The Truth Revealed

Alright, alright ... Madison doesn't really have parking spaces reserved for octopi. It's the name of a business, silly. Octopus Carwash. Apparently it is a franchise, and I believe it's been in Madison at least as long as I have (46 years.) When our eldest daughter was a toddler, our route home from her day care took us past a number of landmarks: the giant octopus, the big black clock, the big green fish, the other giant octopus, the horses ... It was a highlight of her young life when her aunt actually took her to the car wash once. (No one has ever been able to accuse me of going to a car wash! And it shows ...) The big green fish is gone (along with the neon cockroach and dead rat sign -- landmarks from my childhood, so sad) but I am so glad that we still have the giant octopi and that we provide parking for them.

(Image taken from the Octopus Car Wash website)

Signs #1

The residents of Madison, Wisconsin are frequently accused in public forums of being "politically correct." Is that a valid criticism? Well, here we are, a thousand miles from the nearest saltwater and we reserve parking for OCTOPI? PETA would be so proud!

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Surprise!
A first grader with whom I'm acquainted told me today that "Wisconsin is the opposite of tropical." I think I'm going to lobby to have that replace "America's Dairyland" as our state motto. (Although I have to say, I also like "Shaped Like A Mitten.")

Wisconsinites are a tough breed!

A friend emailed this to me. It dovetails nicely with Monday's post.

The weather ...

60 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Wisconsin plant gardens.

50 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Green Bay sunbathe.

40 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Wisconsin drive with the windows down.

32 above zero:
Distilled water freezes.
The water in Milwaukee gets thicker.

20 above zero:
Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves,
wool hats.
People in Wisconsin throw on a flannel shirt.

15 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Sheboygan have the last cookout before
it gets cold.

Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Wisconsinites close the windows.

10 below zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico
People in LaCrosse get out their winter coats.

25 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Wisconsin are selling cookies
door to door.

40 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Land O' Lakes let the dogs sleep indoors.

100 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Wisconsinites get upset because they can't start the
Mini-Van.

460 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the
Kelvin scale.)
People in Wausau start saying..."Cold 'nuff fer
ya?"

500 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Wisconsin public schools will open 2 hours late (editorial comment: except Madison, and Supt. Art Rainwater explains in a press conference how "it would leave too many parents without day care.")

Seriously, a few years ago we were invited to a"freeze your butt off" picnic on New Year's Day at the farm of some friends. We sat around a fire (outdoors) and roasted wienies. It was great fun and we felt so, you know, superior to everybody else.