Wisconsin's Tornado Alley

Wisconsin has not had a tornado for over a year and a half but if we did have one chances are Columbia County would not be the place it occurred.  We're pretty safe.

Oh Columbia County has more then many counties but compared to Dane County and Dodge County we not even close.

In the last 169 years Columbia County has had 38 tornadoes compared to Dave (75) and Doge (60).

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Mark June 7th on your calenders! 

Friday Night Out in Downtown Columbus - On June 7, 5:30pm-7:30pm the City’s Economic Development, Library and Recreation Departments are hosting Friday Night Out in Downtown Columbus and the Library lawn. The purpose is encourage Columbus families to help celebrate the end of the school year by coming to downtown Columbus and patronizing downtown businesses.

Friday Night Out will also feature:

· Free ice cream cones for the kids (courtesy of Snak Shack)

· Columbus Popcorn Wagon popcorn

· The New Columbus Hot Dog Cart

· Sign Up for the Library Summer Reading Programs

· Sign Up for Summer Recreation Programs

· Specials and Discounts at Downtown Restaurants and Businesses

The group Stage Hogs will be playing at Hydro Street Brewing Company, starting at 8pm. Please join us in Columbus!

Speaking of Hydro Street - I've been hearing more and more great things about the food and beer.  I believe the shake down cruise is over.  Like all new restaurant/brewery's there is that transition period (Ale Asylum is going through one right now) with new equipment, new cooks and so forth. Like the Daytona 500, it takes a couple laps to get up to speed! 

WELL - I was talking to a Columbus personality (who shall remain nameless) yesterday and he said "I have eaten a lot of white fish in my life and Friday night at Hydro Street I had the best White Fish I have ever had.  

DJ LOVES Aaron's Cinnamon Brown Ale and said "This is going to sound weird but that was the BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwich I have ever had".    Personally I love their Beef and Beer Sandwich and those chips are GREAT now.
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So I've been reading Europe 101 - History and Art for the Traveler by Rick Steves (I'm a Rick-nik) and Gene Openshaw.  WONDERFUL book, very entertaining.

I'm up to Rome now and amazed (again).  Did you know there were 200 Colosseum's in the Roman Empire?   Not just one. There was only ONE called "The Colosseum" which came from the word "colossus" a 100 foot tall bronze gleaming statue of Nero at the front entrance. 

I also did not know that there was a canvas awning that stretched over the Colosseum.  It was the first domed stadium.  All of the daily entertainment and slaughter was free. 


I also thought Hannibal,Elephants and the Punic Wars were fascinating. In fact Hannibal and his 50 War Elephants reminded me of the WWII invasion of Europe.  Same strategy.  Take the long route.  

Hannibal took 50 War Elephants and 50,000 men and marched 1,200 miles across the Alps and as Rick Steves says "forcibly penetrated Italy from the rear".    

From what I read War Elephants did quite well.  Sort of like when tanks were used for the first time in WWI.  The Romans had this WTF?  OMG! moment.  Horses would run away.  

Yea - it was cruel to elephants (they came out of the fights much better then the humans) but so was building the transcontinental railroad  to horses.  Humans are not kind to work animals normally.  

Hell - look at the Audubon Society and John James Audubon the founder.  

How do you think he was able to draw all of those fantastic birds!   HE KILLED THEM FIRST and then stuffed and posed them. 

In the late 1890s 5 million birds a year were being killed for the fashion industry.  One store in New York had 2,600 Robin carcasses used for the feathers.   

Harriet Hemenway, President Theodore Roosevelt started a campaign to stop this butchering and laws were passed.

ANYWAY - I digress. 

Enough! 

cheers
Rod

Storms and taking photos of . . . EVERYTHING

WELL NOW - we had damage INSIDE the house yesterday.

Josh, Jenny and the kids were over grilling out yesterday and the storms were coming. We have all the iPads with live radar working and as the storm neared I was out on the deck watching the darkness arrive.

Josh comes out and we're looking and Sydney is running around the deck.

I say, "LISTEN, you can hear it!"  Jenny, inside looking out, says "what can you hear" and I say "you can hear the gust front" and I point.  Jenny from inside the house says "I don't hear nothin!".  At that second Josh swoops baby Syd into his arms and starts to move towards the house while I continue to point and yell LOOKIT!!.

Flying plant

BAM - a wall of wind hits us and a plant INSIDE the house lifts up, spins around and is literally spraying dirt all around the kitchen landing 5 feet away.  Of course Josh and I squeal like little girls at how exciting this is while baby Syd is FREAKING out.

Crazy wind that registered at 48mph on my wind gauge.  The one storm dumped 0.25 inches of rain and the temperature dropped 21 degrees in 10 minutes. 
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This is what a cow looks like JUST before he licks your lens!

More on that later.

I picked up Elwood from Madison and stopped at Eddies for a Nitro Stout and some burgers with the plan to get some yard-work/landscaping done.   We had a task list of things to do (we do that).

The big project was to remove a Juniper from in front of the house.  McKay does some good things and some things that just do not work out well and the Juniper just looked ugly.

We  had a few beers to prepare for hard labor and then one or two more to hydrate ourselves properly.

But before that we "went to work" we did a few tiny things like look in awe at our Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum).   ANYWAY - it's never gotten this tall, 14+inches!

Sweet Woodruff - Galium odoratum

Sweet Woodruff - Galium odoratum

And we marveled at how some Georgia Blue ( Veronica peduncularis) was now blooming

Georgia Blue ( Veronica peduncularis)

And I can't remember what this is but we call it erosion control as it sucks up amazing amounts of water.

And finally the EAST side of the house is starting to take shape.

So - after contemplating life we started to dig up the Juniper which was harder AND easier then we thought it would be.   After chopping off all the branches it looked like it would be easy.  BUT once we started digging the roots were crazy thick.

We got it, collapsed and decided to have a beer.

Here is the thing - the NEXT day, DJ and I did more work Sunday morning the Elwood and I did all day Saturday.   GO FIGURE!!

Actually while I mowed the lawn (longest it had ever been I believe) DJ did the clean up of the front to perfection.

HINT - anyone that does yard work GET GLOVES.  Seriously, it really makes the jobs much more fun.  DJ will attest to that.  When I started working I got gloves and WOW - what a difference.  Then I told Elwood and he said he did not need gloves as he did not mind dirty hands.  I said that was not why.

A month later Elwood had gloves and  WOW, what a difference "this is amazing" he said!!  It's just knowing that there us nothing that will puncture your skin, no tiny sliver, no reason NOT to stick your hand deep into he dirt.

Now we can start improving and rearranging the front yard. 

DJ did a GREAT job.

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Back to cows.

We took a side trip looking for photos and came accross this barn near Marshall.

There is a woman who's job, for the Library of Congress (I guess, is to take photos of . . . everything. Americana sort of stuff.  I'm thinking I should do that around here.  The reason is that you never know when something will go away.  For instance - she took a glamor shot of that giant cowboy down in Texas (some University) and 2 weeks later it burned down.

SO - I begin. 
  

Have a cheery week and be glad you do not golf in league on THURSDAYS! LOL  AGAIN - Thursday will totally suck!  Fourth week in a row.

Rod

A few photos!

A couple photos before I start to do some framing in prep for a Wine and Art Walk Thursday Night in Sun Prairie. 

Last night a storm moved through south of Columbus around sunset and Facebook lit up with photos!    Here is one I got from our deck and yes, they were that color. That is why everyone was out of their houses look up!

Those are mammatus clouds.

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Then there is this little building between Beaver Dam and Minnesota Junction!   Yea - DJ and I had a WTF? moment and I had to pull over.

WHAT??  are we in Westeros?

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I've been thinking about how long the United States will be around.  Seriously.  No one can really think The U.S. is here permanently can they?   I mean civilizations come and go.

I've been reading the history of Civilizations and I gotta think that America is just another passing Civ.  We might be around for another few hundred years but not many civilizations make it past 1000 years and if they do the last few hundred years are all downhill.

Just sayin.
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OK - work to do - cheers