Friday, March 30, 2018

FOTO FRIDAY: LABELING

FOTO FRIDAY this week is something I have not seen before and demonstrates how marketing is finally figuring it out regarding labeling products for specific clients. In this case a pretty untapped market.

Some Jewish homes follow a strict dietary observance during the holiday of Passover which begins tonight. To tell you it's not easy to find specific products for the holiday is an understatement and then every once in a while either an unexpected thing happens and lo and behold a product appears to make life easier. 

In the cooler there sits orange juice marked Kosher for Passover and NON GMO no less... Wonders never cease.


                   Happy Passover to all you orange juice lovers !

Thursday, March 29, 2018

TBT: HOLIDAYS PAST

TBT this week takes us back to April 14, 1987.  Son Steven had entered this world 2 weeks earlier on April 1st, no fooling.  Passover that year was not as early as this year, but close. (The  lunar calendar changes holiday dates) What this meant though is that his birthday sometimes would fall on Passover and he would have a sponge cake rather than a regular birthday cake as we would not have any foods with leavening agents nor flour products during the holiday.) 

We celebrated the first Passover seder in the Quad Cities but the second night was at home. This year granddaughter Hannah who recently turned 7 months will be celebrating her first Passover's 2nd seder night at her home in Atlanta. Perhaps in 31 years she too can look back at a photo of her first seder at home.

Happy Passover to those celebrating  / Have a blessed Easter with family and friends and enjoy making new memories!



Wednesday, March 28, 2018

ONE HOUSE OVER

Sunday was our last play this season as Milwaukee Rep subscribers. I had kept up my subscription once moving to the opposite side of Wisconsin thirteen years ago. Besides good theater it was a great opportunity to visit friends, favorite restaurants and even some big city shopping. Over the years due to distance, weather and most importantly mediocrity rather than superior performances, I let the subscription lapse. I would just wait for good reviews to purchase specific play tickets.  Then a couple of years ago the play choices and direction improved and for the last couple of years our season subscription has been renewed. This past season didn't disappoint and this Sunday's World Premiere last performance of One House Over was outstanding. Wonderful set, acting and script.


If One House Over comes your way it is a must see. The play has one setting, a Chicago brick bungalow's back yard which reminded me of bohemian Berwyn, a Chicago suburb along Cermak Road. The cast consisted of 5 actors: an elderly czech male who lives with his daughter, a divorcee violin teacher, the young Mexican couple who live in the house's basement, the husband's kitchen staff in an Italian restaurant and his wife is the newly hired caretaker for the czech man and the nosy next door neighbor. That's it.

What does it mean to be a good neighbor? 

This play is all about borders and boundaries, some set, some spoken, some unspoken and some changing due to time, circumstances and of course power. A microcosm of racism in one household learning to face their prejudices. Those who arrived with a golden ticket and those who didn't. One House Over is an excellent production where the fences which now separate  backyards also separate us as human beings.

One House Over lends itself to so much timely introspection and discussion. We sat there in the Quadracci surrounded by the very same stereotypes and race relation issues portrayed in the play and  yes, the common ground which also unites us.  

Perhaps you too will join us for the Milwaukee Rep's 65th Anniversary season. It looks like a very special one and we are hitting the Sunday matinees next season! BTW Much easier with the driving.  Special pricing ends this week. 




Tuesday, March 27, 2018

LIGHTING UP A LIFE...

Promises, promises. You'd think I was a politician but I am going to keep this one promise and it was to give you a look at how Jewel D. Le Mississippi is progressing.

Thanks to others and their generosity of sharing their costume jewelry and baubles Jewel is coming right along for her debut in the Down Syndrome fundraiser Light Up a Life where she and 9 other mannequins will become floor lamps to be auctioned off to the highest bidders. 

So right now for the progress after 5 tubes of E6000 glue and I'm guessing about a 100 hrs so far in labor. 

Are you ready? Drum roll please.




I know of at least 4 more kind souls with promises for more donations including beach finds. This gal is sure to light up some lives... 

Monday, March 26, 2018

THEY ARE WATCHING

In a week's time of getting the word out La Crosse joined the over 700 rallies nationwide to March for Our Lives. Natureman was one of the organizers here and my heart was full and emotional to see our Coulee region participating. 

Tears welled with the sight seeing over 700,000 marchers taking over D.C. streets in addition to our 700+ participants here  in small local Cameron Park. 
Citizens from every age, walk of life and race participated as this is a nonpartisan issue. Single/married folk, parents, grand parents walking with children.

The bottom line is our country's love affair with guns is affecting our children's lives every day. In the Saturday rallies children espoused courageous conviction in their disdain of guns taking lives not only in their schools but on their home streets and reminded us adults that eventually they will have the power to vote. 



Our generation of adults have failed our nation's children in our election of spineless politicians who favor lining their pockets with NRA monies rather than those who do what is morally and ethically right for our society's welfare. 


What can you do?

Get out and vote in every election and let your voices be heard. Change does not come easy but we are losing way too many lives..



Friday, March 23, 2018

FOTO FRIDAY: SOME ROLLING GOING ON

FOTO FRIDAY this week begins the holiday preparations and yep 3 dozen matzoh balls are ready in the freezer and awaiting some chicken soup next Friday night. 




Hopefully the weather will behave and we can get to Milwaukee on Sunday and go grocery shopping for that chicken for that soup along with with a nice shopping list of ingredients we can't find in the store here like chicken schmaltz to be exact.

Yep, Friday marks the first seder and there 's a lot to do before then! 

Thursday, March 22, 2018

TBT: 35 YEARS BUT WHO'S COUNTING?

El tiempo vuela. Time flies. 35 years ago here's a visit with Little Rock friends, now my daughter, the baby in this photo has her own daughter about the same age...   


Wednesday, March 21, 2018

SPRING HAS SPRUNG?

Yeah, yeah, yesterday March 20th was officially the first day of spring and there was sunshine and the continuous sound of the rush of the melting snow water down the End of the Rainbow Valley towards Coon Creek which juts westward to continue down towards the Mississippi. Our heavier jackets still need to be worn even if the calendar says it's spring.


We did spot the first robins at the feeder this past weekend and the red wing black birds in the fields alongside the county highway.  

A couple of weeks ago the first blue bird showed up to check out the south facing birdhouses along with a male grossbeak at the birdseed. 

Ducks are in flight above and the sandhill cranes are back near the creek. Yes, the birdsong has increased and woodcocks drumming are good spring indicators but those spring peepers (frogs) aren't expected until the first week of April when the frost should be totally out of the ground. The peeper noise will intensify after 50 degree days along with that anticipatory smell of spring.

But believe me when I say the countryside is still really brown with not a crocus in sight much less daffodils pushing their leaves out of the mulch. The forsythia has the beginning of buds but nowhere close to blooming.

Add in another good 2-3 weeks for our five truckloads of gravel to be delivered to repair winter damage of our mile drive back to the End of the Rainbow Valley after it dries out and the road bans have been lifted.  Meanwhile mud season will wreak havoc on any clean vehicle which makes its way back here while I get good use out of my monthly car wash membership. 

Natureman and I know Spring's coming when we can say goodbye to the last vestiges of winter and announce we survived another Wisconsin winter... 

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

These last 2 weeks I've been delinquent with blog entries as I intentionally left home without my laptop. You see, I knew I'd be plenty busy with a home family baby naming of my daughter Lori's first born. We had a lot to do in preparation for the Saturday afternoon's naming including dinners, decorating, and Sunday brunch for the 30 family members from Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, New York, Tennessee and Wisconsin. 

It couldn't have been more special as Lori's Uncle Marty had just become ordained as a Rabbi and honored us by performing Hannah's baby naming service. Linda, his lady friend made up special programs and a beautiful certificate to mark the occasion.



Everybody participated in the service with prayers, singing and more blessings...



Cousins, Godparents, GiGi and BB

Honorary family members and more Cousins...

Arkansas 's in da house. Aunt Terri , Uncle Marc and Cousin Charlie


As is jewish tradition one is named after someone who is no longer with us so Hannah's Hebrew name is Chanah (The 'Ch' is pronounced like the letter H) after both my Mom Hildegard z"l and Lori's Dad's father Herman z"l and Netanya after Hannah's Daddy's Father, Nate z"l. Z"L means of blessed memory. I've mentioned before Hannah's English middle name is after her Zayde's(grandfather's) Aunt Rose and her Daddy's Grandma Rose.



So it's official and the newest member of our family carries with her family names from generation to generation, l'dor v' l 'dor. What's in a name? In Hannah's case a whole lot of memories...

Monday, March 19, 2018

FEATHERED FRIENDS MIA

A sunshiny weekend was just the right prescription to get outside and search for my feathered friends. Strong winds had chased away more than the real feathered friends from the front garden bed. 

You've heard of snow birds flying South for the winter well,
one of my favorite kinetic metal sculptures of two birds had literally flown their coop/perch. Throughout the fall and winter seasons I had scoured the grounds looking for them. But alas all that winter interest was camouflaging their whereabouts. Wouldn't all the greenery eventually die back enough that a metal arc of 3+ feet be obvious with a bird on each end? You'd think, right?Snowfall didn't help the endeavor.

BUT yesterday was my lucky day. Less than 15 ft. on the other side of the garden bed I finally spied one of the metal birds under the remains of the large dried hellibores.

The birds are back in their place to supervise the winter cleanup in the next couple of months. At least they beat the golden finch changing colors... 

                It's nice to have you two back, you old snowbirds!



Tuesday, March 6, 2018

DIET FOR A SMALL PLANET

It's difficult to believe that we were sitting in these patio chairs this weekend enjoying sunshine and chickens. We can't say we weren't warned about some major snowfall today and tomorrow. Disappointing nonetheless to not be able to leave the End of the Rainbow Valley to attend Frances Moore Lappé's presentation at Viterbo University this evening on her most recent of 19 books, Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want, coauthored with Adam Eichen. 


If her name sounds familiar to you, it's because Moore Lappé wrote the bestseller Diet for a Small Planet (1971) which Natureman refers to as the groundbreaking bible for the Back to the Land Movement, granola eating and brown rice eschewing anything white. Bah humbug on white flour etc... Dissuading meat due to its environmental impact and ineffective food policy. 

Its pages contained healthy diet rules and pages of meat-free recipes. Imagine that, Vegetarianism. Skepticism abounded worrying about obtaining sufficient protein but by pairing dairy with grains and legumes with seeds, it could be accomplished. This was also about the time that Food Co-ops began. Ah, the 70's.

Her books reflect her life's work with themes of hunger,  poverty and environmental crisis. Lappé is the cofounder of three world organizations, including Oakland-based think tank Food First and, more recently, the Small Planet Institute which she co-leads with her daughter. They have also cofounded the Small Planet Fund, which channels resources to democratic social movements worldwide.

Well, let me just say dinner tonight was eggplant au gratin in 'our diet for a small planet.' The eggplant was from our garden, the cheese from our goat and the egg from one of our hens. We're doing what we can in the whole scheme of things democratic...

Sure hated to miss hearing the presentation and meeting a real life icon. If you made it, hope you'll share !


Monday, March 5, 2018

A PARK NEEDS PEOPLE

As the snow was melting this past week and mud season beginning Natureman and I sat out on our front porch enjoying the sunshine and listening to the water running below us down the valley. Our free range chickens surrounded us and I have to admit this city mouse never had pictured herself being surrounded by a flock of chickens. 

Natureman knows my preference not to take a walk through the mud so he suggested taking a drive for some harder walking surface so as to not waste the sunshine nor warmer weather and that would entail leaving the End of the Rainbow Valley

One day we drove over to walk on the Lower Chaseburg walking trail and then blessed with another balmy 50 degree day the following day we went the opposite direction to Goose Island Park. 


The park was pretty empty. A couple of ice fishermen were still out on the remaining ice but water was flowing in the back of the park closer to the trailer park and pavilion area closer to the Mississippi waters. 

The road gate to the northern part of the park was padlocked so we parked by the landing and headed on our walk on the black top. A Park and Rec vehicle with a couple employees had just unlocked the gate to pass through but the gate swung back open behind them so we went to help reclose it.  We were told the road would be closed to traffic to allow the frost to come out, complete tree pruning and prevent vandalism.

Confusion as to vandalism perhaps was answered when we saw 2 new shelters nearing completion.  Could some of their supplies/equipment mysteriously disappeared?  (That's my Mom at work making up stories to complete a bit of information.)

This new construction  differs from the other originals which were log constructed not like the new particle board  with metal siding. The common characteristic is that all have  terrific scenic views of the Mississippi and its backwaters.


Sliding doors'll also enclose these for bad weather/nighttime. 



Warmer weather will insure a lot more walks and gatherings to put all the shelters to use. (@$ 60 / per rental)

 Many more memories to be made...

Saturday, March 3, 2018

TBT:THE STORY NOT SHARED 2016

TBT: Two years ago I chickened out sharing a story. I regret not auditioning with this story so even if I didn't share this with our local community, I will post it again here. Unfortunately our political environment has worsened rather than improved and perhaps we should heed our Mother's advice.

Here's the link:LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER

Friday, March 2, 2018

FOTO FRIDAY: BUMPITY BUMP

FOTO FRIDAY: Road repair, the fifth season in Wisconsin seems to need to last longer now especially with that non existent climate change and the havoc winter causes on asphalt and cement. Although we didn't have loads of snow, it still needed to melt and then there was also rain to replace some of that snowfall.  Water undermines that hard road surface with its freezing, thawing and melting sometimes all in one day. Frost still has to kick into gear. Crews are out digging ditches trying to divert the water that has no where to go.

Every winter our county highway seems to have more and more dips with some that can bottom out vehicles/ send an unsuspecting vehicle airborne. 

This year one dip got so bad last week it was patched with asphalt to make it not so deep. It's better but still there...

Now, the situation gets worse  part as it's been announced that some 90 million dollars originally earmarked for road repair is going to the Fox Conn projects. 

What? Ladies and gentlemen hold on to your hats, it's going to be a rough ride...
Link to article:FOX CONN PROJECTS