Stolen Strawberry and Moving Photo

I hope my readers had a good weekend. Mine started Friday evening with a gig at the retirement community where one of our fiddlers lives, and we had a large crowd to listen to us in the courtyard. At one point a weird bug that looked just like a cicada but was only the size of a leafhopper landed on my mandolin, and I couldn’t blow it off. It wasn’t in my way, so I just ignored it, and eventually it flew away. (My longtime readers may remember that we also had a problem with a frog hopping across the stage at this venue some years ago.) Our band was a big hit, and as always I got a lot of questions about the mandolin afterwards. Then Travalon and I went to the Kingdom for a late, light dinner.

Saturday Travalon and I met Rich and Tiffy for coffee, then we all walked around the Farmers’ Market and had lunch at the Globe. Rich had to mow his lawn, but the rest of us got bubble tea and then sat out on the deck on the seventh floor of Tiffy’s sister’s apartment building, because the thirteenth floor deck was being used for a wedding. Tiffy was busy with family in the evening, so late in the afternoon Travalon and I went to my garden plot, where a radish was ripe but the strawberry that should have been ripe was missing. Someone stole my strawberry! Just then I heard the horn blow that warns boats they have an hour until sunset, but it is always bad news when you hear it that early in the day. I ran back to the car as it sounded two more times, and we rushed home and prepared for the storm… but it never hit. We sat listening to 1920’s jazz until venturing out to the Union to hear Latin jazz. They had moved the band inside as a precaution, but no bad weather ever hit.

Yesterday after Mass, Travalon, Tiffy, and I went to Crema Café for brunch, then we went to CocoVaa for chocolate. I went back to the garden plot, and two strawberries and five radishes were ripe, so I ate the strawberries and brought the radishes to Rich’s house. Travalon went to a concert with his nephew, so I hung out with Rich and Kathbert, and we blatted. My uncle sent a photo of himself, my aunt, and my parents, and Kathbert got Pa Hat to nod in the photo, so that intrigued us. Supposedly my phone can also take photos like this, but we never figured out how. We had a deep conversation about how the universe is a system, and I think I have finally figured out my place in it. But that would be a whole blog post on its own. If I can get my swirling ideas into coherent sentences, I will blog about that soon.

Famous Hat

Amazing Packers Game

I hope my readers had a good weekend. Travalon and I started ours off by going to the East Side Club for their fish fry (mm, catfish!), where there were a couple of guys playing blues and jazz. Then we went to the North Street Bistro to hear a band play Brazilian music. I really love that samba beat, and the music is so cheery that it sounds like sunshine.

Saturday Travalon went to the Badger game, while I hung out with Tiffy for her birthday. We went to the Farmers’ Market and saw all kinds of crazy stuff, like 10-pound puffball mushrooms and all different colors of cauliflower, and I treated her to lunch at Himal Chuli, one of her favorite restaurants. We hung out in the roof garden of her sister’s apartment building until Travalon and I had to go to my department picnic. It was a potluck, and I made mini hamburger cookies. They are total sugar bombs, but they are very cute – I will post a picture soon. Later in the evening Travalon and I got together with Tiffy and Rich at the bar at the Hilton hotel.

Yesterday was Tiffy’s actual birthday. I saw her briefly after Mass, but she had to run off to see another friend, and Travalon and I were going sailing with our neighbor. That was great! The only thing is that I put on a ton of sunscreen, and my face is still pretty red. Why must I have a complexion that does not fit with what I love to do? I should have been either one of those indoors people, or much darker. Travalon and I went to see his mother in Oconomowoc, then we stopped at a restaurant in Lake Mills for dinner. They advertised spaghetti pizza, saying it sounds weird but tastes delicious. I would say it sounds weird but tastes uninspiring. Then of course we watched that game. Can you believe that game??? What a way to start the season!! At first the Packers were doing so badly, and Tiffy texted that they were adding insult to injury by doing it on her birthday. At halftime the Bears were up 20-0, and everyone on Twitter was saying the Packers’ season was over in one quarter because Rodgers had been carted off the field with a knee injury. But he came back in the second half, still clearly limping, but proving why he is the highest-paid player in the NFL. He just started throwing touchdown passes until they came back from behind and won by one point. This may have been the most exciting Packers game I have ever seen in my life. I’m glad I stayed up to watch it to the bitter end!

Famous Hat

Supper Club Weekend

I hope my readers had a good weekend. Mine started Thursday evening, when Travalon and I went to the Flamingle Party. The “Flamingle” is a newsletter put out by the alumni association, and they had pink treats and fun games and a very interesting panel discussion on how the newsletter is put together. Then we went to the Monona Terrace to see the tile I had gotten Travalon for an anniversary present, which they had just installed, and then we picked up our clay cacti at Fired Up.

Friday I took the day off of work for the annual bike ride for the birthday of the Daughter of Denni. This year I didn’t ride, because I had to pick up Tiffy when she came to town. We drove to several of the stops on the tour and walked to one of them, reprising the walk Travalon and I took last year along the scenic shores of Lake Monona. Then the two of us went to the outdoor theater to meet the Dairyman’s Daughter and her sister. We saw a very funny but cynical play by Shaw called Heartbreak House.

Saturday Travalon had to work, so I met Rich, Tiffy, and another lady for coffee, then we ladies went to the Farmers’ Market. Tiffy and I had lunch on State Street, then when Travalon got off of work, the three of us took a long boat ride back into the marsh, where we saw a couple of deer by the edge of the water. They looked like they were pondering swimming out to the island. In the evening the three of us met Rich at a supper club called Hill Top out in Pine Bluff, where they have 36 flavors of ice cream drinks on the menu. We had dinner there and then ice cream drinks, of course – I had a red velvet one.

Yesterday Travalon and I joined Cecil Markovitch, the Single B-Boy, and Rich’s Brazilian roommate for a hike in Parfrey’s Glen. All the men but the Brazilian were wearing dark blue shirts and khaki shorts, so I had to take a picture of the “odd man out.” (I was wearing a bright coral T-shirt myself.) The others went to hike up Gibralter Rock, but Travalon and I went swimming in Devil’s Lake, which surprisingly I have never done. It was wonderful! You could see the people way up on the bluffs looking down at the lake. We got to ride the Merrimac Ferry both ways, and we met up with the other guys again for dinner at Fitz’s, a wonderful supper club on Lake Wisconsin.

Famous Hat

Wonderful Week Off

I hope my readers had a good weekend. I had a great week off. Tuesday Travalon and I went camping at Roche-a-Cri State Park for my half-birthday, which was an adventure. We have both camped many times before, but always with other people who knew what they were doing. This was our first time doing it ourselves, but we figured it out and finally had a roaring campfire to grill burgers over and sing around while I played the ukulele. Only a few other people were at the park, so we felt like we had it to ourselves.

On the 4^th of July we drove to Castle Rock County Park and swam in the lake. Warning: there are two Castle Rock County Parks, one in Adams County and one in Juneau County. I’ll save you the time by telling you the Juneau County one is the one you want to go to. We drove to Buckhorn State Park and grilled the rest of our burgers for lunch, then we went to Mill Bluff State Park and swam in the pond there. Back in town we joined Rich and a large crowd of other people for the Patriotic Concert on the Square. No cannons during the 1812 Overture this year. Afterwards Travalon and I went to the East Side Club to watch the Monona fireworks.

Thursday Travalon and I had a relaxing day. We had lunch outside at the Free House and then hiked on Governor’s Island. He went fishing with a buddy back in his home area while I met Light Bright for dinner and then shopping at Goodwill. Thrift store shopping is the way to go: you can buy a whole outfit for $5! Then I went to the new tavern in our neighborhood and sat outside enjoying a craft beer while watching the fireworks from the Mallards game across the street. It was a perfect view.

Friday Travalon had to work. I went to a retirement party at my old job for one of the other people who got a layoff notice. He decided to just retire a year early instead of looking for another position. It was a very quiet day over there, so I spent time talking to Handy Woman. In the evening Travalon and I took the free Middleton Trolley just for fun, but then it passed the Capital Brewery and we saw they had a live band playing, so we got off and listened to them until the trolley returned. That was a super fun and free activity, except that of course we enjoyed a couple of beers.

Saturday Travalon and I went to the Farmers’ Market, but we got there kind of late and some of the vendors were already packing up. Tons of people were still shopping there. Tiffy came to town for the Early Music Festival, and she, the Daughter of Denni, and I had dinner at Himal Chuli’s and then enjoyed the first concert, where they played some Buxtehude. The theme of the festival this year is “Journey to Lubeck,” which early music enthusiasts will probably realize refers to the trip Bach took to study with Buxtehude. Since Buxtehude is a great favorite of mine, I am very excited about this year’s theme.

Yesterday after Mass one of our choir members had brunch for all of us at her beautiful house. Her backyard is particularly wonderful. Travalon and I had promised to bring orange juice, and when we stopped for it, we were ecstatic to find these delicious smoked Gouda crackers we had discovered on our trip down south in March but hadn’t been able to find up here. Then Tiffy and I took a $5 pontoon boat ride on Lake Mendota, and then we had dinner at Roast on State Street before the Early Music concert. This one was Piffaro, the loud band, and while they didn’t do any Buxtehude, they did focus on older influences on Bach, like some old Lutheran hymns that made me very nostalgic for my OTHER choir director’s choir. However, he is retired now so there is no going back.

Famous Hat

Lots of Boating

I hope my readers had a good weekend. Friday I worked, then I drove to the outdoor theater to see a play called The Recruiting Officer with the Dairyman’s Daughter, Anna Banana II, Jilly Moose, and Luxuli. My ride back was very uneventful – no wild storms blew up. Travalon was at a concert that was sort of a Grateful Dead one; it was most of the surviving members and a lot of their repertoire. He said I would approve because everyone was wearing tie-dye.

Saturday morning Travalon and I met Rich, Anna Banana II, and another woman for coffee, then Rich left and the rest of us went to the Farmers' Market. I bought smelly cheese, flavored popcorn, and just what I need – another plant. It’s an adorable cactus that looks like a pickle. When we got home, I wasn’t sure where to put it, but then it occurred to me that there was a whole sunny window ledge facing south in the loft. How have I lived in our condo for four years and never thought of this? A very large plant called Jolly Bob is sitting by the window, enjoying the sunshine, but the window ledge was completely unoccupied, so I moved several cacti up there. They like to be ignored, anyway. Travalon and I took a boat ride way back into the marsh, and the water is so high that we didn’t have to worry about the water plants reaching us. In the evening Rich had Anna Banana II, Jilly Moose, Kathbert, Travalon, and me over for dinner, and then his Brazilian houseguest returned from a weeklong trip to Buffalo and said, “It’s good to be home!” He really likes Madison. Anna Banana II, Travalon, and I went to the big fireworks show, and where we sat at the edge of Monona Bay had a great view and a festive air, with all the other people around.

Yesterday was a very boat-filled day. After brunch Travalon and I moved my huge plants Greg and Kinetic from Rich’s house to our condo, then we met Hockey Girl for a $5 pontoon boat ride. Our neighbor with a sailboat took us on an evening sail, and the weather was perfect – we went straight across the lake, aiming right for the tallest building on campus. And guess where my new job is? In that building with an 8^th story window overlooking the lake. So this new job would be wonderful even if they hadn’t given me a 14% raise. It’s amazing how life can go from “Oh no!” to “Oh yeah!” in just a few short weeks.

Famous Hat

Fireworks Cruise and the Grateful Dead

I hope my readers all had a happy Fourth of July. Travalon and I started the festivities on Friday, when we joined Cecil Markovitch, Twins Fan, my OTHER choir director, Richard Bonomo, OK Cap, the Single B-Boy, and the Dairyman’s Daughter for a fish fry at the Dorf Haus. I bought my OTHER choir director a drink for his birthday, which had been this past Monday. It was also my half-birthday, so after dinner I indulged in a naughty dessert of chocolate cheesecake, but fittingly I only ate half of it. It was so much fun, especially since Cecil and Twins Fan are so entertaining together.

Saturday Travalon and I joined Jilly Moose and OK Cap for coffee, sitting outside to enjoy the lovely weather. (Plus we had Rodney with us.) Then we went to the farmers’ market, and Travalon tried to sneak Rodney in, but he got busted. No dogs allowed! We bought kale, broccoli, garlic scapes, and scallions, then we went home and I made omelets with veggies, leftover chicken, and the eggs my coworker sold me. (I did successfully blow the insides out of the crinkly egg, preserving the odd shell.) We went to the Fourth of July picnic in Columbus, but they didn’t allow dogs there either, so we didn’t spend much time there, since Rodney was with us. We took him for a walk by the stream in Lodi. In the evening we took a Betty Lou cruise on Lake Mendota, and the boat stopped right under the fireworks in Maple Bluff. That was amazing to see. We toured the whole lake and saw fireworks going off all around us; when we saw the ones in Shorewood, a drunk guy said, “Sherwood? Sherwood Forest? Call me Christopher Robin!” We conversed with two other couples, and one couple goes to our church, so I tried to recruit the man as a new tenor for our choir. However, we didn’t see him Sunday morning…

Yesterday after Mass and brunch as usual, Travalon and I drove to Devil’s Lake and met Anna Banana II there. She is visiting town for two weeks, and the first thing she wanted to do was take a hike. Rich and the Single B-Boy also showed up, and we all took the low trail from the south side of the lake to the north side. On the way back, Rich and the B-Boy hiked up in the bluffs, but we had Rodney with us so we stayed on the low trail. Then Travalon and I went to a simulcast of the last Grateful Dead concert ever, or so they say. Of course Jerry Garcia’s been dead for twenty years now (can you believe it?) but the other guys are still going strong, and they had a fantastic guitarist from Phish join them on their long jams. We were really enjoying the show, but it went on till midnight, and we had to get up this morning, so we didn’t get to see the last hour and a half. All the people in the theater were singing along to the songs – they got especially excited about “Truckin.’” I used to love the Dead back in college but sort of forgot about them until Travalon put on Working Man’s Dead in the car one day, and I was surprised at what good music it really is. I thought we just liked it back in the day to be cool hippies.

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Relaxing Weekend

Sorry for the silence yesterday, I was just very busy. I am feeling much better about life in general, and work in particular, after a refreshing weekend. On Saturday I got up early to work out with Luxuli and Hardingfele, then Hardingfele and I went to the first Farmers' Market of the year with her daughter Rockstar Tailor and Tailor’s BFF. In the afternoon Rich, Kathbert, and I helped Anna Banana II move a bunch of stuff out of storage, and then we had a nice relaxing dinner with Luxuli and her husband. (Except for Kathbert, who was at Roller Derby that night.) Sunday we had waffles for brunch, and then Anna Banana II and I went to the public garden to pray the rosary, and this time nobody made any strange comments about it. We tried to be very quiet about it, so maybe nobody noticed. Then she and I went to a cupcake place, and then we met Luxuli and Jilly Moose at a Mexican restaurant. So that improved my mood, and my boss has been great. That helps a ton too.

Famous Hat

Flashback Weekend

I had a very busy weekend. Friday night I practiced for a gig tomorrow with the hardcore Mideastern band, then Saturday I went to the Farmer's Market and saw a friend I hadn't seen in several weeks, with her toddler son I hadn't seen since he was a little baby. As we were talking, a friend I hadn't seen in over a year came up and said hi, so we started talking, and THEN a person I hadn't seen since high school said, "Are you... Famous Hat?" Was that ever random! Especially since I don't live all that close to where I attended high school.

In the afternoon I went to a party hosted by a woman with purple hair and tattoos who raises bees, and there I ran into several people I hadn't seen since my days in the Medieval recreation society! It was just a "Blast from the Past" kind of day. In the evening I went to a bonfire at a county park, where we played "Telephone Pictionary" while the light was still good, and then when it got dark one guy threw copper pipes with pieces of rubber hose in them into the fire, which then burned all sorts of colors, teal and violet and green and red and blue as well as basic orange. It was so beautiful! One guy made a film of it, and I asked him to email it to me, but so far he hasn't so I can't post it here for your viewing pleasure.

Yesterday I spent the whole day in Milwaukee. First Ethel was getting her fifth rugrat dunked, and a baptism is always a big deal with her clan, so they had a big party with tons of food and piñatas for the kids. After the kids bashed the piñatas open, they put the pieces over their heads and ran around pretending to be space aliens. Ethel is the youngest of nine herself, so there were plenty of nieces and nephews of various ages around, and I played sheepshead with some of the older ones and various other relatives of hers. Then I headed to a breathtaking chapel in a Catholic convent, where oddly enough the Lutheran Association of something (church musicians? ministers?) had the opening liturgy for their conference. They had invited my OTHER choir to sing there. The only odd parts of the liturgy were the ribbons on a stick that one woman waved as she processed up the aisle, and the sermon. The woman minister was talking about how she saw a man holding a sign that said: "Homeless and hungry," and when he looked into her eyes as she waited in her car at a stoplight, she said, "I realized he was free and I was trapped." Liberal guilt that does not result in action does not appeal to me at all; when she then just drove away, I decided I'd had enough of her sermon and wandered off until it was over. After all, if she really thought he had it better than she did, why didn't she offer him her car and then she could have taken the sign? Because she knew he did NOT have it better than she did, that's why. I could only imagine that if they had changed places, maybe his sermon would have been much more entertaining!

Speaking of my OTHER choir director, a couple of years ago he had us sing "Which Was the Son of..." by Arvo Pärt for the All Saints' Day vigil service. I can't help wondering if someone said to Pärt, "Yo, Arvo! Bet you can't take the most boring passage of Scripture and set it to music that will move the listener!" If such a bet did take place, that buddy of his lost. The words are just the geneology of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, but the music is incredibly beautiful, and by the time we got to the end, "... which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God," we were practially in tears. And what has that got to do with the price of tea in China? you are surely wondering. Two of the names in the aforementioned geneology are Arphaxad (the grandson of Noah, the famous ark builder) and Amminadab, and that is where my fish got their names.

By the way, Minnie and Max are no longer looking for a permanent home. My officemate's mother decided to keep them herself.

Famous Hat

Happy Ascension! (One Day Late)

Yesterday I had a moment that might be as close to perfection as one can have in this life. I was sitting on my balcony, admiring my plants in the golden evening light, when a tiny hummingbird flew up to my blooming orchid. It had second thoughts, either about the orchid or because of me, and zipped off into the soft evening air, but it was still a delightful little guest.

Then I went to the Lutheran church for their Ascension potluck and service. (Generally our church does nothing for Ascension, since it is moved to the following Sunday, but apparently this year they had a high Tridentine Mass, and by the time I learned about it, I'd already promised to attend the Lutherans' celebration.) One woman brought lasagne made with spinach pasta, so that it looked like it was full of green peppers. People who hate green peppers didn't try any, and those of us who love them thought the peppers really added to the flavor. There's the power of suggestion for you! Their service was beautiful and simple, moving from the outside courtyard to the narthex to the west transept, and the closing hymn was the gorgeous tune "Bryn Calfaria." (They tell me this is the Episcopalian in my blood, that I am obsessed with hymn tune names. Catholics and Lutherans usually just refer to them by the lyrics, as in "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" versus "Picardy.")

True story about hymn tunes: four years ago I was on a HUGE kick about this, totally obsessed, and I looked up a bunch of my favorite hymns to find out their tune names. Then I wrote a story for my OTHER choir director using these names for the characters and places in the story. The hymns that had tune names that were long, unwieldy German phrases I simply incorporated into the story in their English translations, such as "If you but trust in God to guide you." This story is called "Polyhymnia," as in "many songs," and it's all over the place now because people kept giving copies to other people, but I do diss a well-known Catholic songwriter (who is actually now UCC) so hopefully I don't get sued for libel! (Then again, the songwriter in question does have an entire website dedicated to how much people can't stand him, so I am the least of his problems.)

Have a fabulous holiday weekend! I am hoping to get to the farmer's market for the first time this year. Yes, how lame is that? I haven't been yet. It's either been lousy weather or I've been in Missouri for a wedding. My office mate is taking today and Tuesday off, so I thought it would be quiet and boring here at work, but I got pulled into an argument between two other parties over conference rooms. Good times. Fortunately I was able to engineer a peaceful solution. (Famous Hat to the rescue again!) In case you have not had a chance to get to a farmer's market yet, or worse, they don't have one where you are, I am posting a photo Palm Tree Fan took of some tulips she bought recently at the farmer's market so you can feel like you are there right now, drinking coffee and eating a scone and admiring produce and flowers.

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Ramblin' Post

One of the great things about the place where I live is the abundance of farmers' markets. Every Saturday morning is like a mini festival with free coffee, live music, and beautiful produce. I try to buy the majority of my food at the farmers' market for a number of reasons: when you think globally but buy locally, you reduce your carbon footprint; the food is very fresh and organically grown; and there's always that satisfying feeling that you're sticking it to The Man. Because seriously, even the health food store is a chain.

Speaking of chains, what's with the proliferation of "stealth chain" restaurants? You know, the ones that are a level above fast food and try to seem unique, but you know they have three in the nearest big city. Is it because people are beginning to distrust chains? I for one try to go to locally owned businesses, and I would have to be VERY desperate indeed to buy anything at Wal-Mart.

At the farmers' market there are often political booths set up, and they are without exception of the left-leaning variety. Why is that? Why do they think that anyone who shops at a farmers' market must be politically liberal? I don't care for either major party and have no idea what to call myself: a crunchy conservative? A Leftist for Life? How about the Anti-Giuliani? If they could come up with a politician who disagrees with me on absolutely everything like he does, you'd think they could find one who does agree with me on the basics, like protecting the environment, a fair living wage for workers, and ending the heinous practice of legal abortion. Why do "feminists" think abortion is so great? I am a woman of child-bearing age, and I see abortion and birth control as suppression of women. Like, why are there so many ways a woman can fill her body with bizarre chemicals so that men can have sex without consequences? If things were truly equal, there'd be a Pill for men. Explain that one, Feminists!

It seems that if you look at all down-to-earth in this town, people assume you have liberal leanings. I was once approached at a different farmers' market in my same town about voting against a bill protecting marriage. When I said I was in favor of it, the girl looked shocked, then she said, "This doesn't just affect homosexuals. It would also protect heterosexuals who are not married." To which I replied, "Why don't they just get married? I'm not in favor of unmarried people living together." Just because I am female, a member of Generation X, and like to wear sandals and my famous hat, that doesn't mean I don't have old-fashioned morals.

One of my favorite things about Saturday morning farmers' market is going to the bank first and getting "funny money." One of my goals in life is to increase the circulation of $2 bills and dollar coins. Of course spending money is fun in any denomination, but why not make it extra fun? Especially when vendors go, "I said TWO dollars!.. oh, never mind." To be fair, the vendors actually always seem delighted with funny money; it is in commercial establishments that it seems to throw people. Maybe because they don't have a section in their cash register for it...?

So I've been at the same bank for many years, but it has been bought out several times, most recently by a mega bank - let's call it "American Bank." I have never overdrawn my account before, but because of my recent excursion to New Orleans and my habit of paying off my credit card bill the moment I receive it, my account was going to be a little short this month. I moved some money from savings to checking but underestimated the amount by $5 and some change. Now my understanding was that I have overdraft protection and would not be charged if there is enough money in savings, but I was charged $5. I called them to complain and they said it wasn't an overdraft charge, it was a fee for moving the money... which they then did by dumping ALL my savings into my checking account! I said I didn't care what they called it, the fact is they lied to me and said I wouldn't be charged for overdrafts, period. They refused to back down, even though the fee is the same as the amount I was over, so now I'm going to Local Credit Union. Fortunately I already had accounts set up there, but extricating myself from American Bank is proving to be quite a chore. I am still amazed that, after nearly two decades of loyalty, I was basically told to kiss off, but Local Credit Union is happy to deal with my money, no matter how little I have. And American Bank is always playing games, like I had an automatic payment set up to withdraw from savings to three little gift accounts for underage relatives, and one month they changed the date of withdrawal without my permission so there were six withdrawals, and then they hit me with a fee. It took me an hour of arguing with them to get it back, but at least that time they did refund it. This time they were not moving - so I am! And I would invite you all to come with me. After all, I hate chains, and this bank is no longer the little local one I started with.

Famous Hat