What If The Healthiest Inheritance Is Presence, Not Things?

A brother and sister pull up two chairs and a thousand memories, then steer straight into what really matters: raising kids with courage, honoring outdoor traditions without romanticizing risk, and choosing a clearer mind when the world nudges toward shortcuts. We start with small, vivid moments—donuts at a tiny school table, two wiener dogs burrowing under blankets—and follow the thread to big lessons learned in duck blinds, on Lake Erie’s open water, and along winter trails where snowmobiles can deliver wonder or danger depending on respect and preparation.

From there, we get practical. What does “presence” look like when schedules feel relentless? How do you trade numbing for nourishment? We share a real-world path: alcohol-free, then THC-free, and the surprising clarity, energy, and patience that followed. No sanctimony—just simple habits that compound: daily movement, family walks with the dogs, smoothies built on greens and seeds, and herbs that support recovery. We even crack open the toolbox of intention—yes, sound bowls and short meditations—because small rituals can reset a home faster than lectures ever do.

We also take a clear-eyed look at hemp. As a small farm devoted to quality, we talk about the difference between plant-based healing and private-equity shortcuts, why delta variants confuse trust, and how better testing and labeling can protect people without bulldozing local producers. If you care about parenting, outdoor culture, sober clarity, or honest wellness products, this conversation meets you where you live—and offers a few trail markers for the road ahead.

If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who loves the outdoors, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us keep these conversations real, useful, and worth your time.

Transcript

Warm-Up, Nicknames, And Pets

SPEAKER_03 0:00

From there and then live and live. Yo! See? Reconnecting right away. There we go. And we're ah. If we had the sound effects, they'd be popping off for my big brother in the house.

SPEAKER_06 0:22

I don't know if they can hear that.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

I don't think so, but he's got effects over here. What was the effect? Which one did you choose? The applause.

SPEAKER_05 0:30

Yeah. It's always good on the headphone.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

It's been uh Mike to most. For me, it's always been Michael. We got Molokai Mike.

SPEAKER_05 0:42

Lots of nicknames.

SPEAKER_03 0:43

We won't talk about the rodent wrangler. What were some other ones?

SPEAKER_05 0:50

Gosh, throughout the years got a lot.

SPEAKER_03 0:53

Yeah, you really do. Have a lot of nicknames. Thank you to your brother-in-law, my husband, Danny.

SPEAKER_05 1:00

A lot of them came from him, for sure. Definitely. He had a good time pulling out lots of nicknames. Yeah, Molokai Mike, that one stuck for a while.

unknown 1:10

That really did.

SPEAKER_03 1:11

That was such a fun vacation, though. It had its ups and downs, its hurdles. Molokai and the big and Hawaii.

SPEAKER_05 1:22

Your doc keeps trying to get on my lap here.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Put her up. Bring her up. Ruby Doobie wants to be part of the action too. She, I I've only done one podcast without Ruby Doobie on my lap. And I felt naked. I think it was actually just last week, and I was like, where's little Ruby Dobai? But here she is. She's like my little, she's like my lap child.

SPEAKER_05 1:43

Yeah, you want she's the whole like five pounds. You can barely feel her. Oh my gosh. She wanted up.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

She did want it up. Is that how Lily is, though, your little weenie?

SPEAKER_05 1:52

Yeah. I actually thought about bringing her, but that would have been ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 1:55

Why not? You should have brought her.

SPEAKER_05 1:57

Yeah, she's she's a lot. She always, I mean, she'll literally try to crawl it up on your shoulders if you'd let her.

unknown 2:02

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 2:03

Did you have both of the wiener dogs sleeping with you?

SPEAKER_05 2:07

Uh yeah. They're they like to you don't sit down on the couch for more than two seconds, and they're both right on you.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

Do they gravitate towards you, towards dad, or are they up on Jesse too? Or both. Is it kind of just all of you?

SPEAKER_05 2:20

Whoever's, whoever wants to hang out.

SPEAKER_03 2:23

Well, I know Frank sleeps with you under the covers with his hands on his back, right? And his little paws are like this. He's got the covers up.

SPEAKER_05 2:31

He's spoiled. He's spoiled.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

That's like a human. Well like a little mini wiener human.

SPEAKER_06 2:38

It comes with the breed. Do you like the burrow?

SPEAKER_03 2:41

So for those of you who don't know, my brother has two, not one, but two wiener dogs. And one's name is Frank.

SPEAKER_05 2:49

Frank and Lily.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Frank and Lily Bean. LL Bean. She's so sweet.

SPEAKER_05 2:55

Yeah, I think she's like five months old now.

SPEAKER_03 2:57

Is she five months? That's not far too behind uh little ripples.

SPEAKER_05 3:02

He's being good right now.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

Yeah. He's it's time for his nap. I think he's like eight months now. Wow. Puppy fever. I just love that puppy energy, hey.

SPEAKER_05 3:13

Yeah, well, a lot of things have been chewed on. But you know what?

SPEAKER_03 3:18

She's a chewer? She chews on stuff?

SPEAKER_05 3:20

Yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:22

Like what?

SPEAKER_05 3:23

Like random stuff. Like sh shoes, you know, big time for the shoes, cords. Anything with plastic. But you know, kids got toys all over the place. So things that she shouldn't be getting into. The other day I found her you know little plastic pouches that they put in there, uh like the beef jerky or something.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

Oh yeah, yeah, like silico cats.

SPEAKER_05 3:44

Yeah, you know, cacks. Things she's not supposed to get into a lot of times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

That little shizerone. That little winner. Don't roast her.

SPEAKER_05 3:57

Oh, Jesse, my uh my wife, she had the best costume this year. She was the hot dog dealer. That was amazing. Strapped uh Frank in the hot dog costume right to her chest.

School Lunch Visit And Parenting Moments

SPEAKER_03 4:12

That was good. And she pulled it off. I feel like her entire getup, she had the whole concession stand look going. She got a lot of laughs, you know. She sure and then she said, didn't she do something with 6'7 too? Like she had like 67 wieners or something with like there's probably a good chance that that was. Yeah, she did had some. It was like it was like layers of awesome in her costume. She committed to it. I love it.

SPEAKER_05 4:36

Yeah, I didn't understood the whole 6'7 thing. The kids, I I went to the school today and the kids were doing that to me, and I'm like, I don't get it.

SPEAKER_03 4:43

They still wear them, were they like, hey, I don't know. Yeah, 6'7.

SPEAKER_05 4:48

Yeah, they just 6'7. 6'7.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Right? Like the top, like right here by your chest, something else. Apparently.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

Like, oh, maybe there are six or a seven. Apparently it's a thing. It's a whole lot of those kids. And that's 4-1. And everything Nixon is like, how was it? Oh, 6-7. 6-7. It's alright. It's alright. Is that part of it too?

SPEAKER_05 5:13

I guess it's no different than, you know, I'm a little more earth school. We used to say that's the bomb, you know. When something was really cool or good, right?

SPEAKER_03 5:20

That's true. But I feel like 6'7 is like mid. Right? It's like mid-grades.

SPEAKER_05 5:27

Yeah, like like okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

Yeah. I guess just 6'7. Yeah. Like the bomb would be 10. But if they're even saying that, then you were cooking.

SPEAKER_06 5:35

These kids need to step it up then. Why?

SPEAKER_03 5:39

Brad, I settled in for mid-grade.

SPEAKER_06 5:40

Yeah, why you sell for the mid-grade?

SPEAKER_03 5:42

It's kind of like free line. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Was that your first time uh doing lunch with them at the school?

SPEAKER_05 5:50

Yeah, you know, that was kind of yeah, that was a cool experience. They kept asking me, Weston wanted to be out. He he did really good in school the other day. So it's been trying to get as an incentive. If you're really good, I'll come visit you for lunch. So he got he had uh just a really good day yesterday. I don't know if the teacher was just on having a good day, or if, you know, I'm I'm I like to believe that he had a great day. So he got all the smiles on his on his little chart. So treated him to some a strawberry donut.

SPEAKER_03 6:23

Yama.

SPEAKER_05 6:24

I had to go and and and get him, yeah. And we got the last one left.

SPEAKER_03 6:28

The last strawberry donut. Yep. That lucky guy. Yeah. That lucky dog.

SPEAKER_05 6:36

Yeah. That was cool last seen the kids. Felt really big at that little table, I'll tell you that.

SPEAKER_06 6:44

That table was super tiny.

SPEAKER_05 6:46

I was like trying to like get my leg in there, and I'm sure the teachers got a laugh of watching me get out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:53

You said you couldn't sit on the end because you couldn't fit.

SPEAKER_06 6:58

Weston had to ask his buddy Michael to move down. I was like, great name, you know.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

Michael?

SPEAKER_06 7:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:02

Oh my gosh. And there was a girl there too, because I was just there. It was Ashley, and I said, I'm like, that's my brother and I's names. Ashley and Michael.

SPEAKER_05 7:10

Yeah. Michael moved over. Thanks, Michael.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

Did you meet Eli? Was he there?

SPEAKER_05 7:17

I was meeting all kinds of kiddos.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Well, Eli would have told you like 20 jokes, or like he wouldn't have he wanted your full attention.

SPEAKER_05 7:24

No, I didn't, I didn't get the jokes.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

Oh, you didn't you didn't mean Eli yet?

SPEAKER_05 7:27

Oh, that'll be just hot dogs and the smiley fries.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Smiley fries.

SPEAKER_05 7:35

I remember smiley fries when we were kids. Yeah. I still have them, apparently.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

Oh yeah. I don't know, but the lunches they're they've gotten so like pre-packaged now. I remember them like actually like homemaking stuff. Although the chicken sandwich was my favorite. I always look forward to the day of the chicken sandwich.

SPEAKER_05 7:52

Well, we generally send the kids home uh to school both with their own their own lunches because they're kind of picky eaters. But once in a while, if we know there's something on the menu that they they would be into or mom needs a break or something, that we'll give them the hot lunch.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:07

I just you know Weston's got an appetite. I don't even know if he'd be full from the hot lunch, you know.

SPEAKER_06 8:12

Really?

SPEAKER_05 8:13

Yeah, Jessica packed him two little sandwiches today and well, something else. What else did he eat? Oh, chicken nuggets. He ate almost everything.

SPEAKER_03 8:26

Oh and your donut?

SPEAKER_05 8:28

He shared his donut with me. Yeah. Which is surprising.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Did you because you said you went to not Jimmy John's Jimmy John's.

SPEAKER_05 8:37

For myself.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

For yourself. Yeah. Because you're like, I'm not the mini corn dog for the hot dogs.

SPEAKER_05 8:43

Jesse checked yesterday for lunch. It was not having a hot dog. There's no way.

SPEAKER_03 8:49

You had enough of those at the at Nevi's birthday party this weekend. Hey, did you have a hot dog on Sunday?

SPEAKER_05 8:54

Oh, I went after the burgers. The burgers. Danny, you're the man on the burgers. Dude, he is. He made like 30 of them.

SPEAKER_03 9:00

Yeah, you made quite a few for Nevi's birthday party. I had two. I went for the burger too. It was like a cheeseburger in paradise. I feel like I put like the mayo and we had the gardenia peppers.

SPEAKER_05 9:14

That was a new thing on the cheeseburger, but it went well.

SPEAKER_03 9:17

Yeah. I do like it. I like that with some onion. Yeah. Anywho, are we hungry or what? No, we ate.

SPEAKER_05 9:26

That's true. That's true.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

Well, it's so sweet to witness them in their school, hey.

SPEAKER_05 9:32

Yeah. Well, begging me. He's like, you gotta come. He really wanted me to go watch them and the play and then go with them. So and I went out there and I was spinning the kids around on the that thing that goes around in circles.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Probably hanging out.

SPEAKER_06 9:47

A couple kids went flying. I felt bad, and I was like, all right, I'm gonna step back. I kind of want to get in trouble for hurting anybody.

SPEAKER_05 9:53

So they did a good enough job keeping it going, but it was they brought back memories and it was cool to see uh West in his element. He's quite the ladies' man, a lot of tension, a lot of love from the girls.

SPEAKER_03 10:06

I noticed that too.

SPEAKER_05 10:07

Lots of lots of hi, West is a good thing. Yeah, and he just kind of like he like gives him the nod.

SPEAKER_03 10:13

He's like, hey, like he acknowledges it, but yeah, he I guess he uh he handles it well. He's gonna be a ladies, ladies' man.

SPEAKER_05 10:24

Yeah, but it's it was so I stayed there and watched and watched Brindley. Her lunch was right after, so it turned into a whole thing. So Brindley got a donut out the deal. I even seen your son, which was great.

SPEAKER_03 10:36

Sweet Nixon. That was a surprise to him because he had no clue.

SPEAKER_05 10:39

I kept telling him I was going to do an interview after this and see his sister after, and he kept looking at me because I'd seen him twice and I said it twice. And I was like, wait a minute. My sister, your mom.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Oh yeah, he's probably like scratching his head, like, what your interview is.

SPEAKER_05 10:56

He corrected me for sure.

SPEAKER_03 10:58

It's crazy that both of our sons have older sisters, right?

SPEAKER_05 11:04

Yeah, you know, works out. I mean the little little tough love from Britley, it's you know, she she don't take nothing. No, she's she don't put up with that. Mm-mm. They were uh they had uh gotten some slime in the mail the other day, you know. Turn in because it turned into a thing. And they were arguing it at first before you know what they were sharing, though, but there was might have been a little hitting going on at some point.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

Sounds familiar though, hey Mike, although you're my older brother. Only by 18 months is how far we're apart. I think Irish twins is when under 14 months, but pretty close. I think mommyada's back to back.

SPEAKER_05 11:48

18 months, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

And now living in it, because your kids are, aren't they 21 months? Uh my kids are 21.

SPEAKER_05 11:54

Two years and two weeks.

Hunting Stories And Ethics

SPEAKER_03 11:56

Yeah. So 20, you're the full solid 24 months.

SPEAKER_06 12:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

And that still seems really close together, right?

SPEAKER_05 12:05

Oh, it's a lot of work.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

Friends in second, Weston's in kindergarten.

SPEAKER_05 12:09

I don't know how the parents can do it back to back. The kids so close. I mean. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

Well, we were supposed to have six kids in our family. She's Yeah. Mom lost those babies, the set of twins and the two others. Could you imagine me if it was having four other siblings, Mike? We would have been first. Then it would have been the ones below us.

SPEAKER_05 12:30

Oh, not a big family.

SPEAKER_03 12:31

But God had a different plan. And now we're happy with the two. And it was crazy because you have a boy and a girl, and I have a boy and a girl, and then all of like mom's family, right? It's like all boys and girls. One boy and one girl.

SPEAKER_05 12:42

Yeah. You know, it they say God only gives you what you can handle, right?

SPEAKER_03 12:49

Man. I don't know. I was just talking having Danny on here the other day, and like, I'm gonna be 45 when the kids are graduating high school.

SPEAKER_06 12:57

You? Yes. So it's like that sounds pretty young. It's so young. I'm gonna be 40 in like a month and a couple weeks.

SPEAKER_03 13:03

Dude, that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

So what are we doing for your 40 at 40? 40!

SPEAKER_05 13:07

Yeah, I don't know. It's nuts. Don't even I I remember being younger and thinking when dad hit his 40-year-old birthday party, it was like an old man.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

You know, like Yeah, over the hill. It's over the hill.

SPEAKER_05 13:18

Grandpa style, right? No, it's yeah, 40's the new 20, right? I guess.

SPEAKER_03 13:24

Well, 40 looks good on you, brother.

SPEAKER_05 13:26

Oh, cheers. Thank you. Plan on being around for another 40 at least.

SPEAKER_03 13:30

Well, right. That's what like 40, 45, that's like the halfway through life marks. I'm like, what am I in another halfway?

SPEAKER_05 13:36

You look at things a lot differently.

SPEAKER_03 13:38

It's January 11th, I think, on 11 or 111. That's lucky, Michael. No wonder how you get some of your luck from. The Irish. The Irish? You're 111.

SPEAKER_05 13:51

Yeah. Yeah, I guess. Share a birthday with my baby, my baby girl, my firstborn.

SPEAKER_03 13:56

Which is insane, too.

SPEAKER_05 13:57

No, I was 32. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

Like, what are the chances that Brindley would be born on the same day?

SPEAKER_05 14:03

It was a cool gift. Same exact day. I always say my birthdays were getting boring anyway, so yeah. Now she gets all the attention.

SPEAKER_06 14:14

Aww. We kind of get ripped off a little bit because we're like two weeks after Christmas, but it's all good.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

You still get what you want.

SPEAKER_05 14:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:23

You get what you need. Oh, that's sweet. Two Capricorns in the house. Stubborn. Mm-hmm. And a Scorpio wifey. It was just her birth Jessica's birthday. Who also gets kind of ripped off.

SPEAKER_05 14:39

Yesterday she had a good time.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 14:41

Yep. Yep. She got spoiled from everybody. I heard you brought her some flowers and a bracelet.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

Nick Weston shared his cookie.

SPEAKER_05 14:51

Did he? Yes. Mom got her a cake and a gift.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

I did post. Meg took a video of Jessica and her champagne at the bar, and Meg took a snippet and I posted it on Charles Comm, gave her some love there.

SPEAKER_05 15:04

Well, she got her sparkler.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

Yeah. I missed that. For her women's pool league, why she was there.

SPEAKER_05 15:09

I don't get into the whole Facebook thing. You know, I was gonna say happy birthday on Facebook. I'm like, why? I live with her. I went out to breakfast with her, spent the day with her. Like, I'm gonna use uh no offense against people that do it, but these relationships sometimes people like message like, oh, you're so great. I love you, everything you did. They like post all these old pictures of stuff that happened in the past. I mean, that's great, but it's like I'm more living in the moment, I guess. And so sorry, Jesse, if I didn't offend you, I didn't send you a Facebook happy birthday.

SPEAKER_03 15:40

Was it Facebook official, Michael? Gosh.

SPEAKER_05 15:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:43

Jesus, shut up.

SPEAKER_05 15:44

I try to be nice and always go out of my way and say happy birthday to people because I know it feels good, you know. But at the same time, it was like she got spoiled, so yeah. Yeah, what she deserved, Jess 38.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

She knows you love her. I know you you show her in more than one way. Yeah. What would you say?

SPEAKER_05 16:02

Like her she kind of gets ripped off because it's deer hunt weekend every year. But she knew that getting into the relationship. Yeah. Yeah, she always she knows. It's a lot sometimes it falls. I'm actually gone during her birthday.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Yeah, you're gone completely. Yeah. So it's nice that it's fun. What you're leaving tomorrow?

SPEAKER_05 16:19

We are. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

For the annual trip up to Eagle River with the best thing.

SPEAKER_05 16:25

She likes her girls' weekend too.

SPEAKER_03 16:27

So does she probably have some plans this weekend? I hope so. I should ask her what she's doing. You should. It's one of the rare weekends where I don't have plans.

SPEAKER_04 16:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

Hey oh, I might just keep it that way, though. It's kind of nice. Because Danny too will be hunting.

SPEAKER_05 16:40

And he hunts local though.

SPEAKER_03 16:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:42

He comes home.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

He does. Right here on the farm, right?

SPEAKER_05 16:46

I don't blame him. Let's his spot that he built over here is super cool.

SPEAKER_03 16:49

Yeah, he got a big one last year.

SPEAKER_05 16:52

Yeah. That was his first big butt, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_03 16:54

Yeah. The first year he's ever shot in his entire life. Yes, was last year.

SPEAKER_05 16:59

Man, how great I did that after feel. Like on the property that you worked so hard for, and then a stand that you built. I'm sure all that at that moment. And you got to experience that with his uncle too, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:10

Uncle Dave?

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Well, yeah, because he shot it.

SPEAKER_06 17:12

It's like now what. I don't even understand any pictures. And you had the thing hanging from the tractor, and Dave gave him the VIP treatment.

SPEAKER_03 17:20

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:21

He didn't have to drag it out, I think.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

No, he threw it in the back of the UTV.

SPEAKER_06 17:26

Oh, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 17:27

Yeah. He went there, he threw it and locked that thing on the UTV, drove it down by Uncle Dave, and it was like, no. Yeah. I'm sure Dave was like just He's like, Where's your gloves and your snipe for Christmas? I think he got him like a knife for it. Sure. Some gloves or something. I don't know. He's going again? Yeah. He's in it. He's got the killer install. Well, he built another one, another shack. He built three in one time. But all three of the stands went up at the same time.

SPEAKER_05 17:52

It's not just any shacks. I mean, these shacks have like sliding patio doors you would find in somebody's kitchen, you know.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

Well, it probably did happen from a couple of the job sites that you know.

SPEAKER_05 18:03

Yeah. Over your construction, you make your resourceful, and he's very resourceful.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

He is. He's very resourceful. He repurposes cabinets and sources. You know the deal.

SPEAKER_05 18:13

Yeah. I've yet to see him. We'll we'll have to check him out. Weston would probably think that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 18:17

Oh, Weston's gonna think that's awesome. Nixon wants to sleep in there. He's like, Dad, can we have a sleepover? And you could, because you could just bring a heater in there.

SPEAKER_04 18:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

Right? I mean, have a blow-up air mattress. Why not? Make a little slumber party. So you're there in the sunrise because that's the best time for the deer, right?

SPEAKER_05 18:32

So you gotta go to the bathroom.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

Bro, you haven't shot a deer since dad. Right?

SPEAKER_05 18:38

It's been some years. Not that it's because that I couldn't have.

SPEAKER_03 18:41

No, uh no, I don't. Hey, what's up with that? I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 18:45

I guess you know, hunting is more of an experience for me more than the killing. I don't mind, you know, I don't mind, I guess, shooting a deer. Shot a couple.

SPEAKER_03 18:53

No, I know you have shot them in your life.

SPEAKER_05 18:55

Yeah, it's just more of an experience at this point for me. You know, as I get older though, and my little boy is growing, that killer instinct in me is coming back out. It's coming back. It's like, yeah, I gotta get him into this, you know, because there is something about hunting that they can just the bond and the relationship you build and the adventure along the way. That for me, that was the favorite part of hunting, I guess. So killing was just one of those things where it was like, yeah, well, if you're the deer meat's good, you know, but it's a process after you after you get one with the processing of the deer meat and all of that. You really gotta have a lot of people that like it around when you tour is your freezer's gonna be full the next year. You know, people I talked to and they still got deer meat in their freezer from the year before, they start hunting again, you know. You know, you know what I'm talking about out there.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 19:49

You and dad have some good stories hunting together.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

And Danny too, you know, that a little in the later years, but you guys did all kinds of hunting, right? I remember at one point you guys were like geese hunting.

SPEAKER_05 20:01

That's the whole that's the whole part. The hunting that I guess was fun for me, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Uh goose hunting. We went to North Dakota. He got he got all outfitted, remember? He got like dad got all the decoys and he had everything.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Yeah, he got all people like, what?

Fishing With Dad And Lake Erie Memories

SPEAKER_05 20:17

Yeah, the girls were like, what? He even bought the kites that like flew in the air and like things that would flap on the ground. And oh man, that was great. We s yeah. I think we did it for a few years and it just kind of it must have wore off.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 20:35

That's another thing. It's like, after you get a goose, shoot a goose, they're they're not that good eating. No. I don't know what would you make dog food with it, I guess. I don't know. Oh yeah. You don't hear people talking like, hey, I made the best goose last night. Like it was the goose was just amazing.

SPEAKER_03 20:52

The goose was loose on the Well yeah, it's kind of like the thrill of the hunt.

SPEAKER_05 20:57

And you gotta really like the meat because I feel like to me that means that's the sporting part of of hunting too. You can't shoot what you eat, they're kind of that that way. Don't be wasteful.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

Right.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

And we search high, low, and our hardest. If we couldn't find them, you know, I mean Dad and uh I remember we were duck hunting, he would he had to get a uh a dog because he got sick of losing birds.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Yeah. Is that why he got well who was it first? It was Bud, right?

SPEAKER_05 21:26

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

And that's what the retriever is about. But he always did labadors. He could swim. He was a good retriever.

SPEAKER_05 21:37

Is this camera need to be going up? This one? This one.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Oh no, don't mess with it. Sorry. It's good. It's uh living out of prayer over there.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

It's like it looks like a fall for it. I do, I have it on tilt. Mm-hmm. Well, I love that. Can you see Brynn ever wanting to hunt? Or get into it? Or is it more like traditional male hunters and the females are the gatherers?

SPEAKER_05 22:06

If the little nugget wants to go hunting, I'll bring her out. There ain't no reason why we wouldn't. It's more of a not something I guess that I hear her asking about or excited about, but she's only seven, so I see a lot more pet dads going hunt with their their daughters, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_03 22:23

Yeah. Well you take her fishing.

SPEAKER_05 22:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:26

Oh, sorry, what were you saying?

SPEAKER_05 22:27

So a buddy of mine just had a the deer season up in Upper Michigan open last weekend. And he had taken somebody in his family, and she got one. And I'm sure she's looked for life now, you know, hanging out with the boys, so why not? You know?

SPEAKER_03 22:41

Yeah. Yeah, that quality time together.

SPEAKER_05 22:46

Yeah. Yeah, you know, I I guess uh shooting the guns and all that. Um she really never shows a lot of interest in it when we when we're talking about it. We go shoot the beady guns and stuff, so which is fine.

SPEAKER_03 22:59

Yeah, she's a girly girl. I've seen her with her nails on the other day.

SPEAKER_05 23:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

Chopping in Chicago, holding grasping her little unicorn on type, but you never know, that can change next year. Nevi's really never shown any interest either. But you take she goes fishing with you, doesn't she? I think that's really cool that you can take the kids too.

SPEAKER_05 23:19

She definitely fished. She outfished us most of the times that we brought her.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

Then Carol.

SPEAKER_05 23:23

Yeah, yeah. We always got a good laugh out of it. You know, Weston, Weston was good, and I, you know, uh, everything, everything I caught, I had to give the Weston just so he could catch up.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

She's good. She's lucky. That's crazy that you say it because Nevi is too. Uh it was, yeah. She's over here like pull slaying them, like, bruh, what are you guys doing over there?

SPEAKER_05 23:44

She was natural. Yeah, casting, putting uh uh pulling them in, and she really it's you know, I'm really proud of herself when she got one too. That's every time, even after like the 15th one.

SPEAKER_03 23:56

Ah, that's so sweet to be young again, hey Mikey.

SPEAKER_05 24:00

That's why, yeah. I guess that's what you get you you have kids to try to stay young, I guess, and live reliving your youth a little bit, right?

SPEAKER_03 24:10

Yeah, some of my favorite I love those trips to Lake Erie with dad. Sure. Out there, and we'd go staying in the tent and waking up at the butt crack of dawn to get out in Big Erie and spending all day on the boat.

SPEAKER_05 24:24

We did some uh yeah, some looking back, some crazy adventures. Swing retreat. Yeah. Lake Erie, Putin Bay. Remember that was we always thought that was cool going to the island and limiting out on walleye's. We'd catch so many that we'd have to go fishing for bass. You know, that was a good day, always.

SPEAKER_03 24:44

He had a special system to go fishing. Oh, yeah. Right?

SPEAKER_05 24:50

Everything down to the sandwiches that he packed for the damn trip, you know. Like he had a system for sure.

SPEAKER_03 24:55

He did. But I'm talking like his skis and the downrigger and the masts.

SPEAKER_05 25:00

Yeah, not just anybody could with the fly hooks, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:03

Or what do you call them?

SPEAKER_05 25:05

Well, we can use just put everything that you could put your tackle box. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:10

The flies, but I mean those hooks where you like put out the lines.

SPEAKER_05 25:13

Well, the Dodgers and Flies?

SPEAKER_03 25:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:15

There's still a lot of the charter guys are on Michigan. Not Lake Erie. That's a Michigan thing.

SPEAKER_03 25:21

That's a Michigan thing?

SPEAKER_05 25:22

Yep. Troll.

SPEAKER_03 25:22

Didn't we troll for troll for them too on Erie?

SPEAKER_05 25:27

Oh, of course, but not with the Dodgers and Flies.

SPEAKER_03 25:29

Not with the Dodgers and Flies. I'm talking with like what are those hooks called with the skis that went off to the side. And that's how when you like when the fish was fish ah about a release? It would, yeah. Oh, it was released off the flood. Yeah. Well that was I couldn't do that. That's not just your regular casting casting.

SPEAKER_05 25:48

No, this is a special type. On a good day, it didn't love people in the boat. Yeah, 12, 14 lives out at uh at a crack. There was a lot, a lot of maneuvering. If you came in close to a boat or something, you know, it was definitely had to know where your your stuff was.

SPEAKER_03 26:07

Yeah. I remember him when he was always on a swivel. His head was always out of swivel. He made it look so easy. He made it look so easy.

SPEAKER_05 26:16

Well, when you I guess when you're good, you're good. It looks easy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:20

And and the bopper that we'd kill the carp with, right? Or sheep's head. The sheep's head. The sheep's head.

SPEAKER_05 26:28

No, no, there was a not a very much-liked fish in Lake Erie. That was a Lake Erie thing.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Yeah, because they'd eat the walleye eggs, right? Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 26:36

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

And the fish. Ah! And I remember just like getting so excited. And us kids would just be chumping up and down for joy. And then when he'd get sick of us, I remember one time he dropped us off in those islands? And we would have island adventures? You boys are probably still fishing.

SPEAKER_05 26:54

The city goes would come trying to like come down bombing on you. Yeah, I remember that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:00

That was a little sister and big sister, middle sister island, they were called. Oh. If you ever look at Lake Erie map, it'll always be there.

SPEAKER_03 27:08

Which the irony of little sister, little your little sis out there just dropping her off there. Me and Aaron would go out and go save the seagulls.

SPEAKER_05 27:20

Yeah, back before everybody had a cell phone.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

Well, yeah, that was way before that. I remember we got to the campsite and you boys would be trolling for something else.

SPEAKER_05 27:31

We definitely remember we're not looking at a computer, that's for sure. That's for sure.

Snowmobiling Adventures And Safety

SPEAKER_03 27:41

Then have your young younger sister bust you out, husbands. I always was good for that for a couple times, eh, Mike? Yeah. Oh my gosh. We we hung out a lot because we lived out in the country with no internet, no cell phones. So I was always like your tail.

SPEAKER_05 28:02

Yeah, we had a skiel down the road, thank gosh, for winter time.

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Yes. Yeah, because summer it was like, you gotta take your little sister. You gotta bring Ashley.

SPEAKER_05 28:18

Speaking of the skiing thing, I think the kids want to start going this year.

SPEAKER_03 28:22

No way, they're ready.

unknown 28:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:24

We got some gear for ya. If you need it.

SPEAKER_05 28:28

Snowboard with them is tough.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

Oh yeah, you already said you wanted we're thinking about skiing.

SPEAKER_05 28:33

Thinking skiing's gonna be the way to go. Yeah. Just because of the maneuverability part, I guess, you know. You strap that snowboard in. You're strapped in. And it gets your kids in and in and out of equipment. You're you're doing a lot of bending over and a lot of maneuvering.

SPEAKER_03 28:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 28:52

And it just seems like learn skiing. Like, you know, start like I did, I guess. Learn skiing and that's work up to the board. I I'd alleged. I think the board is is probably more of a difficult skill to learn when it comes to downhill sports. Yeah. For winter speed sports. I'd say skiing would be easier.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

To pick up and just get out there, right? That's half the fun.

SPEAKER_05 29:18

Yeah. When they get old enough. I mean, if you want to work out that up snowboard, go for it. I don't think I wasn't I think I was like 16 before I started snowboarding.

SPEAKER_03 29:27

Do you want to tell the story about how you taught me how to snowboard? Do you even remember? Do you remember this?

SPEAKER_05 29:35

Well, it might have might have just you know helped you get the equipment ready and set up at the bottom.

SPEAKER_01 29:41

Yeah, that's exactly what you did. There I was on top. Like you're like, alright, see you later. And I was like, Michael.

SPEAKER_05 29:52

That's the best way to learn.

SPEAKER_03 29:54

It was actually looking back, I wouldn't have had it any different.

SPEAKER_05 29:58

It's like skydiving, you just put get pushed off the The plane.

SPEAKER_03 30:01

Yep. That's how I learned how to swim. It was sing or swim when mom pushed me in.

SPEAKER_05 30:08

Oh, you're still here.

SPEAKER_03 30:09

So yes!

SPEAKER_05 30:11

It made you a tougher person.

SPEAKER_03 30:13

That is for sure. We are who we are.

SPEAKER_05 30:16

Yeah, we didn't wear helmets. Helmets, uh for some reason I I don't think that safety was as much thought of at that time. You go to Spiel now, everybody's got a helmet.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

Yeah. If you don't have a helmet, it's you're you get a helmet.

SPEAKER_05 30:30

Yeah, you're like singled out if you're not wearing a helmet. No, everybody's got one. I I get it. You know.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

Why do you I mean, yeah, I guess safety, safety first.

SPEAKER_05 30:41

I think of it as yeah, big part of it is people are a lot more just conscientious that hitting your head really hard could cause some major long-term issues. Uh, people are a little a little more safer. Nobody just like I guess all the other sports, you know.

SPEAKER_03 30:59

I know I remember your no fear shirts. Remember that when that brand was big back in the day? Yeah. No fear. You had all of them. Mom got you all of them.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

And they'd be like, Oh, I eat when you sleep.

SPEAKER_05 31:13

I eat when you sleep? Yeah. No, I think there's more to it than that.

SPEAKER_06 31:18

I eat. I practice while you sleep. Yeah. I don't know if eating while you're sleeping would benefit anybody, but it's possible, you know. Definitely with more of the lines. Like I practice while you sleep. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 31:34

You know, I always remembered it as no fear. No fear. Yeah. Going for it. We did, man. We we were that some no fear. It was a good brand. They say fear is like a learned, a learned behavior, which fear is good, right? Like it's like they no doubt fear is a learned behavior.

SPEAKER_05 31:54

Took Weston hiking the other day, and he ran up that tower so fast he was in front of me the whole time. And I had both the dogs, you know, and I'm like, actually, I had a I had a hold Lily. She didn't want to go upstairs. So I got one dog in the house. I mean, the others on the the leash. Frank's going up and Weston's up.

SPEAKER_06 32:11

I get up to the top and he's standing up, hanging off over, you know, like hey, look how cool this is. And I got up to the top, and I'm just like, oh my gosh, get back here, you know, like no fear.

SPEAKER_03 32:25

No fear. I love his sense of adventure. He just, he is, I love his nature. That boy loves nature. Well, and I wonder where he gets it from. You have hiked at the better part of the ice age trails around here when you're on your sales calls, right?

SPEAKER_05 32:41

Through southeastern Wisconsin over the years, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:44

I love that about you. That in for your lunch break, you're out hiking.

SPEAKER_05 32:48

Lots of miles, lots of miles. If it was above 20, I'd be out there. Yeah? Yeah. It's good for the soul, a little nature hike. Uh quietness. Yeah. There's some beautiful stuff out there. I'll tell you that. There was a guy that came from Japan just recently to do the Ice Age Trail, and he walked over a thousand miles recently, just he finished in the last few days. Really? Kind of been following the story. If anybody out there uh is into the Ice Age, it's kind of a unique story. Yeah, masa. You know, at the end he said the trail's not very difficult, but it was more the adventure of the people along the way that made it really cool. And I think that was kind of cool to see. I guess you got a guy that came from Japan to walk our section, the segment of trails. It must have made some kind of an impact at some point that people you know. We take it for granted it's in our backyard here, right? You know, you see the little yellow markers and yeah. That's a thousand some thousands of miles. And I I think it was like 50 days.

SPEAKER_03 33:52

Wow. Yeah. Wow. I love it all season. You know, I mean it's during summer, winter, fall. They're you get their uh the proper footgear and you can hike those ice age trails at any time. So a lot of people snowshoe them.

SPEAKER_05 34:11

They get a little slick when they, you know, freezing and thawing, but yeah. I guess with the right equipment. I I get out there in the middle of winter, people are running on the frozen trails, you know.

SPEAKER_03 34:22

Yeah. I'm one of those crazies. I got my my she boots, I call them. They keep my feet nice and warm, give me some tread.

SPEAKER_06 34:32

That's all you need.

SPEAKER_03 34:33

And and and the dogs love it. Maybe not so much her. She is gone winter hiking.

SPEAKER_05 34:37

Yeah. But they get the short hair on ours, they've got to put little jackets on them.

SPEAKER_03 34:42

Yeah. See, right, like before little dogs, you never realized why they needed clothes. Because we always grew up with big dogs. We grew up with labs and boxers. Is there any part of you that wants a boxer?

SPEAKER_05 34:56

You know, big dogs are cool. You have to have the uh the land. Let them roam. Dog like that needs to run.

SPEAKER_00 35:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 35:04

For sure. And you gotta you gotta have some time dedicated. I don't think it's fair to have a dog that size if you don't have a few hours a day, honestly, to be able to spend, whether it's all at once or spread out throughout the day, a dog that big needs a lot of attention.

SPEAKER_03 35:19

Even, you know, it's funny you should bring that up because I feel like even small dogs need a walk.

SPEAKER_05 35:24

Are you kidding me? My my little dogs, I've been on uh seven mile hikes with Frank, and them legs aren't more than a few inches long. And they impressive every time. I get him home sometimes and he still wants more. So yeah, little dogs too, it ain't no doubt. It and he can cruise, he can put some miles on.

SPEAKER_03 35:45

Yeah. Her too. This girl is fast and she loves it. She loves, like I said, I'm kind of lenient on her a little bit for the winter hikes. Sometimes I'll just bring, I'll bring the the terrier, but they love it. I just sometimes get so frustrated when you hear people, yeah, well, I let him outside. I let him outside. I take him to the dog park once a week, and I'm like, geez, what a life, right? To be inside of a house all day, every day.

SPEAKER_05 36:10

Well, that's what I'm saying. It's just it's all growing up with bigger dogs in the past. I remember how much work they were.

SPEAKER_03 36:17

Yeah, and a lot of setting.

SPEAKER_05 36:25

You know, our family they spoiled the dogs, but a lot of work.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

Spoiled the dogs. I remember dad would make Buddy's own pancake.

SPEAKER_05 36:34

Yeah. I was just telling that story to somebody the other week. We were laughing. He'd get his own hutton. I was talking to somebody about Hutton, you know, duck hunting. I remember the dog would get his own McDonald's cheeseburger. And literally, and he'd hold it for him, and then the dog would bite off of the damn cheese.

SPEAKER_03 36:51

He was gentle too, right? He's a gentleman.

SPEAKER_05 36:55

He also would make him pancakes. Oh, yeah. I think he would feed him with the fork.

SPEAKER_03 37:00

The corn on the cob always tricked me out, too. He would but not only did he feed him corn on the cob, I think he would butter the cob, right?

SPEAKER_05 37:08

Most likely put even salt on it, I guess. Why not? I mean part of the family at that point. But you gotta do a lot of work. It's just what you know, a bigger breed.

SPEAKER_03 37:21

Even smaller breeds. They're another it's a it's another life. It's another soul, right? And they say that dogs are even, not to say, I don't want to say worse, but for they can never take care of themselves. Whereas eventually, like our kids are gonna go off on their own. Right, right.

SPEAKER_04 37:38

And they can see you.

SPEAKER_03 37:39

They can feed themselves, they can go to the bathroom on their own. But dogs, they're dependent on you. Or animals are dependent on you. So you gotta love them like just like they were like your brother, sister, son, or daughter.

SPEAKER_06 37:56

Well, fur babies.

SPEAKER_03 37:58

Fur babies. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 38:01

We've had some interesting ones. I remember that that the plug and oh Maggie.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

Yeah, you and all your friends, especially the one you're going up north this weekend with, would always pull her skin back.

SPEAKER_05 38:14

Her eyeballs looked like they were gonna pop out.

SPEAKER_03 38:17

I'm surprised they did.

SPEAKER_05 38:19

They always did.

SPEAKER_03 38:20

For sure, man.

SPEAKER_05 38:20

It was nice. They were being nice.

SPEAKER_03 38:22

No, they I mean, she she was always loved on. They weren't doing it with malice, but we wouldn't nickname was noodles.

SPEAKER_06 38:29

Yeah. Seeing so much fat rolls look like noodles.

SPEAKER_03 38:34

Oh, Maggie. We had a lot of loss with animals in our family.

SPEAKER_05 38:40

Busy road out in front, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_03 38:43

And it was in the country, so you didn't put them on a leash, right? Like they were like free-range chickens.

SPEAKER_05 38:49

You watched them, but I think Dan just had the cut out more of the let the dog be a dog. Unfortunately, sometimes they would wander.

SPEAKER_03 38:58

We had the electric fence, too. I don't know how good it ever worked, but remember we did bury one?

SPEAKER_05 39:03

Never really worked. No. From I remember. It didn't work. Wasn't enough shock to stop, stop a lab. No. Or even enough to even phase him. No. He'd run right through it.

SPEAKER_03 39:12

He tried though. He tried because we had lost a couple dogs. And then we had our dog Rocky drowned. Remember that? He got a whip of something and off he went.

SPEAKER_05 39:22

Springtime. Yeah.

Wisconsin Life, Seasons, And Staying Local

SPEAKER_03 39:23

And ended up falling through the ice, and our neighbors found him when the ice thawed. Oh, that broke our hearts. Remember, we wrote signs around town? If you see Rocky, please call.

SPEAKER_05 39:37

Yeah, it's part of owning an animal that's that stinks.

SPEAKER_03 39:42

I just my heart broke time and time again with the animals that we had. Our one dog got poisoned by the neighbor.

SPEAKER_06 39:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:52

Because they didn't like him coming on his property. Scare off the deer or whatever. Think you poisoned them? Oh, that seemed a little hardened. I know, you know, it's alright. Is that safe, but you know, you gotta just love them while they're here, right? Because you just never know.

SPEAKER_05 40:12

That's why I let them sleep in the bed, on the covers, getting snacks all the time. Treats. I'm feeding them just like that. Yeah, just like that at home. You are just like that. We went out for Pride Rib over the weekend, and I actually uh I saved uh Frank and Lily a nice cut to bring home. Jesse thought that was funny.

SPEAKER_03 40:34

I think that's funny too. Do they still do the doggy bags?

SPEAKER_05 40:37

Yeah, that's why I I joked. I said, you know, they used to put have a doggy bag, you know, and he got it.

SPEAKER_03 40:45

They did. Use it. That was like a thing. You brought in the dog with the doggy bags. You don't see it as round as much anymore, but it's kind of like the puppuccino, right?

SPEAKER_05 40:53

Yep, yeah. Well yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:58

At Starbucks now, it's like, oh, the puppuccino. That's it.

SPEAKER_05 41:02

Oh no, no. They always ask me if I I don't do very much fast food, but I have been asked where was I call response, the dogs with me. I just they don't need all that stuff sometimes. You gotta, you know?

SPEAKER_03 41:14

Yeah. Just like we don't. Yeah. Right? Looking at this camera, I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 41:19

This thing puts on like a couple extra pounds.

SPEAKER_06 41:22

Keep adjusting my shirt, like my belly's showing.

SPEAKER_03 41:26

Mikey.

SPEAKER_06 41:27

Yeah. I can't believe it's hard to like making all those damn rice krispies and all those cookies. And it's all these fundraisers with the football program and all the cookies. No, they're good. Can't stop.

SPEAKER_03 41:39

Oh my gosh. You are like full-blown dad mode, fatherhood. It's crazy like seeing you as a dad. You're such a good dad, Mike.

SPEAKER_05 41:49

Oh, thanks. Thanks, Ash. I don't know if you're saying that because we're live on podcast or what?

SPEAKER_03 41:54

No.

SPEAKER_05 41:55

It means a lot.

SPEAKER_03 41:56

I look up to you.

SPEAKER_05 41:57

Yeah, well, it's not easy to try to always be a positive influence in somebody's life, right? So that's the role of a dad and a mom. It's the same thing. I mean, you gotta your mom's gotta. I'll tell you, I've been off of work for the last for a little bit here and give your moms a lot of credit.

SPEAKER_01 42:18

Oh, you're it's a full-time job, yo.

SPEAKER_06 42:27

It's a lot.

SPEAKER_03 42:28

That's why I feel for these families, dual-income families. That's what it takes nowadays to, you know, provide a good life. And geez, how you juggle all of that? Because really, they just need it's a full-time job for for one person. So I guess split it up between two.

SPEAKER_05 42:45

Jesse's working, you know, all uh all day and manages to figure out a way in it. So God bless her. That's all that matters. It's all about teamwork, right?

SPEAKER_03 42:55

She's a great mom. Well, now that she's working in the school, what a unique opportunity to be able to be involved in your children's education. That was cool to see today.

SPEAKER_05 43:03

How fit that all that was different to see the I mean her role in the whole school. I think that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 43:18

I think that is really crazy that you got to see that too, because it took me a little bit to get used to it. Because you know, you don't I was I was used to her, you know, managing the daycare program before and after, but not like daring.

SPEAKER_05 43:31

Yeah, it's a sounds like the kids are four being four years or younger, like three to four, I think, is the actual age group.

SPEAKER_03 43:39

Yeah. I well, I think it's 4K. They do a wraparound 4K program. So, you know, like the 4K in the AM, they just stay there.

SPEAKER_05 43:49

I guess I never asked too many questions. It's like you you do you do your jest, you just keep doing you like proud of you. But yeah, it's cool to see her at the school. The kids are like able to get a little extra attention from mom, which I think Weston acts up a little bit because of it. I mean, I think that he kind of would be the way he is either way, but he pushes it a little far sometimes, knowing that mom's in the school, the program, the system. He's around, you know, she's around. So I'm not saying it's it's hurting him, but you know what I mean. Like my push over the house. Yeah, mom's in the building. Well.

SPEAKER_03 44:36

Well, Lord knows those all those babies need all the loving and support they could get.

SPEAKER_05 44:41

But we've talked about them a lot so far in this podcast, didn't we?

SPEAKER_03 44:43

Well, fatherhood, can you grab her? Fatherhood's a big deal. Fatherhood, motherhood, look at us.

SPEAKER_05 44:48

I guess when you asked me what to talk about, and uh you you know, you we we made plans to do this. I I guess I mean. Yeah. You know, it's a big part of my life. Yeah, you're like, what are we gonna talk about? Been very selfless these these last few years, actually looking back, you know, the baby pictures. I have a picture of your daughter popped up when it all started, you know, with the first baby in the family.

SPEAKER_03 45:08

Yeah, that was just recently.

SPEAKER_05 45:09

Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, because November, she's uh her birthday must have been a few days the picture popped up or something, you know, in the time op or whatever. And it's like, man, that was just it seemed like it really wasn't that long ago, but that was 12 years ago. 12 years ago.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

Yeah. And you held her for probably like one of your first like real like times holding a baby.

SPEAKER_05 45:35

Yes. Actually, never held very many babies before that. And she puked on me. Yeah. Welcome to the family.

SPEAKER_03 45:44

I remember that. It wasn't just a little, it wasn't like a little, it was like a full-on, like full load. Yeah, it all over you.

SPEAKER_05 45:51

It was disgusting.

SPEAKER_02 45:52

It was, and you kind of like, I remember you just like froze. You were like, and then you kind of looked at me like, what do I do? What do I do now?

Dogs, Exercise, And Family Pet Lore

SPEAKER_05 45:59

That's the picture I think I'm talking about actually at the east side.

SPEAKER_02 46:01

It is, it's in the oh, he lived on the east side.

SPEAKER_05 46:04

The pre-barf.

SPEAKER_02 46:05

Yep. It was pre-barf. And then once you like settled and sat down with her, it was like all over, and you just kind of looked at me like now what?

SPEAKER_03 46:12

And I was like, I just started laughing. I remember just like, I could not stop laughing.

SPEAKER_05 46:17

Well, that's that's part of being, I guess, you know what I mean. She must have been excited to meet her uncle Mike. That's probably what it was, right?

SPEAKER_03 46:26

Well, you're her godfather, also.

SPEAKER_05 46:29

Yeah, big responsibility.

SPEAKER_03 46:32

The godfather. The godfather. As I have a godmother to each well, what each one of yours. Well, to Brindley. And then it's kind of cool how we all work that out with with the you being the godfather and Jesse's the godmother to Nixon. Right? And then Danny's the godfather to Weston.

SPEAKER_05 46:53

A lot of godfathers, god a lot of godmothers, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:57

Good looking.

SPEAKER_05 46:59

Yeah, they're blessed.

SPEAKER_03 47:00

It takes a tribe. And how crazy did you think when we were growing up that we would seriously live five minutes away from each other in the same town that we grew up in?

SPEAKER_05 47:11

I mean, nice community. Why m why why move, I guess, right? Good spot to be.

SPEAKER_03 47:22

You've been here the whole time.

SPEAKER_05 47:24

Yeah?

SPEAKER_03 47:25

The whole time in Slinger.

SPEAKER_06 47:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 47:28

I mean You've done quite a bit of traveling. Don't get like I you sound like you've been here the whole time. Like this has been your home base like your whole life.

SPEAKER_05 47:37

Never never left and came back from vacation thinking that I would want to live here. You know, I always was happy to be home back to Wisconsin, always. Yeah. The home of the corn, the home of the cheese, the pack. Like, I mean, what is there not to love about Wisconsin? Plus, you you know, a guy like me that doesn't have a long attention span, you never get bored. You get all the seasons, all the things, you know. I guess that's probably one of my most favorite things of the state of Wisconsin to kind of get it all. Really nice summers, cold winters if you like to fish on the hard water. You know, snowboard snow beeling.

SPEAKER_03 48:16

Yeah, you're good. Well, we grew up snowmobiling. Does there's solid memory with that?

SPEAKER_05 48:20

Was tinkering with the snowmobile last weekend, got it all dialed in.

SPEAKER_03 48:24

Did you get a new one?

SPEAKER_05 48:25

New to me. New to you. Yeah, it's a 2020 850.

SPEAKER_03 48:30

Is that the Yamaha?

SPEAKER_05 48:31

Skidoo. Oh, you want Skidoo? Want Skidoo. Yeah. What's Kidoo? Yamaha actually stopped making snowmobiles. What?

SPEAKER_03 48:38

Because we started with Polaris's and then we went to the last year of production. Wow, I wonder why.

SPEAKER_05 48:45

They made such a good snowmobile, they never, I guess, had issues with people that bought them would own them forever. I don't think it wasn't a reason to keep buying them. My opinion, those four cylinders just lasted forever. And they had to charge an arm and a like to get what they needed to get for the newer ones. They started getting up to almost, you know,$23,000,$28,000 for a top model, which your average recreational sportsman. That's a reach. You know, you've got to have some deep pockets to get into something like that. I really, really enjoy the snowmobiles. They couldn't find a way to make them lighter. They're heavy.

SPEAKER_03 49:22

Yeah. Maneuvering around. They're built tough.

SPEAKER_05 49:28

Yeah.

unknown 49:30

I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 49:31

Four strokes seems to be the way of going out. Is that what your skidoo is? They're coming a long way with the turbos and making them a lot more fast, responsive, longer lasting motors. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:42

Remember what we learned on Uncle John's John Deere.

SPEAKER_05 49:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:46

That thing was a hog. I think she wants to come by you. Oh, yeah, kind of.

SPEAKER_05 49:50

The 340s Spitfire, John Deere, with the metal ice bars on the track. Yeah, they don't. You only see those during vintage snowmobile things now.

SPEAKER_03 50:01

Oh, yeah, that was a classic.

SPEAKER_05 50:02

I remember like to turn it, you're like, that's a good machine to learn on, though. Yeah. I think it only went 45 miles an hour, top down. You felt like you were flying when you were a kid. Yeah. You don't need to go any faster than that. Yeah.

unknown 50:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 50:19

Ryan Kuhn, he's a big snow wheeler. I'll never forget it. He's the one that wiped that out. We were on a trip up north one time and he used to hide me and we were ripping. And so Ryan Kuhn, yep. I'll never forget that. You took out the good old Spitfire John Deere, flipped it on its side.

SPEAKER_03 50:36

And now he's like a professional racer on a snowmobile, isn't he?

SPEAKER_05 50:40

He had started becoming a uh very good snowmobiler. Yeah, you took that to the professional level. So looking back, I'm sure he laughs about that, still remembers those days too.

SPEAKER_03 50:52

The cooner. Oh my goodness. We dad, I feel like when he dove into somewhere, I mean he went all in. We went up to Michigan, the UP, and put on hundreds of miles a day.

SPEAKER_05 51:06

Stay at different hotels along the way and never save one.

SPEAKER_03 51:09

No, you had to. You had you're like you're you had to like map it out, right?

SPEAKER_05 51:13

You didn't have to. That's just dad was all about the adventure. It's just high adventure. Let's go call it the toothbrush run. He'd bring you a toothbrush and a pair of a spare pair of underwear, you know. That's all you needed. And a wallet and as much oil as you could carry. Mary packed so much oil at one time it sprung a leak and it was leaking oil, you know, the oil containers were leaking all over the back of the snowmobile.

SPEAKER_03 51:39

Oh my gosh. Do you think we'll take our kids on those snowmobile trips when they get to be amazing?

SPEAKER_05 51:44

That's the sad part when you ask that question. Snowmobiling has advanced into such a I don't know a recreational sport where they keep making these machines faster and faster, and it's almost dangerous, I feel, unless you go during the week in some of these areas to start a young child on snowmobiling, you know, on the trails. We started, we were, you know, 10, 11, 12, and so when you can actually get your license, which I heard Nevi.

SPEAKER_03 52:11

Yeah, Nebby got our license. Nixon did not. He's the only kid in the p class that did not pass.

SPEAKER_05 52:17

Well, he's got some time anyway. He can't drive until he's 12 anyway. So exactly why they have you wait until you're 12.

SPEAKER_00 52:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 52:25

And it's a good reason for that. But yeah, it's it's the the the machines, it's not always the people in your group, it's the people that you know are coming up around the corner. That scares me, I guess. So with that uh that fast more machines on the trails now, it's just yeah, I think that it would it'd be a little different to take your kids, I guess, than than maybe that will change in ten years from now, you know, but or a few years. Gosh, Brindley's already seven, so you're only talking five years away.

SPEAKER_03 52:59

Yeah, that's gonna be here before we know it. We gotta do some kind of snowmobile trip up there. Those are some of my fondest memories. I remember Dan didn't really like want me. Like he was kind of like, this is the mail. This is uh this is the guy time, this is brow code. And I was like, But please, Daddy, take me, please, can I come? Just kind of so we're gonna be.

Fatherhood, Teamwork, And School Involvement

SPEAKER_05 53:21

You kept right up. You had no issue. Oh, yeah. That's for sure. Remember pulling you out of the bushes a few times where we were worried about you, but you made it out and no scratches or bruises, right?

SPEAKER_03 53:33

Yep. Definitely wearing a helmet on those, on those super highways.

SPEAKER_05 53:37

Once you went off the trail and got hung up.

SPEAKER_03 53:39

Yeah, I remember that.

unknown 53:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 53:41

Just coming around that corner. But you never actually caused any major, major damage.

unknown 53:46

No.

SPEAKER_05 53:47

One time you rear-ended somebody with the brand new snowmobiles and cracked the bumper or something, didn't you? Yeah. Somebody's driveway, you're only going 10 miles an hour or something.

SPEAKER_03 53:57

Something silly.

SPEAKER_05 53:58

Yeah. It was my snowmobile.

SPEAKER_03 54:01

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:02

You were that's why I don't remember I'll never forget that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:05

Yeah, you were upset.

SPEAKER_05 54:06

Dad let you ride mine and you cracked the bumper on it. First time out on it.

SPEAKER_03 54:12

Leave it to your little sis.

SPEAKER_05 54:14

Yeah. Yeah. They're meant to be dented, though, I guess. The dents can be fixed. The memories are what's all about. But yeah, safety's a big thing. You know, snowbilled a lot. A lot of miles. And we actually came across our first day out last year. And it was my first time out in many years. We came across our first fatality. Where somebody actually went this way, that guy was coming this way, got flagged down. That was our first day out. We were only out for a few hours at that point. I'll tell you, we were all kind of shook it up after that. So you hear that a lot more up, especially up in Michigan. And I don't know if just because social media, you know, hear about it more. I mean, it might have been always. Well, you witnessed it, right? Not witnessed it. We were just about a few minutes, you know. But still, like we're on the scene. They were doing CPR on the guy. It was a very bizarre scene. I remember we pulled off. There was nothing we could do. He was under some care, and I believe that Flight for Life ended up coming. And uh he he he passed away. We we heard, you know, hours later. I think it was on the news a couple days after that and confirmed. Family guy, you know. Late forties.

SPEAKER_03 55:28

Yeah, you don't think you're gonna head out on the trails and not come home.

SPEAKER_05 55:32

Well, we went a lot slower after that. That's for sure.

SPEAKER_03 55:36

Well, you were and driving that Harley Davidson. That's risky business out there too.

SPEAKER_05 55:45

Walking to the walking in a mailbox, I guess, can be risky too. I mean, it's just sometimes you gotta have you gotta live a little. I you know.

SPEAKER_03 55:52

Yeah, you faith over fear, no fear. Right?

SPEAKER_05 55:57

Yeah. Kids still get in a snowmill at some point, I'm sure of it. Just when the time comes, I guess, right?

unknown 56:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 56:05

It's a great sport. Definitely. Lots of if you guys, if anybody that's watching has ever had an opportunity to be on a snowmobile, go with somebody that enjoys snowmobiling, I definitely suggest giving it a try. It's something that uh gives you an opportunity to see things that you just don't get to see, I guess, driving down the road and a lot of cool places to stop, waterfalls up north and little pubs, really cool, unique places with history in it, you know. The guy with the claw. There's always, yeah. I mean, if you go to these places up north, some of these places have been up there for a hundred years and have accumulated a hundred years worth of cool stuff, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:46

It's simpler up north. I love it up north. It's just taking like a step back in time, I feel like. Even though we're not in the city, we're still considered city folk to them.

SPEAKER_05 56:56

Oh, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 56:58

The weekend warriors, right?

SPEAKER_05 57:02

Yeah, well, you know, they they don't know how good they've got it. And then when you go up there, yeah, well, we could come up there for that.

SPEAKER_00 57:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:11

It's kind of like with the Ice Age Trail. Okay, you don't realize you gotta appreciate just what's right here in your backyard.

SPEAKER_05 57:18

Yeah. Probably get bored this early in life to go up, live up north, you know. Unless you just have deep pockets and go fishing and all the time and recreational. That's different, but what do you do up there for work?

unknown 57:30

You know?

SPEAKER_03 57:30

Well, if you were up there, you wouldn't know, you wouldn't know any different, and you'd probably be happy there too.

SPEAKER_05 57:35

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 57:36

Right?

SPEAKER_05 57:36

Find your niche, figure it out, cut some wood, whatever it takes, you know.

SPEAKER_03 57:42

Uncle Johnny figured it out. He just created a whole seller's yard and had all his interesting artifacts that he sold.

SPEAKER_05 57:50

Whatever it takes. Yeah. Want to be up there, he'll find a way, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 57:55

Him and dad working together in sales, and now you're carrying the torch, doing the sales.

SPEAKER_06 58:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 58:02

Uh-huh. Do you think he'll stick to windows and siding, or do you can you see selling anything else?

SPEAKER_05 58:09

Well, it was Pome Exteriors, rough and window siding. The company I actually worked for had uh done bathroom models to keep it some interior work.

SPEAKER_04 58:18

Yeah, did nice work.

SPEAKER_05 58:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 58:22

So I just remember telling you, like, not my like sales pitch, but what I was like telling people for hemp. And you were like, do you get a lot of people like scratching their head and being like, ah, yeah, I'm gonna think about that? It's like, yes, that's exactly the reaction.

SPEAKER_05 58:43

Maybe that's sometimes that's the reaction you want. I don't know. Leave them confused sometimes, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 58:48

A bamboozalum. They want to know more.

SPEAKER_06 58:53

Please tell me more. I'm still confused. I don't know enough.

SPEAKER_03 58:58

Well, how would you do it? You have this balm. I'm a new customer. How would you do it?

SPEAKER_05 59:06

I guess. Do you have any aches and pains?

SPEAKER_03 59:08

Yeah, I do actually. In my elbow, I've got like some tennis elbow going on.

SPEAKER_05 59:14

Are you used are you open to using natural remedies to cure your ailments and things that are causing you pain? Yes, I am. I am open to you don't like using chemicals and things that you would want to put on your skin.

SPEAKER_01 59:28

No, I like that.

SPEAKER_05 59:29

Not natural to I think I might have something that would be perfect for you. So it's a product that's naturally produced and raised in a locally, you know, small farm. They're more focused on uh not quantity, but quality. And I think that this balm may be a really nice natural serum for you to use in situations where you have those pains available. Especially if you don't like using anything with chemicals. All natural. It works. I've been told by a lot of customers. What's really nice about it is you're supporting a local small family owned business, not some big hedge fund company that has been bought up by private equity or something. You know, that's That's how I would sell it.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:23

Michael, why do I want to cry? Like I've been doing it. You were dying natural.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:27

Gotta go with the natural.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:28

You like and ask open-ended questions. You like created the demand, you compared contrast right in there and find the quality. Selling is not telling.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:43

And being able to solve whatever person you're in front of issues with. I mean, I find it hard to believe that you ask somebody those questions and they would tell you they would they like chemicals. And no, I you know, it's it's an open-ended question, but you kind of have a direction in which you know it's gonna go. But it's it's good stuff, guys. If you ever try it, the balm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:09

The gummies, the pre-rolls, the honey.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:11

Well, talking about kids, my kids even love this stuff. I mean, you get a bug fight, that's the first thing that goes on. Balm.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:19

And they asked for it, right? They're so cute.

Sales Mindset And Natural Remedies

SPEAKER_05 1:01:21

They're asked for Auntie Ashley's balm. Nothing else works. The balm is where it's at. Yeah. The balm is the bomb. We actually found that not only will it it help with the mosquito bite after the bite, it'll actually prevent. Like we've used it as like to not get Yes. Yes, it's a deterrent as well. I don't know why it what's the camphor in there. So there it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:49

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:50

So we found that, you know, if you're on a camping trip, make sure you get the ball. It's gonna save you. Oh, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:58

It's a household item for sure, and it's super concentrated. I think I give too much information. Well, you can't. I like I'm telling, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:05

Use it on the most simple neck pain, back pain.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:11

Burr says migraines.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:13

But I don't think people even realize that it can't be used for insects. No. Dog bites. Sunburn. Summer, sure. Yeah. Balm is great. And it's something that all ages can use, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:28

Yeah, it's funny you you came over here and you're like, what are what is this?

SPEAKER_05 1:02:32

Uh it's well, I I walk around in your place here at the farm, and if you've never been to the farm, there is some stuff to see. You can like look around, and it's there's stuff like you gotta know. You wanna ask questions. You don't go into somebody's house and see this every day.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:50

Michael, say chakra.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:52

Chakra. No, this this is a this one's for the the root chakra.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:58

I am your I am energy center in a root chakra is right in be like at the base of your spine.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:07

Like right here. If we put it on the microphone, you think they can hear it?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:10

I don't know, maybe. Try. Oh yeah, look. We're clearing their energy centers and raising their vibration as we speak, Michael.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:20

Do you guys feel cleared? Vibrated? Elevated. Elevated. Repairing your DNA.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:28

There's something to this. I know I believe in it. Uh, you know. I guess uh you know, the kidney just wants to make music with it. But what's the purpose of this? You like you like get it and listen to it? Are you supposed to meditate?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:47

Yes. Yes, while the song is going? Yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:50

Think uh think of positive affirmations.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:54

I am a successful salesman. I am an amazing father. I am a good family member. I am a provider. I am starting to get hungry. Jess, I hope you're making dinner.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:13

That's amazing, Michael. You are such an intuitive being. You know just what to do with that.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:18

So we're all on a different Hertz. This was 194.18. It says first. What does first mean? I noticed they all said first, second, third. Would you start with this one? Well, is that what that means?

SPEAKER_03 1:04:31

That's the root chakra. So a lot of people that like are not grounded or don't feel safe, like security, like be feeling safe and secure is that energy reload into your root chakra. So depending on your living situation or you know, your past experiences, if you don't feel safe, that could be a blockage in your root chakra. And that kind of corresponds to ish like problems in your physical being too. So maybe you have issues with your spine. Maybe you know you have pain in your lower back in your lower extremity. And that could be due to that energy blockage of the root chakra. So I feel like part of like healing naturally or alternatively is treating the whole person. It's not like a treat diagnose situation. So it's getting to the root of the problem. And it's simple tools like this that can kind of help speed the process up because everything's energy.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:30

What does the first part mean though?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:32

Well, that's like, so if you were look at your energy, I look, I kind of I have like a diagram here in the other room, but your energy centers, there's seven main energy centers that run all the way from your crown down to your root. So your root chakra is like your first chakra. And then it goes into your sacral, then your solar plexus, then your heart chakra, your throat chakra, your third eye chakra, and then your crown chakra. What does chakra mean? Chakra means energy center.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:05

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:06

Chakra.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:07

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:08

It's not a very used, much used term in my life, but I like it. Chakra. He likes it. Mikey likes it. Yeah. Well, it's unique. You know, all these little things that you're not gonna learn on the, I guess, Google, right? No. You might as well go to your sister's place and check out all the stuff she's got. Learn and ask questions. No, no, that's what I was saying before. Now I know why West loves coming here. You're already bored. There's too much stuff to get into, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:39

If I can even get him inside, most of the time he wants to be outside digging for worms and checking out all the bugs and insects and definitely all boy. Mm-hmm. I love that about him. I love that about him too. And Brynn, just like me too. I feel like she's a little tomboy. Stay curious. She likes she can hang with the best of them. Stay curious. She's not afraid to get her hand dirty. No? Yep. Stay curious, my friends. Yeah. I feel like that's one. I have this whole thing printed out about your Capricorn. I still can't believe you're turning 40, Mike.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:07

I'm not 40 yet.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:08

Yet, well. T minus 30 days, right? Give or take.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:13

I mean, you're you're we're getting there.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:16

30, 40 days.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:17

Don't fish for compliments.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:20

As like me, Leo, you thrive on validation. Capricorns are stingy with praise, and they assume if I don't criticize it, it's good.

Chakras, Intention, And Personal Growth

SPEAKER_03 1:07:27

Don't take his silence as disapproval. It's so true. I feel like the Capricorn despise you really well. And Brindley, too. It's crazy also how you get into the signs, how that kind of plays.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:38

I mean. Capricorn and all that was something that I would get, you know. I remember when you get a fortune cookie or something, you know, or the Chinese plays. I think it's always the monkey, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:53

Are you the monkey? I'm the hare, I believe.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:58

I always got a kick out of listening to the horoscopes and all that kind of stuff, you know, but you know, I never get paid paid much attention to it, I'll be honest, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:09

You might have to come for tacos and tarot at Cheryl's Club one of these Tuesdays. A tarot? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:15

Is that like where they like read stuff off of cards and Yeah. Is that suggestive? Is that something that they they do individually, obviously, with per person or?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:27

Yeah, per person. They say you're supposed to like come to a reading with like an intention or like a reason. You're not supposed to like say it out loud, but it's in your heart or in your mind. And then like you draw the cards and they have certain like spreads that you put out, and a lot of times it resonates with people, and they're like, oh, that like it's gonna mean different things to every individual, but it's kind of cool how you can kind of tap and play with that like that kind of energy that way because they say you're no your energy flows where your intention goes. That's the manager. I love that. I love you so much, Mike. It really means a lot for me to you to take some time out of your busy afternoon. I know you're a young professional.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:12

Yep. And thanks for having me. I mean, it uh was a different experience. I mean, for me, it's never been on a podcast.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:19

Can't say that anymore.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:20

Yeah, yeah. But you know, I appreciate the opportunity. That part was cool. You know, I mean, anything to help you out, Ash, as far as this was something that I hope that you guys got a kick out of. You know, that's the whole purpose of this, you know. But I'm sure we'll look back on this and laugh.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:35

You know, when you're a big professional, big fancy podcaster, we can laugh where you started, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:42

Start with my family, start from my roots.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:44

Sure. Yeah. So people you feel comfortable with. You know, once you, I guess, develop a skill, right? Just grow with it. Just go with it. Yes. Go through what you go through. People will watch anything, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:56

I I guess. You know, I feel like my intention is like if we made one person smile today, which I'm sure that person's gonna be mom.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:04

Oh Lord. I've probably been watching the whole time, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:08

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:09

Mom, you were supposed to be here. I filled in for you. Lucky you got onto this somehow.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:14

She's coming on the fourth after after Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:17

Yeah, better not get sick this time. I'm on to you.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:22

Well, I mean that'll be I know you'll be watching that one.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:25

Oh, yeah. I love the one with Danny. I mean, the other day. I would think he was your first like actual male like interview with somebody outside of you know, sunshine.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:38

I've seen recently your daughter. She loves a ray of sunshine. I love that. Learn a little something more about you guys, even when clicking on them, even if it's not even watching the entire thing, just little pieces, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:51

And I always definitely smiled. So yeah, I see what you mean. So you're you're you're definitely reaching out to people, I'm sure, and getting some reactions.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:00

Spreading the good vibes, that's what it's all about. And if you learn a little tidbit of knowledge along the way, I love to learn. So I feel like by having these conversations, hey.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:11

We talked chakra. The root.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:14

I thought you taught me something about selling today. Just see how natural and easy it was and not forced. Sure.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:21

Hey.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:22

I love your vibe too, Mike. You're always just so like cool as a cucumber.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:26

Not always.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:27

I Well yeah, when you get when you and something works you up.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:30

But thanks. But that's anybody. I try to I'd rather be on this kind of chill than vibrating and stressed out. It's not the way to be.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:40

No.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:41

And yeah. I think it's important to just keep keep things simple. And you know, it's times like this makes you realize blessed and lucky I am. And talking about the family makes me just realize, I guess, you know. All the cool stuff I've been able to experience and sharing sharing that with people is is has been fun. So it's definitely been a unique experience for sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:04

Ah.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:05

I don't know. You do this like every week, or how does that go?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:08

Yeah, every Thursday I try to every Thursday. Yes. Okay. I'm trying to notice popping up. Commitment. You know, it's better if you have like a schedule. It's a Thursday. But I'm flexible. You know, if we've if one of my guests needs a Wednesday or a Saturday or I'm, Michael, I'm just getting started. Like, I'm gonna take this show on the mobile go-go. I got this camera, I got like little microphones that you can just clip on. I tested it up with Nev in her bedroom. We forgot the microphone part of it, but you can still hear just fine.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:38

Nev, she's always she's pretty good on the camera too.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:41

Oh, she's she's gonna take this too. It's this is honestly God has reminded me so much that this has nothing to do about with me. It is all about those kids. She's gonna take it and run with it.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:52

Yeah, like her willingness to just get in front of the camera and and not have any stops pulled. Like she just was totally seemed to become natural when I watched her. I I loved her when she did her Girl Scouts cookies, like reasons to go shopping for Girl Scouts cookies was great. Yeah, yeah, we sold, so good work on that. I think you bought quite a few. I had to buy a couple boxes after watching that video. I she had a she had great reasons, you know. You know, but yeah, it's definitely it's been it's been cool to watch your podcast kind of develop into something, you know, as far as Who's your next guest? Do you have planned?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:28

Well, next week is Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:30

Oh, so we're off next week.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:31

So we're off. I think I was gonna go on on Wednesday and talk about the hemp ban because there's been a lot of different opinions and misinformation and a lot of different viewpoints on that, and just trying to take an account of them all and give my farmers' perspective because that's the that's my God-given opportunity is being able to farm it legally here in Wisconsin and playing by all the rules and protecting my family and livelihood. So I wanted to kind of talk about the headband and things I'm grateful for, maybe. And then the next week is Mama Bear. And then you heard them.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:05

You gotta come this time.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:06

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:06

You're not getting sick.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:08

Uh and then Mari's coming on. Get out of here.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:12

The famous Mari.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:12

And she's gonna be my first like outside of the fam interview, outside from sunshine. Mari has helped plays this whole trail.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:21

Mari's great. I love going to a bar to talk to Mari. I just went there and actually mom asked me to do a little the door closure on the bathroom, a little maintenance on that. And I love going up there to visit Mari. We always talk about something going on, and she's always got a great attitude. So Mari, you're an inspiration.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:40

Oh, she is. She is, and she's she's so multifaceted. I just hard worker. I adore her. Oh. One of the hardest workers I know, honestly.

unknown 1:14:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:50

She's efficient.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:51

That'd be fun to watch you, Mari. I'll have to click that one and check that one out.

Sobriety, Clarity, And Health Habits

SPEAKER_03 1:14:54

And I got a whole list of people in my head that I'd love to just ask. But you know, I'm taking it one day at a time. And I'm not getting too caught up on any one thing. I'm down for the get down. I'm down to see where it goes. You're kind of just maybe you want to come back on here, Mike. If the door is always open for you.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:10

Well, let's see how people liked it first. They're gonna love it. They're gonna love you. Everyone loves you, Mike. This kid talked about his his his kids the whole time. That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:20

That's that beautiful.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:21

Well, you said you wanted to talk about life and stuff. I mean, that's where I'm at right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:24

Kids.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:25

Fatherhood, and we talked about sportsmanship. Oh, and what I meant by that was all your hunting and your fishing and your saw bailing and your golfing and I feel like you're a man's man. Like you get your kids into stuff.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:36

You gotta you cannot let them sit on computers. You cannot let them stare at the tablets. I and it's it's ruining the youth, unfortunately. Stealing their childhood. Stripping them of their yeah, their inspirations and things that are well, creativeness and then all those things. So, yeah, I mean it's I I think that it's important to remember what what it's like being a kid and going to see him today. I mean, that was I see Mr. Total actually Brandley grabbed my hand and Mr. Total had a little conversation with me. That was cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:08

Aww.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:09

He says, you know, he just made a comment on I was impressed how I turned out or something like that. I laughed. It says, if you only knew, you know, if you only knew, but he is he was he's still a cool teacher.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:22

He is. And he look, he doesn't age. That man does not age. He's still a cool teacher. Yes. He's still just as lively and looks great. And you can tell he takes care of himself, I think is what that is.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:35

We're talking uh we're talking over 30 years.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:38

Over 30 years in his teaching career. Yeah. Shaping the minds, those small, those little minds in big big minds, but shaping our future.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:46

But he'll be one of them teachers that everybody remembers for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:50

Well, back in his day too, you didn't see a lot of male teachers, and you still don't see a lot of male teachers. So he's really breaking the most. No, yeah, at least at least in our growing up in Slinger. Yeah, a lot of girl power in the teacherhood. But hey, takes all types. You know? I'm thankful for him for sure. I'm thankful for you, Mikey. And that our families get to grow together, grow up together, and that we live so close in proximity and we are so close. Because that's a that's a gem. How close our family is, how tight-knit we are. I think you're my best friend. Oh, yeah. Sometimes I can talk really fast, and I'll I don't even know what I'm saying, and you still understand it.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:38

You're like, uh, uh.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:41

I get you. You yeah, you speak my language.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:45

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's crazy to see that you're a little girl, you know, although all your kids are a lot like you too.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:53

So our minis, yeah. It's it's a kind of limited like uh alternate universe. Like, what? Sometimes you just gotta like pinch yourself and just continually stay present in each moment because that's the most important. These are so special. Not be distracted. That's my big thing right now, is you know, as a parent not being so distracted on my phone. Like there's a time and a place.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:14

Well, it's more than being distracted on your phone. The fact that you quit drinking and all that, that's that's a big that's a big one. For sure. Being present.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:24

Yes. You know. I would I wouldn't look back. I do not miss it. How long? Two years.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:32

Two years.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:32

Well breaking chains.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:34

That's that's not an easy task when you were uh in the family bar business.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:40

Right. And still still rocking the bar every Friday. Still having fun. Still having fun. That's all. Now I can remember it all.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:51

Yeah. No headache.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:53

Yeah, no headaches, no fatigue. Super functional.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:59

I'm up and at them. I just think of like look back and not I don't regret any of the years in my 20s or even early 30s. I definitely have no regrets, but no regrets. It was it's kind of like a fog almost that's like lifted. And yeah, just really finding different ways to to manage your stress or whatever the reason why you drink. I don't know. I was wrong, I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:27

Oh well, you know, I'm sure a lot of it, you ask anybody, the first thing that comes to mind is stress. Fortunately, it's not a good alternative to deal with stress from.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:38

So that's where hemp came in. Sure. You know, hemp always helped me. I thought, you know, my my the THC gummies were my right hand for a while there because they just kind of set me back into the present moment and I wouldn't feel like so like I gotta do all these things. And I thought, you know, when I was I was there, I was on my knees playing with them and you know, having fun and just really being in the moment. And now I am two months THC sober. So I have not used any anything. And I'm telling you, I thought I was out of the fog when I quit drinking, but now that I quit using cannabis and marijuana, I feel more sharp and clear and focused than I ever have in my entire life. I and they're like, and I know when I first started using THC, it was to like bring balance in my life, but I feel even more balanced now, and I'll still use hemp, don't get me wrong, I put it in my smoothie, but it's the non-psychoactive. You know, so I just I feel so good. It's so hard to explain. And I honestly, I don't miss THC. I don't miss it.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:45

Two months.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:46

Two months, and that's the longest I honestly have gone since I was 14 years old. Right? I won't get you wrapped you in here and have you go on record of what what's what, but nothing's going on record. But you know, just keeping it real over here, you know. I I Sure. It's crazy. But not drinking, not drinking, not smoking.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:10

Drinking. I mean, yeah. We find a lot of reasons why people will drink stress, you know, but parties, family events, I mean Toto Bucks game, Brewer game. Why not have a beer, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:21:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:22

You know, Packer game. Let's have some beers.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:26

It's a decision. It's a choice. And once you decide to choose different, for whatever your your reasons are, it's just it's so it's so easy to just be like, no, no, it's alright. That's good now. That's good. And you don't you don't you ramble on.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:41

Give you a lot of credit.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:42

Thanks, Mike.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:44

Yeah. I mean that that's a that is a feat in itself, and it shows the kind of strength that you have. You know.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:53

It's God's plan. I just he told me, you know, he just wants me, and it says it, you know, and I know you're not super you've never read the Bible, but I mean I read up uh, you know, a little bit out of it, but it's never from start to finish.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:08

No.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:08

No. Familiarized with some passages. There's multiple passages in there that say he wants you of sober mind. And you know, that means something different to everybody, but that's in the Ten Commandments. That's in the Ten Well, no, I don't think it's a commandment to be a sober mind. Some about not having alcohol. But it's mentioned in the New Testament multiple times. And that's kind of what stopped me from, you know, of sober mind. So I found myself talking about my sobriety with alcohol and being like, oh, but I'm I'm California sober. And then I would explain. Some people weren't familiar. What is California sober? Well, it's when you use weed, right? And so then I, when I was saying that, I felt like a misalignment there. Like I wasn't totally sober.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:57

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:57

So I'm totally dabbling into like the totally sober pool.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:01

Keep it going. Yeah. Keep it going. That's that's that's impressive.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:05

Yeah. And who knows? I mean, like I said, I couldn't who know. I'm just day by step by step and day by day.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:10

Not my plan. Your body told you, hey, let's try this out. Yeah. You're saying you feel great. I mean, you have I don't know. You don't even be silly to go back. Knowing that makes you feel that way, I guess, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:23

You think it has something to do with all the green smoothies that you drink? I do.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:27

I do.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:27

Because I have other ways of managing. I've no, sunshine got me on smoothies years ago. She used to smoothie me for like a solid year. She called them chunkies.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:38

It it it it looked chunky and funky.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:40

Well, you get better and better as you go. And she's gotten better and better. I mean, we're all just low evolving.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:46

I'm I'm I'm in it. There's that place in Slinger. What's it called? Daily dose. Yeah. Great spot.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:51

Ah.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:52

Great spot.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:53

Yum.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:53

She's very successful.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:55

Yes. And you can she support DNA. Three different locations now, right? Four.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:00

Four?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:00

Four.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:01

Wow. You sell your product there, don't you? Yes. So if you guys ever want to get a daily dose of some natural juices and your hemp, that's a good place to go and find it. Support a local business. Both local businesses. Yeah, I've drinking that stuff in the past, and I'll tell you, you do you almost feel like better. I ain't kidding when they say that this one does this, you know, the eye doctor and who has the uh the green goddess, you know, and you've got a couple of the heartbeat.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:32

Yeah. You feel better, and then your body starts to crave it.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:36

Jessica started trying to make them on her own. It's a lot of work. And it juicing is that. I didn't do it. I watched her do it. And yeah, and I would think it was the expensive it got big. So supplements, you know, powders, scoops. But you you were all like natural. What do you put in there? That was all kinds of stuff. Like that was no powder in there, was there?

SPEAKER_03 1:25:01

There is some every day. It's a little different, but I stay true to like the powders and seeds that I add in there. But generally it's like some kind of green, some kind of fruit, like fruit and vegetables, fresh. And then if I have to, I'll even get frozen though, too, like frozen berries or whatnot, as long as it's all organic. I go to the green dog. But no dairy. Well, there is kefir in there, so I I think that is with some milk culture. It's a probiotic.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:29

It's the same one every time, or you always trying something different.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:31

They have different flavors of stuff. You don't gotta get crazy with the cheese whisk. But I put bee pollen in there and chia seeds, hemp seed hearts. I put collagen in there, which is really good for my joints and my bad knee.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:44

Yeah, you just got you finished all that schooling recently. Mushrooms on on herbology.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:49

I'm a master herbalist, Mikey. She knows her things. But which is which is just the foundation for my adventure because it's all kind of new to me.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:59

I've seen recently herbs, you're not just growing hemp. I mean, it's and then you're not just vegetables. It's a lot of herbs lately, huh?

SPEAKER_03 1:26:07

All like that's where it started was herbs with the mint and the lemon balm and the oregano and thyme and then wildcrafting, you know, like what's around right here in our backyard that you can forage for. And I feel like mushroom hunting.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:22

Oh, yeah. The mushrooms that you grew the other year, uh what was it? The oysters. Was that the oysters? The gray dove oysters. They were good. A little butter, put them in a pan. You just sprinkle a little salt on it. Done deal.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:40

Done deal.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:41

Food is thy medicine.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:43

You know, I would I I'd like to say that it was like right up there with morale mushrooms.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:48

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:48

Like the consistency, the flavor. I ate a whole pan. I ate the whole pan. Just like the rice krispie pan.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:01

I love it.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:03

Yeah, I may or may have not ate three-quarters of a pan of rice krispie treats daily daily. Um they were really good, Jessica. You nailed it. She put like cookie. Sugar cookie. The mix, right? Sugar cookie. Apparently, it was something she's seen on TikTok. Yeah. I'm sure sugar cookie mix went up in sales last week because of that.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:26

Oh, for sure. You can't tick tock about anything.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:32

I swear to gosh.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:33

She get more up on TikTok, hey.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:36

I just actually, it's funny you said that. I just downloaded it today. My buddies send me stuff all the time, and I can't watch it. And I click on it and it says you gotta get TikTok. So I'm sick of not being able to see the shit they're sending me. So I'm like, you know, fuck it. I'm just gonna download the app. And I did. I'm TikTok.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:53

Whoa! Shiny. My cake. Yeah. That's wild.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:58

It's a lot, it's all balance though, right? That's the thing. It's another, it's another thing to get into and you get trapped up in the what do you what do you do on TikTok, right? It's videos and it's just one after another. And gosh, you could sit there, scroll on a TikTok for 10 minutes and not even realize it. The rabbit hole. I'm all for learning. Yeah, positive stuff, you know. Call me in. Yeah. I like to know what's going on around me, but that's how people are getting their information nowadays. This new video with the monkey that's always talking shit. It's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:27

It's not my algorithm.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:29

The AI monkey? No. Well, I must be into some funny stuff. My the the my buddies are always sending me this new AI monkey, and he's he's funny. It's it is funny the shit this guy says, you know, but you can get caught up in it. It's like watching a video after video golfing stuff, this guy. It's it's pretty funny.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:47

Well, now that you know how the AI, wait till you start tapping into Gemini. Woo! Woo-woo!

SPEAKER_05 1:28:54

It's kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:55

You'll be crazy, you'll have your own AI bot. She'll be increasing your sales by 20%. Well, I mean. No, but there's nothing to be said about your natural camber that you have with people.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:10

The AI bot. AI sales robot. I don't know. It comes to that. We're we're screwed.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:20

Well, everything's going according to plan. Yep.

unknown 1:29:25

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:26

Just gotta be here now.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:27

How long have we been podcasting for?

SPEAKER_03 1:29:29

I was like, I think we're I think we're good. This is the longest one I've been at.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:33

Like, geez, these guys are still talking. They pull up Facebook from before. They're like, Jesus, these guys are still on there? Yes, we're still here. Talking about life and things.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:42

Yes, we got. We got a lot to talk about. We got a lot of history here. But we're gonna have to save it for another episode, Mikey. What do you think?

SPEAKER_05 1:29:48

Part two coming your way.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:50

Yes. I can snag you for another half minute. You're welcome anytime, brother Man.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:54

But we already talked about hunting. Yeah. We talked about kids. Yeah. Talk about kids. We talked about being sober. We talked about the balm. Don't forget the balm. A I think we covered some good stuff. I mean, all in all, for not having a script, I'd say uh you nailed it.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:13

Nailed it. You nailed it, Mikey.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:16

I appreciate that. I like I said, I know I said before, kind of a cool opportunity to hang out with my sister. And outside of the commotion of the kids and all that, it doesn't happen very often. So I'm sure we'll look back on this and crack up at some point.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:30

Yes. So what real quick while I have you here, one last thing. What do you think about the hunt band? Have you heard about any of that going on?

SPEAKER_05 1:30:38

I have. I have. It's it's um for you know, for something that's been happening. I mean, what have it's been allowed to be grown here in Wisconsin for about seven years now? So it's on like 2000.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:51

No, yeah, seven.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:52

Yeah. 2018, right? Mm-hmm. So uh the whole the hep band, I guess I I do I have an understanding on why they want to enforce some type of policy because of all of the different shit that's out there now. And when I say shit, I mean you can't walk into a gas station without seeing jars of joints and stuff or vapes by these big name-branded private equity funded companies. The THC drinks, gas stations, you'll see them on every display. There's obviously a demand and desire for it as you wouldn't see it all over the place, but it's I think it's the the way it's been regulated, it's forced it to come to this point. And from just my basic knowledge on the whole industry, I know farmers like you really, really pride yourself on you know the positive effects on it, whereas a lot of these other companies are looking on the money side of things, unfortunately. You and I both know what happens when that gets involved. Corporate greed is a thing, and I think the regulations and what they're doing to get these things into a can or whatever it is, is not being regulated appropriately. So I do think that there needs to be some more regulation in place as far as to what's being done with certain products and how they get onto the shelves and why they get accepted and how they're tested and a facility that's trusted. Yeah, these are all things that I think that just like the the regular uh marijuana industry had, you know, probably is still dealing with, but same thing for him. I think that's why you've seen it come to this right now, is because of all the inconsistencies with the product and what's being put out to the public to consume. Very unregulated. So, I mean, it sucks to be in your situation when you hear it. This is something you've devoted your entire life to outside of your family for the last seven years. And I just can't imagine how they could force something like that on against all these small businesses that have made a living and income off of it. How do you get them to this point and then just tell them they can't do it anymore? I just done a depot. That doesn't make sense to me. And shame on you for putting all these small independently owned companies in that position to be even concerned and worried. I don't think it's fair, but I don't think it's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:12

Very well said.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:14

So there, that's how I feel about it.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:17

You know, like it's I I know that you're already feeling a certain kind of way about it, so I can just only imagine how all the other operations are out there. And I'm all for them having some kind of regulation on it because yeah, you you both know, you and I both know. I mean, I was in Madison over the summer, long story short, I bought one of these CBD joints at the counter. I'll tell you what, I don't know what was in there, but I couldn't even finish it. It wasn't natural. It seems synthetic or something about it.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:49

Green and out.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:51

I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:52

People have bad experiences, and then they never want to touch it again. Right? Had you not known the more positive, you probably would have never tried it again.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:59

Wasn't right. Wasn't right.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:03

Well, what's not right is you know, the head fan is anything over that 0.4 now percent, which most of my products are 0.3.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:14

You thought they always had to be.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:15

Yeah, third party that tested. So they're really just trying to weed out the loop, the loophole there with the delta eight, the delta ten, the delta THCA.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:22

Yeah, which is kind of something needs to happen with that. That I agree. Yeah. You know, you've always you've always held yourself self and your company to a really high standard and and very then pride yourself on those results. But I don't think that all these other guys are more concentrated on the quality.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:41

If we're able to sell it in the can and in the vapes and all that, like then we need to be able to grow it here in Wisconsin. So they just legalize it already, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:34:51

Well, basically what I see, you know, is they're just putting the money into somebody else's pockets. I know it's because of the Tavern League is very strong here in Wisconsin, and that's a big part of it, unfortunately. There that's a big reason why you see it the way it is here in Wisconsin is the Tavern League.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:06

And and and money, you know, family-owned bar restaurant, mom's been in business 26 years. I understand both sides, you know, but I don't see it pulling away from the actual bar tavern industry. I I just think it it it if anything, they're it's just buying time at this point. People are going across state, they're buying it in Michigan, you can get in Minnesota, you can go to Illinois, basically every state around Wisconsin, except, you know, I mean, it's just forcing people to do illegal things, I guess, bringing it across the borders, and guess who's getting all the money? You know.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:47

Such a level head.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:49

No, I'm not, you know, it's I I can't understood why we're so far behind on that as far as for now. Forward. But that's what's forced this these these regulations and this THCA and this all these unknowns. They're everybody's trying to push the limits. Get creative. Trying to see out. Hey, I remember a year ago the THCA was a big it was a big thing in our area. Like, wow, it's the closest thing you can get to uh THC without calling it THC, basically, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:36:18

Yeah, people are really scratched. That's ahead scratch.

Advocacy, Community, And Closing Gratitude

SPEAKER_05 1:36:22

You know, so that's that's kind of where I see that there does need to be some regulation, and I get it. I'm all for it. But don't force the small business owners to be I guess at this point I it it you guys I'm sure are you're a little concerned, right? I mean, I there ain't no way to say that everything you've invested here. It's a little concerning, you know. I like the fact that you're getting in front of it. I think that's important. You don't want to wait 365 days and then and then cry about it because that's gonna be too late. Books have already been closed. You know, you got some time, I think, now to everybody needs to organize a plan and then come up with something that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:07

Yes. 100% and adapt. I feel like that's part of being an entrepreneur, as you do really have to adapt to the times and the regulations. And it's been such a volatile environment the whole time with things changing and being refined that you really just gotta make it work for you.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:24

Yeah, well, unfortunately, you know, marijuana hemp, people don't understand the differences between the two. They associate it with past perceived notions of you know, the pothead, you know, back in the movies, right? There, the pothead was always the hey man, you know, really stoned. And people are using marijuana for different reasons, though. That's somebody that would be abusing marijuana at that point, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:37:46

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:47

So I think medicine. Yeah, I think that's that's the important thing to remember. So when all these rules and regulations are taking place, let's realize and remember the real reason why this plant is on the earth and do the right things with it, I guess, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:38:01

Yes. That's why I will go to bed with that flag of like hemp is for healing. I know you do. Ain't no doubt you do. You're like, what's hemp? And why is it different? And I'm like, that may tell you why.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:13

I see the video you hugging the one the other day, a big tree, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:17

Which, yeah, you know, it it it it has its positive thing, but you're not using it for the wrong reasons. And I think that's important to realize why people are using it and how it's it's um definitely something that can be marketed, I think, and and and there's a lot of uh profits to be made, of course. But outside of the money, you got to remember the medicinal. I know that's where you come in.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:40

And I think that's why the regulation is kind of happening, though there's just so much weird stuff going on out there.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:45

Yeah. Yes. Well, I'm here for it. I ain't going anywhere. We're gonna keep on keeping on. We didn't come this far, don't we come this far?

SPEAKER_05 1:38:55

Yeah, yeah. You got a lot invested here and a lot of knowledge, and I think that it's gonna take a lot of people like you to get together and then actually come up with a formula that's gonna work and make sense for Wisconsin. That's what's gonna have to happen. Yes. One voice can't do it all. I know you fear you feel really passionate about it, and a lot of people are afraid to advocate like you do, and you know that's that's your power, though. So you gotta figure out a way to get everybody else on the same page and come up with a plan where these stores can all stay open, not worry about being in business three hundred and sixty five days from now. But something that actually makes sense, you know, for now.

SPEAKER_00 1:39:39

Legalize it.

SPEAKER_05 1:39:41

Whatever needs to happen.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:43

For bail.