30 April, 2025

To paraphrase Ice Cube...

...yesterday was a nice day. My walk to the bus stop in the morning was bathed in a layer of gold.

While waiting on a BRT platform going home, I noticed that the roof was made of sunglasses. The sun was a brilliant dot. 

And, when I got home, I had a golden post-work brew out on the deck.


Sleepy rabbit

Earlier this week I saw something I don't think I've ever seen before: a wabbit taking a nap out in the open. It was relaxing under one of our lilac bushes.

Luckily for it, there were no hawks around. As Sgt. Esterhaus used to to say, let's be careful out there.

27 April, 2025

Coming soon - 26 April 2025

Seen before a screening of Warfare at Point. Warfare was very intense, edge of seat tension from almost the get-go. Loved that there was no non-diagetic music. Great flick.

Marcus sure slips in a lot of commercials before their movies. I am not in the market for a pickup truck. Lame.


Farm ruins, Fitchburg, WI

I noticed these a year or 2 ago despite having driven by them for decades and finally went to take a look yesterday.

After wandering the old foundations closest to the road, I looked around and saw something on a hill. It proved to be another ruin.


26 April, 2025

Trachte building?

Seen on Madison's south side.

It looks to be one but has been tricked out, given various face lifts, and so on. And so I am unsure. But the bit above the door looks very Trachtey to me.


New ghost sign - Madison

I noticed today a section of a ghost sign that was revealed recently.


 Tractors?

Coming soon: 20 April 2025

Seen at the IMAX in Fitchburg before the excellent Sinners. If I was one of those unfortunate fellows in Plato's cave watching these, I'd know that summer is coming soon as there was a mix of big budget action movies and horror flicks.

This was a shorter teaser trailer and more of a commercial as there was no MPAA band preceding it. I don't think the name of the movie is in it. I thought it was Maybrook Missing as that's the website name that flashes at the end but the movie's title is Weapons, I just learned.

 

New Son Volt

Son Volt has a new tune out called "Kaleidosphere". Since I am not a member of their Electro Melodier Society (not yet, anyway), I am not able to hear the whole 9 yards. Sounds like their recent stuff and quite good to boot. The video seems to feature scenes from St. Louis, the band's home. The Arch, anyway.
 

25 April, 2025

Coming Soon: 19 April 2025

Trailers seen at AMC in Fitchburg before The Ugly Stepsister.

Before the trailers proper was a commercial for Skill House.

I have seen this trailer 3 times and still don't quite grok what the movie is about.

This Swedish sci-fi flick looks pretty good but I have read that AI was used to alter the images to accommodate being dubbed in English. I am torn. On the one hand, I'd like to see it in the theater. On the other, I want to boycott it so this behavior stops now before it becomes a trend.


 

For the love of God, please let Marvel Studios die a dignified death and stop clogging up screens.

The plan is to see this next week. What trailers will AMC put in front of this? Is there a new Brandon Cronenberg movie out soon?

A shorter than average trailer, thankfully.

How about baseball horror: Clown in a Cornfield of Dreams

Who is Cyzer Söze?

The official beer of Gencon has been announced:

Thank Christ it's not another breakfast cereal beer such as Froot Loops Hazy IPA. Cyzer is apparently an apple ale which doesn't sound bad at all. Unless it is brewed with Apple Jacks...

Ghost sign - Madison

I heard tell of this ghost sign not far from my house last year. I think. Last week I finally took a stroll across the creek and got a photo of it.

"SHIP VIA .... SYSTEM"

If memory serves, someone did the Blade Runner image enhancement on it and surmised that it was "SHIP VIA GATEWAY SYSTEM". So I tried to do it for myself.

I think that person on Facebook(?) was right.

The critters of spring

It was a cloudy day so no Technicolor red. Still pretty, though. There was a blue jay nearby but I managed to only get out of focus photographs of its butt.


On a recent walk I spied a chicken in a neighbor's front yard that presumably did its best imitation of The Cooler King.


A red-bellied woodpecker has moved in down the block.

I visited my friend down in Illinois and got to spend time with Chom(p)sky! 

There are some plump robins around. I finally got a photo of one in focus.

Lots of mallards down at Starkweather Creek, as always.

"What are you doing, hoo-man?"


03 April, 2025

Alash @ The Bur Oak

Last weekend I went to see the Alash Ensemble down at The Bur Oak. It was a wonderful show with lots of songs about horses and mountain ranges. Someone captured a bit of it on their phone and has posted it.


Grackles, grackles everywhere!

Some scenes from spring '25.

While working one day, a Mourning dove decided to hang out on my neighbor's roof. Since I have a window seat when I work from home, I was able to get a photo.

On a rainy day our neighbor's trees were full of grackles and had strong vibes of The Birds. They took turns zooming down to our feeder for a nosh.

A Leaning Tower of Pisa tree down at the park.

On a recent walk along Starkweather Creek, I found that the trees were full of grackles. 

The gardens on Hargrove Str. looked ready for sowing. Mostly.

Also seen on my recent stroll along Starkweather Creek: mallards.

As a muskrat was truckin' along, some painted turtles took in the sun.

A sandhill crane at the Voit Farm.


TA-Day!

Madison, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't have a broadcaster with an instantly recognizable catchphrase. When you hear "Good night and good luck" you know you're listening to Edward R. Murrow; when you hear a guy yell "Holy cow!" you know you're listening to Harry Caray. "Good night and may your god go with you"? Dave Allen.

Well, Madison didn't have such a broadcaster - until recently.

Bianca Martin is the host of City Cast Madison and, although I don't listen to it very often, her opening "TA-day!" is always a Midwestern comfort to my ears. It is becoming, if it is not already, iconic in these parts. Well, to my ears, anyway.

One word for craft brewers

CORIANDER

Leipziger Gose is such a tasty beer. Let it warm a bit and the coriander really shines.

Locally, outside of Delta Beer Lab, it's nigh on impossible to find a non-fruited gose. Skip the lime and let the spice flow!

02 April, 2025

Another imperial pilsner

The imperial pilsner is having a micro-moment, it seems.

New Glarus recently released one and now Lake Louie has their own take.

A bit less potent than New Glarus', a rich, biscuity malt foundation sounds tasty.

01 April, 2025

Coming soon: 29 March 2025

Trailers seen at a screening of Mickey 17 at Point.

Sinners looks like it could be fun but otherwise some pretty lackluster trailers.


 
 
 

 

The Wolf Has Survived

For reasons unknown, a few days ago I just got the urge to listen to Los Lobos, specifically "Reva's House". Kiko is a great album, Los Lobos are underappreciated geniuses of American music, and I am pissed that I keep forgetting to buy tickets early to their shows at the Stoughton Opera House and so keep missing them.

They'll be at the Big Top Chautauqua up in Bayfield on 23 August.

"Two Janes" is such a beautiful song. 

You can hear me scream on this.

Orange Man threatens Ice Age Trail

The Trump administration's efforts to downsize the Federal government are threatening Ice Age Trail projects. The Wisconsin State Journal has an article about this but it's behind a paywall.

It apparently notes that the National Park Service office for the Ice Age Trail has had its staff reduced from 7 to 4 and that the Ice Age Trail Alliance hasn't gotten $600,000 that the National Park Service had earmarked for them.

To find out more, I asked a co-worker who is a member of the IATA, at least I think he is. He gives them money and volunteers for them, at any rate.

He said that, generally speaking, money from the NPS goes to infrastructury things like boardwalks and porta potties while a small amount is used to provide a modicum of food for volunteers working on the trail. In addition, he noted that volunteers who go out to clear the trail with chainsaws do so while covered by an NPS insurance policy and now volunteers are unsure if that's still the case.

It's a hardball world. We've gotta keep our heads until this DOGE craze blows over. In the meantime, donate to the Ice Age Trail Alliance, if you can.