New year

I love the first days of a new year. The Christmas rushing around is over; there is no pressure to go to any parties; life is quiet. The cold keeps the riffraff out. Or, rather, in. I love it.

Even kitties like the snow, as evidenced by wee pawprints.

Why does Wisconsin winter have such a bad rep, anyway? How come people aren't turning to each other and exclaiming, rosy-cheeked with great exhalations of steam, "Wow! This is bracing!" Or, with broad Chap-sticked smiles, "This cold air is so refreshing!" That would be great.

Wisconsin Cactus and Succulent Club

The Wisconsin Cactus and Succulent Club (not to be confused with The Cactus Club) is one of my favorite features of the State Fair. They are always right next door to the bonsai group: I know just where to go. Huge Jade plant: the proud owner, cultivator, bonsai-er talked to me for awhile. He had me convinced I need to attend a WCSC meeting. I did try to get his picture next to it, but it didn't happen.

Amazing! Look at the shapes! Some of these come from faraway locales: the Canary Islands, for instance, was the birthplace of the large specimen on the far left.

Rosy pink, almost magenta- and gorgeous.

This one looks like glass. Or candy.

Look at the swirling colors and the pink flowers- I could get lost in this for hours. Trippy! Next club meeting is in November. Maybe, eh?

I love the Fair!

Kind of spur-of-the moment, I decided to join the rest of the sun-baked crowd today at the State Fair to get my Wisconsin on. Again. I love the fair. The weather was fantastic.

You can get anything you want on a stick at the Fair. Deep fried mac & cheese, for instance, or solar energy, or what have you. (Isn't energy the same thing as calories, anyway? Meta!)

There it is. On a stick.

These critters were just so cute, posing like this. Many, many city folk were taking their picture. They didn't seem to mind a bit. They are somewhat denuded here- their fleece was for sale, for human use in the harsh Wisconsin winter. Way to go, sheep and camelids! Thanks!

One of my favorite things at the Fair is the craft section. I loved this piece- it is just so meta: fourth-place ribbons proudly framed for display, and it earned a fourth place. I hope the entrant does not base his or her self-esteem on ribbons won. The judging is harsh. Man, I know!

And, cow poop. Hooray for the digital "macro" setting!

Things I did not get pictures of

Things seen at the State Fair opening day yesterday, which I was so excited to get to that I forgot my camera:

::Chocolate-covered bacon on a stick. The friend who accompanied me to the Fair was shown, chocolatey-faced, on Channel 12 eating some with much gusto.

::Large people. People on scooters.

::Well-hung Clydesdales.

::Small 4-H children singing "I will Survive" en masse.

::A giant banner proclaiming McDonald's as a proud sponsor of the Ag Oasis. Figure THAT one out. Oh, the apple slices in a plastic bag. Mmmmmm.

::Piglets! (AKA future chocolate-covered bacon.)

::Cactus and succulent judging. I loooooove succulents. I am the kind of person who, though I normally have the attention span of an eight-year-old on the last day of school, can nonetheless spend hours looking at cacti and succulents, given the right circumstances...but we had to get to the expo center. (I generally go to the Fair twice every year: once with my friend, who does not read my blog, and again by myself to do all the stuff I want to do.)

Longest war in US History

On our recent trip, we visited Plymouth, WI- Brain's family homestead, so to speak. Besides enjoying the Mullet River that meanders through town and the cute main drag, we visited a park with an individual memorial to each US war- a boulder with the war's name, dates, and the flag of that time period. With the exception of the Cold War, the "Middle East Conflicts" represent the longest-running war in our nation's history- and still with no end date. Now, I've watched Braveheart and Lord of the Rings, and any number of similar movies; I don't enjoy battle scenes, but I understand why they are there: the protagonists are bravely protecting their precious ways of life and homelands at all costs. I boast Irish, German, and Viking blood. I understand that sometimes war is an unfortunate necessity in the sinful and illogical world in which we live: it is sometimes necessary in order to protect our freedoms and those of others with whom we share this planet. I have pride in our American military who have sacrificed to maintain those freedoms.

However, for whatever reason, I had brought along Kurt Vonnegut's excellent Slaughterhouse Five as light reading on this particular trip: a book that I had tried to read in the past and just not engaged with, but giving it another chance was the right choice. It is a vivid account of the horrors and the ludicrosity of war. Read it if you get the chance.

Support our troops: ideally by welcoming them all home soon.

Underwood Creek and Waukesha's water plan

I became concerned when I read of the plan to take water from the Great Lakes watershed and pipe it out to Waukesha, returning it to Underwood Creek, just inside the watershed again. I decided to view the area to which the water would be returned, by 124th and Bluemound Road. I don't know what I was expecting; deer frolicking through undisturbed woodlands, I guess. It really looks as below: more like the Lorax was going to pop out of a stump.
Looking north from this point- the direction of the creek's flow in this area- isn't much more attractive. Steep cement banks prohibit access. It might be more difficult to fathom the environmental impacts of such a proposal if the area actually looked like we as a society actually value our water and waterways. It is an invisible commodity.

Here is one last picture, taken looking west on Bluemound Road from about 116th St. You can see the topography of the area- the creek is in the valley below, and the edge of the watershed is approximately 124th street- the ridge visible near the top of the photo, with the winding road curving toward the top left.

I took all these photos on 04/04/09. A study on the environmental impact of the diversion-and-return plan is pending.

Fond memories part IV

Every fall DH and I go up to northern Wisconsin and camp alongside one of the little lakes in the Nicolet National Forest. It's a very special place for us. Because we go up after the high season- usually September or October- it's very private, quiet.

One time I was down at the water in the early morning and there were several Northern River Otters swimming together, cavorting and making schnurfing noises. I called to DH to come down, to bring the camera. I was so excited, and of course I scared them away. The next year I watched and waited, carefully, quietly, and didn't see any of these amazing and elusive creatures. I cried on the last day of our vacation with this deep and brutal disappointment.

The picture is of the lake: dawn, cool and crisp. The otters are hiding.