Remember that time I was walking through the pitch-dark woods and noticed several pairs of menacing, glowing eyes staring me down? Well, the mystery has been solved…and I’m happy to report they did not belong to demonic spirits unleashed from the bowels of hell.
Armed with a brighter LED headlamp and an insane amount of courage, I returned to those same woods this week and encountered more glowing eyes. Instead of screaming like a little girl and running away in terror, I crept as close as I could to get to the truth.
I swear, blogging will be the death of me.
The eyes, it turned out, belonged to nothing more sinister than a bunch of white-tailed deer. Can’t say this was a surprise; I did write, after all, that deer were the most likely culprit.
This doesn’t mean there aren’t demonic spirits roaming the woods, but if they are out there, they’re shy and unassuming demonic spirits keeping to themselves.
Which are the best kind, in my book.
We’ve only lived in Wisconsin a little over a year, but we already have annual traditions…like GLEAM, an immersive outdoor art exhibit at Olbrich Botanical Gardens featuring large-scale light installations (hence the name). It runs from Aug. 26 to Oct. 28 this year, so we were getting down to the wire. I blame that on being crazy busy, and also, the weather has been finicky. Last year, we went on Sept. 16, but had a hell of a lot less going on then.
The weather this week has been nutty in a different kind of way (79° on Tuesday, what?!) and Tara has just started working from home three days a week, so we decided to take advantage and do a rare thing by going out on a Wednesday night. Our first stop was Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace for some tantalizingly tasty tacos.
Cool place. We were totally digging the vibe. Picked it ’cause it was about a mile down the road from Olbrich, but I’m sure we’ll be back.
We had timed entry tickets for 7:30 p.m. and couldn’t have planned it any better, as we arrived at 7:29 and 57 seconds, give or take a few. The exhibit, as always (based on our whopping two years of experience), was excellent.
The great thing is, the exhibits are completely different every year; even the route through the gardens took us past new areas. I thought this year’s installation was bigger, and also, more interactive. “The DOOR(S)” exhibit was my favorite; every time you opened one of three doors, a different animated scene greeted you. Like the cosmos, a forest, even a Tyrannosaurus Rex galloping in your direction, tiny little arms flapping and everything. Another exhibit titled “Dance With Flowers” let you dance or jump onto panels to light up a shifting field of colorful flowers. Awe-inspiring and a good cardio workout!
The whole thing was pretty bitchin’ and the weather was close to perfect. Foggy, low 60s, a little light drizzle. I already can’t wait to go again next year.
As I mentioned, Tara’s 90-day probationary period at her new job ended, so she’s now officially a hybrid employee just like yours truly. And, of course, loving it. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to WFH in the past, but this is a first for my wife. Even when COVID was at its worst in 2020, she still had to drag herself to the office every single day. The bank was closed to customers for a few months, but employees had to physically report to work. What a drag, huh?
Now, with a hybrid job, instead of spending 7.5 hours commuting every week, she’s only in the car for three hours. Total game-changer.
I work from home Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, so she arranged her schedule for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Today is the only day we overlap. It’s not that we don’t freakin’ love each other’s company, but it can be distracting. Apparently — who knew? — it’s hard for her to focus on customer calls when I take off all my clothes and streak past her down the hall.
Well, excuse me for living my best life! Lesson learned.
At least she’s upstairs and I’m down in the basement. I spent the day watching rain fall and admiring the quickly fading fall colors in the backyard while she toiled away in her office.
What a difference 10 days makes, huh?
Also, look at all those leaves on the ground. Thank god for that whisper-quiet leaf blower! Naysayers be damned. Unless y’all want to come over with rakes and help us pile ’em into the compost bin.
We’re going from the 60s today to the 30s this weekend, and I say, bring it on.
Mark My Words 
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