Mercury ... another one bites the dust

The obituary reads:

The Ford Motor Company said Wednesday that it would stop production of Mercury vehicles in the fourth quarter and discontinue the brand.  (NY Times 06/02/2010)

My dad was a "Mercury Man."  His first car was a 1950 Mercury that he bought from his uncle.  It was a four-door classic black sedan.  I remember vividly that it had a stick shift, a starter button on the dash and that I moved it forward at the tender age of four or five by pressing said button while it was in gear.

I also remember sitting in the spacious back seat (upholstered in an itchy-scratchy grey velour) on the way home Sunday nights and listening to Mom and Dad talking while listening to Howard Miller on WIND radio.

Here's a pretty good picture of how the car looked and its interior.  I honestly didn't recall the "suicide doors"  .... cool!

The '50 Mercury died a noble death while saving the life of my dad.  A family emergency required Dad  drive from our suburban home into Chicago.  He took a curve at too great a speed, rolled the car (way before the days of seat belts) and walked away unscathed.

The replacement for the staid 1950 Mercury was a svelte and sporty 1957 Mercury in two-tone Red and White with  black and white houndstooth interior.  Unfortunately it was more svelte than dependable.  At least three times we tried to drive from our home in Lombard down to New Salem.  Each time we had a break-down and failed to make the trip until we replaced the car with a more dependable Mercury.

The two-tone color scheme is shown in the top of the photo to the side.  Ironically, my Dad really, really wanted the blue-and-white model but couldn't wait for it to be delivered and took the red-and-white one as it was in stock at our local dealer.

And, as luck would have it, our local dealer was within a mile of our home.  While Barta-Gorski Mercury was a relatively small dealer, it did deal fairly with Dad and vice versa.  He bought a total of three cars from them and would have bought the last two Mercuries there if they'd stayed in business.

Due to wanting more dependable transportation, Dad traded in the 1957 Mercury for a 1960 model.  It was one huge car.  I learned how to drive and got my license in the 1960 Monterey ... even passed the parallel parking portion of the test despite its daunting size.  (In comparison, the 1960 model was 7 inches longer and 3 inches wider than the Ford Crown Victoria of 2009.

One other memory I have of the 1960 car was its turtle-like appearance and turtle-like acceleration.  It weighed around 3600 pounds and was likely powered by the 312-cubic inch V8.  Dad bought it in "Aztec Turquoise"   (see sample below)

The best photo I can find is a two-door model (the four door looked very similar) in a wretched brown.  Here's the picture:

Note that there were two "bulls eye" ornaments on the front left and right fenders ... it made for better aiming when hunting pedestrians.  (Just kidding)

The 1960 Monterey was traded in for one of my all-time favorite cars:  a 1965 Monterey 4-door sedan in a gorgeous "Midnight Blue" with a "Breezeway" rear window.  The "Midnight Blue" looked almost black at night but glistened with some sparkles during the day time.

This was before the days of stereo radio (except on Cadillacs and Lincolns or other high-ticket cars).  But Dad popped for front and rear speakers ... which coupled with the Breezeway rear window made for a great cruising sound system.  The Breezeway model is in the middle photo below

The '65 version was also a substantial step up in terms of engine capacity as it had (as a standard powerplant) the 390-cubic inch V8.  The Monterey model was the base model but I like its looks better than the Montclair or Park Lane as it had less chrome on the sides.

Dad bought at least two more Mercuries after that -- maybe more.  But by then I had my own car and didn't drive either very much.  There was a 1969 Mercury ... our first car with air conditioning that was a sorta-yellow with a sorta-green vinyl top (I think).

And his last Mercury was a  black one if I recall correctly.  I do remember that he bought it before moving to Arizona ... but once there, Dad felt the car was too dark and gathered too much heat.  So, he had a white vinyl roof put on to deflect the sun ... which transformed it to a "look-alike" squad car.  He joked/complained about how folks would hit the brakes when he came up behind him.

Dad's last car was an Oldsmobile ... and he passed away a few years later.  Now Mercury joins him ... I know one guy who's in heaven and probably still driving a Mercury.  RIP Mercury ... and Dad.

Politics then and now...

I stumbled across this story while wandering around stories from Minnesota's political past.  Given the tone of today's campaigns -- and the campaign funds that both parties raise -- it's a story of a bygone political era.

Background:  I'd hope that nobody needs an explanation of who Hubert Humphrey was.  But I realize that he was a political figure over 20 years ago so there's a whole generation or two who may not be familiar with him.   Hubert Horatio Humphrey was one of the most charismatic people I've met.  He was a US Senator from Minnesota, ran for the Democratic nomination in 1960 and narrowly lost to JFK.  After Kennedy's assassination, he became  Lyndon Johnson's VP and in 1968 the Democratic candidate for President.

In that capacity he became an object of derision -- which  was unfortunate because we spurned a really good man in our opposition to the Viet Nam war and that era's policies.  He was later voted back to the US Senate and passed away while in office.

Val Bjornson was a well regarded Minnesota Republican who was elected and re-elected State Treasurer and served for 22 years during the 1950s and into the mid-1970s.    He ran against Hubert Humphrey in 1954 when this story came about from a local reporter in Worthington, MN:

"I was thinking lately of how I embarrassed Val Bjornson and Hubert Humphrey.  It was 1954. Hubert Humphrey was the DFL nominee for re-election to the U.S. Senate and Bjornson was the Republican challenger. They both came to Worthington for Turkey Day.

In those years, when we (Daily Globers) were assigned to cover a visiting politician, we were expected to follow like puppies on the heels of their masters. I was assigned to Hubert Humphrey. If Hubert stopped somewhere for an ice cream cone, it was for me to know the flavor of ice cream he ordered.

It was late in the afternoon. HHH set out somewhat mysteriously from the Daily Globe. He turned at the corner of 11th and Fourth and started toward 10th Street. I followed. A minute or two later, Val Bjornson turned off 10th and walked along the side of what now is the Cow’s Outside, directly toward Humphrey.

Neither candidate appreciated immediately who I was, or what I was doing. They were slightly embarrassed — bitter rivals — to be seen talking together, cordially.

I caught their secret conversation. Want to know what it was?
 
    Humphrey: You ready to leave?
 
    Bjornson: Any time you’re ready.

The two candidates had come to Worthington in the same car. Neither had a great wad of money. Traveling together was one way to save dollars. That’s how politics was in those days."  (Source:  http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/7666/)

There's something really appealing to me about two guys who campaigned against each other but could share a car ride of several hours.  I doubt we'll have a similar story about the 2010 and 2012 elections in 60 years.

Uh, oh. Michele Bachmann secretly BFF of Nancy Pelosi

Psst, Michele.  'member when you were tellin' folks not to fill out the census?  Here, I thought it was just another one of your goofy "black helicopter" moments where you see conspiracies under every rock and behind every bush. 

Little did I realize you were a closet Pelosi supporter!  How 'bout that?!?

From a column in The Red State: by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)

    "I’m worried about this year’s census ... what worries me is blatant misinformation coming from otherwise well-meaning conservatives. They are trying to do the right thing, but instead they are helping big government liberals by discouraging fellow conservatives from filling out their census forms.

    "Early census returns are showing that conservatives have been measurably less likely than liberals to return their census forms. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle points out that conservative Texas is way behind the national average in returning census forms and some of the lowest rates are in Texas’ most conservative counties.

    "Few things make will make Nancy Pelosi happier than large numbers of conservatives failing to respond to the census. If we do not respond, we will not be counted and if we are not counted, then we effectively will not exist. That would reduce conservatives’ power in elections, allow Democrats to draw more favorable congressional boundaries and help put more tax-hiking politicians in office.

    "Boycotting the census also offends me as an American patriot. Our society spends too much time talking about what government owes us; and not enough on the duties of citizenship and the hard work required to keep our freedom. Filling out the census is one of the few things our Constitution specifically asks of U.S. citizens and it is our duty as Americans to take that responsibility seriously."

It's a good thing I'm not a petty person who might quarrel with the order of Rep. McHenry's priorities (seems to me American patriotism outranks the importance of one's partisan powers).  At least Rep. McHenry understands and supports what we've been saying since Michele spoke out against the census.

And here's the double-scoop of irony:  Minnesota may lose one of its eight current Congressional districts if the count isn't accurate.  And the cherry on top:  Bachmann's district is one of the least rationally devised districts in the state.  Many think it's likely not to survive the redistricting if Minnesota goes from eight to seven districts.

Ah, the Seduction of Plastic

The Graduate is a benchmark film for my generation ... and many of us remember the "career advice" given to Dustin Hoffman early in the movie:  "plastics."  Many of us may blame the overuse of credit on some subliminal effect exercised in this movie.

Yesterday, I got a call from Alec's Work Coordinator that he was showing folks at Merrick his new Credit Card and they asked if I knew about it.  I sure didn't. 

Checked my credit cards and none were missing.  (Alec sometimes "borrows" things.)  So I called Merrick  back and talked to Alec, asking that he show the card to us when he got home.

Turns out that he'd been mailed a "debit" card and (from the cover letter as well as the brochures that accompanied it) it was unsolicited. 

("Unsolicited" is a a major point.  Alec loves to enroll in all those  programs that he sees on TV or in the paper or magazines for "more information."  For a while, he was deluged with mailings for "Credit Counseling" as he thought it meant he'd be able to get a credit card.  Then we've periodically gotten calls from various "brick and mortar" colleges as well as "training for a new career in ....." institutes and a few Internet colleges.  Plus, we will get calls from a recruiting Sargeant or Chief for all branches of the services.

(We've banned him from doing any signups so I was a bit worried he'd decided to ignore our request.)

So, in this early springtime, the seduction of plastic had its way with our son but was thwarted by his ever-vigilant staff and parents.  Thank goodness he doesn't know that Mrs Robinson is the really seductive one and hasn't experimented with any of her sisters!

The sad thing in all this is that Alec sees everyone using plastic.  The fact that you have to have money in the account or pay the bill hasn't connected.  Maybe we need a few commercials showing that aspect!

March comes in -- and goes out -- like a lamb

In Minnesota, we've come to expect one or two huge snowstorms during March.  Lots of heavy, very wet snow is the typical result and usually comes right after  a few spring-like days.  And they usually coincide with our high school hockey or basketball tournaments so that the teams and fans that come in from the hinterlands get to battle snow and lousy road conditions before playing in the tourney.

This year?  Nothing.  March started out pretty mild, got some rain, had threats of bad flooding on the Minnesota, Mississippi and St Croix riversheds but no snow.  And the floods were much tamer than predicted.

One local meteorologist noted that both Dallas and Atlanta had more than an inch of snow in March -- we had 0.0000" in Minneapolis-St Paul and just a "trace" in Duluth.  We've had several days in the 60s ... today it's supposed to get into the 70s.

Hope April is the same.  Of course, we have gotten a small amount of snow in April at times and I remember ...  nah, not going to tempt Mother Nature.

Respite

A friend of ours (actually more of a friend of Alec's) was going home to Little Falls with her fiancé this weekend. She asked if Alec could come along and there was no more than a nano-second of delay before I enthusiastically said "YES!"

Alec is a great young man.  For the most part, he's able to entertain himself and makes very few demands upon us.  But there are times when Barb and I really enjoy just being two older adults and going on a date.

The respite also includes the weather:  we've had a streak of nice days with clear and sunny skies and temps in the low to mid-40s.  Kinda Colorado-like weather where a sweater and a down vest or lighter jacket can replace the heavy winter coat.

So, our empty-nest weekend started around 6:30.  For me.  Barb's trial team had caught felony arraignments this week and she has a "case distribution" system that assigns points to each case based upon seriousness of the charge, complexity of the case, and whether the moon is in alignment with Saturn or somesuch thing.  It takes time.

She made it home at 9PM and clearly was too tired to do much celebrating that night.  Plus there had been a miscommunication about dinner plans.

But the next morning we both slept in and had a lazy start to the day.  Drove over to Stillwater and walked up and down the main street, poking into this shop and that, etc.  Barb loves to check out the antique shops so I'd take a quick survey to see if there was anything of interest and then sit and relax.

We caught lunch at one of our favorite restaurants where the prices are moderate and the portions are huge.  (It's a Mexican restaurant name "Your Mama's Nachos")  After lunch we did some more "just looking" in shops, ran into some people we know who previously attended our church, chatted and then finally drove up to Marine-on-St-Croix to see how spring is progressing.

Last night we had a light supper of sausage, cheese and crackers plus a bottle of wine and watched some romantic-comedy whose name eludes me and whose plot I can just barely recall.  But it was nice to just spend the time together and talk about this and that.

Today we get back into the swing of things.  I have a listing appointment.  She has to meet a client who's in jail waiting trial.  Alec comes back in the early evening and he'll meet up with me at the Gopher basketball game.

Gosh, this was a nice weekend.  And, gosh, it will be nice to have Alec back.

Finally a request:  if you know a family who has a physically or developmentally disabled teen or young adult living at home, even a 4 or 6-hour block of "respite care" can be incredibly rewarding for the parents.  An overnight respite visit is like a slice of heaven.  And it helps the teen or young adult to get away from the folks from time to time as well.

PS:  about our friends who provided respite care.  While Alec was high-school age, we "hired" Angela for a couple of summers to look after Alec during the day.  The two of them bonded very well.  And, from time to time, parents of other friends of Alec would ask if they could add their son or daughter for a day or two.  Angie was a student at Bethel so she lived close-by and would also watch Alec on some nights when we'd go out.

For the past six or so years, Alec and Angie have retained their friendship.  When Angie began dating Luke, Alec expanded the friendship (somewhat reluctantly and with some jealousy).   Alec and a friend went up to visit Angie's family a few summers ago and they expanded their family to include him.  He's been to birthday parties for grandmas, family picnics, etc since and seems to get an invite 2-3 times a year.

It's been a great relationship for Alec and (I think) for Angie.  And "respite care through the kindness of friends" is mighty, mighty welcome!

What would you have done?

Here's the set-up:  Last night about 6:30, I was driving away from my local Target when I saw two teen-age girls in the parking lot, looking around with some confusion.  One of the two raised her arm, signalling me.  I didn't stop right away but noted in the side view mirror that the girl who had waved had lowered her arm somewhat dejectedly.

So, I backed up, rolled down the window and asked if they needed help.  One replied that they needed to find "Karth Lake Drive" or "Amble Drive"  I told them it was just a couple of miles north and they could find it easily by driving north.

Then they told me that they didn't have a car and had taken a local "circulator" bus from the local regional shopping center to the Target. It was getting cold and dark, so I asked them if they wanted a ride.

I have to admit that I immediately realized I might have erred.  I've gone through enough "sexual harassment" training  that's also included the admonition to avoid placing yourself in situations where "sexual harassment" or other "bad acts" can be claimed.  And although neither young woman looked particularly dangerous or threatening, I also realized that I was basing that assessment on my admittedly dated view of the world.  (Hey, I still get amazed when a young woman driving another car flips me off.)

By now they were in the car.  And, as I drove away, we talked a bit and I discovered they were two foreign exchange students (one from Milan and the other from Rio de Janeiro).  One went to our local high school; the other was attending a parochial school in Minneapolis.  We laughed a bit about how dismal our public transit is in the suburbs.

After I dropped them off and was driving home, I took some pleasure in doing a good deed. I'm a firm believer in "paying it forward" and this was one of those chances.

So I'm curious -- my decision turned out fine.  But was it a good idea to offer a ride?  Or was it a bad idea?

You can chime in here by taking this anonymous poll:  click here to take survey

What do you think?

Don't tell my kid brother

but Drake just beat Southern Illinois for the third time (a 3-game sweep) last night.

Oh, that's right:  he knows.  "Check's in the mail."

The next ten months will be lots of fun.

Alec meets Tubby Smith

Alec is a long-time Gopher fan and really, really likes Tubby Smith, the Gophers head coach.  Matt and Molly gave Alec a super Christmas gift:  attending a Gopher basketball practice.  Practice was to start at 8:00 and run until 10:00 at Williams Arena.  When we arrived, there was a sign telling us that Coach Smith was running late from a recruiting trip and that there were no players practicing in the morning.  Instead, we were welcomed to return in the afternoon.  (We did and saw a practice that ran just under two hours.)





So, Alec got a two-fer:  we had a Continental breakfast and then Alec went on the court to shoot and see what Williams arena looked like from the floor.  Here are some photos at the event

After about an hour, Coach Smith arrived and chatted with fans, posed for pictures and then there was a 30-minute Q&A.  Tubby was really interesting and much more candid and open than I would have expected.  (I wrote a brief report for the local fan board:  GopherHole.com.  Click on this link to read it:  article and you'll get a sense of what I mean.)

And here's Alec's prized possession:

Mr Mons goes to the Minnesota Senate

... but only to testify.  I was asked to tell "our story" to the Senate committee that is holding hearings on our Governor's proposed budget reductions for the next two fiscal years.


Here's the testimony I gave ... with a time limit of 3 minutes, I had to be concise.  


If you live in Minnesota and disagree with the Governor's recommendations, please contact your state representative and senator.  (Let me know if you need help in identifying them!)



Madam Chair and members of the Committee


My name is Rick Mons and we live in Shoreview, Minnesota. I am speaking as a parent and guardian for our son, Alec.  


Alec is a 24 year old man with Down Syndrome.  He lives at home and the only publicly funded social service he receives is through a non-profit provider named Merrick.  These services are paid through Ramsey County using Children's and Community Services Act funds.


Merrick’s services help Alec work in the private sector -- he's currently working in a small mortgage company, digitizing documents.  He enjoys his work and takes tremendous  pride in being employed – employed just like his parents and employed like everyone else he knows.


The Governor's decision to cut CCSA funds causes a reduction in revenues at Ramsey County.  As a result, Ramsey County has told us that Alec’s services at Merrick will be reduced.  

• He will be able to work only 3 days a week or 3 weeks a month;
• He will likely not be able to retain his current job.  The employer needs staffing 5 days a week and  cannot grant one week off per month;
• Merrick has told us that Alec’s limited availability will also make him a less attractive candidate for other jobs in the community 

Moreover, Alec cannot be by himself for extended periods of time.  Thus, his mother or I will reduce our income so we can stay home with him.


There is an ironic twist to this:  when Alec turned 18 we could have asked that he be made a ward of the State.  The costs to the State would have been much higher.   In addition to Merrick’s services, the State would need to provide residential care and staff supervision when he’s not at Merrick.  Moreover, Medical Assistance would be his primary health insurer rather than our family policy.  


And here’s the real twist: Alec would receive full services at Merrick if he were not living at home.  Ramsey County’s decision to reduce funding only affects the Developmentally Disabled who live at home.  Those who live in group homes or other facilities receive Day Training services through other funding sources that have not been cut.


Reducing these funds actually gives us a bizarre incentive to revoke guardianship:  

• Alec would then have full services at Merrick, 
• we’d then not lose income by taking time off and 
• we’d then reduce our costs for health insurance.  

But it would be at Alec’s expense and the expense of our concept of family.


Minnesota has been a leader in deinstutionalization and providing community based services.  


This reduction reverses that direction.  It is simply bad public policy.  And, in our family’s case it is perverse public policy.

Drake Sweeps Southern Illinois in Basketball

I might be accused of posting this only to nettle my brother who's an
SIU alum. And you'd be right.

See, my brother and I have this bet (for a whopping $5.00 per game)
whenever Drake and SIU play hoops. Usually I have to write checks to
him.

Even when Drake made their once-every-40 year NCAA appearance, Drake
split the series.

But this year we swept. It's Broom-time, baby! I'm $10.00 richer (as
soon as my 1,000 pennies arrive via stage coach, knowing my brother).

Break out the bubbly! Cue the band! The mighty Bulldogs have
relegated the simpering Salukis to the pound!

And I figure I have at least 10.5 months of bragging rights!

Love ya, Roy!

Sent via e-mail & my iPod Touch

The Minnesota Mons Family

Here's a portrait of the expanded Minnesota Mons Family:

Back row: Matt and wife Molly, Todd Kehrberg, Drew and wife Megan.

Middle row: Barb, Alec and me

Front row: Oscar and his Greatgrandmother, Millie (Barb's mom)

This picture was taken late last fall as a present to Millie from Drew and Megan. It's a present we've all enjoyed!

A tale of two basketball games

Thursday, Alec and I went to see Michigan play the Minnesota Golden Gophers (mens) Basketball team. Minnesota played one of the least inspired games I'd seen since Tubby Smith arrived ... just dreadful. The highlight of the game actually came after the game: as we were leaving, we met Bobby Knight:

Knight was very nice and gracious to Alec given the number of autographs and handshakes he'd already given to a number of fans.

Friday night we caught Cretin-Derham Hall's boys basketball game against Forest Lake. Drew is an assistant coach this year for C-DH and this was a pretty big game as FL had beaten C-DH a month or so ago and was in the conference lead. C-DH trailed most of the game -- sometimes by as much as 12 points -- but came back to tie it up and send it into overtime. The lead in OT see-sawed until, with a few seconds left, C-DH had possession of the ball and was behind (79-80). A C-DH player put up a shot, missed, another C-DH player got the rebound and made a put-back. But the refs ruled that time had expired with the put-back and waved off the points. It was a well-played game and impossible for me to watch the play and the clock ... and the noise level was too high to hear the buzzer.

It was nice to watch a basketball game that was played with intensity and passion.

How do you simplify a complicated story?

That's the question Barb and I are facing right now.

The simple problem statement is that unless something changes profoundly, Alec will lose about 25% of the funds that pay for him to go to Merrick, a program that develops and then provides employment activities for him. That translates to Alec not receiving services about one day per week or one week per month.

We feel comfortable leaving Alec to his own devices for a couple hours on occasion. But not for a full day. Not for five consecutive days.

Why is this happening? Well, our state ran into the budget crunch and rather than accept the proposed combination of funding reductions and tax increases, the Governor of our state decided to cut funding in a number of programs. One of those programs got cut by 25% in the first fiscal year and will be cut 33% in the second year.

That meant our county receives a commensurate reduction in state funds that they've used to fund Alec's services. During 2010, the County was willing to make up the difference, In 2011, however, they've declined to do so and will reduce their expenditures.

So that's the simple story. When I tell it to our county commissioners, their eyes usually begin to glaze over at this point so I'll stop here.

But for those who love irony, here's a slightly more complicated tidbit. When Alec became an adult, we opted to become his legal guardians and have him remain residing with us. If we had not done so, Alec would have become a ward of the State and placed in a group home, foster home or another residential program. All of his current services -- including those at Merrick -- would be paid for through a different set of programs. The cost to the federal and state coffers would have been much higher over the past 6-7 years. Although it's impossible to say what will happen in the next two or more years, we know his services would be continued without reduction through at least 2011 and the near future.

So, by doing what we felt was the "right thing" for Alec has instead turned out to bite him in the backside starting next year.

And that's the story.

Time passes by ...

It's been over two years since I last wrote an entry on this blog. I thought about scrapping it but there are some entries I still really like and that continue to resonate so I've decided not to start over but be better about writing entries.

Since my last entry:

• Matt and Molly Miller married (3/15/2008). Matt's graduated from law school (University of St Thomas) and almost immediately after was hired as Director of Human Resources for Prior Lake-Savage Public Schools.
• Drew & Megan had their first child -- Oscar Powers Mons, born on 11/25/2008, Barb took several months off to provide day care when Megan returned to work. And, we spend all day Wednesdays with Oscar now. There will be photos and more info on him in later entries.
• Alec has received notice from our county that his funding for "day habilitation" services will be reduced by 25% effective 01/01/11. We're in advocacy/lobbying mode.

I'm sure I'll write more about all of these things later but for now, I'll just let this serve as notice (and incentive) I'll be blogging more.