Souvenir Mandolin and Faraway Fireworks

 

Yesterday I left work a little early to meet Mamastep for dinner. We wanted to meet early because we're both so busy; I said, "I have to leave by 7:30," and she said, "I have to leave before 7:00." We had dinner at Bellitalia because I was so in love with their patio that Travalon and I had just discovered the weekend before, but it was so hot and humid out that we decided to eat in air-conditioned comfort. At least the air wasn't so toxic. Afterwards it had cooled down a bit, so we took a walk in Mamastep's neighborhood so she could show me some of the crazy little houses nearby. Then she left to help a friend and I left to talk to Tiffy. We were talking about how songs from our college days used to seem so exciting, specifically "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails, but we had both recently watched the video and at our advanced age just kind of find it appalling. The passion is gone, replaced by practicality - who would want a man that obsessed with you?

This morning I took a walk in the neighborhood, talking to my neighbor who can't walk with me because she finally caught COVID, and it hit her hard. Then Travalon and I had to pick up some food for Rich for the luncheon after the memorial Mass for Bishop Paul Swain. Years ago he was a priest at our parish, and when he was installed as bishop in South Dakota, a bunch of us made the trip to attend. But many people no longer remember him here in Madison, so it was a small crowd of just over two dozen people. I helped serve the lunch of beef stew and broccoli, served over the noodles we brought and the noodles someone else brought because we brought the wrong kind (egg pasta instead of egg noodles). Whatever it was that Rich was looking for, our grocery store didn't have it. After all his concern about the noodles, there were plenty left, and since there was no dessert, I just had some more noodles. Then Travalon and I went to the Veterans' Museum because he wanted to show me a special display of souvenirs that people had brought home from their time in the service, specifically a mandolin a guy brought back from France.

I wondered if the mandolin were still playable, and they gave me the curator's email address so I can ask him. Specifically, if the mandolin is not being played regularly, they should loosen the strings or it will be very hard on the instrument. Then Travalon and I got bubble tea and picked up a kiwi bird and capybara, and we went to Little Luxuries, where I got a stuffed Wisconsin.

Then in the evening we went to Breese Stevens Field to watch the Forward game in the clubhouse, because they were playing in South Carolina. We parked far away and walked there, and we saw this crazy tree on the way.

The officiating was very bad in this game: they never called any fouls on the Triumph, but they called lots of weird things on the Forward, so that even the commentators were puzzled by it. The Triumph got a goal on a sketchy penalty kick, and the Forward had their one goal called back because the guy was called offsides even though he wasn't, so they lost 1-0. Later at Breese Stevens there were going to be fireworks, but the game was done so early that we would have had to wait an hour and a half, plus you had to pay to go onto the field to watch them. We wondered if we could see them from the hill not far from our house, and in fact we could! We also saw other fireworks that I assume were mostly private displays, although one had a smiley-face firework, which usually you only see in professional displays. I don't mind being away from the crowd and the loud BOOMS and the very loud music they were playing on the field as we left. The Forward viewing party was almost all Millennials, and we felt so old in there, but then maybe we are old - too old to deal with fireworks close up.

Famous Hat