Well, Wisconsin finally woke up and remembered that it’s November.
After a record high of 71º on Thursday – I actually took a walk around the neighborhood in shorts and flip-flops – reality (and a cold front) came crashing in on Friday, when it was almost 40 degrees colder. We knew we’d pay the price for all that abnormal warmth eventually, and truth be told, I’m glad. November is supposed to be cold in this part of the country. People get excited, but “beautiful” weather this time of year is just further evidence of climate change. Mark doesn’t like that.
Mark does like to talk in the third person sometimes, though.
Tara was off for Veterans Day; no such luck for me, but I was able to clock out shortly after noon. We braved the cold to check out a lakeside restaurant and bar called Outpost. It’s a beautiful setting, right on the shore of Lake Koshkonong. There’s even a deck with outdoor seating, which would have been nice a day earlier. Friday, not so much, but we snagged a table right in front of a fireplace. Cozy way to kill a few hours, and I loved the vibe of the place.
Saturday was every bit as cold – and, in fact, it snowed on and off most of the afternoon. Nothing more than a light dusting, but it served as a great reminder that winter is, indeed, right around the corner. In fact, we don’t have a high temperature warmer than 38º in the forecast for at least the next week. And they’re calling for more snow. Sweet!
We ran into Madison to pick up a turkey from Trader Joe’s. Normally we brine our own every Thanksgiving, but with limited fridge space this year, we decided to take advantage of their already-brined turkey. Never had one before, but it seems like a genius idea. And TJ’s can do no wrong, so I’m expecting good things!
Hey, remember when I used to drive five hours to hit up Trader Joe’s? Those were the days, man.
We didn’t want to go all the way to Madison just for a frozen turkey, so we made a half-day of it. Stopped for lunch at Prost!, a German beer hall in a renovated church. Another place with a really cool vibe! Not to mention excellent food. We shared a cup of broccoli beer cheese soup and I got a wurst plate while Tara opted for schnitzel and spaetzel.
Our next stop was Strictly Discs for some record shopping. We bought five albums, and our collection now totals 801. Holy crap! I’m not sure which one put us over 800. Either Stevie Nicks, the White Stripes, Foghat, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or Night Ranger.
Yes, we have eclectic tastes.
Trader Joe’s is right next to the record store, so we got our turkey, then stopped into a gift shop called Art Gecko. It’s the type of place that carries lots of Indian and Tibetan products. Incense, tapestries, elephant statues, that sort of thing. They even had a hand-carved flamingo from Bali for $60, but I passed.
For now.
It was late afternoon by that time and we had to get home for the annual holiday parade in Fort Atkinson. Does it seem a little early for that type of festivity? I was thinking yes – Rapid City’s parade is always the weekend after Thanksgiving – but with the bitter cold and even a few snowflakes falling, it seemed perfectly timed.
Yes, that’s a giant shopping cart. There was also a giant tractor and a giant cement mixer. Small town holiday parades hit a little bit differently, but it was good fun.
Afterward, the floats were lined up on the street where we’d parked, so we ducked into a tavern to wait them out. Had a couple of drinks and ended up right in the middle of an impromptu polka party. Nothing screams Midwest quite like that! A group of older folks (naturally) loaded up Touch Tunes with polka music, and everybody was dancing and singing along to “Roll Out the Barrels” and “She’s Too Fat For Me.” They tried to get us to join in, but I simply pointed to my Old Fashioned and said, “I’ll need a few more of these before that happens.”
Well, there was only one more, so that didn’t happen. But it was a surprisingly fun time. Tara and I couldn’t stop laughing. The Wholesome Meter was off the charts.
By the way, did any of you catch the lunar eclipse last week? I did, but unintentionally. I thought it was taking place in the middle of the night and didn’t bother setting an alarm, but when I went out for my morning walk on Tuesday, there was the moon in full-on eclipse mode. Well played, beaver blood moon.
I posted that first pic to Instagram, and my mom commented, “Why is your moon red?!” My parents were vacationing in Ireland and had no idea there was a lunar eclipse in the U.S., ha.
I wanted to be snarky and reply “It’s the end times,” but then Democrat Tony Evers won reelection as governor of Wisconsin and the predicted “red wave” never materialized, so maybe there’s some hope for us all yet.
Mark My Words 
Leave a reply to nrhatch Cancel reply