Quilt Works and Tree Farm

Just trying to keep from blowing away.  Gusts to 60 mph, almost enough to sweep a two-footed walker off his feet.  Four-foot, however, just thought it was a blast and was cranked.
Lots of tree pruning going on—and something unimaginable happening out on the big lakes.

Closer to home, the big, two-sided tapestry that will hang between posts on the upper level of Kagawong house as an acoustic aid, is coming together...

...and looking good. What a vast amount of work, except, supposedly, it's fun.

Meanwhile, I've started a Kentucky Coffee Tree tree farm. (It is one of my favorite trees.) Thanks to the wind quite a few pods were dislodged today from the mother tree over in Starin Park.

The pods are tough, woody, and filled with a gooey jelly, which is somewhat toxic. The multituidinous, ravenous squirrels hereabouts clearly leave them alone.

I think the Kentucky Coffee Tree, with its rough bark, twisted branching habit, and alternate, binately compound leaves is unusually handsome.

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From Wikipedia:

The Kentucky coffeetree is believed to be an example of evolutionary anachronism. The tough, leathery seed pods are too difficult for many animals to chew through (in addition to being poisonous) and they are too heavy for either wind or water dispersal. It is thus believed that the tree would have been browsed upon by now-extinct mammoths and mastodons which ate the pods and nicked the seeds with their large teeth, aiding in germination. This behavior is seen among African elephants eating Fabaceae relatives in Africa. Because of this, its prehistoric range may have been much larger than it has been in historical times. Today, in the wild, it only grows well in wetlands, and it is thought that only in such wet conditions can the seed pods rot away to allow germination in the absence of large herbivores.

Let me know if you would like a tree or two.

March Winds...

...roaring.  

See the moon?

Six Flags?

Getting brushed backwards.

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The fundamental question is: Do citizens of a democratic state have the fundamental right to the highest quality of health care, regardless of income or any other discriminating factor? If the answer is yes, then for-profit private insurance cannot serve as the core enabler of that universal right. If the answer is no, then that democratic state is enabling its own demise, particularly when the greatest amount of wealth in human history is available to the state. This is not socialism, it is a fundamental expression of equal citizenship, for the highest quality of health care, like education, is a universal right regardless of income or other discriminating factors. Or so it seems to me.

Scudding Clouds

Gale warning on Lake Michigan.  Line of thunderstorms heading our way after a warm and windy day‚ a day spent on sewing on one hand and computer work on the other, not to mention dog walks.

Which side are you on?

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Dear Senator Baldwin and Supposed Senator RoJo and Supposed Representative Senselessbrenner:

Asian carp pose a serious threat to the Great Lakes' ecosystems and economy, including the $7 billion fishing industry. The leading edge of the Asian carp population advanced over 60 miles in 2015. Existing barriers are not effective against juvenile fish, and larvae have been found less than 50 miles from Lake Michigan. Stopping their progress is an increasingly urgent imperative.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on a Feasibility Study for carp defenses at Brandon Road Lock and Dam at Joliet, Ill. The lock is a logical choke point location to install Asian carp control measures to stop the fish from moving closer to the lake.

Last week he Trump administration indefinitely delayed release of the long-awaited plan. This is unacceptable.

The damage done by carp in the Great Lakes will be significant in Illinois, but it will be catastrophic in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and New York. Carp will be especially damaging to our Canadian neighbors for whom commercial and recreational fishing along with the whole range of recreational activities that depend on the Lakes make up a significant portion of the economy.

I am asking you to take the most aggressive actions necessary to get the Feasibility Study released immediately and then to provide sufficient funding for the construction of Asian carp control measures based on its findings. Perhaps working with Senator Stabenow would be a good place to start.

The Great Lakes are a unique and priceless resource, essential to the quality of life and economic wellbeing of those of us who live around them. They need to be protected from Asian carp, a most nasty invasive species.

Sincerely,

Back In Time

At Aztalan.  

How did you get in there?

What's that almost at the top of the mound?

A native American village on the banks of the Crawfish River, with a surrounding palisade and several large ceremonial mounds. Occupied for about 400 years before suddenly disappearing around A.D. 1,300.

Perhaps the most important archeological site in Wisconsin. Aztalan was an offshoot of Cahokia (Illinois), one of the greatest cities of the world back about 900 years ago (bigger than London). People got from Cahokia to Aztalan by water—up the Mississippi, then up the Rock, then up the Crawfish, to a fertile spot where they grew corn, beans, and squash, fished the river, and hunted the surrounding woods.

We explored the palisades and climbed the mounds.

But of course, only after a fine breakfast at modern day Amalia's.

Open Water

Lots of chilly wind, but from the south.  

Recently finished reading The Martian, which, while not great literature, is a very good story filled with good science, inventive lateral thinking, and clever problem solving. Interestingly, quite a number of high school science teachers have tried to use the book in class, only to be stymied by the occasional bit of rough language. The publisher, having got wind of this, recently  issued a revised edition in which all the "*&^%$@!" words are replace by "dang" and "dratted."

Obviously, if you were abandoned alone on Mars, with little likelihood of survival, you would be more inclined to say "*&^%$@!" than "dang." But still, it is good that this book can now be part of the high school scinece curriculum.

Tonight, after a supper of tamales and pastel de elote (in prep for our Texas trip) we are gong to watch the film version of The Martian, and we have ear plugs if the language gets really bad.

Pizza Party

With our little neighborhood group.  

Followed by Sequence.

Chilly but bright, with the wind swinging south.

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Asian carp pose a serious threat to the Great Lakes' ecosystems and economy, including the $7 billion fishing industry. Existing barriers are not effective against juvenile fish, and larvae have been found less than 50 miles from Lake Michigan. Stopping their progress is an urgent imperative.

A plan for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Ill., was set to be released a few days ago by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an important step toward finalizing a project that was expected to call for barriers at that key choke-point on the Chicago-area river. But this plan has now been put on hold by the Trump administration.

The reason for the stoppage is resistance by corporate interests (tug boat companies) in the Joliet, Illinois, area, assisted by their anti-environmental right wing Republican allies. The damage done to the Great Lakes by Asian carp will be relatively minimal in Illinois, but will be devastating in other states, and especially bad for Ontario.

I see this not just as a possible invasion by a murderous fish but an actual attack on the livelihood and quality of life of the people of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are priceless. Carp would devastate them. 

Another example of ugly, wanton, thoughtless vandalism.

Fox Point

Hanging out with Will and Kate.  

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"If people retreat into private life, if critics grow quieter, if cynicism becomes endemic, the corruption will only grow stronger. Laws intended to ensure accountability or prevent graft or protect civil liberties will be weakened."

"How To Build an Autocracy", David Frum, The Atlantic

The Next Four Years-Milwaukee

Lots of organizing going on in Milwaukee.  

And, of course, Abby has been a significant part of it. And now, she has been appointed director of the Ambassador Program for the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County. Look out Milwaukee County.

Much of her involvement, and some of my ever so limited involvement, has been through a Facebook group called The Next Four Years Milwaukee, which now has about 7,000 participants. Below is something I might post tomorrow. The statements were written by me following George Lakoff's design. The slogans were contributed by Alex, a member of NFY-M.

Some of Lakoff’s key points are:
Voters vote their values. These values are brought into consciousness, and then politics, by mental frames.
Frames are the mental structures that shape the way we see the world.
Framing is about ideas. Ideas have to be in place in people’s brains before words, slogans, or soundbites make any sense.
Progressives have better ideas, but conservatives have been better at framing.
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1.A. Education and health are investments in people. They are wise investments because they produce a functioning society and a healthy and efficient workforce.
1.B. No education, no jobs.

2.A.  Education is a freedom issue—without it a person is not free.
2.B. Knowledge is freedom.

3.A. Public education made America. It brought individuals together to form a nation and gave them the freedom and skills to succeed.
3.B. Public Education is National Security.

4.A. Vouchers and charter schools discriminate, often perform poorly, monetize learning, and frequently fail—all without accountability.
4.B. Public education is not for profit—vouchers are.

5.A. Ignorance is a weapon used to permit violence.
5.B. Ignorance is a weapon.

6.A. Unions got rid of sweat shops and child labor; unions made the middle class.
6.B. Unions create safe working conditions and living wages.

7. Taxes buy civilization. Failed states don’t have taxes.

8.A. Private enterprise depends on public infrastructure.
8.B. The private depends on the public.

9.A. The Constitution applies only to human beings, not corporations.
9.B. "We the people," not "We the corporation."

10.A. Only people have freedom of speech, and money is not speech.
10.B. Money chokes freedom of speech.

11. A Public universities are gold mines bringing huge economic benefit to their states and an improving quality of life to the nation.
11.B. Public Universities create jobs.

12.A. Every American has the right to control his or her own body, without government subjugation.
12.B. Our bodies, our doctors, our decisions.

13.A.  We have only one planet—if we kill it we kill ourselves.
13.B. No regulation, no oxygen, no living.

14.A. Corporations have dangerous and increasing control of our lives.
14.B. The USA is no longer for sale.

15.A Corporations shift costs to, and borrow benefits from society, the natural world, and future generations, and this steadily diminishes overall prosperity.
15.B. Taxes shouldn't pave Wall Street.

16.A. Freedom, fairness, human dignity, equality under the law—these are American values worth fighting for.
16.B. Money shouldn't buy justice.

17.A. Regulations protect people from poison, discrimination, and exploitation.
17.B. No regulation, dirty water, dirty air, and dirty food.

18.A. As Americans we have a right to water we can drink, air we can breathe, and food that is healthy and safe.

19.A. Our economy should make possible broad prosperity, not just extreme wealth for an elite few—providing a better future for all Americans.
19.B. Regulate greed, and we all are freed.

20.A. As Americans we demand government not by corporations but of, by, and for the people.
20.B. Ban professional bribery: end lobbying.

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From George Lakoff:

“Progressive thought is as American as apple pie. Progressives want political equality, good public schools, healthy children, care for the aged, police protection, family farms, air we can breathe, water we can drink, fish in our streams, forests we can hike in, songbirds and frogs, livable cities, ethical businesses, journalists who tell the truth, music and dance, poetry and art, and jobs that pay a living wage to everyone who works.”

“Progressive activists…are American patriots, working with unselfish dedication towards making a better world.”

Anything Goes

Warm and damp.  Thunderstorms and snow in the forecast, and now tornado warnings. Who could ask for anything more?

Squash part of the menu tonight. This homegrown beauty was picked last October.

Squash are one of those survival foods that could get you through the winter back in the day (back when there was winter). Very tasty, too, with just a pinch of curry powder dissolved in butter and then ladeled over the baked fruit.

Chuck-a-lee

Red-wing blackbirds at the prairie pond.  

Lots of them, sitting high on the stalks of last summer's compass plants, and loudly advertising themselves. I'll have to look back to see how past years compare, but as of now their arrival seems early.

Spring Rebound...

...as they would say in the Department of Redundancy Department (found in most universities).  

Snowdrops, poking up through grass, not snow.

Snow once again mostly gone. Long bike ride (Whitewater circumnavigation) in prep for some Texas riding. Going east a breeze. Going west a real struggle, with a huge wind on the nose.

Plenty of wind for iceboating, but up at Battle Lake, Minnesota, Sunday's races were called off due to snow. That left Tony with two seconds and a "Did Not Start" (DNS) score of 14 (there were 14 Nites on the line). Total score then of 18 (14+4), which gave him a fifth place. If he'd got even a 5th in the race he missed he could have won the regatta—once again a reminder that the early bird gets the worm.

I'm trying to decide if Tony's success on the ice is a matter of excellent training and coaching, or some other factor.

More of these signs popping up around town. Actually, if you look at it, the slogan is a poem (at least in English). Brief, but good. Five syllables, so pentameter, with five monosyllabic feet, all equally stressed. Nice alliteration. Fun to say: wham, wham, wham, wham, wham. Emphatic. My only suggestion would be to change "Has" to "Hath." That would give the poem a suggestion of having been around for a long time, and the "H" sound (voiceless glottal fricative) rather the the "S" sound would contribute to the alliteration, or so it seems to me.

Swimming and Sledding

Will, Kate, and Ab here for an overnight, with Tony at Battle Lake, Minnesota, for the International Skeeter Association annual regatta. (He is beating the big names on the racing circuit and could win the whole thing.)

Here, we have had a slight return to winter.

Elsewhere, the younger Nies family is enjoying an even bigger slice of winter at their north woods cabin— where the ice remains thick enough for ice fishing and recent snow is sufficient for snowmobiling. 

All Hail

Heavy thunderstorm last night.  Intense lightning, loud thunder, lots of precip including much almost perfectly round, clear, crystal ice marbles which rolled off roofs and down downspouts and accumulated in glistening piles. Pax, with Mimi in tow, opted for the basement.

My guess is that this one storm raised the level of Michigan/Huron three inches. Tonight—raw and wet, and starting to get slippery. Out for fish with the neighbors (the ones who didn't quite make it to our last outing).

Cooling Off Period

Chilly and gray.  

Rain now, edging toward snow. But what about the robins? I heard them this morning, and saw one this afternoon.

Where The Winter Wasn't

Another warm one.  

Warm except right next to Lake Michigan, which is where we were again. Got to see Katy this time.

Ordered garden seeds—mostly beets, along with a few beans and a few squash. Whitewater garden will be leaning heavily to beets this year, and beans are about the only thing that will grow in Kagawong garden.

We grew no beets last summer, and canned no beets this past fall, and this winter (so-called) has been difficult without our dinner staple of pickled beets and cottage cheese.

Another Freakishly Fine February Day

Sunny and in the upper 60s.  

To Fox Point to pick Will up at school. Then a long lunch at a congenial restaurant in Whitefish Bay (where we played 3-card stud, Jokers wild) while we waited to be served. After lunch, quite a bit of bike riding, including a slow race and then a fast race (to Doctor's Park). And all that followed up by a game of baseball in which quite a few pitches ended up as home runs.

And while all that was going on, Mimi was Oconomowoc-ing with Maddie and Becca.

What a day.

Warm and Windy...

...with increasing overcast.  

Tunnel under railroad tracks along the Rock River trail in Janesville. Pax really wanted to explore.

While Sue kept her doctor appointment, Pax and I walked along the trail running along the west side of the Rock River in Janesville. Great trail; would be fun to bike. (Actually, Janesville is loaded with interesting trails and parks and greenways—who knew?)

Much later, sitting out on the back patio tending the grill, a rattling and tapping on what remained of last fall's leaves. And then, just after I pulled the pullet from the coals, a downburst. Rain is in the forecast.

Sandhills In The Sky...

...and winging north. (But far too high to photograph.)  

Delectable breakfast at the DayByDay in St. P. with Nik and Ru.; then the less-than-five-hour-drive (including stops) back to Whitewater.

Once home, bike rides and pedestrian walks in the unseasonable warmth—which would be a lovely February respite if global warming was not dangling its sword of Damocles overhead.

Turn back you silly cranes; wait for April.

Life On The Mississippi

Visiting Niki in St Paul. Great lunch, fancy dinner out, good convention, and a long walk with dogs along the river. Exceptionally mild weather and lots of people out enjoying it. 

Bike Riding

With Will and Katy.  With Will riding his big, new 20 inch bike. Also, poker, Uno, Osmo coding, reading, wrestling, and going out for pizza. And during all that, complete forgetfulness in regard to taking pictures.

Seriously warm, strangely warm, though in fox Point a breeze off the Lake kept things cool most of the day, until the wind shifted.