SPRING 2018
Chasing ‘bike equity’ Local nonprofit aims to bring community together through bicycling SENIOR LIVING:
Winter darkness and SAD
‘Not just a man’s sport’
Madison Blaze is full-contact football for women
Day Trip:
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FAMILYLIFE
Just like riding a bike, it’s an experience you don’t forget INSIDE YOUR FAMILY BY LEE BORKOWSKI
T
his issue features an interesting article about the love of bicycling and how some nonprofits are working to expand its participation in the Madison area. I love that bikes are being collected, repaired and distributed to underserved populations. And that there is bike culture training, as well as instruction on how to use the bike fix-it stations. The saying, “It’s just like riding a bike,” is ingrained in our culture, so it is no surprise that bike riding is
making a popular comeback. It seems to me everyone has a bicycle story. Our memories of riding a bike are a rite of passage. These memories are strong enough to stand out in our minds and often bring a smile as we remember what it was like to be a child again and ride freely down the hill with the wind blowing in our faces. In our family, there was a small, dark blue Schwinn bike that got passed around. Everyone was given Old Blue to learn to ride, and it remained yours
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4 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
until the next kid was ready to learn. So sadly, I only got to keep him for about 18 months. We lived in the country with a goodsized yard that sloped from the driveway to the road. My dad taught me to ride. He said he would hang on (he didn’t) and pointed me down the hill. I made it about 40 yards, hit my high-speed wobble and fell off. I got a bloody nose. As I grew up, I desperately wanted a new bike. I finally got one when I turned 11. It was a beautiful, blue bike with a basket on the front. Having seen “The Wizard of Oz” on TV, I thought it would be a great idea to be like Dorothy and ride one of my pets around. Unfortunately, we had large dogs – a St. Bernard and a collie. There was no chance of getting them in the basket. So I decided to give my cat a ride. The cat didn’t like the idea, so I enlisted the help of my brother, who held the cat while I rode around them in a circle. After I was well-balanced, he handed me the cat. I gripped her with one hand, and held her tight to the bottom of the basket, knowing that if she would just relax, she’d would enjoy herself. She wouldn’t, and she didn’t. I’ll just leave it at that. I haven’t ridden a bike in years, but thinking back to this story made me wonder whether it would be fun to dust off “Old Blue” and try again. I bet that hill is not nearly as steep nor as long and scary today. I am armed with confidence of success and the old adage to reaffirm it. After all, how hard can it be? It’s just like riding a bike. l Lee Borkowski is the general manager of Unified Newspaper Group, which publishes Your Family magazine.
CONTENTS
is published by UNIFIED NEWSPAPER GROUP 133 Enterprise Dr. PO Box 930427 Verona WI 53593 (608) 845 9559
FEBRUARY 22, 2018
ON THE COVER CHASING ‘BIKE EQUITY’
...................................
Andy Quandt, left, and Baltazar De Anda Santana amid the sea of bikes at the Free Bikes 4 Kidz warehouse. FB4K uses a network of community organizations to give away bikes, strategically targeting people who can benefit the most. After a pilot program collected, fixed and donated 390 bikes last year, a Madison Community Foundation grant is helping the group give away 1,000 bikes, add fix-it stations and train people within the community to teach bike maintenance and bike culture.
GENERAL MANAGER Lee Borkowski SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER Kathy Neumeister EDITOR Jim Ferolie GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ellen Koeller
Photos by Jeremy Jones
PHOTO EDITOR Jeremy Jones
page
................................... YOUR FAMILY STAFF Diane Beaman, Alexander Cramer, Scott De Laruelle, Scott Girard, Anthony Iozzo, Donna Larson, Amber Levenhagen, Bill Livick, Monica Morgan, Angie Roberts, Carolyn Schultz, Catherine Stang, Helu Wang and Dawn Zapp
................................... CONTACT US Send all questions or submissions to yourfamily@wcinet.com
................................... YOUR FAMILY is printed four times a year by Woodward Printing Services If you would like to have a copy of Your Family delivered to your home, the cost is $8.00 for 1 year. Please call (608) 845-9559 for more information.
SPRING 2018
18
Family Fun 5 Things Gorgeous natural areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
Day Trip Milwaukee’s Third Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Now Enrolling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Women’s football league creates new opportunities . . . . 22 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Family Food My Blood Type is Coffee Hearing wedding bells . . . . .
17
Recipes Orange Whole-Wheat Waffles with Yogurt & Fresh Berries, Mediterranean Beef Ragožt, Pork or Lamb Vindaloo, Chai Ice Cream . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Family Health To Your Health Dispelling health and nutrition myths . . . .
13
Senior Living Winter darkness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Family Life Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publishers of the Oregon Observer Stoughton Courier Hub Verona Press Great Dane Shopping News Fitchburg Star
8
Estate Planning Jointly owned real estate . . . . . . 29 Wisconsin Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Business Spotlight Handmade spoons . . . . . . . 34
SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 5
Five natural
The Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is a resting place each fall for thousands of migrating birds.
s u o e g g o r areas
FAMILYFUN
Story by Bill Livick Photos submitted
T
hanks to our long winters, folks in the upper Midwest truly appreciate the arrival of spring and the opportunities it brings to get outside and explore nature. Southern Wisconsin abounds with pastoral scenery, and Your Family provides an overview of five natural areas that represent some less-traveled destinations for outdoors fun and adventure.
Pewit’s Nest State Natural Area
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge
Where is it? About two miles southwest of Baraboo on County Hwy. W. Getting there: Take U.S. Hwy. 12 south from Baraboo 1.5 miles and turn west on Hwy. W.
Where is it? Situated on the east bank of the Mississippi River, north of Onalaska and south of Alma. Getting there: From Madison, take I-90 West to State Hwy. 53 north, and then north to State Hwy. 35. The refuge is three miles west of Centerville, on Hwy. 35.
A relatively undeveloped natural area, Pewit’s Nest State Natural Area is 34 acres of hardwood forest that surround a 40-foot deep sandstone gorge. Pewit’s Nest offers solitude and natural beauty, with moss-covered cliffs, a swiftly running stream and small waterfalls. The site became a protected state natural area in 1985, and for years it had been a hidden swimming hole and attraction for people coming to jump from cliffs into a deep pool formed by the Skillet Creek. The small stream cut the gorge out of the surrounding sandstone over thousands of years. The gorge is smaller but similar to the more well-known Prewit’s Nest State Natural Area features a deep Parfrey’s Glen, four gorge carved by Skillet Creek and is a hidden miles east of Devil’s gem near Devil’s Lake State Park. Lake State Park.
6 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
The 6,446-acre Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is made up of marshes and wetlands that serve as a major resting, breeding and feeding grounds for migratory waterfowl and other birds. The refuge, bordered by the Mississippi and Trempealeau rivers, also includes sandy areas, bottomlands and upland forest, and is home to dozens of small mammal species. The area is best known for the thousands of migrating birds that use it during their fall migration: wood ducks, blue-winged teal, mallards, hooded mergansers and Canada geese. Large numbers of beavers and muskrats also make their home in the refuge, which was established in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and expanded in 1979. Several miles of dikes and refuge service roads that are closed to vehicles are open to hiking. The Great River State Trail runs through the refuge, and bicycling is allowed on all refuge roads.
FAMILYFUN
The main draw to Natural Bridge State Park is its spectacular arch, which measures 25 feet high by 35 feet wide.
Lulu Lake State Natural Area is 40 feet deep and fed by the pristine Crooked Creek.
Wildcat Mountain State Park offers scenic vistas of the Kickapoo Valley, along with opportunities for hiking, canoeing and kayaking.
Natural Bridge State Park
Lulu Lake State Natural Area Wildcat Mountain State Park
Where is it? 16 miles south of Baraboo, or eight miles north of Sauk City, on U.S. Hwy. 12. Getting there: From 12, turn west on County Hwy. C and go 10 miles to the park.
Where is it? On Nature Road, about five miles west of the village of Mukwonago. Getting there: Take Hwy. LO west from Mukwonago and turn left (south) on Nature Road, go about three miles to the parking lot.
Natural Bridge State Park is famous for its natural stone bridge, or arch, and it offers a scenic place for hiking, picnicking and birdwatching. The park comprises 530 acres of oak and other hardwoods and is one of the oldest known inhabited sites in the Midwest. Sixty acres of the park are designated a State Natural Area due to its significance as an archeological site. Archaeologists estimate people lived at the site between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. The park’s hiking trails include the Indian Moccasin Nature Trail, a self-guided path with signs describing how Native Americans used plants and managed to survive here, and the two-mile Whitetail Hiking Trail, which makes a loop through oak woods and prairies near a rock shelter beneath the arch. The main attraction here is the arch, which was carved into the upper part of a sandstone ridge by the forces of nature over thousands of years.
The Lulu Lake State Natural Area consists of 1,866 acres surrounding the nearly pristine 95-acre Lulu Lake. The natural area is noteworthy for an abundance of high-quality wetlands and glacial highlands. The area is ideal for hikers, bicyclists and people drawn to the lake for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. It includes a three-mile hiking trail over glacial landforms that afford scenic views of the lake and the creek that feeds into it. A similar hiking trail is located in the adjacent Crooked Creek nature preserve. With a maximum depth of 40 feet, Lulu Lake is fed by Crooked Creek, which passes through the Crooked Creek nature preserve before flowing into the glacial lake. The lake is owned by the state Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy, and it was designated a State Natural Area in 1977. The conservancy acquired the properties to protect wetlands and oak openings, which provide habitat for rare fish, mussels and plants.
Where is it? About 90 miles northwest of Madison on the Kickapoo River. Getting there: Take U.S. Hwy. 14 to State Hwy. 131 at Readstown. Go north about 23 miles to County Hwy. F, then right (east) on Hwy. F about 1.5 miles to State Hwy. 33. The park entrance is a half-mile on right. Located in the Driftless Area, Wildcat Mountain State Park is set on a ridge rising steeply above the meandering Kickapoo River and has more than 20 miles of trails for hiking, snowshoeing, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. The area’s steep, wooded hills also make it a popular destination for bicyclists and motorcyclists. The 3,643-acre park is in Vernon County near the village of Ontario and just north of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, an 8,600-acre tract of public land located between the villages of La Farge and Ontario that’s known for its own ice caves. The park has more than 100 campsites, along with an observation point in an upper picnic area that overlooks the majestic Kickapoo River valley. Mount Pisgah, a 74-acre state natural area in the park, is covered with an oldgrowth forest of white pine and hemlock trees. One of the park’s big attractions is the Kickapoo River, known regionally as “the world’s crookedest river,” with miles of slow-moving waters that flow through wild areas and past mosscovered cliffs. Paddlers may observe rare plants growing on the banks of the river and also a host of wild animals, including muskrats, belted kingfishers, green herons and great blue herons. l SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 7
FAMILYLIFE
Growing a community
WHPS members tour Betty Ann Addison’s Gardens of Rice Creek Home Nursery in Minneapolis.
Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society prunes Dane County’s love of gardens Story by Amber Levenhagen Photos submitted
D
ane County is the green thumb of Wisconsin. It’s the central location of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society, a group of garden enthusiasts that follows the mission, “Learn, teach and work to grow healthy, long-lasting gardens.” Jane Gahlman is the president of the group, in addition to a slew of other plant- and garden-related positions, including the Wisconsin Daylily Society, Wisconsin Hosta Society, Herb Society and Rock Garden Society. And as if she weren’t busy enough, she’s also a master gardener for Olbrich Botanical Gardens. “Gardening is my life; my life is 8 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
gardening,” she told Your Family, with a big smile on her face. Since its founding in 1989, WHPS has grown from 44 to almost 1,000 members. Originally, it was intended for neighbors to get together and talk about their love for plants. Now, in addition to several educational events held each year, the group tours private gardens – typically those of members – and takes trips to cities around Wisconsin to explore other gardens, tour art galleries and visit regional greenhouses. “It’s a lot of camaraderie, especially when shopping, because it’s always, ‘Oh yeah, you should totally get that plant!’ We always end up filling the (luggage compartment) on the bottom
of the coach bus with only plants,” Gahlman said. “I’m a plant collector, and I love learning from other people’s gardens.”
History of the WHPS Established by M. L Mancheski in 1989 as The Perennial Society, it changed its name in the 1990s. It grew to attract members from Illinois and all over Wisconsin, though its main membership is Dane County residents. Jane Gahlman joined in 2002 and last year took over as president of the group; she’s one of only four presidents the group has had.
FAMILYLIFE
Grants and funding The nonprofit group has a low annual membership fee that grants access to all of the local events, but there is an additional cost associated with the bus trips. Gahlman explained that the group keeps costs as low as possible to try to make trips accessible for everyone, though that sometimes comes at its own detriment. “We’re not trying to make money; we just want to cover our cost,” she said. “We don’t want these trips to be out of reach for our members, but it makes it hard to get a spot.” The funds that are raised from membership dues, donations and bus trips help pay for the guest speakers, and the group recently introduced a new grant program dedicated to extending the WHPS mission. The $500 grant is awarded to a community group, school or other organization “for a project that promotes the use of herbaceous perennial plants in the landscape,” according to the WHPS website. The board also donates some of the funds raised throughout the year to local public gardens in the area, such as Olbrich, where most of the meetings are held.
Regular events The group meets for the educational programs once a month through the calendar year at Olbrich, 3330 Atwood Ave. One of the first workshops, held in August 1990, dealt with plant division, mulches, fertilizing and fall cleanup. Workshops have evolved since, but they still focus on the theme of education. The February meeting featured Larry Meiller, host of the Garden Talk podcast and the Larry Meiller show. The group also takes an annual trip to another city to visit gardens in different climates. The trip Gahlman is coordinating for 2018 is to Door County. She’s planning visits to art galleries, private gardens and numerous greenhouses. “It’s a fun and informational trip,” she said. “It’s a bus ride with 65 of your closest gardening friends, and even if you go and you’re not close friends with anyone on the trip, you know you have something in common with the person next to you.’’ The trips fill up quickly, because there are over 800 members in the group and only one bus – a coach they take from Madison. Gahlman encourages members reserve their spot “as soon as they get the flier.”
Calendar of events: To learn more about upcoming WHPS educational programs and events and how to become a member, visit wisconsinhardyplantsociety.org.
Workshops
March 5: Seed Starting March 21: Head Gardener at Home – Jeff Epping April 7: Pruning Trees and Shrubs April 18: 30 Years of Plant Evaluation at Chicago Botanic Garden May 2: Bonsai 101 May 15: Expanding your shade garden palette May 19: Unusual Spring perennials June 12: Children in the garden June 18: Growing a garden under Black Walnut trees June 24: Grasses and interesting perennials to enrich your garden design July 7: Doing Daylilies from planting to bloom
Trips
June 28: Evening garden tour in Stoughton July 7: Bus trip to Oshkosh July 11: Evening garden tour on Madison’s west side July 18: Bus trip to Sheboygan/Manitowoc Sept. 12-14: Bus trip to Door County Members also tour local gardens during the spring and summer. Most of the time, these are the gardens of members of the group, and they plan trips around other local events to keep members from seeing the same types of plants too close together. “The garden tours are usually later in the afternoon, after work, and it’s nice to see what people have in their gardens, see what works well in different areas and talk about the different plants, and we leave with all of these new ideas for our own gardens,” Gahlman said. l
A visit to Tangletown Gardens Farm in Minneapolis was one of the recent bus trips taken by the WHPS. SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 9
FAMILYFUN
History and art on display Milwaukee’s Third Ward has plenty of food and art
Da
. . . p i r T y
M
Story by Bill Livick Photos submitted The Third Ward Riverwalk is lined with restaurants and bars, many with patios overlooking the Milwaukee River.
ilwaukee’s historic Third Ward offers an opportunity to visit the city’s arts and fashion district, where massive brick buildings constructed between the late 1890s and 1930 are home to dozens of galleries and restaurants. The area comprises 10 square blocks bounded by the Milwaukee River to
10 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
the west and south, about three blocks south of the city’s downtown and a 15-minute walk to the Milwaukee Art Museum. It’s also adjacent to the grounds of Summerfest, which is billed as the world’s largest music festival. Among many attractions in the Third Ward is the Milwaukee Public Market, a $10 million development that
A view of the Milwaukee Art Museum from out on Lake Michigan.
opened in 2005 and is home to over 20 eateries. Another is the Third Ward Riverwalk, a mile-long boardwalk that opened to the public in sections beginning in 2004. The Riverwalk is connected to the Erie Street Plaza, a 25-acre park at the confluence of the Milwaukee River and the Kinnickinnic River, just west of the entrance to the Milwaukee Harbor from Lake Michigan. Opened in 2010, the plaza features native prairie plants, yellow fiberglass benches that are illuminated at night and several pathways with edges that blend into the vegetation. A friend and I toured the Third Ward in January on one the city’s gallery nights. Four times a year, art galleries throughout Milwaukee stay open late and invite the public to view the work of local artists. Many galleries offer free wine and hors d’oeuvres while providing an opportunity to talk with the artists whose work is on display. Of 35 established galleries that participated in the Jan. 19 event, 11 are located in the Third Ward, along with a number of “pop-up” galleries that operated there in bars and restaurants.
FAMILYFUN
The Milwaukee Public Market opened in 2005 and is home to dozens of restaurants.
Market and museum We began our day trip by visiting the public market, a sprawling building constructed of steel, glass, and brick that was designed to fit the area’s historic character. The building houses an array of restaurants, ranging from Thai, Mexican and Mediterranean cuisines to fresh seafood. Other vendors offer flowers, gifts and clothing apparel. The market also includes a wine bar, coffeeshops, specialtycheese shops and a community-events space. The St. Paul Fish Company was a good choice for lunch. Its fish tacos came with a generous portion of tilapia topped with coleslaw, but the beer-battered cod could have used a bit more time in the deep fryer. A highlight of the day was touring the Milwaukee Art
Top: The Erie Street Plaza offers 25 acres of green space in the Third Ward. Bottom: A winding stairway is an example of the type of architectural design that went into the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel.
Museum on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The museum opened a $34 million expansion in November 2015 and, with more than 35,000 works of art housed on four floors, is reportedly one of the country’s largest art museums. The building includes a new atrium and lakefront-facing entry point for visitors, who can access the museum via a pedestrian bridge that connects it to downtown Milwaukee. We were most interested in an exhibition titled “Degas to Picasso: Creating Modernism in France,” which the museum ran from November 2017 until the end of January. It told the story of modern art as it evolved during the 19th and 20th centuries through 150 pieces of art, and featured the work of such masters as Manet, Cézanne, Cassatt, Van Gogh, Chagall and Picasso. Continued on page 12
Top: The public market includes many clothing retailers. Bottom: The market has plenty of restaurants that offer local mircobrews.
SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 11
HISTORY AND ART
FAMILYFUN
Continued from page 11
Connected by history Local architects designed many of the commercial structures in the Third Ward after major fires in 1856 and 1892. Construction continued for the next 35 years, giving Third Ward buildings a continuity that unifies the neighborhood because of the relatively short time of development. Italian immigrants replaced the Irish during this period of reconstruction, and the Irish had moved to different areas in the city. The Italians were prolific in the warehouse businesses, establishing Commission Row, a grouping of grocery commission houses. By 1915, Italian saloons, grocery stores, an Italian bank and two spaghetti factories populated the Ward. Highway construction displaced the close-knit Italian Third Ward community in the 1960s. The trucking industry and suburb growth led to the decline of warehouse operations and industry. Ironically, Milwaukee’s first architectural landmark was named in 1967, the Blessed Virgin of Pompeii Catholic Church, the same year it was demolished for construction of the I-794 freeway. In 2000, the Historic Third Ward Association began co-sponsoring Milwaukee’s premier art event, Gallery Night and Day, a quarterly event that attracts thousands of visitors to the neighborhood. The Historic Third Ward recently experienced an influx of upscale women’s boutiques, restaurants and high-end furnishings businesses. 12 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
Most of the large brick buildings in the Third Ward were constructed between 1890 and 1920.
Historic district After a few hours in the museum, we walked back to the historic district and visited the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, an impressive nine-story building constructed a year ago on East Chicago Street. There, we visited the posh Tre Rivali Restaurant in the hotel and sipped drinks in the restaurant’s ninth-floor lounge, which during warm weather opens to a rooftop patio overlooking the Third Ward and east to Lake Michigan. The ward is an ideal place to participate in Milwaukee’s Gallery Night because it’s a quick walk from one gallery to the next. In fact, after we found a parking stall on the street, we were able to spend an entire day in the historic district without getting back into an automobile. A visit to the Lily Pad Gallery on North Broadway Avenue was interesting. It featured the works of 47 artists, whose high-quality paintings encompassed realism, naturalism, impressionism and abstract art. My friend and unofficial tour guide, JP Herman, was particularly attracted to a vibrant, detailed floral oil painting there but couldn’t afford its $60,000 price. Most of the art we saw was pricey but more affordable than that. We dropped into the nearby Marshall building on East Buffalo Street, where five galleries were open for the event. Some featured musicians performing acoustic music. At the Chrysalis Gallery, we had conversations with the gallery owner and another artist about their work. After a few more gallery visits, we closed the day by stopping at a couple of bars in the area, drawn by the live music. The historic Third Ward is upscale and tends to be expensive, yet there are lots of reasonably priced restaurants in the public market, and during warm weather months, the Third Ward Riverwalk – lined with bar and restaurant patios overlooking the river – is a cost-free attraction unto itself. l
FAMILYHEALTH
Don’t get tricked into believing all health claims TO YOUR HEALTH BY KARA HOERR
W
e’re a month into the New Year, and in the past month, social media, Pinterest and magazines have bombarded me with salads, dietfriendly this, sugar-free that and snacks that are low in all the things we’re not supposed to eat. I usually don’t mind this overabundance of healthier options – whether over the top or not – because, hey, sometimes I find some good recipes to try! Plus, I love it when people start to focus on making more nutritious choices. But this year, I’ve been seeing a little bit too much of diets attached to the recipe name, such as “Cleansing Apple Smoothie” or “Whole30 Vegetarian Power Bowls.” The recipe that really took me over the top was when I recently saw a description for Coconut Flour Cookies. After the description listed the scrumptious peanut butter and chocolate nestled into each cookie, it listed that they were also Paleo, low-carb, glutenfree and dairy-free. They were described as being “delicious and healthy and come without regrets.” But they’re still cookies! Does anybody else see the irony in this? Just because the coconut cookies check the boxes on a large majority of dietary restrictions or diets right now, does not inherently make them healthy. Whether a cookie is advertised as being diet-friendly or not, it’s still a treat that should be enjoyed sparingly. Recipes and foods can list all kinds of catchy phrases or words to persuade you they’re “healthy,” which somehow makes them better than other foods. Here are some key words to watch out for that are used to grab your attention – but often
may not mean much at all in terms of your long-term health.
No regrets We often have regrets or feel guilty for eating foods when we’ve given ourselves restrictions on what foods are allowed. Restrictions lead to overeating and binging on the things we’re trying to avoid. Rather than setting yourself up for failure, give yourself permission to have your favorite foods once in a while. Just because it’s not a black bean brownie, doesn’t mean you should have regrets for eating a slice of cake that isn’t compliant with all the diets.
No refined sugar It says “sugar-free” or “doesn’t contain refined sugar,” but does it contain coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (just to name a few)? All of these are added sugars that didn’t occur naturally in the food product. Whether the sugar on the ingredient list comes from sugar cane, corn, beets or coconut, it’s still added sugar we need to limit.
Clean eating When a product makes the claim that it used “clean ingredients,” it gives the food a “health halo,” and many make the assumption that it’s, therefore, a healthy choice. Especially for treats, this isn’t the case. Calling something clean implies other foods are dirty or inferior, which isn’t true, either. Choosing whole or minimally processed foods is certainly a good goal to strive for, but enjoying a cheeseburger doesn’t make you “bad” either.
Low-carb Our bodies need a good balance of fats, protein and carbohydrates. Our bodies actually prefer carbohydrates for its main energy source. Certainly, we need to choose carbohydrates that are in the form of whole-grains most of the time to help keep us satisfied and to provide us with the nutrients we need, but we’re also not doing our bodies any favors by seeking out low-carb foods.
Diet approved Diets, in general, don’t work when it comes to sustaining long-term weight loss. That’s because making a blanket recommendation for everyone negates the fact that each of us has highly individualized and different needs. When determining whether a diet plan is right for you, ask yourself whether it includes all five food groups, if it includes foods you’ll enjoy eating for a lifetime, if the foods are readily available where you shop, if your favorite foods are included and if it fits into your budget and lifestyle. If you can’t answer these with a yes, the diet is most likely too restrictive and not something you’ll be able to maintain for long. l Kara Hoerr, MS, RD, CD, is the registered dietitian at the Fitchburg Hy-Vee. This information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice. SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 13
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FAMILYFOOD
Wedding bells are exciting, but exhausting MY BLOOD TYPE IS COFFEE BY RHONDA MOSSNER
I
t was somewhere between the third and fourth hour of the endless rotation of lace and satin when my enthusiasm for this whole wedding dress shopping began to wane. Let’s face it: Weddings are not for the weak in stamina. As some readers know, our youngest son is engaged. The first wedding is May 12 in Indianapolis. There, we will have immediate family only, followed by a wedding dinner my husband and I are hosting. Then the newlyweds will jet off for a week honeymooning on a luxurious beach on the East Coast. Finally, we will all meet up again in Grand Rapids for a big reception gala hosted by the bride’s parents on May 18. Oh, and I forgot to mention the bridal shower. That is scheduled in Grand Rapids the weekend of April 28. Preparing for a wedding, of course, is a pretty big deal, and the first part of that preparation is thankfully over – with much success and more exhaustion. My new Kia Soul is going to get quite the workout in the coming months. I think it’s fair to say that our lease agreement is totally out the window and we’ll be buying the vehicle now. We are so over our mileage limit that we can’t even see it anymore. But that’s OK. I needed some new wheels, and now we have space to haul wedding presents for all these events we are attending. We admit that we are enjoying all of the wedding excitement, but we continue to be amazed at the changes in tradition in the last 33 years. For instance, what happened to a ceremony followed by a cake and punch reception in one day? When the
couple informed us of the multi-day extravaganza, we looked at each other in amazement. Frankly, we were confused as to which event we were to attend as the parents of the groom. They responded via email with three words. All of them. Our festivities began on New Year’s weekend, when the parents drove down to Indianapolis for all to gather for what the couple called a bonding experience. It was so unseasonably cold that we couldn’t do much else except bond while we sipped on hot beverages to try to keep our teeth from chattering and tromped through five inches of snow and ice when we had to venture outside. When the morning of the dress shopping dawned, it was a balmy minus-18 degrees. I’m not even going to mention the wind chill, but off we women went to the bridal appointments while the men were scheduled for a morning at an outdoor golf driving range. I had never in my life witnessed my husband swinging a golf club, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. When I mentioned it was minus-18 degrees outside my son replied, “Not to worry. There are outdoor heaters.” Despite the cold, the bridal shops were packed full of brides-to-be and nervous mothers searching the racks to please their brides. We spent a couple of hours there and left with one dress on hold. Luckily, we were only a mile from the next shop. So we wrapped ourselves to the hilt in our coats, hats, gloves and scarves and trudged through the snow to the car and we were off to our final stop. This time, we got serious about
the dress details. Was there too much lace? Did it come with straps? Will she wear a veil? No, we were firmly told by the bride from her dressing area behind the curtain. She would most certainly not be wearing a veil. Our bride is instead wearing a birdcage. Now, there’s a new word. The bride’s mother and I looked at each other in wonder. We were embarrassed, frankly, that we had no clue just what this was going to entail. We shrugged and decided that the bride must have had it all figured out. She did. After six hours, the perfect dress was found and she donned her birdcage. It looked great! We arrived back at the bride’s home to find the men defrosting around the fire and bonding over hot cocoas and football. They had a great time despite the snow flying and bone-chilling cold. So, we’ve successfully made it through the first event. Now, a few months to rest up and we will be on the road again for more fun! l In addition to her blog, TheDanglingThread.blogspot.com, Rhonda Mossner is a professional speaker, quilter and chef. She is known as The Quilter Cook and travels throughout the area sharing her quilts, stories and recipes.
— CORRECTION — An alert reader pointed out that the recipe we printed in the previous issue of Your Family with this column was actually the same recipe that has been on cans of Libby’s pumpkin for years. Our columnist had gotten the recipe from her grandmother and was unaware of its origin. SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 17
FAMILYLIFE
‘If a kid wants a bike, they can get a bike’
Volunteer Nick Hanson works on a bike at Free Bikes 4 Kidz in Madison. FB4K has from mid-January to mid-March to make 1,000 donated bikes safe and rideable, and the majority of work is done by volunteers.
Grant helping to give away 1,000 bicycles, create 1,000 new members of the Madison biking community Story by Alexander Cramer Photos by Jeremy Jones
T
he calls went out along the line of riders on a surprisingly warm Saturday afternoon in January. “On your left! Bike passing on your left!” More than 30 bikers were a part of the Winter Tour of the Latino Family ride, a monthly trip along Madison trails designed to encourage people who aren’t used to bicycling. This one was along the Capital City Trail, and it featured everything from dedicated commuters on fat-tire bikes to adults using training wheels and concentrating on staying between the lines. Organized by Baltazar De Anda Santana, the rides bring together members of the community who might not ordinarily interact with one
18 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
another. De Anda Santana, community outreach and education coordinator at the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, splits his time with Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison (FB4K), which is giving away 1,000 bikes in March. The former aspiring priest devotes himself to a different calling these days: promoting biking and access to bikes to underserved populations. Madison is one of five American cities with platinum-level bicycling infrastructure, according to the League of American Bicyclists, but De Anda Santana told Your Family a lot of people are left out. “Madison has such a great trail system, but unfortunately ... it belongs right now to the white community,
and we want to change that,” De Anda Santana said. “Many of these folks you see now (on the ride), many of these families, this is the first time that they
‘Many of these families, this is the first time that they got on a bike and gotten to know the trails.’ Baltazar De Anda Santana Free Bikes 4 Kidz
FAMILYLIFE got on a bike and gotten to know the trails.” As De Anda Santana sees it, if there is inequity in something as simple as bicycling, how can he hope for equity in society as a whole? And so he’s decided to devote himself to the “ministry” of biking, and last November, Madison Community Foundation announced some big-time help in the form of an $84,200 grant. This issue of bike equity is at the heart of the grant, which is shared by the Wisconsin Bike Fed and FB4K. The goal is not just to give away the bikes but also offer the necessary support – by training interns and building new fix-it stations around town. That way, the first flat tire doesn’t mean the bicycle and bicyclist are sidelined for good. Andy Quandt, executive director of FB4K, told Your Family that biking is a fundamental experience everyone should have, regardless of where they’re from. “So many of us are lucky enough to have gotten a bike, learned how to ride it, and that feeling of riding a bike for the first time,” Quandt said. “There are so many of us, too, who don’t have that chance. FB4K is making sure that if a kid wants a bike, they can get a bike.”
Collecting and fixing To give away 1,000 bikes, first you have to get them. So FB4K held a collection day: Volunteers staffed seven drop-off locations on a frigid Saturday morning at SSM Health/Dean Medical Group clinics all over the Madison area in January. Tom Linfield, vice president of community impact at the Madison Community Foundation, volunteered with his family at the Madison West clinic on High Point, which had been the busiest location last year. “We really wanted to help with the project, we live in the neighborhood” Linfield wrote Your Family in an email. “It’s a great way to give back, to have fun, to build relationships, and to learn more about bikes.” The group of volunteers – some wrapped in blankets – helped donors extract the soon-to-be donated bikes from their trunks or bike racks and parked the bikes in haphazard rows to await the arrival of the U-Haul that would take the bikes away. Continued on page 20
Photo by Alexander Cramer Cyclists of different experience levels and abilities participate in the Winter Tour of the Latino Family ride on Madison’s east side in January. Baltazar De Anda Santana, who organized the ride, wants to make sure that everyone in the Madison community is welcome to use its bike infrastructure.
De Anda Santana chases ‘bike equity’ In a city of growing diversity, it seems like the taxpayer-funded biking resources are only being used by whites, says Baltazar De Anda Santana, who works for both the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and Free Bikes 4 Kidz. “You go to any bicycle activity in Madison, and I dare you to count how many people of color in these places: very, very few,” De Anda Santana said. “(Equity) is about introducing those members of our community who have not been a part of this great trail system in order for them to be able to enjoy this.” Introducing new communities to biking is made harder by the general lack of familiarity they have with what can seem to outsiders to be complicated etiquette and confusing customs. When a lycraclad commuter whizzes by with a stare for not being on the right side of the bike path, for instance. There are also potential cultural barriers. As De Anda Santana, himself a native of Guadalajara, says,“In Mexico if you ride a bike, it means that you’re poor. In America, you have your bike, you ride it, you have money, you have the time to go and ride your bike.” It’s not just the stigma: riding in a bike lane can be intimidating, especially for people who aren’t used to it. Seemingly everyone who rides has a story of being chided by another rider for taking up too much space on the trail, or not having proper lights, or a host of other infractions that can seem trivial from the outside but rage-inducing for those who deem themselves “serious” bikers. In a blog post last November, De Anda Santana talks about his conversation with an 82-year-old man who no longer rides because he “doesn’t want to be a
bother to anyone and is afraid to use the trails.” He also talks about an incident when two middle-aged white individuals “verbally harassed” members of the Latino bike ride he had helped organize because the group was “too large and/or too slow.” He questions whether it wasn’t because they were too brown, too. The barriers to entry into the biking community are high and varied, and it is at these barriers that the Mad About Bikes grant from the Madison Community Foundation takes aim: The cost of entry is negated for the 1,000 people who receive free bikes; and members of the community are trained in bike maintenance to keep people riding even if something breaks. But the third leg of the stool is perhaps the trickiest: convincing people that they are welcome to use Madison’s bike infrastructure. Andy Quandt, executive director of FB4K, the organization overseeing the bike giveaway, thinks the key is organizing more community rides. “We need more people like (De Anda Santana) organizing these rides,” Quandt told Your Family. “If we can get communities to come together neighborhoods, whatever - it just starts with a handful or people that go have a good time on a bike and do it their way.” De Anda Santana, who is married to a white person and says he has “been embraced” by the white community, praised the support he has received from the bike community. He says the issue isn’t about race and that increased minority involvement doesn’t detract from anyone’s experience. “I don’t want to take away the bread,” De Anda Santana said. “I want to make sure everyone can have the bread.” SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 19
IF A KID WANTS A BIKE
FAMILYLIFE
Continued from page 19
Finding homes Once the bicycles are rideable, De Anda Santana steps in to match people who need bikes with bikes that needs riders. Giving away 1,000 bikes is no small feat. Though FB4K was able
‘We are trying to be very strategic about where those bikes are going to end up.’ Baltazar De Anda Santana Free Bikes 4 Kidz
Volunteers piled more than 100 bikes into the back of a rented truck to bring to the FB4K warehouse. A total of more than 800 bikes were collected between all seven SSM/Dean sites on a frigid January morning. With how fast kids outgrow their bikes, some estimates say that the Madison area could produce 3,000 surplus bikes annually.
This donation point collected 139 bikes, and the day netted 830 overall. Quandt is confident FB4K will reach the 1,000-bike goal before the
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giveaway days in late March. After they’re donated, the bikes are brought to FB4K’s seasonal headquarters: a nondescript warehouse off of Rimrock Road donated for this three-month use by Alexander Company, a local real estate developer. That’s where Quandt is responsible for turning the sometimes decrepit donations into bikes people would be proud to ride. Quandt oversees the repairs with Alek Arkin, a 19-year-old who works with Quandt at his shop in Lake Mills while Quandt is away with the Bikemobile. On some days, there are a dozen or more volunteers helping them clean and fix bikes. On others, it’s just the two of them and Rocco, the shop dog. Volunteers are separated into three categories: cleaners, preppers and mechanics. It takes a lot of work to reclaim the bikes from their various states of disrepair. When they’re done replacing tubes, oiling chains and wiping down frames, the mechanics make sure to take each one on a test ride. It’s quite a sight: grown men flying around the shop on bikes, some of which are barely two feet tall. “The grant allows us to pay mechanics,” Quandt said. “It’s very helpful to be able to actually have some full-time mechanics to make sure everything is safe and done properly.”
to hire staff with the support of the Mad About Bikes grant, the logistics of sorting the 1,970 received requests is daunting. Instead of working on a case-bycase basis, De Anda Santana works with community organizations that know their members and can determine who would really benefit from a new bike. Last year, in a pilot program that led to the grant, FB4K partnered with the Boys and Girls club to give away 390 bikes. De Anda Santana takes pride in working with smaller organizations he knows from his years working within the Madison nonprofit sector as the founder of the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, among other projects. “You could give the Boys and Girls Club 1,000 bikes, and that would be easier for me,” De Anda Santana said. “The groups that are not noticed most of the time, that are really hard to work with, just because they don’t have the staff – those folks are going to need a lot of bikes.” Of the 37 groups chosen to receive bikes, none will receive more than 100. The weekend of March 24 and 25 is when all the bikes will be given away. There are two distribution points, one on the north side of Madison and the other on the south. De Anda Santana coordinates a pickup time with the organization receiving the bikes. Then, when the kids arrive, they get to pick their favorite from the set made available
to them. Every recipient leaves with a bike fitted to them with full tires and a lubed chain, plus a helmet donated by SSM/Dean. One of the groups receiving bikes is Common Wealth Development, which has spent the better part of the past four decades focusing on the economic sustainability of the Williamson Street neighborhood in Madison through both housing and business development. The program FB4K is supporting will give kids bikes they can use to get to their first jobs. Others include a Madison Area Urban Ministry program that supports kids whose parents are incarcerated, and a Hmong language program at Badger Rock Community Center. De Anda Santana knows how important grants are to fledgling community organizations: The money that helped Latino Academy get off the ground was also from MCF, De Anda Santana said. “The most important is to find the agency that has never had the opportunity to get bikes,” De Anda Santana explained. “We work with some of those small (non)profits. … We are trying to be very strategic about where those bikes are going to end up.”
Creating lifelong riders But matching bikes to riders is only half the battle. The first person in a family to own a bike usually hasn’t been taught how to change a tire or oil a chain. “If a bike breaks, even a simple fix like a flat tire of slipped chain, it is often abandoned as broken,” Linfield wrote. “So part of the project is to help provide education and public repair stations to help kids learn to do simple bike maintenance.”
‘If a bike breaks, even a simple fix like a flat tire or slipped chain, it is often abandoned as broken.’ Tom Linfield, Madison Community Foundation Continued on page 26
FAMILYLIFE
Photo by Alexander Cramer Andy Quandt, right, and Alek Arkin work on bikes at the Free Bikes 4 Kidz warehouse. FB4K gave away 390 bikes last year, which was its first. This year, with the help of the Mad About Bikes grant, their goal is to give away 1,000 bikes and build a sustainable annual program.
FB4K aims to make the giving sustainable Free Bikes 4 Kidz started in Minneapolis, giving away 250 bikes in 2008. Last year, the nonprofit gave away more than 5,000 from its branches in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia and Utah. Andy Quandt started the Madison chapter last year with seed-money from SSM Health/Dean Medical Group. He needed something to do with his winters and heard about it during a group ride. “I was looking for a nonprofit to get involved with,” Quandt told Your Family. “I didn’t know I was going to end up starting one.” Quandt said he first heard about it August 2016, and Jan. 14, 2017 was the first collection day. The chapter gave away 390 bikes three months later. Joining an organization that has been on its feet for a decade has its perks, like a slick web interface that sorts potential volunteers into three categories and allows them to sign up for shifts online. “The systems are already in place – all the branding and everything is already there,” Quandt said. “So it’s just a matter of needing the leadership and some startup money to do it.” According to the FB4K website, 25 million bikes are sold in the United States each year. Since kids grow like weeds, more than 8 million bikes are outgrown each year. Tom Linfield, vice president of community impact for the Madison Community Foundation, which issued the grant, said he thinks they haven’t full tapped-out the donated-bike potential of the city. “The growth rate of humans to bikes is crazy,” Linfield said, chuckling as
he thinks back to how many bikes he remembers buying for his kids. He said he thinks there’s potential for the program to someday collect 3,000 donated bikes per year. “We use the Minneapolis chapter as an example. They improve every year, and they gave away 9,000 bikes this year,” Quandt said. “I’ve been saying that Madison can do a thousand bikes a year sustainably.” To reach those numbers, the program needs to develop relationships with the right community groups, something that only happens when a program carries on long enough to become established. There are already signs of the program’s solidification: U-Haul donated the trucks the volunteers used to move the bikes around, and more people are coming out to donate. The real coup last year was when two groups showed up with dozens of bikes: the Shorewood police department and a local apartment complex owner. Cultivating these relationships should make the effort easier. “We want this to become normal,” Linfield said. “We want this to be where people know to bring that bike they didn’t know what to do with.” With FB4K giving away a thousand bikes a year and the Wisconsin Bike Fed working to make sure the bikes stay on the road and biking knowledge penetrates into underserved communities, the program has a solid foundation. “There are literally millions of bikes in this world that are unwanted and there are literally millions of people that want them,” Quandt says. “Why don’t we just make sure that that happens?” SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 21
FAMILYFUN
Blazing the trail
The Madison Blaze began in 2013 and is now in the Women’s Football Alliance League.
Local team helps bring women into football by Anthony Iozzo Photos by the Madison Blaze
P
aisley Bennett was a big fan of football growing up but never believed she would be able to play the sport after middle school. Then she discovered the Madison Blaze. The full-contact, full-pads women’s tackle football team, which began in 2013, gave Bennett the opportunity to once again showcase her football skills and knowledge, which she said are considerable. “When I was born, the first thing in my hand was a football,” she said. Now, in her third year, she’s the team’s starting quarterback. She also 22 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
acts as an unofficial ambassador for the team, hoping to continue changing the perception many people have about women’s football. The first thing many people tend to think of, she said, is lingerie football. She tells people the Blaze is actually a team that uses full pads and tackle and run plays just like men. That response usually leads to a look of surprise, but if there is an interest in football and a passion for the game, she tells them to check it out. Bennett also said that it is a fun, cheap night out for a family on a Saturday night.
“We are here to embody young women and older women to not hold back and just do what they love to do,” Bennett said. “Why does it matter who is under the helmet? If you really truly love the sport, then why not come out and play or come out and watch?” Bennett, who is a supervisor at a Starbucks in Madison, has noticed slight changes with perception and with the growth of both recruits and fans, but she said there is still the need for more awareness. While the Blaze recently switched leagues from the Independent
FAMILYFUN
Paisley Bennett (left) is a Monroe High School graduate that now plays quarterback for the Madison Blaze, a full-pad, full-contact professional women’s football league. Bennett is in her third year with the team. The 2018 season begins on April 7.
Women’s Football League to the WFA, Bennett said the goal remains the same for everyone involved. “No matter what league you play in, we all have one goal and that is to have fun and progress the sport and let people know that women can play, too,” Bennett said. “It is not just a man’s sport.”
Building a pipeline Members on the Blaze range from 18- to 50-years old. Some played in middle school like Bennett, but many others didn’t have those same opportunities. The WFA has teams in 32 states and Washington D.C. in two different divisions. There are three other similar leagues, and the hope is to let younger girls know they can start young and play. “It is something that I think pushes us a little harder within the football community, especially for women,” Bennett said. “And trying to develop that and get programs at the younger ages for all girls teams is something that we are starting and trying to do, not necessarily the Blaze as a whole but the league as a whole.” One of the ways to get more word of mouth and more awareness is through community fundraising projects. Bennett said the team rakes lawns of those who aren’t able to and have
promotions during the season, such as bringing in honorary members (like a teammate’s grandmother and a girl that was coached by one of the players) to join on the sidelines and come out for the coin toss. Some players also coach youth teams at Warner Park. This year, the team is also reaching out to the fitness community by reaching out to places like the Princeton Club and Capitol Fitness. “I would like to see more, and maybe I will push for that a little bit more this year and years to come,” Bennett said. Tryouts for the 2018 season wrapped up during the first weekend of February, and practice began Feb. 8. The first game is April 7 at home. But while many rookies are now on the team, Bennett said tryouts generally have a no-cut policy. Instead, they tend to weed out those who decide it isn’t for them. Even if a player doesn’t have the same experience, knowledge or skill as others, the Blaze has plenty of classroom time to teach fundamentals. “If you have no experience, that shouldn’t hold you back,” she said. “We definitely take the time to teach the fundamentals especially if you don’t have experience prior of playing football or a general knowledge of watching.” Continued on page 30
Abou t The Bl a z e The Madison Blaze is a fullcontact, full-pads women’s tackle football team that plays its home games at Middleton High School’s Otto Breitenbach Stadium. It participate in a 8-game season that runs from April to June. All games are on Saturday evenings. Tickets are $10 ($5 for seniors and students, free for 12-under). For information, visit madisonblazefootball.com.
Season schedule April 7 vs. Minnesota April 14 vs. Kansas City Titans April 21 vs. Grand Rapids Tsunami April 28 at Kansas City Titans May 5 at Grand Rapids Tsunami May 19 at Minnesota May 26 vs. Wisconsin Dragons (Milwaukee) June 9 at Wisconsin Dragons
SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 23
FAMILYHEALTH
Does winter darkness make you SAD? SENIOR LIVING BY STEPHEN RUDOLPH
I
was at a party recently and ran into an old friend whom I had not seen in years. I thought it would be a wonderful occasion to renew our friendship and get back in touch with one another. But once we began chatting, Kathy’s mood began to darken. She began to unburden herself. She told me “I hate winter. The darkness is so overpowering. The days get blacker and blacker every day. To me, it feels like the world is ending.” She and I meandered throughout the house and finally sat down in a room that was not occupied by any other guests. She told me she found herself watching way too much television, not wanting to go to work nor be in large gatherings. When she was invited to this Christmas party, she dreaded the idea of attending. She did not want to socialize or celebrate the season, as it made her feel more alone than ever. But she forced herself to put on her best dress and jewelry and to join the party. She smiled as she said “I decided to come to this party because every party needs a little gloom.” She told me she has seasonal affective
disorder (with the appropriate acronym SAD). “My mind and body wants to move as far away as possible as soon as the days start getting shorter.” According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – which is also known as seasonal depression – affects millions of people worldwide. It affects elders more than other age groups – a problem that can be difficult to detect and double down on risk factors already high in older adults, including reductions in socialization. But there are some actions people can take to reduce the effects of SAD, including exercise and getting more sun, and some treatments that can help. Shorter days mean long, emotional nights for those with seasonal affective disorder. Major depression, typically at the start of fall and into the dark winter months is the primary symptom of individuals with this illness. It is thought SAD is related to changes in the amount of daylight during different times of the year. The condition especially affects those who live in the more northern regions of the country. SAD is more common in northern regions of the United
Light therapy There are two types of light therapy that can help with SAD, according to the Mayo Clinic. Talk to your physician about light therapy, and follow the steps that he or she recommends.
Bright light treatment For this treatment, the light box is placed at a certain distance from the elder. He or she sits in front of it while reading, eating breakfast, or working at a computer.
Dawn simulation For this treatment, a dim light goes on in the morning while the elder is asleep, and it gets brighter over time, like a sunrise. 24 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
State, such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Michigan, where winters are typically longer and harsher. There is also less sunlight because they are farther away from the equator. Common symptoms of winter-onset SAD include: sadness, gloomy outlook, feeling hopeless, worthless, and irritable, loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy, low energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability and anxiety, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, carbohydrate cravings and weight gain, thoughts of death or suicide. You are also more likely to have SAD if you or your family members have depression. About 4-6 percent of people experience SAD the way my friend Kathy does. Another 10-20 percent may experience it in a milder form. It affects women more than men, and while some children and teenagers get SAD, this is the exception. Not everyone who experiences SAD is clinically depressed, but SAD can increase the effects of those who do live with chronic depression. To be officially diagnosed with SAD, one must present a pattern
Antidepressants The most common antidepressant medications prescribed for SAD, according to Kaiser Permanente: ■ S elective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft). SSRIs are usually tried first. ■ O ther antidepressants, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) and venlafaxine(Effexor).
FAMILYHEALTH of depression that comes and goes with specific seasons for at least two consecutive cycles, and it must be severe enough to meet the criteria of major depressive disorder (a clinical diagnosis made by a physician). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that elders are at a greater risk of developing depression but are often misdiagnosed or undertreated for SAD. Other chronic health conditions increase the chances of a person developing a depressive disorder, and as much as 80 percent of the elderly population in the United States has a chronic health condition. Elderly patients who require home care or hospital stays to treat their illnesses are at an even greater risk for depression. Elders are also likely to experiences losses in their social networks, which can contribute to their depression, according to a story at the website of Interim Healthcare, which runs home health agencies across the United States. The brains of elders can experience chemical changes with age that can lead to depression, the story noted, adding that SAD can lead to depressive symptoms in elders who are not diagnosed with chronic depression. Light therapy boxes can offer an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder, according to a story on the Mayo Clinic website. Features such as light intensity, safety, cost and style are important considerations. Experts think light therapy works by resetting the biological clock. It helps most people who have SAD, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Kaiser Permanente agrees that light therapy is the main treatment for SAD in its story on the subject, but it said antidepressant medicines may also help. They may be used alone or with light therapy. Positive results from light therapy could begin within a week or so after initiation, Mayo explains. But elders need to continue its use every day until the season changes, or the depression could return. Antidepressants must be used carefully, Kaiser warns. “If a physician prescribes an antidepressant, be sure you take it the way you’re told to,” the website explains. “Do not stop taking it suddenly, as this could cause side effects or make the depression worse.
When ready to stop, your physician can help you slowly reduce the dose to prevent problems.” If you believe you’re feeling the effects of SAD, there are some things you can do on your own to feel better. First and foremost of those is exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best things that can be done to combat SAD. Getting more sunlight may help too, so try to get outside to exercise when the sun is shining. Being active during the daytime, especially early in the day, should allow you to have more energy
and feel less depressed. Moderate exercise is safe for most people. But it’s always a good idea to talk to your physician to determine the best way to combat this insidious illness. l Stephen Rudolph is a consultant for Comfort Keepers of South Central Wisconsin, a home care agency that provides skilled nursing and personal care services for aging adults, those with disabilities and others needing assistance.
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COMING SPRING 2018
Residential Care Apartment Complex (RCAC) Featuring 33 one and two-bedroom apartments.
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SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 25
IF A KID WANTS A BIKE
FAMILYLIFE
Continued from page 21 To address this potential problem, the Wisconsin Bike Fed received $59,200 to fund new public fix-it stations and offer multiple bike repair internships for community youth. The idea, as De Anda Santana explained it, is to install fix-it stations at community centers staffed by interns the program trains and to place the stations in strategic neighborhoods around the city for people who previously lacked a place to fix their bikes. The intern training curriculum will be tailored at each station to the community it serves. The hope is that interns will teach others in their community to encourage a new generation of cyclists. The community centers each will
pick about eight participants who have leadership qualities and are interested in bikes for the initial training class. Once they graduate, they’ll set regular hours for when they’ll be available to help people fix their bikes. Three fix-it stations are expected to be at Bayview Community Center on the near-west side, Lussier Community Education Center on Gammon Road and Boys and Girls Club of Dane County off of Allied Drive. They’ll be outside and will resemble some that are already around the city, including on the Capital City Trail behind Mickey’s Tavern on the east side and on the Southwest Commuter Path. Each will include bike racks and benches, a bike stand for repairs, a
Baltazar De Anda Santana poses at the Free Bikes 4 Kidz warehouse behind one of the bikes from the organization’s 1,000-bike giveaway. De Anda Santana works for both the Wisconsin Bike Fed and FB4K and is responsible for matching up each refurbished bike with a community member who needs one.
New fix-it locations Bay View Community Center Park Street and West Washington Avenue Lussier Community Center 55 S. Gammon Road Boys and Girls Club 4619 Jenewein Road 1-2 stations TBD built-in pump and a small supply of tools fixed to the stand. “The fix-it station will bring community,” De Anda Santana said. “It’s not just a fix-it station, we want it to look like it belongs to the community, where people can come together to talk about things.” l
Photo by Beth Skogen Andy Quandt founded the Madison chapter of Free Bikes 4 Kidz, where he works from January to March. He splits the rest of his time between Gib’s Bike Shop in Lake Mills, which he re-opened in 2016, and his mobile bike shop called the Bikemobile, where he is in this photo.
Biking saved De Anda Santana’s life
Turning a passion into a career
Baltazar De Anda Santana’s warmth and sincerity are evident in the first moments of meeting and evidenced by the esteem others hold for him. He has an almost religious devotion to the cause of biking, and with good reason: It may have saved his life. “I lost 95 pounds to biking,” De Anda Santana told Your Family. “I was diagnosed with prediabetes, (and after biking) I became prediabetes free.” Two years ago, De Anda Santana decided to use his bike as his main means of transportation. But when he was riding, he didn’t see anyone else who looked like him riding on the trails. He only saw white people. Many minorities, he knew, didn’t know biking was an option for them. So he made it his calling to make sure they knew they were welcome. “If there are folks who are left out of biking, why do I expect this country to welcome folks in politics who are Latino, who are African-American, who are Hmong?” De Anda Santana asks. “So that’s why I believe in this.”
When Andy Quandt was 13, he walked into his local bike shop and said he wanted to learn how to fix bikes. After graduating with an English degree from UW-Madison and going through a series of “real” jobs, Quandt realized he always wanted to be fixing bikes. So he set about trying to make a career of it. In 2016, Quandt reopened Gib’s Bike Shop in Lake Mills, the shop where he bought his first bike - a Traker Freestyle - that had been shuttered since the late 1980s. With the help of Alek Arkin, a 19-year-old who is also working on the Free Bikes 4 Kidz project, Quandt is able to keep the shop open 40 hours per week in the summer. When he’s not working on FB4K, Quandt’s main job is the Bikemobile - a Sprinter van with a bike shop in the back, traveling to people’s homes and tuning their bikes in their driveway by appointment. “I had ‘real’ jobs out of college, professional jobs, but I always wanted to be fixing bikes,” Quandt said. “I managed to make a living out of fixing bikes.”
26 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
Orange Whole-Wheat Waffles with Yogurt & Fresh Berries
Mediterranean Beef Ragožt
2
Pork or Lamb Vindaloo
Chai Ice Cream
4
SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 27
Mediterranean Beef Ragožt Makes 8 servings
2 pounds trimmed stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes and patted dry 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional) ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns 1 cup beef stock ½ cup dry red wine 1 14-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, including juice 2 bay leaves 2 roasted red bell peppers, thinly sliced, then cut into 1-inch pieces ½ cup sliced pitted green olives ½ cup finely chopped parsley leaves In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, in batches, and cook, stirring, adding more oil as necessary, until browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware as completed. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to pan and cook, stirring, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add cumin, thyme, lemon zest, if using, salt, and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beef stock, wine, tomatoes with juice, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add to slow cooker and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until mixture is bubbly and beef is tender. Stir in roasted peppers, olives and parsley. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes, until peppers are heated through. Discard bay leaves.
Send your favorite recipe(s) to aroberts@wcinet.com
Chai Ice Cream Serves 6
2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 4 slices fresh ginger root 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries 1 tablespoon whole cloves 12 whole green cardamom pods 3 whole cinnamon sticks, each about 3 inches long 1/2 cup granulated white sugar 1/4 cup honey 3 tablespoons Chinese black tea, such as Keemun 4 egg yolks 1 large bowl of rice Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a boil with the spices, sugar and honey. Add the tea and reduce mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat and infuse the tea for about 5 minutes. Sieve out solids and return liquid to saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and temper them by combining with a cup of the cream mixture. Add the whisked egg yolks to the saucepan and whisk together over medium heat until slightly thickened. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon Using an instant-read thermometer, monitor the temperature of the mixture so it does not exceed 190o. Do not overcook or the mixture will curdle. Pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl placed over a larger bowl of ice. Stir the mixture until cool and then place in refrigerator or freezer to chill further, about 15 minutes. Add salt and vanilla to blend. Freeze using an old-fashioned ice cream maker filled with ice and salt, or freeze in a crank-type ice cream machine using a canister that has been frozen as per the manufacturer’s directions.
Send your favorite recipe(s) to aroberts@wcinet.com 28 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
Orange Whole-Wheat Waffles with Yogurt & Fresh Berries Makes about 6 5- to 6-inch waffles. Serves 4 to 6
Orange Whole-Wheat Waffles 2¼ cups white whole-wheat flour 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1¼ cups whole milk ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 eggs, separated 5 teaspoons packed, grated orange zest 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled Yogurt topping 1 cup Greek-style yogurt (see note) 4 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, packed Fresh raspberries, strawberries or blueberries, for garnish For the Orange Whole-Wheat Waffles: Preheat a waffle iron (and, if you plan to hold the waffles until serving time, preheat the oven to 200o). In a large serving bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, orange juice, egg yolks, and orange zest. In a third bowl, beat the egg whites until firm, but not stiff. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture, blending gently only until the ingredients are combined. Add the butter in a slow stream, continuing to blend until the butter is incorporated. Gently fold in the egg whites. For the yogurt topping: In a small serving bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey and orange zest. Pour ½ cup of the batter (or more, depending on the size of your waffle iron) onto the waffle iron and, using a metal spatula or table knife, spread the batter to within ½ inch of the edge. Close the cover and cook approximately 3 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. (If your waffles aren’t crisp, even after a ‘ready’ signal has sounded, continue to cook them, watching carefully, until crisp and golden. If not serving immediately, place the waffles in a single layer on a baking sheet in the preheated oven while you finish with the remaining batter.) Serve the waffles topped with a generous dollop of the yogurt mixture and garnish with berries.
1
Pork or Lamb Vindaloo Serves 3 to 4
1½ tablespoons grainy mustard (Pommery Moutarde de Meaux) 1½ teaspoons ground cumin 1½ teaspoons grounder turmeric ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small onion (about 4 ounces), peeled and cut into fine half rings 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed to a pulp 1¼ pounds boned shoulder of pork or lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 ⁄3 cup canned coconut milk, well stirred Combine the mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and vinegar in a cup. Mix well. Put the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the onion. Stir and fry until it is medium brown. Put in the garlic. Stir and fry for 30 seconds. Put in the spice paste. Stir and fry for a minute. Put in the meat. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes. Then add the coconut milk and 2⁄3 cup water if you are cooking continuously in a pressure cooker, or 1 cup water if you are cooking in the frying pan. (Transfer to a pressure cooker at this stage if that is your intention.) Cover and either bring up to pressure, or bring to a boil if you are using the frying pan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and 60 to 70 minutes in the frying pan.
Send your favorite recipe(s) to aroberts@wcinet.com
3
FAMILYLIFE
The dilemma of jointly owned real estate ESTATE PLANNING BY DERA L. JOHNSEN-TRACY
Unfortunately, this strategy often creates family feuds when some siblings wish to keep the property and others wish to sell. action. Depending on what the judge determines is most appropriate under the circumstances, this can result in either a partition “in kind,” in which each owner ends up controlling an individual, divided portion of the property, or a partition “by sale,” in which the entire property is sold and
the proceeds are divided equitably among the owners. A partition action can be costly and typically takes more than a year to conclude. So if you are having disagreements with your siblings (or other family members) regarding jointly owned real estate, it is typically best if you can work out these issues outside of a courtroom. However, if you have come to an impasse, a partition action might be your best option. Parents can avoid a situations such as this by making specific plans for their real estate through the provisions of a comprehensive will or living trust. l Attorney Dera L. Johnsen-Tracy is a shareholder and co-founder of Horn & Johnsen SC, a Madison law firm dedicated to estate planning, business law, and real estate.
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A
ll too often, parents with good intentions leave real estate to multiple children as co-owners. This can be done through lifetime gifting (i.e., through a quit claim deed) or upon death through a transfer on death deed, by will or by trust. Unfortunately, this strategy often creates family feuds when some siblings wish to keep the property and others wish to sell. Further, when some siblings won’t (or are unable to) cover their share of the costs involved in the maintenance and upkeep of the property, the others will understandably become resentful over time. If all owners can agree, the property can be divided or sold without court involvement. However, if they can’t agree, then any owner can initiate a court proceeding requesting a judge to either divide or sell the property. This type of court proceeding is known as a partition
Middleton ~ Waunakee ~ Sun Prairie www.CressFuneralService.com SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 29
BLAZING THE TRAIL Continued from page 23
FAMILYFUN
For the love of the game
For Bennett, the one thing that keeps her coming back is the love for the sport. She moved into the quarterback role after starting out as a wide receiver and a cornerback as a rookie. Those were the two positions she played in youth football. But when she played softball, she was a catcher and found it to be a similar control of the game that a quarterback has. That was something she longed for and loved, and it is something she wants to bring to another level in 2018 with the Blaze. “First and foremost, it is just having fun,” Bennett said. “Yes, we want to win. Yes, we want to compete at a high level, but if you aren’t having fun while doing it, then why are you playing the sport?” But Bennett knows her stuff. She started playing football, along with basketball and softball in third grade. But at Monroe High School, her football was limited to being a team manager for the Cheesemakers. Bennett, who continued to play softball in college, at North Central University in Minneapolis, also played for a club flag football team. When she was getting ready to graduate, she found out about the Minnesota Vixen, a women’s football team also a part of the Women’s Football Alliance League. The thought of playing football again intrigued Bennett, and that is when she found the Blaze. Bennett earned a spot and said she has loved it ever since. NEW INDEPENDENT, ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE “I actually got really excited,” she • Spacious Apartments with a Variety of Floor Plans said. “I took so many years off of • Free Transportaon 7 Days A Week football that I thought softball was my • Underground Parking only true love of a sport and I forgot • Restaurant Style Dining how much I actually enjoyed just • Full-Time Nursing & 24 Hour Staff going out and hitting somebody. • Housekeeping “It is a really good way to relieve • Daily Acvies stress.” l • Movie Theatre & On-Site Salon
Call For A Tour 608-620-6010
Our mission is to take care of our loved ones with compassion and grace. 471 Prairie Way Blvd. • Verona, WI • 608-620-6010 • noelmanorliving.com
30 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
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The Madison Blaze play Saturday nights from April to June at Otto Breitenbach Stadium in Middleton. They play teams from Kansas City (Ks.), Grand Rapids (Mich.), Minneapolis/St. Paul (Minn.) and Milwaukee this season.
FAMILYLIFE
Wisconsin
s k o Bo by MICHAEL TIDEMANN
Read On... ...On Wisconsin
‘Tough Luck’ takes on tough issues Tough Luck
By Todd Boss W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-393-60862-5 What happens when you take hard, Midwestern subjects and carry them into the realm of poetry? You have Tough Luck, a poetry collection by Todd Boss. The central poem, “Fragments for the 35W Bridge,” is an homage to the 13 people killed when the I-35W bridge collapsed in downtown Minneapolis Aug. 1, 2007. Boss had crossed that same bridge just 20 minutes before. Boss, born in Marshfield, Wis., was raised on a dairy farm in Colby and a cattle farm in Fall Creek. He received his B.A. in English and speech-theater at St. Olaf College and his MFA from the University of Alaska-Anchorage. He now lives in Minneapolis where he teaches at the Loft Literary Center. Boss mixes experimental and traditional poetry forms, the latter in an often amusing way. His overriding theme of Midwestern toughness seethes through his work. That’s quite apparent in his poem “When My Father Says Toughen Up” in which the father-son relationship seems reminiscent of “My Papa’s Walz” by Theodore Roethke: when he took you by the collar when you were little to zip you into that boiled wool jacket he sent you out to chores with,
That’s not to say that Boss’s treatment of his subjects is brash. “For an Old Runner” treats an antique sleigh runner in almost a transcendental manner, evoking a moving image: one of the horses that hauled it, its neck a rough relic, so rough it’s almost smooth with roughness, Boss takes enjambment to a whole new level, breaking hyphenated words between stanzas, such as in “Line-Dried Laundry.” His most powerful selections, though, have to be the 35 poems comprising “From Fragments for the 35W Bridge,” the inspiration for the book cover. The one-word lines of each fragment emphasize each word so we are forced to dwell on the power of form and meaning. Boss’s reason for using this unique form becomes apparent at the end of each fragment as we continue to dwell on the evocative images he has created. And then there are his stark and powerful images like we see in “A Hoard of Driftwood”: an oaken-knuckle uncoupled from the knot that once whorled it Even if poetry isn’t your genre of choice, Tough Luck is worth studying for how a native Midwesterner raises both mundane and tragic topics to the high level of art. l Michael Tidemann writes from Estherville, Iowa. His author page is amazon.com/author/michaeltidemann. SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 31
FAMILYFUN
SPRING 2018 CALENDAR March 1-3 WIAA boys and girls hockey tournaments, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, wiaawi.org March 2 Read across America book drive, Eau Claire: children’s book giveaway, eauclairechamber.org Comedy on Main, Janesville: laugh with nationally acclaimed comedians and superb up-and-comers, janesvillecvb.com March 2-3 WIAA team state wrestling tournament, University of Wisconsin-Madison Fieldhouse, wiaawi.org March 3 Saturday Science: The Science of Color, Discovery Building, Madison: Free event features interactive exploration stations, discovery.wisc.edu Madison On Tap beer festival, Alliant Energy Center, Madison: Beer festival in its fourth year, madisonontap.com Music Can Beat MS benefit festival, High Noon Saloon, Brass Ring and Brink Lounge, Madison: Features over 30 musical acts, benefits medical research, charityjamboree.com Barn Dance, Folklore Village, Dodgeville, folklorevillage.org Wollersheim Winery open house, Sauk Prairie, wollersheim.com March 3-4 Madison Kids Expo, Alliant Energy Center: madisonkidsexpo.com Spring Into the Arts, Watertown: visual, musical, theatrical, literary arts, watertownartscouncil.com March 8 Snowshoe hike, Eau Claire, eauclairechamber.org March 8-10 WIAA girls basketball tournament, Resch Center, Green Bay: wiaawi.org March 9-11 Canoecopia and Bike-O-Rama Sale, Alliant Energy Center: Expos feature gear sales, demonstrations, clinics, canoecopia.com and bikeorama.com March 10 YMCA Celtic Run Before You Crawl, Monroe: Annual Run Before You Crawl 5K and Kid’s Fun Run event, ymcaceltic5k.weebly.com Winter bird banding demo, Beaver Creek Reserve Citizens Science Center, Fall Creek, business.menomoniechamber.org Sustainable living fair, Janesville public library: learn how to restore the natural, janesvillecvb.com March 11 31st annual FFA Farm Toy Show, Monroe: Pedal pull, silent auction, food stands, facebook.com/MonroeFFAToyShow/ Madison Comic Con, Monona Terrace, Madison: Featuring comic book collectibles and artists, mightyconshows.com March 13 Oregon Chamber Spring Business Expo, Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese, oregonwi.com March 15-17 WIAA boys basketball tournament, Kohl Center, Madison, wiaawi.org March 16 Young Talent Cabaret, Janesville Performing Arts Center, janesvillecvb.com March 16-18 Swedish Music and Dance Weekend, Folklore Village, Dodgeville: Workshops, dance parties, performances, folklorevillage.com March 17 Get Your Bike Ready for Spring, Devil’s Lake State Park, dnr.gov.wi St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Capitol Square, Madison, stpatsmadison.org March Madness 3-On-3 basketball tournament, Eau Claire, eauclairechamber.org Shamrock Shuffle 5K, Prairie du Chien, prairieduchien.org Cave after Dark, Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds: Adults-only, at-your-own-pace tour and theme reception, caveofthemounds.com Irish Jig Jog, Watertown: 5K, kid’s run, food, live music, watertownjigjog.com March 18 Natural Family Expo, Monona Terrace: Explore local resources about parenting and wellness, naturalfamilyexpo.com Fondy Vintage Auto Club Swap Meet, Fairgrounds, Fond du Lac, fdl.com March 21 Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Barrymore Theater, Madison: Films highlight and celebrate nature, wisconsinrivers.org March 23-24 Wisconsin Kids Folkstyle Wrestling Tournament, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, wiwrestlingfederation.com 32 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
March 23-25 Cajun Music and Dance Weekend, Folklore Village, Dodgeville: workshops, dance parties, performances, folklorevillage.com March 24 Madison Area Doll Club Show and Sale, Alliant Energy Center, Madison: Appraisals, repairs, consultations, displays of dolls, Madison Area Doll Club Facebook page Mushing for Meals, Horace White Park, Beloit: 5K and 10K run, beloitmealsonwheels.org March 24-25 Art Glass and Bead Show, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, beadshowmadison.com Mad City Bridal Expo, Monona Terrace, Madison, madcitybridalexpo.com Jefferson Home Expo, Jefferson: jcfairpark.com March 25 Gem Mineral and Fossil Show, Janesville: Displays, speakers, presentations, plus vendors selling specimens, carvings and jewelry, badgerrockclub.org March 31 Cottontail Classic and Easter Egg Hunt, Fitchburg: 5K and 10K run, cottontailclassic.com Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch, Winnequah Park, Monona: mymonona.com April 2 Milwaukee Brewers home opener (day game), Miller Park, brewers.com April 5-7 Lil’ Badger Consignment Sale, Monona: Children’s consignment sale to sell clothing and toys, mymonona.com April 5-12 Wisconsin Film Festival, various Madison theaters: Around 150 film screenings in various genres, wifilmfest.org April 6-8 Field and Stream Deer and Turkey Expo, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, deerinfo.com April 6-7 Quilt the Day Away, Prairie du Chien: share quilting techniques, prairieduchien.org April 7 Maple Syrup Festival, MacKenzie Center, Poynette, travelwisconsin.com Spring StoryWalk, children’s program, hike and story time, Devil’s Lake State Park, dnr.gov.wi April 7-8 Lambing Days, Eugster’s Farm Market, Stoughton: Weekends through April, eugsters.com April 11 The Great Egg Hunt and Spring Spectacular, Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona: Go on an egg hunt for natural eggs, learn how to dye eggs, make baskets from natural materials, visit spring animals, aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org April 12 Fitchburg Chamber Spring Business Expo, Wyndham Garden, fitchburgchamber.com April 12- May 27 “42nd Street,” Fireside Theatre, Fort Atkinson, firesidetheatre.com April 14 Family Wild Day Out, geology, hiking and outdoor fun, Devil’s Lake State park, dnr.gov,wi Annual Spring Powwow, Alliant Energy Center, Madison: cultural demonstrations, exhibitions, intertribal dances and more, calendar.powwows.com Midwest Gourd Fest, Olbrich Gardens, Madison: Classes, lectures, vendors, raffle, kids’ activities, art competition, music, wisconsingourdsociety. org/festival Dane Handmade, Madison: Upcycled materials and a variety of art vendors, danehandmade.com April 15 Dane County Farmer’s Market opens outdoor season, Capitol Square, Madison, dcfm.org April 19-21 UW Varsity Band Concert, Kohl Center, Madison, badgerband.com April 20 Moon over Monona Terrace: View moon and other celestial objects through different telescopes, mononaterrace.com Girls Night Out, Cambridge, restaurants and stores offer drawings, tastings and specials, cambridgewi.com
April 21 Indoor flea market, Prairie du Chien, prairieduchien.org Earth Day celebration, Rotary Gardens, Janesville: janesvillecvb.com Taliesin cultivated cuisine, Taliesin Estate and Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center, Spring Green: A menu created from food and resources at the estate, taliesinpreservation.org April 20-22 Midwest Horse Fair, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, midwesthorsefair.com English Country Dance Weekend, Folklore Village, Dodgeville: Workshops, dance parties, performances, folklorevillage.com April 21 Poo@Ochsner Zoo, Ochsner Zoo, Baraboo, take a scavenger hunt around the zoo to identify animal poop, baraboopubliclibrary.org Frog Safari, Devil’s Lake State Park, dnr.gov.wi Rockin’ for a Cure, Wyndham Garden Hotel, Fitchburg: live music event supporting ALS patients, rockinforacure.org April 21-22 Sheep Shearing Days, Rainbow Fleece Farm, New Glarus: Demonstrations, presentation, fiber sales, rainbowfleecefarm.com April 23 Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Earth Day, Monona Terrace: Conference explores local, global environmental challenges and solutions, nelson.wisc.edu April 27-29 Wisconsin Dells Polka Fest & Expo, Chula Vista Resort, Wisconsin Dells, dellschamber.com 30th and Final Capital City Jazz Fest, Wyndham Garden Hotel, Fitchburg: Jazz musicians from all over the country, madisonjazz.com Spring Car Show and Auto Swap Meet, Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson, madisonclassics.com April 28 Maggie Mae Military Tribute Concert for the Brooklyn Veterans Memorial, Oregon High School: brooklynveteransmemorial.org Crazylegs Classic, Capitol Square: 8-kilometer run and 2-mile walk, proceeds benefit UW athletics: crazylegsclassic.com Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship, Dodgeville: Professionals compete for prizes, live music, drinks, activities for all ages, grilledcheesewisconsin.com Share the Road, Watertown: Duathlon or 5K, watertownsharetheroad.com April 29 Springtime at the Farm, Schumacher Farm Park, Waunakee, waunakeechamber.com May 3 Artful wine walk, downtown Sun Prairie, sunprairiechamber.com MIXPO Business Expo, Mount Horeb fire station: trollway.com May 4-6 Historic Preservation Weekend, Mineral Point: Home tours, etc, mineralpoint.com May 5 Janesville Farmers Market begins, Janesville: Weekly farmers market in downtown Janesville, janesvillefarmersmarket.com Maypole Dance Family Evening, Folklore Village, Dodgeville: folklorevillage.com Lake Monona Run: 20K/5K, Monona, lakemonona20k.com May 5-6 Bloody Lake Rendezvous, Woodford: Pre-1840s re-enactment camp and battle, with knife and hawk-throwing and primitive shooting competitions, Fur Trade Era food, yellowstoneblackhawkpark.webs.com The Clay Collective Spring Potters Tour, Cambridge: theclaycollective.org May 8 Music and drama festival, Janesville: janesvillecvb.com May 10-14 Horicon Marsh Bird Festival, Horicon, horiconmarshbirdclub.com May 12 Madison Mini Maker Faire, Monona Terrace: Part science fair, part county fair. Hands-on workshops, music, food, mononaterrace.com Tour of fairy homes, Shake Rag Alley, Mineral Point: Fundraiser includes silent auction, storyclay telling, shakeragalley.com May 16 Rotary annual pie ride, Janesville:janesvillecvb.com
FAMILYFUN
SPRING 2018 CALENDAR May 18-20 Fitchburg Days, Fitchburg: Live music, fireworks, Irish dancers, carnival, fitchburgdays.com State polka festival, Oconomowoc: Celebrating the official state dance of Wisconsin with live music, dancing, fish fry, wisconsinpolkaboosters.com Syttende Mai festival, Stoughton: celebrating Norwegian culture with art exhibits, demonstrations, live music, dancing, kids activities, stoughtonwi.com May 19 Waunakee Depot Days, Waunakee, waunakeechamber.com Susan G. Komen South Central Wisconsin Race for the Cure, Agora Fitchburg: 5K run/walk and 1.25-mile fun course, komenwisconsin.org Invention Convention STEM Fair, Eau Claire, eauclairechamber.org Renaissance Faire, Traxler Park, Janesville: Performers and exotic vendors in a middle-ages event that benefits local charities, jvlrenfaire.com Fitchburg Agriculture Route bike tour, Badger State Trail, Fitchburg: Learn about agriculture and enjoy ice cream on two-hour tour, fitchburgchamber.com Spring Fling, Monticello: Pig roast, tournament, beer stand, entertainment: monticellow-wi.com May 19-20 Automotion, Noah’s Ark Waterpark, Wisconsin Dells: Swap meet of 1989 and older cars, parts and more, dells.com Morel Mushroom Festival, Muscoda: Events revolving around sales of the hard-to-find delicacy; carnival, games, flea market, fireworks, muscoda.com May 20 Civil War Living History Festival, Milton House Museum, Janesville, janesvillecvb.com Greek Fest, Fond du Lac: Food, music, games, dancing, fdl.com May 25 Garden tours, Taliesin Estate and Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center, Spring Green: Learn about Wright’s relationship to nature with tour of 800-acre estate, taliesinpreservation.org May 25-26 Spring Dirt Fling, Sauk City: FFA tractor pull competition, saukprairieffa.com May 25-27 Music Fest, New Glarus: Live music, children’s activities, food, swisstown.com May 25-28 World’s Largest Brat Fest, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, bratfest.com Yesteryear Days, Albany: Street dance, parade, kiddie pedal tractor pull, chicken barbecue and Memorial Day commemoration, travelwisconsin.com Chocolate Fest, Burlington: Carnival, fireworks, parade, games, contests, entertainment, music, chocolatefest.com May 26 Green County Breakfast on the Farm, Karlen Farm, Monticello: Breakfast, farm tours, arts and crafts, entertainment, greencountyagchest.com May 26-27 Run Madtown, Madison: Half marathon, kids run and twilight 5K and 10K, runmadtown.com Fort Koshkonong Rendezvous, Fort Atkinson: 1800s re-enactment, black powder shooting, pioneer demonstrations, horse-drawn carriage rides, fortchamber.com May 27 42nd Annual Oregon Horse Society Memorial Day Open Horse Show, Triple K Stables, Oregon, oregonhorseassociation.org May 28 Cambridge Memorial Day Parade, Cambridge: Firemen’s all-you-can-eat breakfast, parade, memorial service, enjoyjeffersoncounty.com May 29 Art Walk, Watertown: Stroll historic downtown and take in art displays by local talent, enjoyjeffersoncounty.com Memorial Day Parade, Janesville, janesvillecvb.com May 31-July 15 “A Second Helping,” Fireside Theatre, Fort Atkinson, firesidetheatre.com June 1 Cars on the Square, Historic Courthouse Square, Monroe: Classic cars on display, prizes, food, travelwisconsin.com
June 1-3 Hometown Days, Verona: Festival celebrates community’s nickname, Hometown USA, with a carnival, parade, music, food, free activities for kids, fireworks, veronahometowndays.com Festa Italia, Fitchburg: Live music, Italian food, cultural exhibits, sporting events, iwcmadison.com Spring Art Tour, Verona-Mazomanie-Blue Mounds area: Open art studios all over the area, springarttour.com June 2 Dragon Art Fair, Market Street, DeForest: Arts and crafts from dozens of area artisans. Dragonartsgroup.org Fish’n’Fun, Edgewater Park, Beaver Dam: Fun and educational day for kids age 4 to 12 to learn the basic of fishing, beaverdamchamber.com Summer Kick-Off, Downtown square, Monroe, mainstreetmonroe.org Yellow Brick Road 5K run/walk, Oconomowoc, oconomowoc.org Barn Dance, Folklore Village, Dodgeville, folklorevillage.org Wright and Like Tour, Spring Green: Guided interior tours of private homes and public buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries, wrightinwisconsin.org Children’s Community Fest, Mount Horeb: Kids’ activities, live entertainment benefits Children’s Community School, ccsmounthoreb.com Fiesta Cultural LatinoAmericana, Watertown: 5K run, ballet folklorico, Mexican crafts, food, live music, dancing contest, soccer games, Riverside Park, fiestacultural.org Sawyer Crossen Memorial Triathlon, Monona: mymonona.com June 2-3 Free Fishing Weekend and Wisconsin State Parks Open House Day, all locations, dnr.wi.us National Trails Day, statewide: americanhiking.org Burgers and Brew, Capital Brewery, Middleton: REAP fundraiser with local chefs, brewers, reapfoodgroup.org June 3 Rob’s Sugar River Ramble, Mount Horeb: Bike, canoe to Paoli, return by bus for drinks and food, usrwa.org June 7-9 Corvette Adventures, Chula Vista Resort, Wisconsin Dells: driving event featuring road tours leading to wineries, breweries, cheese factories and restaurants, wiscdells.com June 7-10 Summer Frolic, Mount Horeb: Beer tent, food, entertainment, lumberjack competition, fireworks, parade, carnival, tournaments, Norsk Run, trollway.com June 8 Jammin’ on the Porch, Orchard Lawn Museum, Mineral Point: local musicians play for free, mineralpointhistory.org Sauk County Dairy breakfast, Reedsburg: Entertainment, historical displays, dairydaysofsummer.org June 8-9 Roger Bright Polka Festival, New Glarus: Polka bands from Wisconsin and the Midwest in the big tent downtown, plus Beer, Bacon and Cheese, swisstown.com June 8-10 Chamber music festival, Mineral Point: College ensembles each perform a full program, artsmp.org Walleye Weekend, Fond du Lac: Live music, children’s entertainment, sports and national walleye tournament, fdlfest.com PrideFest Henry Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee: Largest gay/lesbian, bisexual and transgender festival, pridefest.com Rockerbox Motofest, Plymouth: Motorcycle show and party, 920-892-4576
June 9 Taste of Sun Prairie, Sun Prairie, sunprairielions.org Taste of the Arts Fair, Sheehan Park, Sun Prairie: Arts and crafts, food vendors and entertainment. sunprairiechamber.com The Great Beaver Paddle Festival, Waterworks Park, Beaver Dam: Demos, seminars, boat rentals, paddle trails, concessions and entertainment, beaverdamchamber.com Beer, Bacon and Cheese Fest, downtown New Glarus, craft beer, specialty meat and cheese, swisstown.com June 9-10 Marquette Waterfront Festival, Yahara Place Park, Madison: Two music stages, local food vendors and kids games, marquette-neighborhood.org June 14-17 Fireman’s Festival, Cottage Grove: Carnival, beer tent, water fights, tractor pull, baseball, all to benefit the fire department and youth groups, cottagegrovefire.org June 15 Strawberry Fest at the Farmer’s Market, Fitchburg, Live music, Culver’s sundaes fitchburgchamber.com June 15-17 Lakefront Festival of Arts, Milwaukee: Festival features 189 national artists who display and sell, lfoa.mam.com June 16 Taste of Wisconsin, Beaver Dam: Craft beer and cheese tasting of Wisconsin-made products only, tasteofwisconsin.net Waterslide-athon, Wisconsin Dells: Benefits Ronald McDonald House, wisdells.com La Follette Day, Argyle: Historical re-creation, tours of Bob La Follette’s boyhood home, food, drink, music, historicargyle.org Horribly Hilly Hundreds, Blue Mounds: Grueling bike ride results in 10,000-foot elevation gain in Driftless Area, horriblyhilly.com North Fondy Fest, Fond du Lac: Music, crafts, model train display, games, fdl.com Robert Wellnitz Memorial Air Show, Fond du Lac, fdlaa.com June 17 Father’s Day Chicken BBQ, Blanchardville: Ecumenical church service, baseball game and music, blanchardville.com June 18 Concerts at McKee Farms Park, Fitchburg, facebook.com/ConcertsAtMcKee June 21-24 Summer Fest, Oregon: Music, carnival, food, car show, parade, run/walk, volleyball and softball tournaments, oregonwisummerfest.com Town and Country Days, Lake Mills: Carnival, parade, sidewalk sale and live entertainment, lakemills.org June 22 Garden tours, Taliesin Estate and Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center, Spring Green: Learn about Wright’s relationship to nature with tour of 800acre estate, taliesinpreservation.org June 22-23 Heidi Fest, New Glarus: Heidi drama performances, chicken BBQ, run/walk, auction, volleyball tournament, craft fair and mini expo, swisstown.com June 23-24 Spring Green Arts and Crafts Fair: Refreshments and entertainment provided, springgreenartfair.com Military Show, Watertown: Display of historic military vehicles and airplanes, war re-enactments, memorabilia, swing dance band and pancake breakfast, watertownmilitaryshow.com June 23 Tour da Goose, Watertown: Bike ride offers 100-, 62-, 42-, 22- and 12-mile routes, food and live music, watertownchamber.com June 24 Lions car show, Albany: food, drinks, music, greencounty.org June 30 Annual fish fry, Argyle: Cheese samples, duck races, street dance, argylewi.org
If you know of an event that should be in this calendar, email yourfamily@wcinet.com. SPRING 2018 YOUR FAMILY 33
FAMILYLIFE
B usiness S potlight
Carving out a niche Stoughton native makes handmade spoons Story by Scott Girard Photo submitted
W
Derek Brabender works in his studio to shape a piece of wood into a spoon before making the final design.
hen Derek Brabender graduated from Stoughton High School in 2010, he figured that was the end of his woodworking experience since he no longer had a shop. Instead, he went to Madison College to pursue photography, eventually moving to New York City. But that was a short-lived move, and by 2013 he was back in his hometown after realizing he did not love the big city. A year later, he was making handmade gifts for his then-girlfriend (now fiancee)
and thought of a new idea: “I could make her a cooking spoon.” “We cook a lot together, it would be a great kind of thing to have in the kitchen and to use,” Brabender recalled thinking. “Here’s a piece of wood, I’ve got a pocket knife, I don’t have any means of big machines, but I’ve got a pocket knife.” Now, having made more than 1,000 spoons by his own estimate, that initial project has turned into a full-fledged business, which Brabender runs in addition to his freelance and contract
commercial photography. The spoons can be purchased online at greenwoodspoons. com. He’s working out of his home but hopes to grow the business in the coming years, including an educational component showing others how to get into carving. “I want to engage with the Stoughton community a little bit more,” he said. “Whether that be selling at markets or doing demos at various businesses, trying to get my work a little more out into the community.” l
YF: How did you get into carving? Brabender: It started as part of a series of making handmade gifts for my girlfriend. I’d make her simple objects like woodburning on a cigar box and making her handmade chocolates to go inside, or making one of those vertical succulent hangers out of an old picture frame. Then it dawned on me, ‘I could make her a cooking spoon.’ It took me a week to complete that first spoon. I couldn’t tell you how much blood I lost, too, because I didn’t know what I was doing. It was about as bad as it could be for a first spoon. I was steady and determined to finish that spoon. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to be, she really liked it … and after that, I was like, ‘I can do better than this, I’m gonna do a few more.’ It just kind of snowballed from there.
but when I graduated, I had no access to a shop like that, so it went out the window. The great thing about carving is it’s so easily accessible. Really, all it is is just a few simple tools and traditional techniques that go back thousands of years.
from making hundreds of meals since I’ve seen it. Some people look at it and think it looks almost like an art … but they’re still utilitarian designs. They’re meant to be used. It almost makes me sad to hear people like, ‘I don’t know if I could use it.’ Use it!
YF: How did you learn those techniques? Brabender: I started without knowing anything, just guessing: ‘This is wood; this is a knife. I know a knife can make a bigger piece of wood into a smaller piece of wood, so just beat away at it.’ From there it was a lot of self-taught. I discovered a few resources like books. Kind of took that and ran with it.
YF: How long does it take start to finish? Brabender: The average spoon takes about two hours. It starts from a log that’s been relatively felled recently. I get a lot of wood from Craigslist from people that just had trees taken down by arborists or I see stuff on the side of the road; I always have a chainsaw in the back.
YF: Do you have a favorite you’ve made? Brabender: Usually the favorite spoon is the one I’m working on. It’s kind of one of those in-the-present things. They go from my hands, to a pile, off to someone else pretty quick and they get sometimes easily forgotten.
YF: When do you usually carve? Brabender: It’s whenever I get the time. My backpack that I carry around always has a few blanks in various stages just to give myself some options of what I feel like working on. So I’ll have a few fresh-cut blanks, or I’ll have some that are half-done, dried, they need finishing cuts or maybe i have some butter spreaders to work on. Maybe I bring a few sticks and I’m making other things. Anything to get some carving time in.
Q&A with Derek Brabender
YF: Did you do anything like this growing up? Brabender: It was a little bit out of the blue. I probably carved a few pointed sticks when I was a kid and made some spears and get a frog or two or something. I did a bit of conventional woodworking in high school, took some classes there and built things like a cabinet or a coffee table. I really enjoyed it, 34 YOUR FAMILY SPRING 2018
YF: What is it like to see someone using that spoon you created? Brabender: It makes me really happy when I see, especially a spoon that’s been well-used and like half of it’s black
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