indoor fun.

We were planning on going to watch a high school age robotics competition at UW Madison today - but the weather was just blech. Really really cold, raining, wind advisory windy. None of us really felt like walking through all of that from parking garage to far away buildings. So, we had a family vote - and after lunch we hit the road for some indoor fun instead. Mini Golf!



We had the place practically all to ourselves (spring break around here is next week). It is a great spot - with water features & traps, boats, slides, blacklights, basketball, stairs, ramps, tunnels -- all in a Madison theme.



We played golf followed by some skeeball and air hockey. We then grabbed a snack and sat at the window in the cafe to watch the crazy adults who were trying to play mini golf OUTSIDE in 40º weather. In the rain. With 35+ mile per hour winds. Yep. Only in Wisconsin.



Even Brice had some sliding action. Woo hoo! Perfect for a dark cold Friday.

Happy weekending everyone!

.

corner view :: wisconsin

This week the corner view is "out your back door or window"

We live in a 'green' neighborhood, which is designed to have small yard spaces with houses close together to minimize the stereotypical American wasteland of chemically induced water sucking unnaturally green untouched lawnscapes ;) and promote community. The plus is we get to know our neighbors -  people naturally congregate and children play in the carriage lane every evening during decent weather -  and we know just about everyone on our block.

Sooooo, out the back we have a small hill to a carriage lane (with garages)...and our small yard is on the side in between the houses. We have torn out a good percentage of our limited grass to grow flowers, vegetables, fruit, and provide habitat for our urban wildlife friends.

The top image is of our deck with a gazebo to give us some shade. We spend a lot of time there...and grow many herbs and veggies in pots. From the deck we have a square garden plot, tiered down to lemon balm and spearmint bushes, and a raised bed full of strawberries and raspberry canes next to a mini rain garden.



An up close view of what we see out our back door? So much is blooming right now - lilacs, mock orange bushes, viburnum. Raspberries are starting to fruit, strawberries are ripening, tiny tomatoes and peppers adorn the small late spring plants which will expand to take over all available space, garlic and shallots are getting so big, carrots are looking ferny, and birds bathe and eat and sing all day long.




The robins love our strawberries as much as we do, so every morning we go out to see if we can pick the ripe ones before they do!

Too see all of the other backdoor views around the world this week, visit:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, doobleh-vay

view from the top.

Today was cold, gray and wet. Before the weekend cold front we got out to enjoy a warm summery day. We were coming home from a garden center with a flat of prairie plants for our new mini rain garden behind our house. From a distance we saw the ferris wheel and knew we had to stop for a bit to wander the fair. It was the perfect day to be outside.


I'm afraid of heights, but hey, part of living and growing is confronting your fears, right? If I can chant my way through an MRI in a tiny tube, I can take pictures hands free while at the top of a spinning rocking metal contraption! ;)



Of course the boys were oblivious to my sweaty palms. They just thought it was fun and that there was a great view from the top. Oh, and that sign down there says 'cotton candy'...can we get some??

corner view:: cityscapes madison wisconsin

This weeks corner view is :: cityscapes. The challenge was to go to the highest place in your town and take a picture.

While my city is pretty small (200,000), it is very spread out. The downtown is on a very narrow isthmus flanked by student rental housing on one end, and the university campus on the other. The Capitol building is right in the center of that, and all buildings downtown must be shorter than the Capitol, so that it is always prominent. That makes for a pretty small downtown skyline! My husband and I moved here from urban Chicago and I have lived in a few big cities, so this downtown doesn't really seem urban to us. My neighborhood actually does have one of the highest points in my city, I believe, and so the view above is from our hill.


I thought about going downtown to get a photo from a high point there, but we like going downtown about as much as we like cleaning the garage, so my photos are from afar! The bottom image is the city skyline from a small boat launch/fishing spot just across the lake. Ahhhh.

To visit cityscapes around the world be sure to visit everyone participating in Corner View::

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie,esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch,c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise,cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari,jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin,otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina,april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty,
desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee

corner view wisconsin:: coffee

The corner view this week is coffee. I love coffee - I could sniff beans all day long. That said, about two months ago I 'gave up' coffee. I was a few pots of espresso a day person, who was still exhausted and easily irritated. Ahem.


My acupuncturist along with a bazillion other people recommended that I stop the coffee to see if it would help with a few things. So I did. And it did. And I've spent the past two months drinking green tea. Now, I'm not a cookie monster kind of coffee drinker...you know what I mean, if you even so much as MENTION coffee I go berzerk and rush down the road ripping cardboard cups out of peoples hands shrieking must consume coffee NOW. Not that bad. So yes, I have had a coffee here and there since I 'quit'.

I must out myself now, then. My husband and I are not really average coffee drinkers here in the US. First, we prefer to buy fair trade coffee (better for people). Shade grown is good (preserves habitat). Organic is nice (better for everything). Local roaster is wonderful (good for community). For me, the darker the roast the better. We drink it with either fresh milk we pick up weekly from a local farm, or, as a special treat, hemp milk. I do love the blackest espresso without anything in it but a bit of cane sugar. Mmmmm. My husband even has what I call his 'whizzy whizzer' (oh, but he refers to it as a MILK FROTHER...uh, whatever Mr. Whizzy Whizzer! ;)) Coffee is definitely something to be savored and enjoyed in this house, no matter what you use to make it.


Most people around Madison are perfectly happy with whatever comes in a cardboard or styrofoam cup at a fast food drive through, or that they brew at home using one pot insta-bags of coffee that comes in a can. To each their own! Of course we do have lots of chain coffee joints, local chains, and many wonderful local cafe's serving coffee from local roasters, and there are indeed many people in my city who wouldn't miss their morning cup at that local cafe for the world...and I love hanging out at a cafe with my family, puttering a morning away.

Jane at Spain Daily had a great idea to answer some questions this time around too, so we can find out more about all of these diverse cultures around the world.



How do you say, "two coffees with milk" in your corner? Hey, it´s up there with "please," "thank you," and "toilet?" (Or in your dream vacation spot.)

Um. Two coffees with milk.

What are the most popular ways to drink coffee?

I think most people around here like coffee with cream and sugar. Frou frou is the double shot iced skim no whip with energy mocha. raw sugar, please.

How do you take your coffee?

See above.

French press, percolator, espresso, or other?

I have a french press. I have an espresso maker.

Are you a dunker?

Oooh.

What was the funniest topic of conversation over a recent cup of coffee?

Looong story (involving the whizzy whizzer, of course).

(Dunker = to dip (bread or other food) into a drink before eating it.)

Visit the Corner View around the world::

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty

corner view:: the great outdoors

The corner view for this week is The Great Outdoors. We have long cold winters here in Madison, WI, so spring is a very welcome time, and most people love to get OUT.


For us, we prefer being outside as much as we can, and while we do live in the city of Madison and are close to a vibrant urban area, we prefer being in the woods, near the water, or on a farm.


Madison is on an isthmus - a very narrow one - flanked by two large lakes. We have many lakes and rivers throughout our area as well. Our city has many parks, with prairie, wetlands, and forest. A lot of the more rural area is agriculture, but lovely parks are tucked in all over.


Being on the edge of the city, we are close to interesting neighborhoods and of course the lakes. But we are also just minutes away from farmland and narrow rural roads. It is nice to have easy access to both.


We love to take nature walks often, work in our garden (s), visit farms, ride our bikes, play outside, go to the beach, and find new places to explore. This summer we plan to go camping and have a few rural trips planned.


Visit Jane at Spain Daily to view her corner of the world...and then visit what the Great Outdoors looks like all around the globe:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina

exploring on a rainy day.

We had such a rainy weekend that we had to put aside all of our big yard and garden plans and go with the flow. On Sunday we decided that even though it was cool, gray, rainy and more storms were on their way, that we wanted to get OUTSIDE!!! So we packed up the rain gear, boots, snacks and GPS and headed out to a local state park. We love this park because it has prairie, woods, beaches and is right on the big lake here in Madison, yet feels remote (you can see downtown wayyyy across the water).


The boys were so happy to get outside - and after so much record-setting rain there were TONS of earthworms out. They counted, relocated, and looked at worms before heading down to the beach. We skimmed rocks, found walking sticks, dug in the sand, and ... plotted our location in the GPS as we went (starting with the car).


After an hour or so at the beach, we wandered along the lake and connected with a nice wooded trail. The ground was wet, but the rain had (temporarily) stopped, so we were able to see so much along the way. The boys found caterpillars, flowers, green thick wet moss, fresh animal tracks and many familiar trees and plants.


We had the trail all to ourselves since we were about the only ones out in that weather. The birds were the loudest creatures around - so busy overhead - and we saw woodpeckers, bluejays, red winged blackbirds, and so many more busily collecting bits and building nests. The air smelled amazing, and we wandered and explored for a long time.


We continued to mark out position as we went along the trail, and could track ourselves on the GPS along the way...the boys loved stopping here and there to check how far we had gone!


After a few hours of exploring we were finally ready to head back. The boys held the GPS, and watching the position as we walked, they oriented themselves towards the first coordinate marked on our path, and found their way back to the car as we followed right behind them! Super fun. And a great day to be outside enjoying the weather.