We work so we can balance the bills the mailman delivers, or those that pop into our dot-coms. We bathe to balance a day’s activities. We call, write, talk, to balance our need for human interaction.

For sexual drive we…….. well… you know. Balance is both wonderful, and a struggle – personifying the definition of the word.

To offset this, tune in tomorrow when the topic will be poop. Just kidding. I wouldn’t chit you.. you’re my favorite turd. Love, Victurd.


Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Life, post nuclear family….

Visiting with a chum of mine tonight… Great guy, from a wonderful family… He’d just gotten off the phone with his mom, late 70’s, a penchant for driving up fairly frequently from her abode 200+ miles South of Kansas City – to pull the one-arm-bandits of the KC area casinos.

“Coming up MONDAY! Can’t wait to see you!”… (She’d just come up 7 days ago).. “Vic, it’s getting to be a bit much… she’ll say, let’s meet for lunch Monday, and it’s like “Mom, I can’t just drop everything.”

Yes.. yes you can. Again, I love this buddy like a brother, and he’s got wunnerful head/life smarts. And I pointed out, “Hey, in a heartbeat, I’d drop everything I was doing if it were possible to meet my mother on Monday for lunch”.. (He’s aware I’m the only one left from a family of: mom, dad, sister, brother.)

“I know Vic, and you’re right”…
Damn right I am.

A very short blog, zilcho humor (sorry).. to simply say “If you have nuclear family still on the planet, please… absorb them.. drop any quarries/quarrels…. Don’t let ‘distance’ be a hurdle..

TOUCH, frequently.. Toss the word Love with regularity.. Harken back to yesterday.. dig out a poem, a letter, a picture, a scenario, a anything from yesteryear – and share, dotingly.

I love you all and I honestly don’t seek your tears, your “Oh Victor, I’m so sorry”.. of course everyone is.. and that’s cool (and I’m thankful). … I’m talking about YOUR today/tomorrow – and “who’s left” and “time left”.. And your actions between now and “you just don’t know when.”

“Partials”.. Relatives who may not now completely have all of their mental/physical capacities. Avoidance of them is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. One of the saddest days of my life, also turned out to be one of the happiest days of my life.

St. Mary’s Hospital, Blue Springs, MO.. late 90’s, mebbe early 2000… My father, he and I the remaining living/breathing from family of four… I wheeled him into the lobby, started talking about my mother and my sister… I welled up when I realized he had no idea who I was talking about…

An hour later.. back in his bed… fast asleep.. a nurse walked up to me.. “I just wanted you to know.. I know your father has dementia, but I wanted you to realize how proud he is of you…. He told us all (and again, proudly) “My son is a bellhop at this Hotel”.. A laugh/cry/feel good/feel uck kinda moment.

I’ll get off my high horse. In closing: have family, go love. Love, Victurd.