…seems to be my modus operandi, or perhaps my magnificent obsession. But when you have to do a daily blog, you need a crutch.
Anyway, windy and warm, very warm, unseasonably warm, but still pleasant. Except for the stink bugs and ladybugs who suspect less favorable conditions are on the way, and are invading the house.
And remember, a barometer (mine is holding steady) is an ingenious device that reveals the kind of weather we are experiencing.
No clouds, no wind, no rush, and, so far, no watching the news. Pleasant weather—pleasantly warm while pleasantly cool.
A fine old maple on Park Street
Some glacial erratics at the edge of the prairie
Here’s a link to a short video of the Nies cottage on Pickerel Lake in the Harrison Hills.
https://youtu.be/-6menQ99nps
…after a slight detour on the way home.
…on Tuesday. Back roads up to Ironwood, then over to Gogebic, and then back to the cabin on Highway H, the most beautiful of all.
And then a thunderstorm tonight.
Treetops dancing, a few big limbs dropping (not right here), leaves whirling in showers.
Day’s big event a visit to an old-growth forest, just a few miles west of here.
How fine to be in the presence of such great trees. And to imagine that this is the way it was all across Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
…up Flambeau way.
…just fine. Chilly, gray, damp days are okay after a long hot summer.
A good day for reading, leisurely dog walks, and trying to cook something new.
Just not quite all the way yet.
Frost advisory, but some recent cloudiness could cancel that.
Visit to the flowing well, and then the forest preserve. Seven mile bike ride back, headwind all the way.
At the forest preserve we noticed lots of galls on the young oaks. Caused by a wasp.
Pressed just a few days ago at a local orchard, unpasteurized, and already fizzing. Totally tasty.
You know it’s good when you can’t see through it.
A wind from the north shouldering its way around corners and through trees still laden with leaves, but bringing cool air clear as bells, and blowing away the pollution still lingering from Trump’s performance at last night’s “debate.”
Great fun bike riding along trails, with the wind at my back, wheels crushing through windrows of the early deciduous.
Eating close to home tonight with local tomato soup, chicken, potatoes, and chard (though I’m not sure the chard is really edible).
Cool and mostly cloudy. Just a few cranes, but the migration seems to be starting.
Pax loves this weather. He’s been bouncing and running and reluctant to come inside all day. Rejuvenated. He could be the poster dog for climate change.
Among other things.
Sheltering under a bridge when the precip got too heavy.
Evening clearing just beginning.
…with just a little rain.
Could it be time to think about getting the storm windows out of the basement?
So What Do We Do About the Court?
For the sake of sanity let’s assume Biden wins and the Senate is flipped. What should we do then to redress the Trump/McConnell depredation of the Supreme Court?
1. Increase the number of justices.
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
2. Move aggressively to get statehood status for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
3. Establish term limits for justices.
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
4. Establish a program in which justices rotate on and off the court.
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
5. Implement a “strategic retirement” plan for liberal (fair minded) justices.
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
6. Follow racist, sexist, corporatist, or totalitarian court decisions with new legislation reestablishing justice (such as a new voting rights act).
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
7. Simply ignore racist, sexist, corporatist, or totalitarian court decisions (as Lincoln did after Dred Scott.)
A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
8. Vow to keep the White House in Democratic hands and to keep a majority in the Senate.
` A. Great idea
B. Okay
C. Nah
D. Bad idea
An autumnal wind swirling leaves from the locust…
…and brushing the tips of the sugar maples.
There’s a sense of anticipation in the atmosphere. Fall is coming.
All kinds of good food, conversation, even a little music.
Bean soup, tomato soup, cucumber tomato salad, sautéed bok Choy, grilled salmon, along with new potatoes, etc.
Shagbark hickory nuts, to be precise.
A pretty good haul. In hickory country a few weeks earlier than usual this year, which means I’m moderately competitive with the squirrels. A couple of windy days have also helped by shaking some nuts loose before the rodents got to them. It also seems to be a low year for the weevil population—only one of all I’ve collected so far has exhibited a drilled hole.
Plan is to let these seeds stratify in the garage over the winter, and then plant them (squirrel proof) come spring. With luck I’ll have seedlings available in a couple of years.
Out and about. Not much time to think bloggish thoughts.
Do you recognize this gnarly person.?
The Whitewater Urban Forest Committee seems to be moving forward with my push to have an arboretum in Starin Park. Here are my suggestions for a Mission Statement and a List of Benefits:
The Arboretum at Starin Park
Mission Statement
The Arboretum at Starin Park exists to provide a beautiful, welcoming sanctuary for humans, trees shrubs, and wildlife. It is a place where people of all ages can come to connect to nature, learn about the environment, and study and practice stewardship. The Arboretum at Starin Park is dedicated to helping create a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world.
Benefits
The Arboretum at Starin Park will:
1. Facilitate restoration of the beauty, health, and diversity of the woodland at Starin Park, enhancing its role as a vital natural sanctuary.
2. Provide Whitewater(and the larger surrounding community) with an outdoor classroom and a related curriculum that connects kids to nature and teaches the fundamentals of ecology and stewardship.
3. Provide Whitewater(and the larger surrounding community) with a haven for adult environmental connection, learning and stewardship.
4. Provide ecosystem services—oxygen, shade, pollution reduction, urban cooling, wildlife shelter, etc.
5. Provide nature-related outdoor social and volunteer opportunities for adults.
6. Help, in a small way, with climate mitigation.
7. Serve as a museum of native Wisconsin trees and shrubs.
8. Provide a laboratory for arboreal research (and a potential nursery).
9. Bring visitors to Whitewater to experience a special natural area and to participate in programs and learning opportunities.
10. Bring recognition to Whitewater as the site of an internationally certified Arboretum, thus enhancing the city’s profile as a good place to live.
…and a beautiful one it was, too. The days are definitely getting shorter. Happy Equinox.
The walnuts are ripe
And, from the Hmong farmers at this afternoon’s market, a winter melon, which I have never heard of previous, and which I believe is a squash.
Time to vote. Ballots are here. We are about to fill them out carefully, sign them carefully (although Wisconsin does not do signature matching), have them witnessed carefully (by each other, and signed by the witness), seal them up in the official envelope, and then place them, carefully, in the election drop box at city hall.
Next step— make sure everyone in the known universe (with at least half a brain) does the same. It’s a simple choice between representative democracy and totalitarian dictatorship.
Here’s my latest “You Make The Call:”
Electoral College
Pop Quiz
(Do your best, but don’t worry, your answers might not count anyway.)
1. The Electoral College was thought up at the Constitutional Convention to appease the big eastern states.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
2. How many Electoral College votes does it take to win the presidential election?
A. 250
B. 270
C. 295
D. 300
3. How many candidates have lost the majority of the popular vote but still ended up being president?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6
(Extra credit if you can name them. Send in your answer to get a chance at winning
a secret decoder ring—no boxtops necessary.)
4. The Electoral College favors voters in small and rural states.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
5. Wyoming gets one Electoral College vote for roughly every 160,000 residents. California gets one Electoral College vote for roughly every ______________ residents.
A. 560,000
B. 625,000
C. 715,000
6. Wisconsin gets ________ Electoral College votes.
A. 6
B. 8
C. 10
D. 12
7. The Electoral College is racist in that it dilutes the votes of African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans (who tend to live in cities and more populous states).
A. Agree
B. Disagree
C. Not sure
8. Trump could lose the popular vote by three to four percentage points and still have a chance of winning reelection.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
9. A presidential election decided by the popular vote might help to improve our rancid politics.
A. Agree
B. Disagree
C. Not sure
10. Theoretically, a Republican Party with the incentive to compete for votes in California and New York because of a national popular vote, might be less tempted by white nationalism.
A. Agree
B. Disagree
C. Not sure
11. A majority of Americans favor dumping the Electoral College.
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure
12. In 1969, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to establish a national popular vote for the White House. Nixon called it “a thoroughly acceptable reform,” but a filibuster backed by segregationist Southerners in the Senate killed it.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
13. A way to bypass the Electoral College and render it meaningless is something called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
14. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed bills pledging to support the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
15. On April 25, 2019, the National Popular Vote bill was introduced in Wisconsin but because of Republican opposition it has not passed.
A. True
B. False
C. Not sure
Small birthday party in Cedarburg.
