Late Summer, or…

…is it early fall? In any case, lovely weather. Lovely weather, yes, but little in the way of accomplishment.

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Even loaded the bike on the bike rack and drove to a trail-head just to realize I’d forgotten my helmet.
Still and all, a ride around town, later, was not all that bad.
On our morning walk Pax and I visited an out-of-the-way spot of wildness on the edge of campus, between a cemetery and the utility plant. In what to me was waist high growth, Pax got on the scent of something and was off on the hunt—tail up, springing high and pouncing, just as quick and capable as ever.

Here’s a little Pax appreciation written a few days ago.
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Pax and I had a brisk walk to the post office this morning—at least as brisk as my stiff right leg would permit.

On familiar ground Pax likes to move, faster than I do. But, off the beaten path, he frequently pauses to consider things, to read the landscape, so rapid advances are interspersed with lingering pauses, which makes for erratic progress but provides respite for the leg muscles.

On some walks, both the brisk straight forward and the dawdling zig-zag give way to a more frenetic advance, and this means business. Pax is surprisingly modest in his dutiful behavior, always trying to get as far from observation as possible. Often, when he begins to tug, I let him off lead, and that sometimes makes it difficult to find the results of his exertions. In prairie or wood I don’t bother, figuring nature appreciates recycling.

On the way home from the post office this morning I let Pax decide the route, as I do on many walks. His way is not always my way, but who would like a life in which every decision is made by someone else? His directional decisions are not based on scenery or the amount of shade along the route, but rather on more subtle factors. However, we go, we always end up home, usually just about the same time we would have if I’d been steering.

Today thunder rumbled not long after our return, and then the rain came. Pax chose to leave it behind and shelter in the basement. Though I love weather, I refrained from pressing my opinion, and accepted his. At his age, and in appreciation of his many accomplishments, he is, I believe, entitled to manage his own time and make his own decisions.

Today he resurfaced just as the rain stopped, around 5 o’clock, which, by-the-way, happens to be his regular dinner time.

Pax has willingly accepted my mantra of ”freedom with responsibility.” He has lived up to it, and deserves recognition. What a dog.

Still Green

Rain last night, so summer continues. Soybean fields are beginning to yellow, and corn rows have brown tassels, while some have already been cut over by combine. Still, the grass around here has not yet gone dormant, and the garden is still growing.

Pink turtle head?

Pink turtle head?

Hickory nuts appear to be ripe. I’m trying to scavenge a few before the squirrels get them all.

Hickory nuts appear to be ripe. I’m trying to scavenge a few before the squirrels get them all.

Rainy Afternoon

Another surprise wet event. With a lively southerly blowing all morning I should have been able to anticipate rain, but the long spell of bright and dry threw me off. Wind Alert and other wind maps showed that Whitewater was at the convergence of this southerly flow and a north-westerly flow, creating a kind of trough. The disturbance kept generating itself right overhead, and resulted in quite a nice amount of precipitation.

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There’s noting quite like a rainy afternoon. The dimness and the susurration of raindrops on lilac leaves. Beethoven piano sonatas—Pathetique, Moonlight, Pastoral, etc. while trying to read Marcus Aurelius. All leading to a leisurely nap.
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Meditations
These two rules, thou must have always in a readiness. First, do nothing at all, but what reason proceeding from that regal and supreme part, shall for the good and benefit of men, suggest unto thee. And secondly, if any man that is present shall be able to rectify thee or to turn thee from some erroneous persuasion, that thou be always ready to change thy mind, and this change to proceed, not from any respect of any pleasure or credit thereon depending, but always from some probable apparent ground of justice, or of some public good thereby to be furthered; or from some other such inducement.

From Urban Forest Committee…

…to sandbox building.

Testing the layout prior to moving into place

Testing the layout prior to moving into place

The Whitewater Urban Forest Committee has suddenly become enamored of my idea of creating an arboretum in Starin Park, and today was the first meeting of the group—city, university, school district, neighborhood association. Rather fun to see a long held idea begin to take root.

When the meeting wrapped up, it was off to O’woc to help with sandbox construction, using the model developed at Flambeau. Everybody pitched in (although the girls did take some time to work on and present a dance routine). Now comes the sand shoveling!

Chiropractic on the Mindset

It’s been a gut-punch week in the annals of U.S. history—hurricane, fires, extreme heat, murder, protest, covid—all topped off with the blood-curdling abomination of the RNC.

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To try for a psychic realignment I, despite the heat, went for a long, non-high-speed ride all over everywhere. It helped a little.

The hoped-for change in the weather seems to have been delayed.

Change On The Horizon…

…and maybe even a thunderstorm. And cooler weather.

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I walked Starin Park again this evening, this time with another member of the Urban Forestry Committee, at his suggestion, because he is really interested in helping promote the idea of creating an arboretum in the park.
It was an interesting walk. I’ve met a few people who know more about trees than I do, but never anyone like him who knows everything about trees there is to know. Good guy, too, and valuable ally.

Out Of Nowhere

A perfectly phantasmagorical thunderstorm, unpredicted and unexpected. The whole house lit up by continuous, strobe-like lightning, brighter and brighter, with a slowly increasing, steady rumble, like a heavy freight train coming at you.
I unplugged the computer.
But then the rumble faded and the pulsing diminished.
Only to come back an hour later, this time with wind and rain. Quite a bit of rain, I think.
And so a light-show broke the drought.

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Desiccated…

…and very dry as well.

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Acorn shrapnel being dropped by the many squirrels enjoying our oaks

Acorn shrapnel being dropped by the many squirrels enjoying our oaks

Very hot and dry. Morning spent taking Pax to the vet in J’ville for a little more back-end or behind the scenes work. On the plus side, no big problems.

Having a little more free time, as a result of current conditions, I volunteered to help the grocery coop struggling to be born in WW. And, I was assigned to PR. Oh, well. Here’s my first puff piece:
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Whitewater Grocery Company Transplanting It’s HQ

by Jim Nies

GroCo is moving to new digs.

As the new UWW Community Engagement Center (CEC) has begun coming on line, and as the pandemic has forced everyone into a more virtual existence, it just made sense to the GroCo Board to take advantage of the new opportunity across town.

The new Community Engagement Center, in the former Sentry building, is designed to be a bridge between the university and the community. It will offer office space, meeting rooms, class rooms, a community board room, and even an art gallery. As life comes back to normal it will be a place of programs, workshops, and informational gatherings. 

According to Gina Elmore, UWW Human Resources Development Coordinator and manager of the facility, the CEC’s mission is to listen to requests from the community and then try to meet them. “It will be a place of collaboration, a bridge between communities. We want it to it to be the hub of people coming together,” she said.

Perfect place for a growing organization like GroCo, says Lacey Reichwald,  Whitewater Grocery Company Board President. 

A convergence of events—expiration of the lease at the Innovation Center, a need to go virtual for a while, and the opening of the CEC—all led to the decision to move.

For now, GroCo does not have physical office space, just storage space. But, as a member of the CEC, it does have access to all the other features of the facility, and these will be increasingly used as conditions permit.

GroCo has what’s known as a Community Organization membership, and will be sharing the CEC with other organizations, such as the Small Business Resource Center (SBRC).

There will be benefits to rubbing shoulders (touching elbows?) with other community organizations, like the SBRC) according to Reichwald. “We can collaborate on events and workshops for the community,” she says. It will permit a closer connection with UWW students and faculty. And, it will “definitely help us increase GroGo’s exposure.”

All of which promises to advance the time until the grand opening of Whitewater’s very own grocery store. 

Good move.

Remote County Park…

…on Turtle Creek, well southwest of here, found by random ramble on the way home from a Janesville errand.

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Here’s another You Make The Call
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Test your I-QAnon
True or False

T F  — QAnon followers believe that there is a secret cabal of evil people doing abominable things who control U.S. government and media.

T F  — This clique includes, among others, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George Soros, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres, Pope Francis, and the Dalai Lama.

T F  — QAnon followers believe that, in addition to molesting children, members of this group kill and eat their victims in order to extract a life-extending chemical from their blood.

T F — In 2016 QAnon claimed that Hillary Clinton was operating a child sex-trafficking ring out of the basement of a Washington, D.C. pizza restaurant. In December of that year a man who said he was on the hunt for proof of child abuse was arrested after firing a rifle inside the restaurant.

T F — QAnon is just a handful of wackos on the fringe of social media.

T F — One QAnon follower was arrested in April and accused of threatening to kill Joe Biden.

 T F — Several QAnon followers have been charged with domestic terrorism and planned kidnapping.

T F — The FBI says QAnon poses a domestic terrorism threat.

T F — According to QAnon, Trump was recruited by top military generals to run for president in 2016 in order to break up the cabal’s criminal conspiracy, end its control of politics and the media, and bring its members to justice.

T F — Nineteen Republican candidates who have embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory have secured spots on the November ballot.

T F — Recently Trump called QAnon follower Marjorie Greene, winner of a House primary runoff in Georgia, a “future Republican Star” and “a real WINNER!”

T F — When recently asked asked about QAnon, Trump did not question the truth behind the claims of the conspiracy movement. Instead, he offered his help, saying, “QAnon followers are people who love our country.”

When You Pray…

…move your feet. Heard that African saying last night, and liked it.

Tonight’s dinner—from the Farmers Market

Tonight’s dinner—from the Farmers Market

And, it is time to move.
As Michelle Obama said last night:
”We’ve got to vote early, in person if we can. We’ve got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow-up to make sure they’re received. And then, make sure our friends and families do the same.”

For those of us in Wisconsin, go to MyVoteWisconsin. Click on My Voter Info (gray box somewhat upper left) and check to make sure you are registered and that your address, and all other info, is correct. (Note: if you are not registered, register!) Then click on Vote Absentee (gray box somewhat upper right) to request a ballot be sent to you!

Do this no later than tomorrow sundown. Remind friends, family, neighbors to do the same. Spread the word on social media. We need to vote EARLY to clearly avoid the voter suppression onslaught that is coming after us. We need to vote as if our lives depend on it, because they do.