Alan Celebrates

18 February 2014 - The United States Postal Service
delivered a Rooster for my 74th Birthday.  The
Rooster was from my Sister in Iowa.

As you can tell it is nice and warm in Middle Georgia.  I am enjoying
my afternoon Coffee on the Deck here in West Bibb County.

Later in the evening, which was actually the eve of my 74th
Birthday some Friends stopped by and we enjoyed cake and
conversation along with Coffee.

As I have told my Grandson who resides near Dublin, Georgia
when you have the choice, always take the Ice Cream.

It was a lovely day.  I post this entry on my actually Birthday, February 19th.  My youngest son left me a message saying that My Bride should prepare food for me today, my special day.  However, that was not to be in as much as she had a "Convention Meeting" to attend.  I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at "Burger King" savoring the $1.00 Sausage Biscuit and the Senior Coffee.  After a work event at the Church we attend I enjoyed a lovely Lunch at Chick-fil-Lay here in West Bibb County.  I enjoy their Chicken Sandwich and their White Milk.  My entire dining experiences thus far today cost me less than $6.00.  As my oldest son reminds us that he is "Low Maintenance," I can certainly say that today I am living my life following his example.

Affordable Care? Tell Me The Truth!

Please Help Me Compute This.  The State of Oregon has expended over $160,000,000.00 to set up a program so that their Citizens can acquire Affordable Medical Care under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that our Government established a few years ago and as of today, no one has been enrolled.  This is an interesting situation.  The back up plan has applicants completing a 20 page document which then takes hours to process.  So far about 35,000 Oregon Citizens have applied using the back up plan.

I am under the impression that the Oregon program entitled "Cover Oregon" is a waste of taxpayer monies.

A waste of money that Oregon acquired in part from the Federal Government.  A lot like the water running out of this pipe.  It is unfortunate that the Citizens of Oregon are being abused by this scheme.  However it is also my understanding that citizens in other states are often facing the same problems.  So today I ask this question:  "When will this madness end?"  Is there any hope for the Affordable Care Act?   Surely the Government can resolve this problem. 

Going Green in Georgia

Everyone knows that I post picture and comments to this Blog as the Flower Child.  Today there but a few flowers blooming in Middle Georgia.  Therefore I will wait a few days to provide some flower pictures.  In the meantime I post these pictures of green plants which are placed in my home to make the air better to breath.   

A Tale of a Dining Experience - Two Cities in Georgia

The picture displayed above is of this Post's Author.  This Person does exist and he resides in Middle Georgia, U. S. A.

You may be wondering about the title of this Post?  I have waited over a month to post this entry simply because I desired to be a bit more mellow in my comments.

On 4 January 2014 the Wonderful Children of My Mother-in-Law arranged a gala birthday celebration for their charming Mom.  Because of travel and lifestyle considerations the event was held at about Noon at Logan's in Warner Robins at 2701 Watson Blvd.  When we arrived the tables and chairs had been placed in the party room with appropriate placement of napkins, peanuts and flatward.  They were ready for our group.  The food was good and the service was very responsive to the needs of the patrons.

On 11 January 2014 the Members of a local club here in Macon had arranged for an End of the Year 2013 Awards Night at the Logan's at 3933 Arkwright Road in Macon.  We arrive about 45 minutes ahead of the requested time to learn that the party room had not been set up.  The place was not that busy and they quickly set it up for us.  Tables, chairs and peanuts as well as the required dining equipment.  No problem!!  We only needed half of the space and we were informed that another group would be seated in the party room.  No problem!!  We adjusted our program schedule to have our Awards presented prior to eating so as to not impact the others using the room.  No problem!!!  We then ordered our food and beverages.  No problem.  But the other group started arriving and we waited and waited, as well as waited some more.  When the food arrived we had to let the server/s know what we ordered so that we could eat what we had ordered.  No doubt the kitchen/wait staff had a lack of communication.  No problem.  We ate and enjoyed the food.  Then the Problem.  No one appeared to really know where our checks were or when they would be delivered to us!!!  A real problem.  We waited and we waited.  Finally the duty manager became involved.  After still more time expended, the checks were constructed based on what we stated we had ate.  Not a very nice experience.

The title of this Post is "A Tale of a Dining Experience," and now you will learn why. 

I really am concerned about the level of service we received in Macon, Georgia.  Why?  While the wait staff appeared to be friendly they had no clue as to what was required to provide customer service.  Maybe the kitchen staff was unable to function as one would expect at a casual dining facility.  It was evident to me that they were ill prepared for a group.  We did make arrangements in Macon beforehand, just as we had also done for the Warner Robins event. 

It this disconnect the result of the level of education required to function in either of these two cities?  Is this disconnect the result of poor hiring practices?  No matter the cause of this situation I would suggest that the management of the Logan's Organization check this situation out personally.  Their firm's reputation is a direct result of the level of service they provide at all of their establishments. 

During a recent meeting of our Club here in Macon we decided to conduct our Annual Awards Night at a much more responsive organization.  We will be doing a Pot Luck event.

Now to be fair to the management at the Logan's in Macon, they did provide each of us with a discount coupon for a future visit to their Store.

However to be fair, I also suspect that I will conduct my dining out events at another venue here in Macon.  As regards our Club, we have taken action to prevent another Awards Night from becoming a disaster.

So the question remains, how can there be such a difference of dining experiences in two cities in Middle Georgia that are only about 29 miles apart?  

Alan's Families

Alan's Current Family.  This picture was taken in 1989 as
we gathered in Iowa to celebrate my Parents 50th Wedding
Anniversary.

Alan Thiese and second wife, Janice Marie Brown Bozeman, and sons Shield Loyd Bozeman III (L) and Michael Alan Thiese (R)




The above photo was taken in Clayton co. IA at the 50th Wedding anniversary of Ferdinand Otto and Gertrude L. Thiese, Alan's parents.



Alan Thiese was born February 19, 1940 on a farm near Clayton, Iowa. An at home delivery tended by a Louise Liers, Midwife. Parents: Ferdinand Otto and Gertrude L. Thiese.

This picture was taken in 1969 while I was
stationed in London, England.  This is my
First Family.
Alan Thiese and first wife, Jeannette Mildred Burger holding their daughters Carolyn Ann (L) and Susan Lynn (R)

Alan's Parents and Siblings



Alan's Parents on their Wedding Day - 3 May 1939

Ferdinand Otto Thiese & Gertrude L. L. Borcherding

Trinity Lutheran Church, Guttenberg, Iowa, May 3, 1939

L-R: Hulda Thiese Fischer, groom’s cousin; Harold Borcherding, bride’s brother; Gertrude & Ferdinand; Lillian Andregg and Herbert Borcherding, bride’s brother



Ferdinand Otto Thiese – born December 22, 1914 & died December 24, 1999. Buried at Ceres Cemetery near Guttenberg, Iowa. Obituary



Gertrude L. L. Borcherding – born October 2, 1917 near Osterdock & died April 16, 2000. Buried at Ceres Cemetery.



This picture was most likely taken in 1953.
Standing: David LeRoy and Alan Frederick Ernst


Seated: Vivian Lillian, Angela Marlene, John Paul and Thelma Jean

Alan with his Siblings and Parents - Picture taken in
1973

This is the Thiese Farm as it appeared in May of 1972.  I
was home on leave from the U.S. Navy.

Alan's Grandparents - The Thiese Family

This is a picture from about 1922 of Alan's Grandparents.  Alan's Dad is seated between his parents.  He was the youngest of six children.  See the Family names below.


Standing (L-R) Alma, Ernst, Alfred and Emil


Seated (L-R) Ferdinand Thiese (father), Ferdinand Otto 'Junior', Minnie (nee Weseman) and Louisa





Ferdinand Thiese – born July 13, 1873, son of William & Magdalena Thiese. Died February 14, 1944. Buried at Guttenberg City Cemetery. Married Wilhelmina 'Minnie' Weseman on February 16, 1898. Obituary



Minnie Weseman – born November 9, 1877 near Guttenberg. Died November 21, 1935. Buried in Guttenberg City Cemetery. Mother of Six Children. Obituary



Their children:



Alma – born November 28, 1898. Married Marvin Holtz (b. February 19, 1899) on June 1919. Two Children – Orville Holtz and Evelyn Holtz



Louisa – born July 28, 1901. Married LeRoy Schlake (b. August 27, 1896) on June 24, 1920. Five Children – Arlene Schlake, Ivan Schlake, Ivanelle Schlake, Merle Schlake and Carol Schlake. Obituary



Alfred – born September 29, 1904. Married Irene Palas (b. July 7, 1913) on February 7, 1934. Four Children – Paul Thiese, Angeline Thiese, Alfred Thiese Jr. and Myron Thiese



Emil – born June 30, 1907. Married Lillian Matt (b. April 12, 1915) on June 6, 1933. Three Children – Mary Lou Thiese, Audrey Thiese and Ruth Ann Thiese



Ernst – born September 12, 1912. Married Frances Dams (b. May 16, 1915) on April 25, 1936. Four Children – Norma Thiese, Arlene Thiese, Jerry Thiese and Loraine Thiese.



Ferdinand Otto – born December 22, 1914. Married Gertrude L. Borcherding (b. October 2, 1917) on May 3, 1939. Six Children – Alan F. E. Thiese, Thelma Jean Thiese, David LeRoy Thiese, Vivian Lillian Thiese, Angela Marlene Thiese and John Paul Thiese