Autumn Snacks

I was able to get out a bit more this week although I'm still worn out from this infernal virus, consarn it. 

I dropped by to chat with my neighbors but they were eating dinner

This looked better than what they were having

It's a kind of turtle 

You and me and a dog named Brie. Also seen among the cheese wheels

Stuck In Traffic

After reacquainting myself with my tripod which I found buried in summer gear under a lawn chair in the back of my car, I liked the point-and-shoot pics taken while stuck in traffic better.

The Minature Effect, I like the outer blur

The Toy Effect, but 57% of what?

These all scream cheating cheat cheater taking photos with tough camera art filters but this one is so Halloween and just down the road from Wisconsin Scaryland, formerly a Stop-N-Go

Mandatory Halloween photo: Whatever this is, I want two. A tennis racquet cover?

Do You Have Any Shoes?

It was a gorgeous day on Sunday and more like May than late September. So we aired ourselves out™ by traveling the scenic long way to The Shoe Box. The area was hit pretty hard by flooding a month ago and hundreds of shoes were lost. (No, not shoes!)

 It was, I have to say it, "One of the wettest the U.S. has ever seen from the standpoint of water."

Where there's a tent there's something on sale

Next time, it's the scenic short way. Or maybe I could just call and ask, "Do you have any shoes?" and "How do you get there?"

Built ten years after Friedrich Matz came back from the Civil War (1852), it burned down in 1949

We came up along 19 past Indian Lake and the Matz Farmstead. Matz mustered right here at Camp Randall. Go Badgers!

Frederich Matz traveled from  Landsendorf, Germany (population 130) to Milwaukee (600k)) to the Town of Berry, (1,188). Take that, people who call Milwaukee a small town. Go Brewers? They're an NL Wildcard team so okay, sure

Information about the Matz Farm was taken from the Historial Marker Database. Not permanently, I mean they can have it back.

While My Family Was Talking Halloween Edition

When the conversation turned to horse pasta which they allegedly make in our grandpa's hometown of Scala, Italy I turned to my point-and-shoot.

I have never figured it out how to win at Peg Solitaire at the Cracker Barrel (or anywhere else for that matter)

Am seriously thinking of getting the broom with the light up eyeball

I would so buy this kind of candy for Halloween if any kids ever came through the building

Falling Into Old Habits

Fall reminds me of Halloween which reminds me of candy which makes me think of the best place to find it.

Salt Water Taffy, Coconut Longboys, Black Jack Taffy, Root Beer Barrels, Brach's Jelly Nougats, Yoohoo Candy, Coconut Pillows, Bottle Caps and Red Licorice Laces

That place is B&B's in Montello although I hear Half Nuts (giggle) in West Allis is good. A quick look at their website makes me want to fall into old habits and review Kenny's Soda Pop licorice.

Yeah, that's a lot of candy, what, you expect me to name it all? The novelty candy is on the shelves to the left

We used to shove packets of Pop Rocks into our mouths on Christmas when my nephews were young and not so young. Hooray for the fun aunt

But meanwhile, I'm thinking about this for one of my October road trips.

Pretty much the same stuff as in the first photo plus Orange and Lime Slices, Caramel Salt Water Taffy, Vanilla Salt Water Taffy and Filled Red Raspberry Candy

Not to worry, I'm a bit like Santy Clause only loaded with sugar. I love making candy deliveries like this one to my Godmother who for some reason was trying on wigs (she has a full head of hair) when I stopped by last year.

Sunday Specials From The Heartland

The word, "Special" always catches my eye and all the extras on this menu intrigued me.

A baked half chicken with a vegetable, how bad can that be.

That's one big hunk o' warm homemade dinner roll. The chicken and dumpling soup was tasty and not loaded with salt so I was sure the chicken would be a healthier choice than my mother's French toast, sausage, and "eggs looking at you." That's how she ordered them, "Looking at you," I was impressed with the lingo.

Doh. At least there are carrots. Even the carrots have a little gravy on them.

Of course it comes with a dish of ice cream.

Equal Time For Eclairs

I think *my current obsession with eclairs from the Pine Cone Restuarant started with a Twitter comment to Deb's Random Writings. Is that called a twomment or a cweet? Figure that one out, Grammarly. (Grammarly corrected me when I typed in, "Grammerly.")

*my current obsession started six hours ago

Mosquito Expletive Sunset

The many pools of hopefully receding water have made this a top destination for mosquitos and too much time on my hands has made the University of Wisconsin's Department of Entomology pages a top destination for me.

Why did the sunset split in two again and didonejustflyinmymouth, didonejustflyinmymouth

Who needs a tripod—is that a mosquito or a bat?

This is better but where is my tripod, how many beach towels do I need in this car and why is this entire duffle bag full of beach towels? At least I didn't get any branches in the shot

Okay, wide depth of field, focus manually, all sunset, no bokeh and no mosquitos.
The next day all they found was a camera and a pile of hair

Boy Scouts, Pony, Pup and Pancakes

I can't for the life of me remember the name of this straw dog and pony show but have sent queries. What I haven't done is sort through dozens of flash and hard drives to find any notes I made about it, although I see I made a lame Godfather joke instead of writing the title in the caption two years ago.

How about Straw Dog, Hey, Horse! or Anyone For Tennis?

This week I'm struggling with finding something good to eat while welcoming the fall.

The tantalizing Norske Nook's Norwegian Pancakes with lingonberries was, surprise, very sweet

This tasted better for breakfast after I found it too sweet for dinner. The pancakes, I mean the pancakes.

scoutwithneckerchief pointed out that these guys were missing something

Art DTour

The Farm/Art DTour is one of my favorite things but they didn't have it last year and the year before my car plotzed en route.

The Red Piano I was talking about, Sallie

Sauk County was hit hard by flooding they haven't seen since 2008 and the Great Flood of 1993.

Two years is a long time to go without visiting farmland art installations and I'm knocking on swollen wood that Cha Cha (yes I named my car) and I will be getting lost in the enchanting fall air again this October.

These photos are from 2016 when I persuaded my cousin to drive me while Cha Cha was being shuttled from one incapable (keeping it clean) mechanic to another.

 We found this Red Piano at Ableman's Gorge in Rock Springs (still in the major flooding category).

Warning:  I got a virus after linking to the creators of the Red Piano at the Reedsburg ArtsLink. It happened when I tried to update Flash. It looks like Virus Scanner Plus fixed it and the Reedsburg ArtsLink home page is fine.

The Farm/Art DTour GoFundMe Page

Errands

I've been sick since the end of August with a cough and cold that's left me with two floors of tissues littering the carpet like roses.

I think the off-brand Dayquil I'm taking is responsible for the path of balled up tissues looking like white roses.

And it's still raining. I think it's been raining for three weeks but I'm not really sure because I've been too busy not sleeping and blowing my nose.

I've also been binge-watching My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It's times like this I wish I still had a pet that sleeps 16 hours a day.

I like the symmetry of getting obsessed with a show about obsession.

I had too many things that needed doing today so I punched my way out of my snot bubble and ran, rather schlepped some errands.

I was surprised to see how much the east side has been affected by the flooding. I don't know why I'm surprised because the only other thing I'm watching besides My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the news and the news here is all about the weather.

Apparently, the near and east side proper are mostly orange barrels and detours. 

A Few Things I've Retained Besides Water

💧The only lake level management tool currently available is cleaning debris and aquatic plants from the water
💧The streets were deliberately flooded to manage Lake Mendota 

💧Working for the Land & Water Resources Department might be the worst job of 2018

💧The Iron Man participants—aren't there women competing too, Iron People, Persons, Maiden, they're still touring? I need sleep—will have to swim in the always questionable waters of Lake Monona made more ambiguous by rain and flooding

💧Snakes in flooded areas are supposed to be common which makes me think I don't like snakes as much as I thought
💧Please stop sending in photos of snakes swimming down Main St. people of Sauk County

💦Added fun flood fact for Susie Mac, Lake Monona set a record this morning for being 10 inches higher than the 100 Year Flood level

Eehh, I can't even eat gummy worms now. Hopefully, I'll be able to sit up straight and drop by all my favorite blogs soon, meanwhile, binge-watching and Cheese Nips it is. Well, not cheese nips, but maybe I should take a bath.