Madison Essentials May/June 2020 by Towns & Associates

DREAM IT. DO IT. Whether your dream is to build your dream house or build a business, learn a new skill or learn about your community, take up guitar or take that once-in-a-lifetime trip, DreamBank has the support to help you make it happen. Because everyone deserves to dream fearlessly.

CONTENTS may/june 2020 publisher Towns & Associates, Inc. PO Box 174 Baraboo, WI 53913-0174 P (608) 356-8757 â&#x20AC;˘ F (608) 356-8875

madisonessentials.com

vol. 67

essential arts Richard Jones................................34

editor-in-chief Amy S. Johnson ajohnson@madisonessentials.com

publication designer Barbara Wilson

senior copy editor Kyle Jacobson

community Carey Gleason..............................26 Negative Self-Talk..........................32 So You Say You're a Butterfly Farmer..........................28

dining

copy editor

Paisan's............................................6

Krystle Engh Naab

food & beverage

sales & marketing director Amy S. Johnson ajohnson@madisonessentials.com

design team Jennifer Denman, Crea Stellmacher, Linda Walker

administration Cathy Bacon, Debora Knutson

contributing writers Colten Blackburn, Sandy Eichel, Jeanne Engle, Dave Fidlin, Kyle Jacobson, Lauri Lee, Lauren Miller, Carrie Rodamaker, Lori Scarlett, DVM, Liz Wessel

photographer

Sideshows in the Limelight............46

landmark The Foundation of Taliesin............14 Hoyt Park........................................18

nonprofit Dane County Humane Society Centennial Celebration: The Beginning.............................22

pets Reactive Dogs...............................38

sports & recreation

Eric Tadsen

UW Badgers Track & Field.............42

additional photographs

travel

Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Butterfly Farm of WI, Capital Times File Photo, Chicago Park District, Delta Beer Lab, Estate of Pedro E. Guerrero, The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York), Green Concierge Travel, Kyle Jacobson, Madison Parks Department, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Taliesin Preservation, University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Athletics, Wisconsin Historical Society

The Clearing: Slow Down, Renew, and Reconnect..........................50

well-being Phenology at Aldo Leopold Nature Center............................10

including From the Editor................................4 Contest Information......................54 Contest Winners............................54

(continued) madisonessentials.com

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Watch for the next issue July/August 2020. Cover photograph— Kerstin Riemer from Pixabay Photographs on page 3: top—Provided by Aldo Leopold Nature Center middle— Deluxe Pizza taken at Paisan's by Eric Tadsen

amy johnson

bottom—Provided by Taliesin Preservation

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Photograph provided by Taliesin Preservation

family crafted Prairie du Sac, WI

wollersheim.com

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essential dining

Paisan’s by Lauri Lee Paisan’s Italian Restaurant opened in 1950, a time when pizza was new to Madison. Paisan’s has moved four times over the years while maintaining a loyal customer base because of their delicious traditional Italian recipes. A new ingredient was added in 2006 with their move to 131 W. Wilson Street—a view of Lake Monona. Madisonians love open-air eating, especially when it includes a view of the lake. The 25-table patio with seating for approximately 100 people is open once the weather turns warm, and the dining 6 | madison essentials

room also overlooks the lake through a large bank of clear glass windows. The tiered patio was constructed so the view is unobstructed by those seated nearby. Any great meal tastes even better when looking at a stunning sunset or the moon rising at twilight. The lake is always a hub of activity with people enjoying the water so diners can delight in watching fishermen, boaters, and the occasional Mad-City Ski Team performance. For a spectacular view of the Shake the Lake fireworks over Lake Monona in July, the patio

Giardino Pizza

is closed to the public at 7:00 p.m. so diners can enjoy the Independence Day fireworks display. Paying homage to this renowned restaurant includes a trip down memory lane for those who have enjoyed it for decades while introducing the gem to a new generation. It all began December 31, 1950, when Paisan’s Italian Restaurant opened its doors on Park Street. Then, in 1951, it moved to its longtime 821 University Avenue home. The aroma of the original recipes for cracker-crust pizza; homemade pasta and sauces; Porta salad; and trademark sandwiches, such as the Garibaldi, still waft through the restaurant today on Wilson Street. The menu has always focused on pizza, sandwiches, pastas, and salads. Ed Shinnick and Walter Borowski are Paisan’s present-day owners. Ed shares how Paisan’s gets its flavor. “Guests are served the same classic Italian dining and original Greenbush ‘Little Italy’ recipes of Rose Troia McCormick. Rose and her husband, Roy, were two of the original partners who started the restaurant, and it was Rose who established the timeless menu; did the cooking; and trained new staff, including myself, to make the recipes. She was a great teacher. The pizzas were simple one-ingredient pizzas, such as sausage or pepperoni. Our menu has grown with the pizza industry in the past decade or so, and now we offer 10 specialty pizzas.

Garibaldi™ Sandwich

Porta™ Salad

“The pasta dish options have expanded as well. In the beginning, there was only a spaghetti sauce, meatball sauce, and one mushroom sauce. Now there is an Alfredo sauce and other sauces to meet customer’s needs. Pizza accounts for about 70 percent of our sales and has been voted Madison’s best pizza.”

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Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Toasted Spicy Cheese Bread

Any great meal tastes even better when looking at a stunning sunset or the moon rising at twilight. Ed started working at Paisan’s in 1966. “After Roy and Rose opened Porta Bella Restaurant at 425 N. Francis Street as an upscale version of Paisan’s in 1968, I was a part of the management team for the restaurants. In the early 70s, Roy encouraged me, Gerald Meier, and Don Reinfeldt to buy into the corporation as stockholders. We were hands-on in operating the business, learning to do everything.” Building a sister restaurant was a strategic expansion move. Ed explains, “In 1969, the plan was for Paisan’s to move into the basement of Porta Bella for three years while the restaurant’s

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new location at University Square retail center was being built. Three years turned into six years due to construction delays. University Square was Paisan’s home from 1975 to May 2006. Customers loved the new location that made them feel like they were eating in Italy. The restaurant’s décor featured large architectural pieces, such as a massive carved wood mantel rescued from an old mansion on the East Coast and a big set of French doors from an embassy in New York. The stained-glass windows, beadboard-paneled walls, and private individual booths adorned with decorative wood medallions created a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.”

For 31 years, Paisan’s had a relationship with its EMI landlords, Gordy and Jean Rice, and their son, Greg. Ed says, “We were given a few years' notice that University Square, along with our leased restaurant space, would be razed and replaced with a two-story retail mall, apartment building, and office tower. We had time to look around, but couldn’t find anything that suited our needs on campus. One day, Greg showed us the building at 131 W. Wilson Street, which had 4,500 square feet with a small Mediterranean restaurant and offices. We wanted 9,000 square feet, so it seemed it wouldn’t work. A couple of weeks later, he made us an offer to build

WILLY EAST: 1221 Williamson St. Madison, WI 2

2 1

WILLY WEST: 6825 University Ave. Middleton, WI 3 WILLY NORTH: 2817 N Sherman Ave. Madison, WI

onto the building so that we would have the space we needed. “To take advantage of the lake view, a windowed dining room and bar was added, along with a new tiered patio that was built atop a trilevel parking garage. This also allows us to validate parking stubs for our customers on week nights and weekends. Best of all, customers feel at home among the familiar décor because we brought most of it with us. We even found a company in Missouri that made the same beadboard so we could replicate the wood on the walls.” Located one block west of Monona Terrace and two blocks from the Capitol Square, Paisan’s is conveniently located for tourists and Madisonians

Organic produce, hot deli food, made-to-order smoothies and more! Check out any of our three locations. www.willystreet.coop

Everyone welcome!

participating in downtown activities. After the 2006 move, Paisan’s lunchtime and dinner crowds transitioned from primarily university professors to courthouse and government workers, visitors attending events at Monona Terrace, and nostalgic customers dining down memory lane. Paisan's is a Madison classic, so if you only get to eat there once in your lifetime, it’s well worth it. But it will never be just once. Lauri Lee is a culinary herb guru and food writer living in Madison, Wisconsin. Photographs by Eric Tadsen.

Lauri Lee

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e ssential well-being

PHENOLOGY at Aldo Leopold Nature Center by Kyle Jacobson

Today’s world is all about connection. You can take your bytes and bits and upload, download, reload, email, text, stream ... ah stream. Connection is a confined thing these days. And if we’re

not connected, we’re alone. People need not sever servers and whatever else they’ve jacked into, but perhaps there is a need to reconnect as has always been true. Nature isn’t going to set up a TED

Talk on mindfulness. Instead, regardless of your internet plan, it’s giving each one of us 24/7 access to experiences and interactions so amusingly ordinary, every species on earth can tap into them. Aldo Leopold Nature Center (ALNC) is championing the philosophies and ideologies set forth by the man himself. Cara Erickson, marketing and communications manager at ALNC, says, “Aldo Leopold is considered the father of phenology, and phenology is the art and science of observing and recording events as they occur in the natural world.” It’s going from that meditative oneness with the land to making everything more lucid. In order to do that, the ALNC provides context to capitalize on daily natural phenomena.

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“The cool thing about the Nature Center is we don’t have a ton of land, but we have a variety of habitats on our land,” says Cara. “You can walk one trail, and you’ll be walking through the basswood forest, through the oak savanna, and then eventually out into the prairie wetlands. Each piece of the trail has its own ecosystem.” Having a range of Wisconsin habitats means providing a stage to capture a lot of cyclical developments in fauna and flora. It also means being able to observe and record ecological disruptions, providing data points that may help contribute to further understanding on how environmental changes impact our world. Every visitor can embrace becoming a citizen scientist. Start with self-guided hikes. The trails of ALNC have a digital docent system that visitors can access with their smartphones. Scanning the QR code links to information on native species, including the impacts of seasonal fluctuations and climate change on those species. For example, as temperatures rise, there will be more female box turtles compared to males because their sex is determined by temperature during incubation. “We encourage people to stay on the trails, but at the same time, we want people to wander and to explore and to dip their net into the pond,” says Cara. madisonessentials.com

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“We want our visitors to be hands on with their discovery of nature. We are very much a come-and-experiencenature-here facility.” Or instead of going straight for the trails, head to the ALNC building. “We have maps inside, so if you stop in at the desk, you can get a map of the nature center grounds,” says Cara. “We have a visitor map with a scavenger hunt as well as a couple questions about interesting things to look for when you’re out on the grounds.” In addition, each person working at ALNC actively partakes in phenology and can tell you what natural events are taking place that day. Not far from the ALNC building, the trails are set up for maximum accessibility to nature, creating an abundance of learning opportunities. “The Nature Center has the easiest trails,” says Cara. “We do have one or two paved trails, but other than that, they’re wood chipped or fairly flat with grass. We mow them. Someone in a wheelchair would be able to navigate some of the trails.” As for the other trails, “they’re pretty fairly easy hiking.” Some experienced hikers might worry they won’t find a full-day’s trek on the premises. “The nature center itself has about 20 acres of hiking trails,” says Cara. But that’s not the whole story. “We’re located right between Woodland Park, which is a City of Monona park, and Edna Taylor Conservation Park, which is a City of Madison park, and our trails intertwine. Altogether, there’s 100 acres of hiking trails in this area. We have quite a bit of land for people to come out and hike and enjoy and partake in nature.” Along with the area to explore, there are some unique trail features. “We have an island in our pond. On the back end of the island, the bridge is pretty low in the water, and you can walk out and see other species. And then there’s several pond docks, or teaching docks, that we have on the pond itself.” When I last hiked the trails, I had the experience of walking out onto a wetland dock and being only a few yards from a wading heron. 12 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

Being up close and personal with wildlife invigorates curiosity. Since education is at the forefront of nearly every undertaking of ALNC, one of the best ways for the often young and always inquisitive to take on the trails involves the right tools. Cara says, “We have the family trailside backpack program, which is free for members and $3 for nonmembers, to checkout at the front desk. That comes with trail guides, binoculars, and other accessories. In the summertime, we put in a pond net and a tub so that families can go out to the pond and dip and pull their own species.” Bottom line, you can’t rewind nature, but it’s always putting on a show. “A group of field trippers just saw, for the first time, a weasel down by the water. Some of our environmental educators got really excited because they have never seen a weasel near the pond before. There’s cool events that occur all the time if we keep our eyes open.” There’s no surefire way to know what’ll be playing at ALNC on any given day, but the matinee is nonstop, the admission is free, and access is unlimited. Side note, every year comes with a multitude of children environmental educational programs for youngsters of all ages. Also offered are adult and teacher workshops, Scout programs, presentations, and special events. Find out more at aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org. Kyle Jacobson is a writer and copy editor for Madison Essentials.

Kyle Jacobson

Photograph by Barbara Wilson

Photographs provided by Aldo Leopold Nature Center.

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The Foundation of

Taliesin

Photograph provided by The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York)

essential landmark

A COM PLET E LI V ING UNIT by Carrie Rodamaker, Executive Director Since the 1800s, the Wyoming Valley and surrounding Driftless hills and valleys of southwest Wisconsin have been home to many immigrant farmers and homesteaders seeking land and rich soil to begin their new lives in America. Frank Lloyd Wright’s maternal side of the family, the Lloyd-Joneses, settled into the area in the 1860s and began progressive farming to sustain their families. While Wright was born in Richland Center, his family subsequently moved and spent years in the New England region of the United States until they moved back to Madison, when he 14 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

was 10. Wright’s summers were then spent in the Wyoming Valley working on the farms of his uncles because his mother, a strong proponent of learn by doing and connecting with the land, insisted that her son had sufficient time to do just that. The connection with land, nature, and soil—living within, and not on— became Wright’s North Star for how he saw the world and architecture. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has now recognized eight of his buildings, including his home, Taliesin, as World Heritage sites for

their contribution to 20th century modern architecture. While Wright’s early career took him to Chicago, he longed for the Wyoming Valley. In 1911, he was able to return to his roots and built Taliesin, his “autobiography in wood and stone.” No matter where Wright was the remainder of his life—nearly 50 years—he considered Taliesin as his home. Using the inspiration of his childhood, Wright designed Taliesin to be in harmony with its surroundings, including sustainable agriculture and a self-sufficient supply of home-grown

food. In his autobiography, Wright explained, “Taliesin should be more of a garden and a farm behind a workshop and a home. I saw it all, and planted it all, laid the foundation of the herd, flocks, stable, and fowls as I laid the foundation of the house … Taliesin was to be a complete living unit, genuine in point of comfort and beauty, from pig to proprietor.” At Taliesin, Wright featured some of the most progressive and sustainable land use ideas of the time, including

contour farming; free-range chickens; outside hay storage; a raised-floor barn to recapture cattle body heat; and gas-fired, forced-hot-air hay drying. Wright also had an apple orchard, a plum orchard, raspberries, a vineyard, a rhubarb triangle, a Midway vegetable garden, chive circles, a steer pen, a heifer pasture, a chicken coop, goats, a creamery, horse pasture, forage crops, flower beds and gardens, and ducks. Farming at Taliesin was integral to daily life. In the 1930s, as Wright

Photographs (above and below) provided by The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York)

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Photograph provided by © Estate of Pedro E. Guerrero

After Wright’s 1959 death, the School of Architecture and the Fellowship leased the land to local farmers for their use. Then in 2000, Otter Creek Organic Farms, a family-run organic dairy farm, began leasing the farmland at Taliesin. Eventually converting the farm from conventional to organic, Otter Creek Organic Farms now leases about 300 acres where they raise corn, hay, oats, and wheat as well as graze a small herd of cattle. In addition, about 10 acres of fields have been converted into vegetable crops that are harvested to continue

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Photograph provided by Taliesin Preservation

founded the Taliesin Fellowship, later known as the School of Architecture at Taliesin, apprentices were required to assist in the growing and harvesting of agricultural crops and livestock as well as preparation of family-style meals and nightly entertainment. When the Fellowship migrated to Wright’s winter home, Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, Arizona, they’d load up a flatbed truck with Wisconsin produce and preserved food to sustain them through the winter months.

feeding the School of Architecture and are purchased by the Riverview Terrace Café, a farm-to-table restaurant located at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center. The café is operated by Taliesin Preservation, a Wisconsinbased nonprofit organization whose dual

mission is to preserve Taliesin’s natural, cultural, and built environments as well as conduct public education at Taliesin. Today, Taliesin Preservation is accelerating its dual mission to preserve the natural, built, and cultural

environments at Taliesin. By working with farm-to-table pioneer Odessa Piper, a James Beard Award-winning Chef and founder of Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Etoile, Taliesin Preservation is redeveloping the concept of farming and life at Taliesin. Since 2018, Taliesin Preservation welcomes individuals to live and work at Taliesin each summer to learn about farming, cooking, and healthy food systems. The Food Artisan Immersion Program draws its inspiration from Wrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision for Taliesin and believes that an integral and healthy food system is rooted in great cooperation between people, their community, and their environment. The program aims to provide farm-to-table practice and preparation to prepare emerging food artisans of this generation in their steps toward becoming farmers, artisan entrepreneurs, food educators, and food service professionals. The programming, in partnership with Otter Creek Organic Farm and the surrounding area Driftless farmers, works to highlight and celebrate the region, the land, and the community for future generations.

Carrie Rodamaker is the executive director at Taliesin Preservation.

To learn more about and support Taliesin Preservation and the Food Artisan Immersion Program, where Taliesin strives to bring the past forward, visit

taliesinpreservation.org. Carrie Rodamaker

sauk prairie

600 WATER ST. SAUK CITY, WI

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essential landmark

HOYT Park Madison residents who want to get away from it all don’t have to travel far. Frank W. Hoyt Park, at 3902 Regent Street, occupies 32 acres of woodland surrounded by a residential neighborhood. The park is bounded by Bluff Street on the north and Regent Street on the south. Regent becomes Owen Parkway in the southwest section of the park and ends at Hillcrest Drive.

The park sits on top of a glacial drumlin (an elongated hill), one of the highest points in the city. Sunset Point on Owen Parkway offers widespread views of Madison’s west side. Hoyt Park was designated a Madison landmark in 1995 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The park consists of two different

by Jeanne Engle sections developed at different times in the 19th century and joined together in the 20th century. One of Madison’s most significant and concentrated collections of Depression-era, rustic-style park buildings and other structures can be seen in Hoyt Park. The origins of Hoyt Park go back to 1890, when Madison acquired the property rights to a stone quarry that began operation in 1850. Light-buff fine-grained buff sandstone was quarried and used in the construction of many early Madison buildings, some of which are still standing. Dolomite extracted from the quarry was crushed and used for paving city streets. The other segment of Hoyt Park includes Owen Parkway, the second privately developed pleasure drive in Madison and one of the few remaining road segments from the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association’s (MPPDA’s) history.

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The MPPDA was formed by a group of civic-minded men with the goal of expanding publicly accessible pleasure drives. The University of Wisconsin– Madison Division of Facilities Planning & Management notes, “During the latter part of the 19th century, a horse-drawn carriage ride through the countryside surrounding Madison was a favorite recreational activity for families and courting couples alike. Often the roads they traveled were designed to emphasize a leisurely tour along a scenic route—hence the reference to these byways as pleasure drives.” The MPPDA disbanded in 1938 after transferring the title of its holdings to the city, and its activities were assumed by the Madison Parks Commission. The Owen Parkway parcel was purchased in 1892 by UW–Madison professor Edward T. Owen, who had become captivated with the outstanding view from the top of the drumlin. He had a carriage road built to and through his land. And later he donated the parcel to the MPPDA. The trail was named Owen Parkway in his honor. Soon, the top of the hill became known as Sunset Point. According to his 1931 obituary, Owen was deeply interested in anything that pertained to beautifying Madison’s natural surroundings and making them available to the public.

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orthoteam.com When the quarry ceased operations in 1928, Madison’s Common Council decided to combine the property and the adjacent Owen Parkway to create a public park. The park was dedicated and named after Frank W. Hoyt in 1933.

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Hoyt, who was known as the “grand old man” because of his park work, was born in Madison in 1852. He eventually became president of the First National Bank and was a prominent realtor. Between 1894 and 1934, Hoyt was a leader in the MPPDA and served as treasurer for many years. He also served on the Madison Parks Commission for more than a decade in the 1930s and 1940s. Hoyt was believed to have been the oldest native born Madisonian at the time of his death in 1950. The city began developing a plan for the new park in 1928, and four years later, land had been cleared for park amenities. Improvement of Hoyt Park accelerated when federal funding was released through the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which were New Deal programs to halt unemployment that had been caused by the Great Depression.

landscape. Crews used mostly hand tools on designs that conveyed a sense of the past through a feeling of having been handcrafted by pioneer builders. Building materials were often left in their natural condition.

The rustic style was popular in the early 20th century and quickly became accepted as the appropriate architecture for vacation houses, resorts, and camps built in heavily forested landscapes. This style also proved to be especially appropriate for park sites, placing a premium on creating newly built resources that blended into the

The last of the sandstone from the city quarry was used to build the shelter house, fireplaces, picnic tables, restroom building, retaining walls, stairways, and other Hoyt Park structures. Italian masons from the Greenbush neighborhood were responsible for much of the construction. Though money for some of the building projects

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ran out, the Italian masons continued to work with no compensation to complete what they’d started. A May 1934 Wisconsin State Journal report praised the park: “Hoyt Park offers perhaps the finest facilities for food preparation. No single feature of the picnic ground seems so indispensable as that of the camp oven. … The ones provided were built for convenience, utility, and beauty beyond the primary needs to just boil water.” A columnist for The Capital Times wrote that the work done in the park utilizing

The Depression-era structures began to deteriorate over time, so concerned citizens founded the Friends of Hoyt Park in 1995 to restore and preserve the features of the park’s past. With financial contributions from both the city and the Friends, 12 stone fireplaces were meticulously restored to their previous condition. In addition to the restoration work, the Friends developed and implemented provisions in a master plan calling for prairie restorations and invasive-species control. The Friends group funds a ranger to work in the park during the summer and organizes community events in the park, including owl walks, picnics, bat surveys, and monthly work parties. In the future, the Friends hope to continue prairie-restoration work and update the master plan while expanding activities offered in the park, such as birdwatching walks and butterfly observations.

Tim Astfalk, president of the Friends of Hoyt Park, says, “My favorite aspect of Hoyt Park is the variety of activities the park offers and the diversity of people it brings together. The park has everything from playgrounds to nature trails, picnic shelters to ball fields, and historic structures to a great location to watch the sun set. There are prairies and woods and nice places to meet people. This diversity of activities really makes Hoyt Park a valuable resource for our community.”

CHOCOLATESHOPPEICECREAM.COM

Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer. Photographs courtesy of Madison Parks Department.

Jeanne Engle

Photograph by MOD Media Productions

Madison’s natural beauty and resources was “going to make Madison one of the most enjoyable and interesting cities in the country in which to live.”

MADISON-AREA LOCATIONS ATWOOD AVENUE • 2322 ATWOOD AVENUE CAMELOT SQUARE • 1726 FORDEM AVENUE FITCHBURG • 2981 TRIVERTON PIKE DRIVE MIDDLETON • 2831 PARMENTER STREET SEQUOYA COMMONS • 555 S. MIDVALE BLVD. STATE STREET • 468 STATE STREET

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essential nonprofit

Ida Kittleson

President of DCHS

Photograph provided by Wisconsin Historical Society

DANE COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY Centennial Celebration

T he Beginning by Jeanne Engle The success of every organization is the result of great vision and hard work. For Dane County Humane Society (DCHS), the desire to create an organization dedicated to the welfare of animals was strengthened by its president, Ida Kittleson, and her compassion and determination. Kittleson’s vision for DCHS grew out of her good work and the efforts of those who followed in the path of her passion.

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Kittleson, wife of Madison’s mayor in the early 1920s, served as president of DCHS for more than 30 years from the time of its incorporation in 1921. The start of her work with animals began when a neighborhood music teacher found a stray cat and brought it to Kittleson in a violin case. She kept the cat as a pet and soon set her mind on doing something for all strays. So she started looking for homes for

them. During those first years, many animals were kept in the basement of the Kittleson home and in the homes of volunteers and several local veterinarians until a permanent shelter could be built. But that wouldn’t occur until 1965. In a 1966 interview, Kittleson talked about riding the streetcar to pick up stray animals or trudging up and down

Norwegian Heritage Center

top by and learn about Norwegian Culture through our interactive and electronic displays. Visit the genealogy lab, view videos and see the Vesterheim display.

“Where immigrant stories come alive”

Dane County Humane Society’s Thrift Store...

Photo by TKWA

• 277 W. Main St. Stoughton, WI • 608.873.7567 • livsreise.org • • Tues-Sat 9:30am-4:30pm • Free Admission • Like us on • stairs to collect contributions to DCHS in the days before the permanent shelter. When friends at DCHS were ready to give up, Kittleson wouldn’t hear of it. A close friend who worked with her on community projects said, “Mrs. Kittleson’s personality kept the Humane Society alive through the years. When it was necessary, she carried the burden alone, for she has always been able to accomplish anything she puts her mind to.” Not one to shy away from politics, Kittleson announced her candidacy to be a member of the state assembly from the first district of Dane County in July 1926. She said, “When suffrage was granted [to women in 1920], it brought duties as well as opportunities. Voting and holding office become a part of women’s share in government.” But a month later she withdrew, citing that she would be away from the city for most of the time before the primary election. Kittleson was serving as vice president of the American Humane Society at that time and would be presenting a paper at the national convention in August. Kittleson served on the Board of the American Humane Society for 17 years and was the first president of the Wisconsin Federation of Humane Societies as well.

Upon her retirement from the Board of DCHS at the annual meeting in January 1954, Kittleson clarified she was not leaving DCHS—just stepping down as president. “During my years here I have learned a lot, and it has made my life very full. I know there are differences within the Society, but I know, too, that in the good American way, the program will be carried out and all will work together for the success of the organization.”

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In the late 1940s, Kittleson received a Golden Rule award for her public service from a local radio station program sponsor. Then in the 1960s, Kittleson was recognized for her humanitarian work, including service to Kiddie Camp, the Neighborhood House, DCHS, and other community projects, receiving a national Good Neighbor award. The Capital Times noted about Kittleson, “Children and animals are always her first concern.” In 1969, Mrs. Kittleson, the proclaimed “Madison’s First Lady,” died. She and her late husband had no children. Even before DCHS was incorporated, Dr. J. W. Quinn, a local veterinarian and the county’s first humane officer, offered his services for no compensation. His only payment was an occasional donation and a chicken and dumpling

... in the good American way, the program will be carried

worktogether together out and all will work for the success of the organization.

Thrift Store

6904 Watts Rd. Madison Sun & Mon 11am-5pm Tue-Sat 11am-7pm giveshelter.org (608) 709-1275 madisonessentials.com

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Alexius Baas Education Director

Sunday dinner prepared and served by Kittleson (because she thought it was the least she could do).

In his role as education director, Baas visited and spoke to children in Madison and Dane County schools to increase the children’s interest in, and encourage their kindness to, animals. His programs consisted mostly of telling children stories about animals, singing for them, and his own dogs displaying their tricks. Baas said, “I believe that interest will grow into love for animals and, if affection for all living creatures is once established, kindness to them inevitably follows.” Beginning in the 1940s, Baas broadcast the weekly Sunday program Pet Corner on WIBA radio on behalf of DCHS. The show featured animal-related material, such as poetry, interviews, and individual animal feature stories. One episode introduced Jimmy the Crow, a talking crow that lived near Plainfield. Additionally, Baas had the WMTV program Dogs I Have Known. Following Baas’ retirement, his wife, Evelyn Baas, who was a board member and membership chair for DCHS, continued the radio broadcast.

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Photograph provided by Capital Times File Photo

Probably one of the best ways DCHS had to get the word out about its work during the first 50 years was through the voice of Education Director Alexius Baas. Baas, a Renaissance man of his time, wrote the “All Around The Town” column in The Capital Times for 25 years. It was a column that dealt with Madison’s past and present—especially when it came to stories about animals.

A wonderful example of the influence of Baas was the 1946 donation of $35 from men imprisoned at Waupun Correctional Institution. Two years prior, Baas performed a concert at the prison, which led to his correspondence and friendship with a prisoner who was the editor of a magazine written and published by the prisoners. The man became interested in Baas’ DCHS work and convinced fellow inmates to each contribute $1 to the organization. In 1968, The Capital Times columnist Frank Custer wrote, “[Baas] has been an outstanding figure in his native

Madison … a singer, actor, teacher, Shakespearean scholar, poet, composer, music and theater critic, newspaper columnist, and fighter for humanity to man and animal.” After Baas’ death in 1970, Miles McMillan, executive publisher of The Capital Times, characterized him as an extraordinary man. “Thousands will remember him as the champion of helpless animals, others for his fight to stop pollution of Madison lakes. He was one of the most popular columnists ever to write for The Capital Times. Madison is a better place to live because of ‘Lex’ Baas.”

Surely Kittleson, A. Baas, E. Baas, Dr. Quinn, and all the people involved in the early years of DCHS would be proud to see how their legacies have grown. Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer.

Jeanne Engle

Today, education work is an important part of DCHS. Whether it is a weeklong summer Camp Pawprint experience or a school-year day camp, children are encouraged to connect with animals. Youth can volunteer and complete service projects to help animals in need or earn an animalrelated Girl or Boy Scout badge. And a birthday party at the shelter is as educational as it is fun. In 2019, DCHS conducted 242 humane education events for 7,000 adults and kids.

Photograph by MOD Media Productions

Evelyn Baas was another great early advocate for animal protection and was honored by the American Humane Society twice. The second time, in 1973, she was recognized for her 35 years of meritorious service to DCHS and outstanding work for the humane movement. Not only did Baas serve DCHS, but she was a director of the Vilas-Oneida Wilderness Society in northern Wisconsin, honorary vice president of Protect Animal Life in Pewaukee, and a contributing member of animal societies in the United States and England.

Be sure to go back and read “The Introduction” article in the March/April issue of Madison Essentials, and watch for the July/August issue, where we’ll highlight the growth of DCHS that led to opening the Pennsylvania Avenue facility in 1965.

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essential community

CAREY Carey Gleason GLEASON SOMETHING ABOUT FAIRNESS by Kyle Jacobson

Life isn’t fair—often said to explain away a perceived injustice, like when Steve cuts in the cafeteria line and takes the last chocolate muffin. Then there’s the more serious side—tragedy and disease. For Carey Gleason, the question of fairness isn’t answered with acceptance or indifference, but with honesty. Why is this happening? Does it really have to be this way? Am I in a position to do anything, and if not, how do I get there? “I’ve been accused of being moralistic,” says Carey. “It comes from a pressing need to be fair. I grew up number eight of nine children. I think what happens when there’s a scarcity of resources, you get obsessed with fairness.” Since fairness tends to be a moving target where today’s justice is yesterday’s -ism and vice versa, the approach to rectifying fairness has to be as flexible as the definition. Flexibility, however, doesn’t mean drastic changes. It’s more incorporating new schools of thought and levels of awareness. Carey remembers past events involving moral wrongs, many of them going back to her childhood. “I was in the sixth grade, and a brother 26 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

and sister were getting bullied on the bus. They would get on the bus, and they were terrified. The brother was a kindergartner and the sister a first grader. The bully was probably in fourth or fifth grade. God knows he probably had his own struggles, but for some reason, he decided to pick on these kids. I did the whole anti-bully thing before it was a thing because it was just not right. That kind of stuff, that just gets me. Moralistic, I know, but I have more than once stuck my neck out when it would’ve been smarter for me not to.” Acting in accordance with her heart is something imparted onto Carey by her mother. When Carey was young, her and her siblings would ask who the favorite was. “[My mother] never was tempted to be nuanced in her answer. Her answer was always just this categorical, ‘I don’t have favorites.’ Now, being a mother, I understand that you love your kids equally and differently.” It’s not about the political answer, it’s about understanding part of herself. “I have a daughter and a son, and I’m so proud of both of them. I like to say I take no credit and I take no blame. I love them.”

Carey’s mother and family also serve as inspirations for her work. About five years ago, Carey’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease dementia. It tied into Carey’s training as a clinical neuropsychologist. “I was trained to look at brain-behavior relationship in the context of aging, so the two together end up directing my career and my efforts toward dementia. ... The niche that I fill is tied into my interests in justice and equity. When you look at the data describing who gets Alzheimer’s disease dementia, there’s higher prevalence in groups that are, unfortunately, underrepresented in our research.” I won’t do justice to the body of Carey’s work here, but in a gluedtogether nutshell, Alzheimer’s is almost exclusively studied in highly educated whites living near academic medical centers. On average, this demographic tends to have cleaner cases of Alzheimer’s with less complicating factors outside the disease when compared to their counterparts, limiting the ability to understand the disease as it presents in the majority of cases. Compared to black participants

“I think if people were creative in thinking about who they put forward, who they promote in whatever world they work in, and making sure they promote diverse voices—that they’re inclusive, thinking outside the box in terms of what they do—that to me is justice and fairness.”

enrolled in the center network, white participants enrolled in the national network of Alzheimer’s disease centers appear to have more aggressive forms of Alzheimer’s disease dementia. The question to Carey became whether or not the studies were overlooking treatments that would be effective in the general population because they fail in the more advanced cases. Think of it in terms of something like aspirin never being discovered. Because no one has thought it was important to further investigate how to treat minor headaches for whatever hypothetical reason, we’re stuck with something like the highly addictive codeine for incidents that really don’t call for it. How many people would want to pop a Vicodin when they have a minor stress headache?

To get into the position to help others, Carey says, “I had a lot of help along the way.” Carey had been on three different promotion tracks in the field of psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, one after the other, over the course of her work before Dr. Molly Carnes, Jean Manchester Biddick Professor of Women’s Health Research and director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at UW– Madison, suggested a better direction for Carey’s career. “Molly was hugely influential in sponsoring me. She’s the one who first said to me, ‘Why not reach for it?’ ... During a faculty meeting, she looked at my CV and spoke up, asking her colleagues to consider, ‘Why is Carey not on the tenure track?’” It’s made the difference in Carey’s work and her ability to promote those coming up behind her.

After all Carey has acquired from those who surround her professionally, her drive for personal growth still comes from family. “My mom is a big motivator. She’s very sweetly confused. I don’t want her to suffer, but there’s something about it that has just stripped away all of her agendas, hurt feelings, and grudges. She is who she is in the moment, and it’s just this pure goodness. ... You’ll say, ‘I love you,’ and she’ll always say, ‘I love you more.’” Her mother’s daughter, no matter how much Carey does for her children, her husband, her colleagues, or her trainees, she’s always asking herself, “What more can I do to help?” Kyle Jacobson is a writer and copy editor for Madison Essentials. Photograph provided by University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health.

Kyle Jacobson

Photograph by Barbara Wilson

should be able to work to the top of their potential.

Carey Gleason, PhD, is an associate professor with tenure and a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health whose research interests stem from her desire to improve diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for all individuals, including those traditionally underrepresented in research. To learn more about Carey and her work, go to medicine.wisc.edu/people-search/people/staff/408/GLEASON_CAREY.

Privilege defines a large portion of Carey’s empathy. She wants to use her position to break down barriers to access not just in research to help underrepresented demographics, but for her clinical and research trainees. “They should feel valued and able to work to the top of their potential. And how do you make that happen? You make sure that they feel safe enough to actually take chances and risks. Not everybody will be able to perform equally well in a situation, but they madisonessentials.com

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e ssential community

SO YOU SAY YOU’RE A

Butterfly Farmer

by Colten Blackburn This is the most frequent question Diane and Kevin Wright receive when people find out they are butterfly farmers in Marquette County, located in central Wisconsin. Out of the four suppliers for Olbrich Botanical Garden’s annual Blooming Butterflies exhibit, they’re the only ones located in Wisconsin. This is an inside look at how Wisconsin Butterfly Farm operates and came to be. After receiving degrees in ecology and physiology, Diane and Kevin began their careers in ecological fieldwork, studying birds in the United States and the tropics. Their interest in birds eventually led to growing food plants for

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insects, a primary food source for birds. Now, with nearly 20 years raising and studying butterflies under their belts, they’re proud scientists, teachers, and farmers. They raise a dozen different species of butterflies on their caterpillar farm. Rearing caterpillars requires them to spend a majority of their time growing “weeds” (as they put it) for the caterpillars to feed on because caterpillars eat so much.

considered weeds, saying that in their first year they “were more successful than we had anticipated and did not have enough mature plants in our fields. Our land had an abundant supply of weeds, but we started to run low on food. We gathered food from neighbors’ properties, but had so many caterpillars to feed that we were collecting food by the pickup truck load!”

Diane and Kevin’s farm looks very different from most of the other farms around the state. Diane jokes that area farmers laugh at their fields planted with crops that are traditionally

Like most farmers, Diane and Kevin’s work is extremely dependent on the weather. They have four frequently checked weather apps installed on their phones since the weather determines

Photograph provided by Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Monarch caterpillars on milkweed

LUNCH + HAPPY HOUR + DINNER Chrysalis shipment arrives

Photograph provided by Olbrich Botanical Gardens

how hard the day’s work. “Butterflies are insects, and all insects are cold blooded, meaning when it’s cool, the caterpillars chew slowly,” says Diane. “And when it’s hot, they eat so much, so fast that it looks like a cartoon in fast-forward. So on the hottest days of the summer, we have to work the hardest, running around making sure the caterpillars have enough food. Our families know to check the weather before calling us. If it’s above 80, they call only if it’s important and requires a quick answer. Above 88, they don’t call at all.” During caterpillar rearing season, cool and rainy days are the only times they get a few minutes for a break—even on the weekends. Caterpillars definitely do not understand what a weekend is!

At the beginning of each season, Diane and Kevin collect eggs from wild-caught females. All of the species they raise are native to Marquette County. Only a small number of wild-caught females are needed because each female can lay over 500 eggs. Diane says eggs, pupae, and caterpillars are a natural food source for small mammals, birds, and even other insects. So, like other species that lay large numbers of eggs, almost none of the progeny make it to adulthood. By protecting the eggs and caterpillars from predators and parasites, most of the eggs can become adult butterflies. “It’s very sustainable,” says Diane. “We try to raise the caterpillars in an environment as close to their natural state as possible while manipulating things just enough to exclude predators and parasites and create conditions that are inhospitable to common insect diseases. We, of course, always give back by releasing some of our butterflies into the wild so we have a net positive effect on the local populations.”

Diane and Kevin from Butterfly Farm of WI

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Each year, the timeframe of the rearing season is dependent on the natural cycles of the plants, butterflies, and weather, and Diane and Kevin do a lot of adjusting due to weather. A cool spring means late plants and late butterflies, while a drought in the midst of summer means both the plants and butterflies are stressed. They’re constantly assessing and reassessing as the weather forecast changes. We all know how often that can be in Wisconsin! Two times they’ve had tornados pass within a mile of their farm, and on both occasions, they ran out to collect food for their caterpillars after the warning was issued because they knew they’d run out of food before the storm passed. They made it into a safe place before the tornado arrived, but as Diane puts it, “Even though the tornados were 10 years apart, our priorities had not changed. When animals are enclosed and dependent on you, you have a responsibility to them.” 30 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

On top of raising caterpillars and fulfilling their insatiable appetites, Diane and Kevin continuously ship pupae and butterflies out for the butterfly release industry, which includes other butterfly exhibits like Blooming Butterflies, along with flight houses, weddings, and funerals. Diane and Kevin like to say they send butterflies to “places where they will increase happiness.” When shipping butterflies, they must be packed over ice and shipped to the recipient via overnight delivery. Since butterflies are cold blooded, the ice lowers their internal temperature and puts them into an inactive state. Live butterflies are placed in protective envelopes so that their wings are not damaged in transit. At Olbrich, after chrysalises arrive for Blooming Butterflies, a team of

dedicated staff and volunteers check the chrysalises for signs of damage, parasites, and disease and then get them ready to be placed into the chrysalis cases. Visitors marvel at the wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes of the chrysalises and may even get to witness the awe-inspiring moment a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. Butterfly farmers like Diane and Kevin are the reason visitors get to experience the wonder of metamorphosis and the thrill of seeing butterflies up close. Photograph provided by Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Colten Blackburn is the Bolz Conservatory curator at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Glued chrysalises

madisonessentials.com

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e ssential community

Negative Self-Talk by Sandy Eichel My biggest enemy, the nastiest one I’ve faced, has been my own mind. My brain allows me to do wonderful things, but my mind has been quite cruel over the years. It has told me that no one will ever love me; that I can’t be successful at anything; that I ruin all I touch; and other dreadful, debilitating thoughts. It has hashed and rehashed every misstep, every situation I didn’t handle perfectly, and written elaborate and horrible stories about what’s to come. And it’s made me second-guess myself too many times to count. Throughout my life, I’ve been inflicted by the demon in my head that tells me I have zero worth, and that I’d better do everything I can to prove that I deserve to be here. Sound familiar? Our minds think 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts each day. No wonder we’re so tired! You may recall the fight or flight response from our previous segment— the oldest part of our brain is easily triggered and looking for threats. If we don’t take conscious control of it, our mind will constantly scan for the negative, and it has our past and perceived-future negative experiences to go on. Its purpose is to help us survive, not to be happy. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can retrain your brain. Neuroplasticity is the ability to form and reorganize the synaptic connections in your brain—the 32 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

pathways your brain takes. It isn’t easy, but it’s possible. Dr. Richie Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin– Madison, is author and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds and has extensively researched neuroplasticity. His research shows that anyone can learn happiness skills. That’s great, but how? Dr. Davidson is a huge proponent of meditation, mindfulness, and centering yourself. Deep breathing, as we have previously discussed, calms the body and mind, and allows you to be conscious. Consciousness is key to happiness. Blissfully unaware isn’t a thing. Once conscious, you can choose which thoughts to attach to and which are rubbish. Don’t believe me? You do it unconsciously all the time. You have a thought, your brain finds evidence to back it up, and you believe it’s either true or not. You can do the same process consciously with positive thoughts. After being conscious of your thoughts and breathing, staying calm about how you perceive them is next. “Oh, I just had the same old thought about how no one will ever love me. Hmmm ... that’s interesting.” Curiosity breaks us out of the stories our minds wants to write about—how nothing will be happy or positive—and allows us to examine the thoughts as opposed to just believing them. We all have repeating negative

thoughts that we’ve lived with most of our lives. I think of negative and repeating thoughts as an error in my computer code programmed at an early age, some coming from my parents and the code errors of their minds. The error just kept repeating and repeating. It was inaccurate—an error in my code, not an error in me. The error that tells me I’m no good and finds it’s source in the panic part of my brain—the fight or flight survival center. The code wasn’t trying to kill me. On the contrary, it was simply trying to keep me alive. My brain’s fight or flight center was on high alert, and not belonging or being loved was so threatening that it led me to do whatever was necessary to find people to love and accept me. Wow, doesn’t that sound sad and exhausting! I would never say the things my mind says to me to a friend. If a friend who was feeling low came to me, I’d remind them how great they are, how much they’re loved, how strong and wonderful their talents are, and how much they’re valued. I wouldn’t spew the hate I hear in my own head. Then why, oh why, would I do it to myself? Negative self-talk is everywhere and shows up in a multitude of ways. People who constantly say they’re sorry is an outward manifestation of their inward negative thoughts. “I’m so stupid,” “I screwed it up again,” and “I always

screw things up;” these and other self-deprecating behaviors have their genesis in the mind. The mind writes stories, sometimes novels, about the things that are going to go wrong and how you’ll fail. That you’ll be living in a van down by the river if you don’t watch your step and continue to be afraid! Fear feeds that part of the mind, and since many around us are doing the same thing, we feed off of each other’s fears. Imposter syndrome, which we cover in more depth on our video podcast, is the persistent inability to believe that our successes are deserved. Has that happened to you? Remembering that these thoughts aren’t true and that we can train our brain to be happy allows us to take control of how we think. It means identifying the negative thoughts and replacing them with more positive, accurate thoughts. Byron Katie tells us that our brain needs evidence to let go of a negative thought and replace it with a more positive one. Her process, “The Work,” helps people free themselves from negative thoughts. You can watch videos of her doing the work. It’s fascinating and wonderful. Truth is much kinder than the fiction we create in our minds. We have a choice in what we believe and the power to change our programming. What will you choose? Watch your mind like you would a puppy for an accident. When it goes to a negative thought, catch and praise yourself. “There’s a negative thought—caught it! Good boy!” Sandy Eichel is a happy ex-should-er.

Check out our video podcast series with Sandy, After Should, at madisonessentials.com.

Sandy Eichel

madisonessentials.com

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essential arts

Richard Jones the spaciousness of uncertainty

by Lauren Miller

Three vinyl reservoirs hang above scorched model cityscapes. Across each pool drifts a single boat, each carrying a white oak seedling. A table and chairs stand behind the futuristic microcosm in a bizarre tableau as another young white oak is seemingly served up to the absent guests beneath a glass bell jar. Around them, dozens of pads of paper decorate the walls, each torn down to the last page, baring a sketch of a unique leaf rendered in pencil. The installation in no. 5 exhibition space at the Abel Contemporary Gallery is the spaciousness of uncertainty, the most recent work by Madison-based artist Richard Jones. Born in Clemson, South Carolina, not far from where the acorns which sprouted into those very white oaks were collected, Richard began his art practice taking drawing lessons from a neighbor. Richard describes his teacher as curious, a trait she inspired in her students that 34 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

informed the development of Richard’s artistic interests. During the summers of his final high school years, Richard attended the South Carolina Governor’s School, a program providing enrichment for gifted and talented youth in the arts, humanities, and sciences. There he was introduced to Eastern philosophies as he continued his practice of and advancing his knowledge in the arts. These ideas eventually lead Richard to apply to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He entered RISD intending to study sculpture or painting, but on a whim took a glass course, which became his primary medium. After 30 years, Richard’s glass studio, Studio Paran, cools with the closing of its doors. However, Richard has no intention of quitting art, instead returning to his first media, drawing. Incorporating the art philosophy of Frederick Franck,

author of The Awakened Eye and The Zen of Seeing, Richard developed a daily practice emphasizing being present, using drawing as a tool for meditation. Richard explains, “We are all so addicted to identifying and solving problems. … If you’re a hammer, everything is a nail.” Drawing remedies this modern, albeit human, obsession and counters the way we’re all currently experiencing reality. Drawing also offers an opportunity to check in with oneself, revealing a sort of enso or thumb print of the mind devoid of ego. I was fortunate to attend a drawing workshop offered by Richard and experience The Zen of Seeing. A dozen of us sat in a circle in no. 5 tucked behind the spaciousness of uncertainty. Much like other meditative practices, the instructions were deceptively simple: clear your mind and draw what you see. After sitting in silence, eyes closed for several minutes, Richard placed a single

desiccated sycamore leaf on each of our drawing boards. For what felt like hours, but was no more than 15 minutes, we sketched our leaves as slowly and deliberately as possible, trying not to look at the paper. I felt my thoughts push against the task as my consciousness tried to continue its incessant whir of judgements, associations, and plans. Richard quietly interjected every few moments to remind us to concentrate only on the leaf, pulling our minds back to it whenever we found them wandering to something else. Next, Richard gave us each a white-oak sapling, the same as their sisters floating across the pools around us, asking us again to draw what we saw. This time the quiet settled into me sooner. The four furrowed leaves bursting from the tenuous stem became endlessly fascinating, revealing more to my eyes with every passing moment. I can only describe the experience as profound. Richard’s decision to close his glass studio was precipitated by his involvement madisonessentials.com

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with the environmental group Extinction Rebellion. Established in 2018 in the United Kingdom, Extinction Rebellion advocates nonviolent disobedience to compel governments worldwide to take action on climate change. Richard joined Extinction Rebellion and found them to be outside the mold of every other environmental organization he had encountered. The whole structure of the group is radicalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t asking for policy change but rather monumental societal change. Those involved vary widely: university professors, Catholics, anarchists, families with young kids, socialists, and centrists among others. Running a glass studio consumes an enormous amount of fuel and resources, and for Richard, the significant carbon footprint weighed heavily on him. Though he has no illusions that his closing will make much of a difference in the scheme of things, he emphasizes the importance of every single person taking what actions they can to reduce the climate crisis.

36 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

Art challenges our ideas. Though it doesn’t often provide answers, we can bring the type of thinking art asks of us to other areas of human acting and thinking. Richard explains that his art is most successful when he learns as much from it as his audience. We’re not taught to be collaborative thinkers, and art, in a way, presses against this and may even remedy many of those contemporary shortcomings. Studio Paran will host a retrospective of works entitled Studio Paran: 30 years, providing a final hurrah for the space and a closing party for wellwishers and fans. Richard hints at something secret he’s working on for the occasion, saying he’s “cooking up something special that’s not glass.”

Studio Paran will be open for Madison’s Spring Gallery Night on May 1 as well as the second and third weekends in May. Lauren Miller is a historian of art and visual culture, a freelance arts writer, and an associate at Abel Contemporary Gallery. Photographs by Eric Tadsen.

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e ssential pets

Reactive Dogs by Lori Scarlett, DVM What do you think when you hear the term reactive dog? My editor jokingly asked if I was going to write an article about radioactive dogs—maybe another time, Amy. In the veterinary world, Dr. Karen Overall, an animal behaviorist, defined the term as an animal who responds to normal stimuli with abnormal- or higher-than-normal-level intensity. It’s brought on by something in their environment they perceive as scary, but is usually harmless. When I take my dog, Scout, for a walk, he gets so excited! He loves greeting other dogs and hearing other owners say how handsome he is. Scout’s a bit egotistical, but not reactive. We pass some reactive dogs on our journey, though. They’re the ones lunging and barking when someone comes their way. Then there are the dogs we see and hear through

38 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

a window as we pass a house—barking and jumping at the window until we’re out of sight. When a reactive dog perceives something’s scary, whether it’s another dog, a UPS driver or postal carrier, a bearded man, or even a clicking furnace, it triggers a physiological response: fight or flight. Their blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing increases as their body prepares for action against whatever’s scaring them. There’s no conscious thought behind it, and the dog goes from calm to nuclear in a heartbeat. If this happens on a walk, you could be pulled down or involved in a dog fight, making your enjoyable excursion dangerous. The reactive behavior affects a dog’s quality of life too. They don’t get to take as many walks or are continually

exposed to stressful situations. Imagine your life if you thought a truck was going to hit you every time you drove down the street. The good news is that reactive dogs can be trained to react less. It’s important to help your dog become more confident in their environment. Teaching basic training with lots of positive reinforcement is a good place to start. By practicing sit, stay, shake, down, and other tricks, your dog becomes more confident that they understand what’s expected of them, and that you’ll give them yummy treats and praise when they do them. Dan Antolec, a local certified trainer with Happy Buddha Dog Training, teaches the following skills to help dogs with leash reactivity.

TOUCH This command helps distract your dog when a scary thing is encountered on a walk. Hold your hand at nose level or lower in front of your dog. When they sniff your hand, use a clicker or click with your tongue, and then give them a small treat. Remove your hand then do it again. When your dog bumps your hand rather than just sniffing it, say “touch” and give them praise. Then offer your hand in different places so your dog has to move to touch it. Once your dog gets really good, start doing it when they’re a little nervous about something. If you see a dog approaching in the distance, say “touch” so your dog pays attention to you. Be sure to carry lots of treats so you can continue the game until the scary thing has gone away.

FIND IT Another fun game! Start with your dog in front of you and a handful of treats behind your back. Say “find it,” then toss a treat a few feet to your right. When your dog gets to the treat, make a clicking sound just before they eat it. Repeat on the left side. Keep going

back and forth until your dog is easily finding the treat. Toss the treats farther and farther each time. Then when you encounter a scary thing on your walk, play the game, keeping treats close to you. Your dog will then associate fun and treats with the scary thing.

U-TURN This game gives you a way to run away when you see something ahead on your walk that will be too much for your dog. They won’t be running in panic,

they will be doing it because it’s fun. As you walk your dog on a leash in a quiet, safe environment, say “u-turn,” then turn around and run fast, encouraging your dog to follow. You can use a prized squeaky toy or treats, whatever your dog loves most. You’re convincing your dog that following you away is more fun than getting scared by something in front of them. What about the dog that barks behind windows? First, block the view. Use

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Next, ignore the behavior. If you’re yelling “no,” your dog just thinks you’re joining in, which increases arousal. A study in Psychology Today showed that only yelling “no” can increase anxiety and aggression by 15 percent. The hard part is that your dog will first increase the behavior, hoping you’ll join in, before the behavior eventually stops. It can take weeks to months, but be strong! Keep your dog busy doing other things throughout the day. Taking them for

40 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

It’s important to help your dog become more confident in their environment. walks, teaching them games and tricks, using food puzzles, and distracting them with frozen food in a Kong toy can improve mental stimulation and use the dog’s energy more appropriately.

QUIET A good trainer can help teach your dog a “quiet” command. When choosing a trainer, it’s important to work with someone that uses positive-reinforcement training. I’ve seen dogs trained with positive punishment (i.e. shock or vibration collars), and it makes them much worse. As an example, if a dog is barking and the owner pushes a shock collar button, the dog stops barking. When the dog stops barking, their behavior has changed, and the shock stops. It’s a negative reinforcement because the pain is removed and the behavior is made stronger. Imagine being shocked every time you started talking. You’d be scared to talk with anyone! A good trainer should have a professional dog trainer’s certification and be an accredited forcefree trainer.

Because a dog can’t learn to be calm if they’re already in fight or flight mode, it’s also important to consult your veterinarian. Some reactive dogs will need medication to reduce anxiety so they can process what’s being taught. If they have a panic attack every time they see another dog, they won’t respond to training. Medication alone isn’t enough to change the behavior, though. Working with a trainer is an important part of the solution. Lori Scarlett, DVM, is the owner and veterinarian at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic. For more information, visit fourlakesvet.com.

Lori Scarlett, DVM & Charlie

Photograph by Brenda Eckhardt

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essential sports & recreation

UW Badgers Spotlight

TRACK & FIELD by Dave Fidlin

With roots going back more than a century and a half, track and field lays claim to being one of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s longest-enduring sports on the Badgers roster of collegiate athletic offerings. “Basically, it ranks right up there with football,” says Diane Nordstrom, communications director, illustrating the program’s longevity. As is the case with anything with a deep and storied history, the program has evolved over the passing decades. For the bulk of its existence, track and field was only open to men. But the Badgers program pole vaulted into a new era when, after 80 years, a separate women’s team was established in the 1974-75 season. Eight years later, the women joined their male counterparts in attaining Big Ten status. Track and field entered yet another phase on the 42 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s

UW–Madison campus in the 2013-14 season when it became a co-ed sport. “That’s typical of a lot of teams now,” Diane says.

Each season, approximately 100 athletes don a Badgers uniform to compete in track and field events. The indoor season kicks off in January and wraps

in March with the Big Ten and NCAA championships. The outdoor season begins immediately afterward in the second half of March and concludes in June with the similar Big Ten and NCAA championship playoffs. Track and field includes running events in short and long distances, as well as relay, medley, and hurdles. Varying athletic skills are on display in the high jump, long jump, pole vault, shot put, and weight throw. And the heptathlon is a combined contest that has an athlete competing in seven events. The Badgers track and field team has earned a number of achievements over the years, including scores of Big Ten championships. The men have notched 42 Big Ten titles—24 for the indoor season and 18 for the outdoor season— and the women have attained 24 Big Ten titles—13 for the outdoor season and 11 for the indoor season. March 10, 2007, was an especially notable day for the male athletes. During the indoor NCAA championship series, the team scored 40 points and, in doing so, earned its first title in the final round of competition. “[UW–Madison] is the only Big Ten school to receive an NCAA championship in indoor track and field,” Diane says, pointing to the significance of the recognition. In more recent years, there have been standout track and field players consistently from one season to the next. Alicia Monson has been a standout player in her four years on the team. In February, during the 2019-20 indoor season, Alicia placed sixth in the 3,000meter relay with a time of 8:53.69 at the Millrose Games competition. Alicia also holds the Big Ten and UW record in 3,000 meters with a record of 8:45.97. On the men’s side of the roster, a standout athlete among many is distance runner Morgan McDonald. In the 2018-19 season, Morgan made a number of strides in the indoor and outdoor competition. In spring 2019, Morgan became the first Badger in program history to complete the distance sweep and earn NCAA individual titles in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter relays. In

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EAT LIKE A MOCAL

1847 at the Stamm House A Pig in a Fur Coat Banzo Bonfyre American Grille Brasserie V Captain Bill’s Charlie’s on Main CIRC Cow & Quince Crema Cafe Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery Delaney’s Charcoal Steaks Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry Essen Haus Harvest Ian’s Pizza by the Slice - Frances Ian’s Pizza by the Slice - Garver Ian’s Pizza by the Slice - State Imperial Garden West Liliana’s Restaurant Lombardino’s Italian Restaurant Longtable Beer Cafe Manna Cafe and Bakery Mariner’s Inn Nau-Ti-Gal Nitty Gritty - Downtown Nitty Gritty - Middleton Nitty Gritty - Sun Prairie North and South Seafood & Smokehouse - Deforest North and South Seafood & Smokehouse - Madison North and South Seafood & Smokehouse - Verona Old Feed Mill Paisan’s Restaurant Parthenon Gyros Porta Bella Restaurant Quivey’s Grove Rockhound Brewing Company Short Stack Eatery Smoky’s Club The Old Fashioned The Roman Candle - East The Roman Candle - Middleton The Wonder Bar Tipsy Cow - Downtown Tipsy Cow - Sun Prairie Tornado Club Steak House Yola’s Cafe

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outdoor competition in May, Morgan won the 10,000 meters in the Big Ten championship, notching a time of 29:26.06. As with any UW sport, the coaching staff is an important backbone of the program. Coach Mick Byrne, director of cross-country and track and field, has been leading the program for seven years. A number of assistant coaches round out the staff, each specializing in the individual competitive areas of the overall team. Mick came to UW–Madison from Iona College in New York City, where he spent 24 years in the Division I coaching ranks. The Dublin, Ireland, native has earned 36 Coach of the Year honors. In 2011, peers recognized him with the National Coach of the Year award through a professional organization known as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. While strong coaching and athlete determination have been integral in the positive momentum of the Badgers track and field team, fans also

contribute to making the program the consistent success it is year after year. Fan support is unwavering throughout the season, but the chorus of cheers reaches epic heights when the Big Ten championships come into play. “It’s very exciting when Wisconsin hosts a Big Ten meet,” Diane says. “[The fans] definitely come out and show their support. They make it known, and the players really appreciate it.” Dave Fidlin is a freelance writer who has a special affinity for Madison. Dave’s career spans nearly 20 years, and he’s grateful for the opportunity to learn something new each day through his professional pursuits. Photographs provided by UW Athletics.

Dave Fidlin

AND

BRICK MORTAR