Wisconsin Alphabet

A is for Apples – Ripened and Round

B is for Barn – No Walls to be Found

C is for Chicken – A Scrap Metal Creature

D is for Dome – a Capitol Feature

E is for Elephant, at Milwaukee’s Zoo

F is for Freezing, and Ice Fishing, Too

G is for Goats; the Roof is their Dinner

H is for Harley, Our Blue Ribbon Winner.

I is for Ice Cream, a Treat at the Fair

J is for Junk, Piled High Everywhere

K is for Kale, Cabbage’s Kin

L is for Lady, the Snow Makes Her Grin

M is for Mailbox, Smashed by a Plow

N is for Nest, Tucked in a Bough

O is for Orchids, Botanical Treasures

P is for Pots, All Sizes and Measures

Q’s for Queen Anne’s Lace, White Flowers She Wears

R is for Rivalry, the Packers and Bears

S is for Sailing, Sunset is Nigh

T is for Trees, and a Train Rushing By

U’s for Umbrella, May Apples’ Rendition

V is for Vane, a Cow with a Vision

W’s for Wiener-mobile, An Icon that’s True

X is for eXercise, on a Bike with a View

Y is for Yellow, as Bright as the Sun

Z is for ZZZZs; My Work Here is Done.

It’s a Wrap on the Alphabet, the End of the Year.
Here’s to a Holiday Season, Filled with Good Cheer.

Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area who wasn’t busy enough during the Holiday Season, so she wrote an epic alphabet rhyme using 26 of the 9,000 photos she shot during 2008. To see more of her photos, visit her gallery at Seeded Earth Photography.

Take a Hike on the Shortest Day of the Year

This year the Winter Solstice is on Sunday, December 21st. This day has the distinction of being the shortest day of the year and also the longest night of the year. In Wisconsin, once we pass the 21st, we have the pleasure of seeing each day get a bit longer as each night grows a bit shorter.

I have always loved Dr. Seuss’s take on the passing of time:

“How did it get so late so soon?
Its night before its afternoon.
December is here before its June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?”
Dr. Seuss

The University of Madison – Arboretum is offering a special hike on the late afternoon/evening on Sunday. You can join the staff for a walk, presumably to watch the sun set. The hike is from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. However the weather forecast is predicting a fairly heavy cloud cover and light snows on Sunday, with highs about 17˚F, so you may not see much of a sunset. But if you bundle up – don’t forget your long underwear, mittens, and a snug hat – you’ll still have a great time. Dusk is a great time to see animals and birds, so be sure to keep your eyes and ears open.

The Arboretum is located just north of the Beltline (Highway 12) off the Seminole Road exit. There is a second entrance to the Arboretum, near St. Mary’s Medical Center, located at the intersections of North Wingra Drive and South Mills Street. A map from Google maps shows both entrances.

For further information, contact the Arboretum’s staff at (608) 263-7888 or check the Arboretum’s website.

On Sunday, Bo Mackison will be celebrating the return to lengthening days – every daylight minute counts. She plans to be at the Arboretum to take some wintry photographs. You can also see more of her winter photography in the Winter Gallery at Seeded Earth Photography website.

Photograph “Winter Freeze” © 2008 Bo Mackison, all rights reserved.

Madison’s Hilton Monona Terrace Offers Green Travel Package

The Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, just off the Capitol Square, offers a Travel Green package as part of its commitment to reduce their impact on the environment.

The package will be available January 1 through January 31, 2009, and may be extended. Features include a King size room for two guests, a bottle of True Earth White or Red Organic Wine, and breakfast in the Olive Restaurant. The offer also includes the book “It’s Easy Being Green,” by Chrissy Trask, a handbook for earth-friendly living and a canvas shopping bag.

For further information, contact the Hilton at 608-255-5100.

Travel Green Wisconsin GreenGuide Score: 56

Checklist Highlights/Innovative Practices:
— Organic and local food products purchased
— ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and computers
— programmable set-back thermostat and light/movement sensors for lighting

Website – www.hiltonmadison.com

A “Green” Holiday Tour at the Governor’s Residence

“I’m very happy to share the beauty of the Governor’s Residence [with the public] at this special time of year,” First Lady Jessica Doyle said as she greeted my daughter and me on our arrival at Wisconsin’s Executive Residence for the Holiday Public Tours. We toured the entrance hall, the formal dining room, reception room, living room, library, and sunroom, all decorated in traditional holiday style with poinsettias, wreaths and greenery.

However, the tour was not only special because the mansion was beautifully decorated for the season. While the six Fraser firs do add much greenery to the main rooms, they are not the only things that are “green” these days in the Governor’s home. The Executive Residence is now certified as a Travel Green Wisconsin site, and Vicki Heymann, Residence Director, gave details of the many changes the mansion has made to save energy, including new practices in holiday decorating.

One of the easiest ways to save energy – changing light bulbs to compact fluorescents and replacing tree lights with LEDs – have made a dramatic difference in the mansion’s electricity bills. Heymann reports that there has been over a thousand dollars savings in the last year.

The trees, six stately firs, are each decorated in a theme with a connection to Wisconsin.

“Buon Natale” highlights Wisconsin’s Italian heritage and is located in the dining room. It features ornaments of fruit, angels and candles and was created by the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee.

The “Tribute to our Troops” tree in the reception room honors Wisconsin men and women who have served or are serving overseas in the military. Families and friends have contributed over 150 ornaments to the tree, many featuring photographs of their loved ones.

Two trees decorate the living room. The “Bright Star” tree is decorated with ornaments made by 4th graders throughout the state. The ornaments depict many of Wisconsin’s more famous citizens including magician Harry Houdini, Olympic skater Eric Heiden, and Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar.

The “Made in Wisconsin” tree features original ornaments made by Wisconsin companies created to showcase their products and services.

In the Library, the “Deck the Hall” tree celebrates higher education in Wisconsin. Students in many of these schools contributed ornaments to honor some of their proudest accomplishments.

Finally, the “Giving Tree” occupies the sunroom. This tree has ornaments created by many of the charitable organizations that give to their communities and fellow citizens year round.

The Governor’s Residence is a truly lovely place to visit. The home was originally built in the 1920s and acquired by the state in 1949. The home, which has been home to 13 governors, is elegant, but in a simple and warm way. There are many items displayed in the rooms that give the home a Wisconsin flavor: the library holds books written by Wisconsin authors; an intricate musical instrument, a reed mouth organ called the Qeef, given to Governor Doyle on behalf of the Hmong community in Milwaukee rests on a library mantel; green and rust-colored stained glass art, crafted and donated by Eau Claire resident Steve Immerman, provides a visual connection from the exterior gardens to the interior living space.

This is definitely a place to put on your “to see” list, and the Holiday Tour provides a perfect opportunity with the bonus of visiting the mansion while it is dressed for the holidays.

The tour is free, but all visitors are encouraged to bring new or gently used children’s books that will be donated to state literacy programs.

The remaining schedule for the Holiday Tour is:

Tuesday, December 9, noon – 2 pm
Thursday, December 11, 10 am – noon
Saturday, December 13, noon – 2pm
Tuesday, December 16, noon – 2 pm
Thursday, December 18, noon – 2 pm
Saturday, December 20, noon – 2 pm

Tours are also offered on Thursdays from April through August.

The mansion is located on the northeastern shores of Lake Mendota in Maple Bluff. The address is 99 Cambridge Avenue. Enter through the main entrance. For further information or directions to the Governor’s Residence call 608-246-5501.

Travel Green Wisconsin Green Guide Score – 83

Checklist Highlights / Innovative Best Practices

–100% of light bulbs have been replaced with compact fluorescents and LED Christmas lights are used
— A recycling program is in place
— Local Wisconsin products and biodegradable products are purchased whenever possible
— Yard waste is composted; garden flowers are used for decorations in the mansion when possible; herbs and produce grown in vegetable gardens
–Staff and visitors are educated on how the Executive Residence is improving its environmental impact

Website: http://jessicadoyle.wi.gov/section.asp?linkid=440&locid=71

Photos and article by Bo Mackison who frequently travels throughout the state of Wisconsin, and loves to discover “green” places. See more Wisconsin photographs at Seeded Earth Photography. All photos © 2008 all rights reserved.

Olbrich Gardens Offers a “Greener” Experience

Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Madison’s East side provides a welcome diversion from snow and ice during Wisconsin’s winter months. Olbrich is well known for their outside gardens, but in winter, visitors can enjoy the indoor Bolz Conservatory, with 10,000 square feet of display space.

The conservatory is a glass pyramid, rising to a 50 foot center, and provides a tropical paradise filled with green foliage, bright orchids and flowering plants, waterfalls and koi ponds, even free flying birds. Pathways wind throughout the space, up and over bridges, along flowing streams, and on tiered paths that allow for a view of the entire conservatory. When it’s snowing outside, it makes a spectacular indoor walk. The temperature is always kept between 65˚ and 80˚F so be sure and dress accordingly.

Bolz Conservatory has an exhibit running currently through January 5, 2009 called Yesterday’s Plants, Today’s Energy. The exhibit presents information on the formation of coal from prehistoric ferns and mosses–plants that grew 290 million years ago to provide energy for us today. The exhibit shows the many steps it takes to turn plant material into coal over millions of years. It also makes the point that these fossil fuels will not be available for tomorrow’s energy needs, and discusses the need for alternative energy sources.

It is just one of the many educational programs Olbrich Gardens offers to inform the public about environmental issues.

The Conservatory is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday through Saturday, and from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Admission is free to Olbrich Botanical Members and children 5 and under. Free admission is also available to the general public on Wednesdays and Saturday morning from 10 am til noon. Otherwise, admission is $1. For further information, call the gardens at 608-246-4550.

Travel Green Wisconsin Green Guide Score – 83

Green Highlights and innovative practices

— Promotes sustainable Midwest gardening practices through example and education programs

— Staff Green Team tracks projects that have a positive impact on the environment

–Leaves are recycled into mulch for the gardens and public use, showcased in an educational campaign that promotes the energy-saving benefits of this practice

–Award-winning renovated Garver Cottage maintains historic architecture while applying principles of sustainable design

Website — http://www.olbrich.org/

Photo and article by Bo Mackison, who spends many wintry days snug in the tropical gardens in the Conservatory. To see more Wisconsin photos, including the Winter Gallery, visit Seeded Earth Photography. Photo “Red Coil Plant, Bolz Conservatory” © 2008 all rights reserved.

Last 2008 Farmers Market on the Square, But it’s Not Really Over

We went to the Dane County Farmers’ Market early this morning. Rewarded for our efforts, we came home with the quintessential cheese curds made that very morning, a colorful mix of purple, yellow, blue, and white potatoes, ground emu meat, and parsley pine-nut pesto. A good haul, but it wasn’t a pleasant stroll around the Capitol Square as usual. After all, we’re in the second week of November – it was cold and snow flurries were spewing from the gray clouds. It only makes sense that this is the last market on the Square for 2008. But wait!

Unlike in the earliest years of the market, this doesn’t mean the end of Saturday morning forays to visit the farmers and survey their goodies. The market moves inside next week, none too soon for my way of thinking. After all, while I love the market, I’m not fond of getting frozen fingers checking out the produce.

The indoors market opens next Saturday, November 15, and continues weekly through December 20th. The hours are shorter than in the summer – from 7:30 am to noon. It is held at the Monona Terrace, just a few blocks east of the summer location.

There is plenty of variety available, even in the colder months. Fruits such as apples and pears are available, plus apple cider, and apple and pear butters. Stored vegetables will include carrots, garlic, potatoes, and turnips. There are a few fresh vegetables – chard, greens, kale, lettuce, radishes, spinach and tomatoes. Meat varieties are almost endless. There are your standards found in any meat section, plus bison, emu and ostrich.

Plenty of offerings to keep my Saturday mornings booked for the foreseeable future.

Wildflower Farming at Bluestem

Have you ever wandered in Wisconsin’s woods or meadows, and wished you could grow the flowers that you admire in the wild in your backyard garden? Well, if you were ever a Boy Scout or Girl Scout, or you were a visitor to a State Park, you probably learned the basic rule for peaceful co-existence with nature. “Leave only your footprints; take only memories and photographs.” But those wildflowers are so pretty!

Well, now you can keep the wildflowers in their natural habitat and still enjoy these beauties at home. How?

The “flower farmers” at Bluestem Farm in Baraboo make it all possible. The Barretts grow wildflowers and other plants native to south-central Wisconsin, including hardy orchids. And they grow most of their plants from seeds. They do not sell “salvaged” or wild dug plants of any kind. I met the couple at their Dane County Farmers’ Market booth last Saturday and they showed me their stand filled with thriving orchids, asters, black-eyed Susans, lady slippers and many more.

They have an extensive listing of available wildflowers, native grasses, and other plants at the Bluestem Farm website. You can find the perfect specimens for your garden at their Market booth on Saturdays in downtown Madison, or find information on their website to arrange a trip to their farm. It’s a great solution to “leaving only your footprints” while still enjoying the wildflowers in your own garden.

Lunch at the Farmers Market

Dane County Farmers’ Market was in full swing this morning. I came home with vine-ripened tomatoes, corn on the cob picked at dawn, yellow and red peppers, eight different varietals of garlic, pumpkin bread, cheese bread, ostrich burgers, and a huge bouquet of orange, yellow and deep red lilies. But the highlight was the purchase of pumpkin blossoms. We dipped them in egg and seasoned flour–actually the same flour mix we use to pan fry our fish we catch in Lake Mendota–and then fried them in butter. To round out lunch, we had grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, and drippy-fresh peaches.

Summer eating at its best.

–Bo Mackison is a Madison area writer and photographer who likes to visit the Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings, cruising for photos and fresh food for the week. Visit her photo gallery at Seeded Earth Photography. Photograph “Real Tomatoes” © 2008 by Bo Mackison. All rights reserved.

Wisconsin’s State Capitol – Way Cool!

We’re rapidly approaching August and the warmest days of the summer. Looking for a way to cool off without splashing in the lakes or going shoulder to shoulder with mall-shoppers? Why not visit the State Capitol Building in downtown Madison? With it’s thick stone walls – there are 43 varieties of stone from all around the world – the interior is pretty darn cool. Pretty, too.

The Capitol Building, located on Madison’s isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, was built between the years 1906 and 1917. It’s price tag was just over $7 million dollars. Standing more than 200 feet high, it is topped with “Wisconsin,” a bronze statue created by Daniel Chester French. Inside, the rotunda’s ceiling features a mural called “Resources of Wisconsin” painted by Edwin Blashfield. The capitol’s interior reflects art, architectural features and furnishings that reflect a diversity of heritages. Thirty foot skylights allow natural light to reflect and play off the many niches and crannies, highlighting beauty at every turn.

I highly recommend a tour of the Capitol for nearly all ages. The building is open daily except for a few major holidays. Hours are 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. During the summer months, the sixth floor museum and the observation deck are open. The deck is perfect for a view of downtown Madison and, if you are lucky, maybe even a cool breeze off the nearby lakes. Guided tours, which are free, are offered frequently throughout the day. You do not need reservations unless you are in a group of 10 or more people.

Some parking is available on the streets and also at nearby city parking garages, an easy walk to one of the Capitol’s many entrances.

— Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area. She has sought shelter from the heat in summer (and the cold in winter, too) inside the Capitol Building and always stays for hours captivated by all the visual treats. See her photo galleries at Seeded Earth Photography . Photo “Capitol Arches” © 2008. All right reserved.

Mallards at the Duck Pond

Warner Park

We went to a Mallards game on Friday and watched the “Ducks” post a 6-3 win over their rival, the Battle Creek (Michigan) Bombers. Over six thousand friendly fans crowded the ballpark on a hot, muggy evening, and everyone enjoyed the game as they cheered lots of hot hitting and decent pitching.

The Madison Mallards play Northwoods League baseball at Warner Park on the northeast side of Madison. They’ve been playing great ball lately, on a four game winning streak, and the games make for a great summer outing. The Mallards will be playing out of town this week, but return to the “Duck Pond’ on Saturday, July 26th, to play against the Waterloo Bucks. It will be William Hung American Idol Karaoke Night and after the ballgame there will be a fireworks display.

And if you are a collector of bobbleheads, check out the ball game on Tuesday, July 29. Maynard G. Mallard Bobbleheads will be presented to the first 1000 fans. More information about Mallard Baseball, including ticket orders, can be found at the Mallards’ website.

Other Wisconsin teams in the league include the Eau Claire Express, Green Bay Bullfrogs, LaCrosse Loggers and Wisconsin Woodchucks from Wausau.