Tag Archives: Madison

Sep 06 2015
Posts

The Pleasures (and Lessons) of a Staycation

“A vacation that is spent at one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer.”— Urban Dictionary

“You don’t have to go far to travel.” — Me

It’s that time of year again when September arrives and I extend the Labor Day holiday by taking my annual Staycation. While students return to school after their families unpack from vacation and pack those back-to-school backpacks full of brand new school supplies, I take a break from my day-to-day work routines and make my “to-do only if I want to lists.”   Continue reading →

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Mar 14 2015
1 Comment
Posts

What a Week It Was

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”  — Albert Einstein

It only seems appropriate that on this day, Pi Day, March 14, 2015, I begin this post with a quote from Albert Einstein. Today is also his birthday, and this year there is a special significance. Pi (π) is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. This year, today’s date is the first five digits of π, 3-14-15.

Here in Madison, Wisconsin there is a more important significance to this day. It is the memorial service for a 19-year-old young man, Tony Robinson, who was fatally shot by a Madison police officer following his alleged erratic and abusive behavior which prompted his concerned friends and neighbors to call 911 for help.   Continue reading →

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Feb 11 2015
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Posts

Valentine Blues

(Or, How I Learned to Love the Holiday)

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” — Charles Schulz 

First, please don’t make assumptions about the content of this essay based on its title, or misconstrue this writer’s intent. This is not a, “Poor me I’m single on Valentine’s Day missive,” or, “This is a ridiculous Hallmark Card, florist and chocolatier’s, consumer-driven, holiday.” No, instead let me go on record, I like Valentine’s Day and all the accompanying hearts and flowers, sophomoric poetry, and dinner dates with a special someone. Some years I’ve been known to give, receive and enjoy them.  Continue reading →

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Dec 28 2014
Posts

The Legacy of a Life

“Let your very existence be your song, your poem, your story.
Let your very identity be your book.
Let the way people say your name sound like the sweetest melody.”  ― Charlotte Eriksson*

The end of the year draws close. For some of us it’s a time to take inventory, to review the past year and look ahead to the new one. For others it’s marked a passage, an ending, hopefully to be followed by a new beginning. From Wikipedia:

“In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. It is conventionally thought that the month of January is named for Janus.” Continue reading →

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Oct 19 2014
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Posts

Trains: Everything Old Is New Again

The North Shore Electroliner and the Rebirth of Pullman Trains

“Pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again.”

“A wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life, to one’s home or homeland, or to one’s family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.” — Definitions of nostalgia

Continue reading →

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Oct 05 2014
Posts

Cohousing at Union Corners

“(Does it worry you to be alone?)

How do I feel by the end of the day?

(Are you sad because you’re on your own?)

No I get by with a little help from my friends”

— The Beatles, With a Little Help from My Friends

First an introduction, besides being the author of this blog, I am a founding member of MESCoH (Madison East Side CoHousing). We are an intentionally-welcoming cohousing community who collaborate to create individual homes with shared common spaces at Union Corners on the eastside of Madison, Wisconsin. Union Corners is a prominent piece of property with a rich history; it is a gateway to the Capitol, the front door to our city in a vibrant, revitalized neighborhood. Continue reading →

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Jun 06 2014
Posts

Still I Rise: Girl Rising

Searching for hope & finding a call to action

The last couple of months have been disturbing to such a degree that I have found it extremely difficult to articulate my thoughts and feelings, to put words to paper, and to know how to heal my wounded heart. I have worked diligently throughout my life to believe that the world is essentially a safe place, that violence is not pervasive, and that we, as a community, at bare minimum, are civil. Continue reading →

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Oct 20 2013
Posts

LGBT-Friendly Cohousing in Madison

When I visualize my future as an LGBT senior living in Madison, Wisconsin and aging in place, I imagine residing in a community of like-minded individuals committed to mutual support and fellowship, while we share spaces to congregate, celebrate, recreate and engage in creative collaboration. I would also need a private, personal space — a room of my own —a place to retreat, rest, meditate and write. Continue reading →

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