Hitch Girl

A couple weeks ago (September 15-18) we completed three nights of camping in what is probably our last camping trip in our new camper for the year.  We purchased our 2020 T@B 320S camper on June 4, and promptly took a three night shakedown trip to Lake Kegonsa State Park, which you can read about here.   From June 4 to September 18 we have had seven camping trips for a total of 24 camping nights.  We have towed the camper about 2220 miles.  Given towing for camping trips and from where it is stored to home we have probably had about 22 hookups and detachment of the camper from our tow vehicle, a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.  With that number we have gotten into somewhat of a routine for hitching and unhitching the camper.  My Hitch Girl, or my wife, is the one who usually operates the trailer tongue jack as the handle is on her, passenger, side of the camper.  I was surprised that it has been five blog posts since I last wrote about my wife.  I know how much she likes it when she is the star of my blog post.  When she sees the title she will ask, "Now what did you say about me?"

Hitching and unhitching the camper can be quite a chore.  On the T@B forum and Facebook page there are many complaints about the difficulty of this operation, particularly unhitching the camper. There are times when we have to shove back or pull forward the camper, but most often it is been non-problematic which I attribute to my hitch girl.  The crank is on the passenger side of the camper so she tends to do the cranking, while I do the seven point electrical hookup and connect the safety chain on my side.  I also handle whatever wheel chucks we place to prevent the camper from moving forward or backward as we unhitch or hitch.  I think perhaps there were one, maybe two times, where we realized the hitch was not coming off so she had to move the camper a slight amount, while remembering to move the wheel chock, and then made a second attempt. Of course, camping is not about hitching or unhitching the camper from the two vehicle.  It is about the experiences.

Wild Asters

Of our seven camping trips this year five had rain, with the one to Peninsula State Park in early August having the heaviest total rainfall.  We arrived at Peninsula on a Monday and departed on a Thursday morning. Both Monday and Wednesday rain started in the mid-afternoon and lasted into the evening.  At times the rain was really heavy.  We did not have rain on our trip camping about 15 minutes southwest of Boulder Junction at the end of August, nor at Hartman Creek State Park this month.  Although at Hartman Creek we woke to what sounded like rain, but it turned out the humidity was so high and the fog so thick that water had congealed on leaves and was dropping off the tree leaves so one thought it was precipitating from the sky.  By about 11:00 am the fog was clearing and it gave way to a nice day.

We had never been to Hartman Creek before, but a friend of my wife camps there fairly regularly with her husband.  So we decided to try the place.  It is a popular campground, but strong winds went through near the end of July and destroyed some of the tree cover, particularly in the area where the campground was cut into a pine plantation. Some vehicles, campers, and tents were destroyed.  If you would like a site with a lot of sun, there will be some sites at this campground.

Some of the campsites affected by the storm

Hartman Creek State Park has a few small lakes created by dams. Part of the site being on a moraine from the effects of the Wisconsin Glaciation, which ended about 12,000 years ago, the streams and small lakes have created a small island of a north woods feel in East Central Wisconsin.  The Ice Age Trail goes through part of the Park, and the Hitch Girl and I hiked much of that trail on that foggy Monday morning.  What struck me about the park was the amount of mountain bike trails it contains.  This park is said to be very busy park during the summer, as it is family friendly, and not too far from some heavily populated areas (think Green Bay and the Fox River Valley).  While most of the campers on our this trip fit the demographic of me and the hitch girl (i.e. retired), there were some campers who were quite young, and one couple had an infant.

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

While at the swim beach one afternoon a small baby turtle appeared in the water near shore.  The turtle was less than 2" long from head to tail.  It appeared to be a snapping turtle.  One guy picked the turtle up and after he left, I could no longer find the young turtle.

Baby Turtle

One night my wife woke up, or in her case perhaps had not fallen asleep, and realized we had not put the cooler under the picnic table bench.  Depending upon height above ground of the bottom of the bench slab we either stick it under the bench of the picnic table or stick it in the car so as to avoid nighttime critter robbers from getting into our food.  When she got up she could see a waning moon through the trees.  I could swear that I too was awake when she inquired about the cooler, but drowsy, when she made the comment, but she says I had been asleep.  I offered to go out to do it, but the Hitch Girl stepped out to put it under the bench.  Raccoons are not the only pests we usually have to deal with.  Luckily for this trip the mosquito population was low.

To avoid the spread of pests through the use of firewood we end up buying firewood near our place of encampment.  Many state parks usually have it available, so we purchase at the park, and if not present, firewood can usually be had at a place just outside the campground.   At Hartman Creek the firewood is run by the Friends Group and I think they provided the best firewood we purchased all year--nice dry hardwood, in nice sized pieces.  On September nights when early darkness envelopes the campground the flicker of a campground fire is the commonality among campers.  Some people build big fires.

Campfire

Over a period of four months we spent 24 nights in our new camper.  On only one of the seven trips did we hookup to electricity, and with the hot and humid weather on that trip we actually used the air conditioning for about 20 minutes to cool the camper  as we sat and relaxed while a strong thunderstorm worked through the campground.  We have much more to learn about our new camper, but for the most part we are just fine not using the radio, television and a few other amenities that it provides.  Having tent camped, we are used to, and still do, cooking, eating and pretty much living outside, which suits us just fine.  The Hitch Girl is happy with that, and of course operating the hitch.

Photos by author, September 2019

A Tale of Two Farms

Last week I had a chance to visit a large dairy farm in east central Wisconsin, while a month earlier I was at a small specialized farm in west central Wisconsin.  This post will be about the commonalities and differences of these two strikingly different agricultural operations.  As I was at the large dairy farm last week, it also made me think of the many changes that have occurred over 100 years of farming.  100 years ago farm operations were smaller, but more diversified, and to a degree it had to be since those farms did provide much of the food for the family.  Today, with refrigeration, improved transportation, and food preservation techniques food from overseas can be bought and placed on our tables.  Today farms are not as diversified as they once were, but there is diversity in farming.  The two farm examples are  tale of two farms in Wisconsin.

1915 Iowa Farm census for
Rudy Hovel
Source:  Familysearch.org

Farm operations have changed over time from 100 years ago.  First, they are more mechanized, and second, they usually are much larger.  We know that farmers 80 years ago put in a great deal of time, but even with mechanization, that has not changed.  In February 2017 I did a post, which you can read here, on the three sons of my great grandfather and great grandmother Martin and Amelia Hovel.  The youngest of the three is my grandfather.  That post compared and contrasted their farm operations over a span of time.  While farming has changed the difficulties encountered today may actually be greater.  Just as mechanization has allowed more larger and more complex operations, such operations need person power.  Many occupations are seeing a shortage of human power these days, and farming, particularly dairy, with its every day operation and and grueling work is no exception.  But, manpower is only one part of the equation that makes farming difficult.  Internationalization has also changed the enterprise.   It was but a few years  ago that the US became a NET importer of food.  Where once the US was the producer sending products overseas, the countries that benefited are now starting their own farms.   One example, a recent news article said that countries that benefited from US dairy have started their own dairies, and with much cheaper labor, land, and other factors, they can produce at less cost.  Internationalization also brings about the possibility of trade wars, think the current situation with China.

One Hour Old Heifer Attempting to Stand (it was successful)

It is not only internationalization that affects present day farm operations.  While weather conditions have always affected farming, today the large more common storm events wreak havoc with farms.  Many young calves were lost in mothering farms in Nebraska due to massive spring floods.  Just this past week in Grant County farmers were having to pick up the pieces, yet again, from their 5th 100 year storm event this year. As I write this on a rainy Sunday morning it is raining and my yard is flooded, and when I checked the rain gauge at about 9:30 am we had 2".  (A 100 storm event is defined as a rainfall amount over a certain period of time having a 1% chance of occurring. In the Madison, WI area 6" over 24 hours is a 100 year event, as is 3" over a one hour period.)  The increasingly common wet weather and flooding can damage crops, flood animal pens, and affect transportation of goods and products.

Milking Operation

Diversification on a farm today can be difficult due to the varied equipment, methodologies and management skills required.  Forty years ago I did my senior year college Field Methods paper on the effects of urbanization on farm fragmentation and farm operations.  One farmer I visited in my research, just east of Sun Prairie, had a very large dairy herd (and it is in operation today, but even larger), which was unusual for that time, and he spent most of his day in the office.  His brother who oversaw much of the on-hand field work which left him to do pricing, ordering, and undertake management of future trades.

Young Heifers less than 6 Months Old

The farm couple that my wife and I visited last week grew their operation over the past few decades from a small herd in the 30 head range to one of 450 today.  They now farm about 850 acres of land.  This 450 head operation is much larger than the eleven milk cows my grandfather reported in the 1915 Iowa census.  This farm operation is complex and cows are able to be tracked by computer through ear tags.  My head was swimming just thinking about all the logistics involved in the operation, not to mention that management skills required for the staff, and regulations.* There is, I am sure, more than that which meets the eye on this farm operation.

For example, while the cow will provide birth on the farm at about six months of age the young heifer calves are transferred to a Nebraska mothering farm until about two months before they give birth to their first offspring.  About 80 calves are born, on average, a month at this farm. I guess it is like sending your offspring to boarding school.  The cows at this farm are milked 4 times a day, and that pretty much means a 24 hour operation.  This is where manpower is critical and times are such that it is now more difficult to find persons willing to take on a dirty and grueling occupation.  There is of course the poor male calf which generates only about $50 in proceeds today, probably not enough to cover the cost of insemination of its mother and the effort spent during pregnancy. Makes you wonder why beef costs is so high.

Cow Barn

Of course, all farms are dependent upon market conditions for fuel, feed, equipment and of course the price of goods they sell.  The price for dairy has been down for some time, and many blame the ever present Millennial population for not sufficiently using dairy products as did earlier generations.  Times are a changing, and in which many assess blame to the Millennial generation.   If one can anticipate a change some money may be had.  But, as history shows benefits of change can be fleeting.  For example, after the cinch bug affected the Wisconsin wheat crop many farmers moved into hops, but the market would become saturated, and production took a large decline.  After this agricultural crisis dairy would become the primary farm industry of Wisconsin leading to the moniker "America's Dairyland."  Although California, yes California, now produces more milk than Wisconsin and their farms make large ones in this state seem small.  Today some farmers are moving into hemp for industrial production and of course the Millennial generation seemingly cannot exist without, CBD oil.  Time will tell if this trend hits the same over-saturation as did hops in the later part of the 19th century in Wisconsin.

Hitting the proper timing of a market segment brings us to the second farm. One would call it a hobby farm, as the owner/operator has a full time day job.  This farm grows hazelnuts, which have seen increasing demand due to health benefits, and due to the popularity of Nutella. A recent news story on this operation can be found here.  Given the six years it takes for a hazelnut bush (or tree) to produce, one needs some other income source on which to live, so in a  sense it is a good hobby crop.  This hazel nut farm, which is just south of  La Crosse, has about five acres in hazelnut bushes.  I think this is its first year with a significant harvest.  The geography of  parts of Southwest Wisconsin with fragmentation of fields due to topography is suited to smaller cultivation.  Such a crop fits well those niche fields where large crop production is difficult due to slope or other factors.  Hazelnuts are a good riparian crop for use near streams.

Cow 

Hazelnut operation, however, is not the traditional farming of annual crops, such as corn and soybeans where the soil is cultivated each year.  The bushes are planted and will produce for 20-25 years.  Yet, they need pruning, and tending.  I suspect, they can be subject to late frosts and other maladies as apple farms, and grape production.  Harvesting hazelnuts requires specialized equipment, not found at your neighborhood implement dealer.  The farm in La Crosse uses a former blueberry picking machine to harvest the hazelnuts.  Then there is the manner of removing the husks of which another specialized piece of equipment is required.  Plows, corn harvesters and balers are pretty ubiquitous at implement dealers in Wisconsin, but a hazelnut husker is not.

While many farms today may not be as diversified as that of my grandparents in 1915, there does exist diversification in type of farm operation.  It is (or was) not uncommon that farmers purchase or inherit a farm from their parents.  Due to land prices this is becoming less common as the upfront capital cost of land and equipment for major farm production can price those few young farmers that have interest out of setting up an operation.  Many children who grew up on a farm, yes Millennial age young adults seem to look elsewhere for occupations.  Community Supported Agriculture and other niche farm operations also exist.  Wineries have become popular in Wisconsin, but most import the vast majority of their grapes from out west, and in most cases it is the grape juice.  When I was doing my field methods report forty years ago Exclusive Agriculture zoning and farmland preservation agreements were the new in-thing to preserve farms.  While such zoning is still in place in some areas today its effectiveness has been reduced over time by a variety of factors.  Sometimes these benefit not so much the farmer as a land developer.

Photo shows scale of Hazelnut Harvest Machine
Photo by AM Hovel

This post focused on two different farms, but that tale is not unique to Wisconsin.  Farmers struggle with a variety of influences which seem more bad than good.  It is almost as if the words that Agricultural Economist Curtis Stadfield writing of his parents farm in the first half of the 20th century is as true today as it was then:  that there was "a genuine belief that things would be better"

Now, to end on a somewhat funny note, sixteen cows got loose and visited the parking lot of New Glarus Brewery, which brews the Farmhouse Ale, Spotted Cow.  Click here to see a news article on this, with a short video at this link. I sent this to the dairy farm I visited, and the comment came back that "The way farming has been going, looks like the cows needed a drink, too!"

* Some analysts say the answer to the farm crisis is agri-tourism, but that too demands time which is already is short supply.  Anyway, how many corn mazes can be supported?

A Country too Late

In this month 80 years ago, perhaps the Second World War could have been stopped well short of the large world-wide strife that would engulf much of the world if the British had been willing to follow the recommendations of the German Resistance.  Under their plan Hitler would have been deposed and a new regime put in place.  World history would have been different.  We have been taught that  World War II was necessary and inevitable to rid the world of Nazism and the other Axis powers of totalitarian governments of Italy and Japan. Although a similar bad regime, the Soviet Union under Stalin, was part of the Allied powers.  The book I am currently reading makes me wonder if a much smaller, or perhaps even no conflict, would have resulted if the German Resistance plan was accepted by the British and the French. While their was no satisfying Hitler's ego, the results probably would have been much different if regime in Germany change had occurred

German Admiral Canaris, Head of German Abwehr
and Member of German Resistance
Source:  Google Images

As we know the United States was technically neutral until December 1941 when it joined the conflict, but President Roosevelt was tight with the British and looked for and provided various methods of assistance to certain governments before the US formally entered the war.   While former British PM Chamberlain had declared, after giving away the Sudetenland to Germany "Peace in our time" (How Britain had the right to negotiate for Czechoslovakia I don't know, as this small seemingly inconsequential country was not even invited to the table.) he would go down in history as the one who appeased Adolph Hitler, and his successor is often held up as a prime example of a strong and determined leader.  Yet, Winston Churchill would go through the war not wanting to give peace a chance.  He ordered no discussions of peace to occur with the Germans.  This strong stand was endorsed by the Allied powers at Casablanca in 1943.

Sudentenland, % native German Speakers, 1930
Source:  Google Images

Before and during the Second World War the German Resistance had made many overtures to be recognized if they were able to overthrow Hitler and garner peace.  Heck, early in the war even Herman Goering was making overtures for peace--he knew he had a good thing going in food and wine, and thought war would ruin that lifestyle.   What the Nazi's did not know (although some suspected) until later in the war was that the Wilhelm Canaris head of the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) and many of his close associates were  covert members of the German Resistance movement.  Before the appeasement agreement Britain executed with Germany for the turnover of the Sudetenland which also allowed Hitler to move unmolested to occupy the remainder of the Czech Republic, the German Resistance had made overtures for the Brits and France to recommend that they recognize the resistance, and aid Czechia if Hitler did invade.  A statement in support of Czechia, however, did not arise from the British or French, which would have provided the resistance with the ability to depose Hitler and install a new government.  At the time many German Generals knew Germany was ill prepared for a long European War and many were against the invasion. Once war came, the oath of allegiance would take precedence for many.  Canaris would justify his actions on the illegality of Hitler's desire to ruin Germany.  Even prior to the invasion of Poland, the attempts by the resistance were, well, met with resistance.

19 September 1939 Wisconsin State Journal Front Page

While many hold in high regard British intelligence, as if all members were 007, they had many faults (not the least among them was not knowing one of their own Kim Philby was a Soviet agent, and hampered efforts with the resistance to gain a foothold for talks with the West).  The faults are too many to outline here.  On September 1, 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and its quick Blitzkrieg action is the stuff of video games.  Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany--they were, in a sense, one country too late.  Before the Polish invasion it was still likely that many German generals would accept the deposition of Hitler. But, the quick and successful strike against Poland and the public euphoria that resulted made times difficult for the German Resistance.  They revised their plan and in so doing used the Vatican, and Pope Pius XII as intermediaries in attempting to secure peace before the German invasion of the Low Countries and France.  But, Whitehall did not put much faith in or trust the German Resistance and as we know a full world war evolved.  Of course, it is pure conjecture whether the Resistance would have been successful, but it was never given the chance.  Canaris would continue to be involved in high treason against the Nazi state and his role as the head of the Abwehr allowed him to supply a great deal of information to the Allies, and misinformation to the Nazis.  The SS version of military intelligence would, however, in late 1941 and into 1942 would start to get the upper hand and Canaris' foothold, which was on soft sand to begin and evolved to quicksand. Canaris would be out of the Abwehr in 1944, and would be executed by the Nazis in April 1945, just a few weeks before the end of the war.

10 Sept  1939 Wisconsin State Journal News Article

As the drums of war were being heralded in the world during September 1939 in response to the German invasion of Poland there existed pockets of resistance to the US entering the war, as Churchill was requesting.  My grandfather, Rudolph J Hovel, was one person involved with one such group seeking peace.  This protest did not embrace violence or chaos, but rather used prayer.  Rudy Hovel was a on the advisory committee for one of four Peace Rallies planned in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  According to a Sept 10, 2919 news article, in the Wisconsin State Journal, the organizers of the rally at the rural St. Joseph Church in East Bristol were anticipating 4,000 persons to attend the rally and invitations to all parishes in Columbia, Dane and Dodge Counties were expected to be sent.  Organization of the event moved fast as the rally was scheduled for the following Sunday, Sept. 17.  This article mentions Grandpa Rudy as being on the advisory committee.  According to the 10 September article, the event would "include religious services, community prayers for peace, and sermons."

19 Sept 1939 Wisconsin State Journal part of Front Page
on Peace Rally Held at East Bristol on 18 Sept.

The Monday following the event, the Wisconsin State Journal had front page photos about the peace rally and noted over 6,000 persons attended.  I suspect East Bristol has not had such a large gathering since that time.  The peace rally is in stark contrast to two other front page headlines, one being "Nazi, Russian Armies Meet in Poland, Outline Partition" and another "1200 aboard as Torpedo Sinks British Carrier."  Two evident reminders of why 6,000 persons gathered to pray for peace.

Second page of 19 Sept news article

It is unfortunate, but for a variety of reasons it is easier to wage war than it is to come to terms for peace.  British PM Chamberlain will forever be recalled for his appeasement of Germany.  The German resistance believed that the military would be on their side if the West would provide recognition of their plans.  The quick invasion and subjugation of Poland undercut the German Resistance at home, and made their job more challenging.  Winston Churchill came to office and had no interest in discussions of a peaceful solution.  They still hoped for regime change, and for backing by foreign powers even after US entry into the war. Even in 1944 they still had hopes, although some, like the bomber in the Valkyrie incident were hoping to make peace with Russia since they West had snubbed them.  Roosevelt thought he had a partner in Stalin, and we know how that turned out and the disaster brought to Central Europe.

Ida and Rudy Hovel, photo from family archives, date unknown

There is more to this difficult situation and events of 1939 not included here, but the English and British involvement came a country too late.  If they had stood for Czechia as desired by the German Resistance perhaps there would have been no war since if their desired German regime change occurred.  Without support from the British and French their would be no attempt at regime change.  If Nazi Germany became no more perhaps the Japanese would then have had second thoughts about bombing Pearl Harbor.  As we know a highly destructive war came and my Dad would be called into the US Army and he would serve in Europe through the European Campaign after entering the mainland of Europe shortly after D-Day.  On that fall day 80 years ago peace did not come, but prayers for peace can never hurt. Unfortunately, the Brits and French were a country too late, and world war would evolve and set the geopolitical boundaries of which so many conflicts today revolve.

Sources Wisconsin State Journal, articles of 10 Sept and 18 Sept 1939

Waller, John H.  The Unseen  War in Europe: Espionage and Conspiracy in the Second World War.  Random House, 1996

Careful

Sometimes I have a difficult time finding material on which to write a blog each week.  I even commented to my wife this past Tuesday that she had not done or said anything sufficiently relevant for a blog post, and I noted that I did not know what to write about this week.  A short while later I decided to go cut down two volunteer trees in the yard that are starting to get large for the space. As I left the house to cut down the trees on a hot and humid mid-September day, my wife said the normal phrase she always says to me when I am going to work on some project--be careful.  It has become so common that several years ago, when she said it, I said Careful is my middle name. For years that has been my common reply.

Crankshaft Cartoon from WI State Journal

It turns out I am not the only person with such a middle name.  "The Wisconsin State Journal" cartoon pages carry the cartoon, Crankshaft, which happened to be a favorite cartoon of my father-in-law. Perhaps as I age, I find the cartoon more funny.  Ed Crankshaft is a semi-retired elderly man who lives with his daughter and her husband in Ohio.  Ed, being a stereotypical seasoned citizen drives a bus part-time where he is always knocking down mailboxes, but he is also quite the bowler.  When he starts a grill the fire department always responds, and one time his fire was so large it could be seen from the International Space Station.  Anyway, in a recent story line the elderly lady who lives next door asked him to trim some branches that were hanging near her power line.  (Knowing Ed's history of accidents, it is beyond me why she would ask him, other than it made a good story line.) In the Cartoon (see above) she says to Ed, "Whatever you do, Ed...be careful!"  Ed responds that "Caution is my middle name" to which the lady says, "I did not know that."  In the last tile Ed says "That's because I never use it."  I showed it to my wife, but I am not sure if she got the humor other than Ed and I sharing a similar middle name.

Well, with a middle name like Careful, I tend to use extreme caution, particularly with a chainsaw and other dangerous tools.  The trees I needed to take down were small, about 4 or 5"  inches in diameter just a few inches above the ground, a few years ago I probably would have cut them down with a handsaw, but that day I thought a chain saw would make the job much easier.  I realized that they best were gotten out now before I had to turn to a professional.  In the back of my mind is an accident my oldest brother had when a tree did not fall correctly and ended up hitting face breaking his jaw (which required surgery), and knocking him unconscious.  As I cut the first tree I make the notch to fell the tree in a certain direction.  Pretty confident in my notch I move about a quarter way around the tree and start the final cut.  The tree starts to slowly descend, but not the way I intended, but rather right toward me, so I turn and the tree brushes, touches, knocks, okay, hits my shoulder and I use my body to direct the tree so it does not get hung up in any adjoining trees, but have it fall where i generally intended it to fall.  Now, if I did not say hit, I would be quickly corrected by my wife when she reads the blog, so I figured I better say hit.  

I then proceeded to cut off the branches and trunk into lengths in which one person can more easily manage.  I then moved to the second tree, a small hickory, which is right next to  a larger hickory. which falls pretty much where intended.  My wife then comes out of the house and says something to the effect that, "Should you not be behind the tree to make the final cut!" Then of course, "Did you not learn anything from the accident your brother Steve had."  I simply responded:  "Oh, you watched it?" A comment, that for some reason, she did not seem to appreciate. She then topped it off by saying, "You now have your blog post for the week."  What was surprising is not that she watched it, but that she did not come out of the house right away.  When she had not exited shortly after it occurred I figured she had not watched me cut that first tree.  Perhaps she saw that I was alright.  I do wear a hard hat with ear muffs when cutting.  I have on a occasion played her, but I have to say the thought never occurred to me to fall down on the ground to see what she would do.  Not all was lost as she helped me finish cutting the brush to load in the car and take to the drop-off site.  

So, I guess I am like Ed Crankshaft, or he is like me, as we share a similar middle name:  my Careful to his Caution, to which my wife would say I use the name but seldom exercise it. To be upfront, in the past few months I have stopped responding to her that my middle name is Careful, as I thought it wise not to tempt fate.  But, perhaps using not using it tempts fate even more.  However, unlike Ed Crankshaft, I would not try to cut branches near a power line.  

Rivalry

Rivalries form in many different areas.  Perhaps one of the most famous rivalries was that of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.  We all know how that ended.  Hamilton has enjoyed a revival of sorts due to the Broadway production "Hamilton".  Best known are sports rivalries.  For example, NY Yankee-Boston Red Sox have been playing each other since 1901.  In football, the THE Ohio State University--University of Michigan rivalry extends back to 1897.  The NFL will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, having been formed in Canton, Ohio in August 1920.  Rivalries extend to families, there is the famous sibling rivalry that seems to occur in many families, and of course families can be split apart by other rivalries, particularly sports. I think the only time my Mom, who hailed from Chicago, paid attention to professional football was when the Packers played the Bears. The Packers and Bears will meet to kick off the 100th NFL season. 

Papa Bear George Halas

The Packers were formed in 1919, and the Bears in 1920.  The Bears, actually formed originally as the Decauter Staleys,  were a founding member of the NFL, they and the Arizona Cardinals are the only two founding teams who played in 1920 in existence.   The Bears and Packers first played each other in 1921, the year the Packers joined the NFL, but there was one year, the strike shortened season of 1982 that they did not play.  They have played 198 games and the Packers hold a slight edge of 97-95-6 over this almost 100 year rivalry.  Of course, over the course of the past 20 or so years the Packers have seemingly dominated with both Aaron Rogers and Brett Favre having significant winning records against Da Bears. Although Bill Swerski Superfans seem to disregard the facts of the Packer NFL titles. 

Curly Lambeau, one founder of the Packers

The 199th meeting of the two teams will kick off the NFL season this Thursday evening at Soldier Field in Chicago.  Soldier Field, which was built in 1924 and originally known as Grant Park Municipal Stadium,.  It was once stately stadium but now looks like an over-sized alien space ship lost its bearings and plummeted to the southwest shore of Lake Michigan.  For a city known for its architecture, one would think they could have done better in the rehabilitation of the stadium. My Dad played football for Marquette University at Soldier Field.  I chalk the stadium design up to a bad case of starchitecture.  The Packers play at historic, and iconic Lambeau Field, originally known as New City Stadium (to distinguish from the original City Stadium that the Packers had played in from 1925 to the opening of the new stadium in 1957).The frozen Tundra.  If not for Lombardi the Packers may not be known as the Green Bay Packers. 

Soldier Field, present day

Being the smallest city in the NFL, the Packers are part and parcel of community identity.  I would go so far as to say they are part of the identity of the state of Wisconsin.  I recall camping last year at a campground in the northeast part of the state on the Sunday night the Packers opened the season against the Bears in Lambeau Field--opening the Packer 100th season against their rival.  It was cold, the low would go below 40 and my wife and I are huddled in our tent in the low occupancy campground.  People on one loop had trailers with generators to power their TV, one on another loop, in a tent, had a radio playing.  I could not understand what was being said, but I knew by the groans and cheers.  The first half was filled mainly with groans, and the second half with cheers as the Packers came back to win the game.  You would have thought a tavern was nearby by the loud noise in the campground.

Soldier Field 1930

Yet beyond the rivalry there was a strong connection between the two teams.  First, there is the frozen tundra, which has a heating system in the field.  Papa Bear George Halas recommended GE, of which his son was employed and sold the system to the Packers.  The system famously failed in the 1967 Ice Bowl, although part of the blame may be on Lombardi for playing with the controls. A new system was installed in 1997.  Second, the Packers may not be the Packers but for Papa Bear.  Following the pathetic performance of  Scooter McLean in 1958 (1-10-1) as coach for one year, and the fact that they had not produced a winning season since 1947 (when they went 6-5-1) the only community owned franchise in the league was on its last legs and the powers that be in the NFL was desirous of kicking the Packers out.  Given their ownership structure (an American Legion post) they could not simply relocate, although the NFL wanted them in Milwaukee. George Halas pleaded to keep the Packers in Green Bay and in the NFL, and he won out.  It was the Bears organization who first suggested the hiring of Lombardi from his position as offensive coordinator with the NY Giants. 

Lambeau Field Present day

A new season will be starting for the Packers and the Bears, and for once it will Green Bay with a new head coach on the sideline.  The Bears have gone through three head coaches since 2013, a combined tenure out done by Mike McCarthy who coached the Packers from 2006 to 2018.  Also, it will be unique since the Bears are the reigning NFC North Champions (the last time they were NFC north champions was in 2010).  The Packers are hoping to get back on track in the NFL North after having owned the NFC North for 5 of the last 8 seasons.  Both teams are quickly becoming an anomaly of sorts in the NFL, the Packers having an ownership structure no longer allowed, but grandfathered in, and the Bears one of the original two teams of the NFL remaining--started by hard work and determination.  Today, owners need to have a great deal of money and hey use ownership of a team as a hobby, or a way to prove their worth.  Lambeau and Halas were both well invested in their teams, they are part of the team identity.

All should know this man

As these two teams meet Thursday night, my Mom who is up in heaven will be cheering on Da Bears, but my Dad is also their cheering on the Packers. I am not sure who will win the bet they will have, but the Da Bears are favored by three.  That in itself speaks volumes of the fortunes of the two teams as the NFL enters its 100th year.  Having won the division, the Bears will have a much tougher schedule than the Packers who finished third, just a half game above Detroit.  Will the game end for the Bears as their season ended last year on the infamous double doink? Tomorrow night we will find out.

Images from Google.