Hi Pat. Got a few minutes?... Cool.
Q: What's your relationship to GJK?
A: I'm your friend, aren't I?
Q: Well, some might say you're the mother of my girlfriend, but I like to say we're friends.
A: Okay.
Q: What's on your mind these days?
A: Trying to figure out how to get back into a good work ethic.
Q: What made you lose it?
A: Volunteering for too much stuff; not paying attention to my own business.
Q: I'm just getting a work ethic, so you're ahead of me if you have one to get back to.
A: Yeah. [laughs]
Q: What kind of work do you enjoy most?
A: Upholstering I guess, right now.
Q: Your work interests change with time?
A: Yeah, I like to do what's the most challenging to me at the time.
Q: Are you glad you got out of the bar business?
A: Yes - wouldn't go back.
Q: Why?
A: There's no privacy, not enough money, and I needed time to have a life. It's nice to just sit and watch TV at night instead of taking care of some old drunks.
Q: What's the best new thing in your life now?
A: My upcoming grandchild.
Q: You're playing the piano as we talk... what made you decide to learn at this point in your life?
A: I want to start a children's choir at church... and I like to play for myself.
Q: Beethoven - impressive! Why did you pick Fur Elise for your recital piece?
A: Ahh... it was a challenge. I have two versions and I thought I could play them both well.
Q: That's the second time you mentioned challenge. Why do you like challenge so much?
A: I do my best work when I'm challenged, and because otherwise I get bored. Did you know I painted a car one time?
Q: No. But that leads me to a question. How does it feel to be a jack-of-all-trades?
A: It feels great. I think some people are jealous; I think people sometimes feel insecure because of all the things I do.
Q: Ahh, now this is getting deep. I can't believe you feel superior to others.
A: I DON'T feel superior to others. I just think people might envy my skills from time to time.
Q: So what was your first job?
A: My first job... oh let's see. I had my own nightcrawler business in grade school.
Q: That's a bit more invloved than a lemonade stand.
A: [laughs]
Q: What was your first job you got a weekly paycheck for?
A: Cleaning a corset shop.
Q: They have shops just for corsets?
A: They used to. The lady that ran it was never married and lived to be 102 - and she was a writer. I got 50 cents a week; I only worked Saturday mornings.
Q: How old were you when you got married, and when did you start working for yourself?
A: I was married at 19, and I don't know exactly when I started working for myself. I sewed for people and they paid me.
Q: When did open the tavern?
A: We moved up here in '75 and ran a resort with a bar.
Q: When did you open your own bar?
A: '83.
Q: What kind of clientel did you have?
A: Mixed from young to old.
Q: Did you serve a lot of tourists?
A: Yeah - shackers. We were right on the highway.
Q: Crivitz is a town economically dependant on tourists. Why do you suppose we trash-talk shackers so much?
A: Well, it's the people that were born here that do that. They think that shackers bring prices up.
Q: But most of them wouldn't have jobs or businesses otherwise.
A: But they don't think about that.
Q: The rest of your family lives a ways south of here - do they think you're the black sheep of the family for moving away?
A: No.
Q: Will you ever move back closer to your birthplace?
A: We thought about it, but I don't think so.
Q: What is the most important lesson you've learned in life?
A: Remember who you are.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: Never try to be someone that you're not. You get yourself in trouble when you try to be someone else... it's like lying.
Q: What bugs you the most about living in rural Wisconsin?
A: Oh... you have to travel to shop.
Q: Don't tell me you're one of those people that gets a high from shopping!
A: Oh yeah.
Q: What is it that's so great about spending money? Wait - I spend like crazy! Maybe I should ask that of myself. But go ahead.
A: It's not the spending, it's the buying. It can be anything - like toilet paper or shampoo. You just buy it and then you have it.
Q: What scares you about modern life?
A: Ahh... the evil that's going on that people don't even see.
Q: What evil do you see?
A: TV shows that promote premarital sex, that make killing seem okay. Um... abortion being accepted more and more. Just the total absence of people seeing wrong as wrong, the lack of respect for people and things...
Q: How do you feel about the rampant lack of respect for our nation's leaders?
A: Well, a lot of them don't deserve respect... [sighs] Our leaders need to start showing us we SHOULD respect them. I don't believe in respecting people just because of their position.
Q: Do you think the U.S. should have English as its only official language?
A: [laughs] Seeing as I speak English, yes. But what about the people that don't? But most of us speak English, so yeah.
Q: As a middle-aged person, how are you adjusting to using a computer?
A: Well I haven't been able to figure it out yet.
Q: Do you use it for anything besides e-mail?
A: Well, I looked up prices for china and glass, but right now I'm just worried about learning the piano.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: Staying married for 34 years.
Q: What about quitting drinking?
A: What about it?
Q: Was it hard?
A: No. I just realized it was wrong so I quit.
Q: Was it hard to run a bar without drinking?
A: No. I can have fun without alcohol - and I can remember what I did that was fun!
Q: What's the hardest thing about being a parent?
A: Not strangling people! [laughs] Trying not to tell your kids what to do.
Q: Okay, now a question I want you to think seriously about: what do you think will be your legacy?
A: My legacy? To who?
Q: What will be different about the world because of your life?
A: Hmmm... [long pause] Um... I don't think I'll change the whole world at all, but I think I will affect a few people for the better - I hope.
Q: Who do you think you've affected the most?
A: The most? There's so many... my family, my kids in religion class, you... have I affected you at all?
Q: Well of course. I've felt love and support from you when I thought no one else cared. When I've felt worthless you've trusted me to do jobs for you... yeah, you're my second mom. I know your kids love you, but what do you think they love most about you?
A: Just the fact that I love them... they think I'm crazy, you know, a quart short or something.
Q: But what about your personality do you think they like the most or respect the most?
A: I don't know - you'd have to ask them.
Q: What do you love most about your husband?
A: The way that he loves me.
Q: And how is that?
A: [laughs] He just loves me no matter what.
Q: That's the only way to love, isn't it?
A: Yeah.
Q: Well, Pat, thank you very much for your time. I think you'll leave a larger legacy than you might think.
A: Think so, huh?
Q: Yes I do.
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