Making Ends Meet - Updated To Include Disclaimer
*BIG PUBLIC NOTICE - I am informed that the Mothership is receiving 'salvos' of feedback from several places that either believe this blog post is real or are not finding the humor in it. Therefore, in the interest ot avoiding any public unrest I've been asked to disclose that this is satire and an April Fools prank.
Can't anybody take a joke anymore?
Reader writes "you've been gamed"
A reader wrote to chastise me for allowing folks to “smear” Kathy Ehley. Because no one stepped in to denigrate Pete Donegan, that’s the effect of the uneven response, he said.
I don't think I allowed anyone to smear anyone, but the reader deserves a response.
The unbearable blandness of research parks
"I'm dirty; it's okay to jump on me," I say as we cross paths with the man and the black lab. He looks at me astonished and I realize what I have said.
I am of course referring to his dog, who moments before he had warned against doing any such thing.
My boon companion Idgie is on her leash, having been a rather bad dog, by which I mean having been fully true to her doggy nature. Leaping two four-foot orange plastic landscape fences in a single bound, she'd gone exploring in the almost-like-a-real-pond retention pond and would not return.
I'd panicked when she disappeared from sight. Could she drown there? I was of course forgetting that she can easily swim across medium sized lakes, though her lack of any lab-like genes makes her indifferent to the act. Eventually we reconnected--after I'd mucked through the swamp on the one day I hadn't bothered to wear my beloved Farm-N-Fleet rubber boots, and I'd clamped on the lead.
Idgie, like the black lab, was dirty, which meant she was happy.
"I'm dirty; it's okay." That's my motto for today. Monday night I had listened to the inspiring Cornel West at UWM remind us that this business of life is all about funk, to get into it and be it. Work and life are both a little funky in the process.
I'd been planning to walk with Idgie through the Milwaukee County Research Park. Since I'm looking for jobs, why not start where I already am, I reasoned. A mile and a half down the road and I don't have a clue what's there, though the buzz words "research" and "innovation" are always glued to any statements about the place. Got some experience with both of those, I figured.
But somewhere near the intersection of Innovation and Discovery, I realized I did not want to get out of the car into the field of building with no distinguishing characteristics after building with no distinguishing characteristics. And aside from a Children's Hospital System building, hardly a business name to be seen on the identical doors until you get to GE Medical, which not only claims itself but has some design chutzpah and a piece of sculpture in front.
I haven't seen a GE ad in awhile, but since they all start with "black belt in six sigma," I'm out of the running anyway. Later, I'll look at the research park website to see what's behind all those blank building faces. But it's hard to imagine working there. Something about the relentless anonymity and sameness of the place. . .
We walked instead in the place slotted to become another research park, Innovation Park. The word "innovation" used to be followed by "incubator" in the marketing materials for such places, but now it's "accelerator." I guess everything is moving at warp speed now, and the leadership of UWM gives it some claim on the fancier, faster term.
"Openly practicing medicine" revealed, "scandalous material" concealed
This is a tale of two sets of records, one released and one sealed.
The headlines read 20 doctors disciplined for sick notes and Bishops’ testimony to remain sealed. You probably know the cases—the first, doctors who scribbled health excuses for protesters in Madison in February 2011, the second, the sexual abuse testimony of Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese past leaders in a current bankruptcy trial.
Dates You Can Use
Registration for some classrooms is still going on at Wauwatosa Catholic School for the 2012-2013 school year. Call 414-258-9977 for details, ask for Kathy. Below are the upcoming dates for some very busy months yet ahead for this very successful year. ******************************************************************
Meet Frank
The Door County Fish Farm and Game Club does much to promote the rich heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping on the peninsula. For instance, last weekend I walked to the other side of the road to congratulate a youngster who had traversed the field with a big old gobbler slung over his shoulder. I heard the single report of a shotgun only thirty minutes earlier. The answer to the Ford pick-up materializing on the shoulder of the road before sunrise was revealed. He had been hunting with an adult mentor during Wisconsin's youth hunt.
And he had a smile on his face a mile wide.
Spring Cleaning Feels Good
There is something about spring that motivates me. Things are warming up, color is returning, and the hibernation sluggishness begins to wane. The increasing energy makes me look around and take notice of all of the things that accumulate and fill various nooks and crannies around the house, garage and yard. Piles of unread magazines, paperwork and mail need to be dealt with; unnecessary boxes clutter up the garage; faulty Christmas decorations and a broken bird feeder need to be repaired or thrown out; and fallen branches and litter caught in the bushes need to be cleaned up. Sure, it takes some effort, but it sure feels good to eliminate them from my to-do list, and things just shine and sparkle a bit more!
Trees, too, require a spring cleaning. They naturally accumulate clutter from years of growth and hardship. Insects attack, weaken and kill branches. Fungal diseases kill some limbs and internal decay fungi weaken many more, leaving them vulnerable. Storms cause some branches to split or crack, providing even more opportunities for fungi and insects. Growth within the tree is often crowded or misdirected, causing weakness and vulnerability. Too much shade from nearby canopies causes branches to die. Dead branches attract insects, and the resulting decay will spread fungi deeper into the tree.
Our Certified Arborists expertly employ the ANSI A300 pruning standard for this kind of clean up. It is called Crown Cleaning and is aptly named. We recognize and clean out the branches that have various fungal canker diseases starting, while we watch for and remove damaging insects. Understanding tree structure and biology enables us to make good decisions about which branches detract from structure or health. Storm damage is detected and removed. Intensity of pruning corresponds with specifications for each tree, based on the dimensions and health of each branch.
Trees improve so much from the cleaning! Pruning diseased, damaged or inferior branches leaves the tree healthier, safer, and more beautiful. Stress is reduced, and value and appearance are enhanced. Future growth is off to a better start and tree energy is reallocated to optimum growth and defense. Your tree can now yield all the benefits of shade and property enhancement for years to come.
Spring-cleaning is a necessary ritual that uplifts our spirits and improves our environment. It is a good time to assess our trees and get out the clutter that bogs them down. Our properties can then shine with pride!
Friday Morning Music
I'm off crooning the turkey love call while trying to bag this year's Thanksgiving Day wild, free-range, organically-grown and incredibly wiley, wild turkey.
The music is on schedule.
BBB Hosts Free Document Shredding Event This Weekend
BBB Helps Consumers Thwart ID Theft by Hosting
Free Document Shredding Event
ID Theft is Nation’s #1 Complaint to FTC, Grew 8 percent in Wisconsin last year
Going to the Dogs
It has been an interesting six months in my household.
Girlfriend became gravely ill with an auto-immune disorder immediately before last November's annual South Dakota pheasant hunt and male bondage weekend. What followed was a stint in canine ICU. For a short spell her survival was very much touch and go. Months of treatment with steroids followed.
10th Annual Pancakes With Mom Hosted By The Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers
The Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers are sponsoring the tenth annual "Pancakes with Mom" breakfast.
This year's event will be held on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2012 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at The Muellner Building at Hart Park, located at 7300 W. Chestnut St. in the city of Wauwatosa.
We will be serving all you can eat pancakes, Klement’s sausages and Starbucks Coffee along with juice, milk, chocolate milk, bottled water and fresh fruit.
There will also be flowers for Mom, music, balloons, games for the kids and raffle items! Come and meet the Klement’s Famous Racing Sausages!
In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we will have cake and a special gift while supplies last!
Tickets are available at the door and are $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children age 3-12, and children under age 3 are free.
Friday Morning Bert Kaempfert
It's the start of the weekend people.
When I was growing-up there was a thick selection of Bert Kaempfert albums in the file by the Hi-Fi.
Rocket Baby and the leavening power of yes
I’m not sure if it’s the sun and grand opening balloons or the incredible croissanty crispness of a perfect blueberry cheese Danish, but this morning’s trip to Rocket Baby Bakery did much to restore my dented hopefulness.
People sat on a bench outside, chatting and watching other people strolling about, getting their Sunday ham at Cranky Al’s across the street or just enjoying the day. The only thing marring the scene of a vibrant city street was the blank marquee at the Rosebud Cinema, and there’s reason to believe the lights will go on again there.
The Garden Chronicles
A couple-plus weeks ago I planted peas, spinach, beets and radishes. After basking in the glow of any number of 60-70 degree days I was gloriously optimistic about 2012 vegetable gardening.
Maybe too optimistic. Since then there has been cold and snow mixed with pelting cold sleet and rains and a few sultry and teasingly summer-like days.
Evergreen Disorder: Needlecasts
Hauntings and condemnations: the Eschweiler buildings
For more than twenty years you’ve been in love with the red brick ruins of the Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy on the Milwaukee County Grounds.
In a time of woeful, slapdash architecture, the peaked roofs and pleasing proportions of the Tudor Revival buildings delight your eye. A bookish person who doesn’t worry much about anachronism (and who does these days?), you imagine insane wives locked in the attics, former teachers scratching the blackboards at night with shivery ghost nails and hatching eternal torments for generations of unwashed, long dead, students.
Friday Morning Music
It's the start of the weekend people and time to put on your dancing shoes and get funky with this set by New Order...
Frank The Pheasant
Just a bit more than a couple of weeks ago I introduced you to our resident pheasant - Frank.
Since then a few of you have inquired about whether or not he's still around.
