Tipsy Cow

Hey- what did you call me??

Actually, besides describing me at certain moments, Tipsy Cow is a bar in downtown Madison.  It's in a corner building.

 

I love corner buildings.  There are several of them in downtown Madison.  Very charming.

The corner door to the building isn't the entry way, but the concrete by that door is painted "cow" and they had a blackboard announcing their specials. 

As you can see, the blackboard announces the Tipsy Cow's Friday Fish Fry.  I have never lived or been in a town that has as many Friday fish fry's as Madison, Wisconsin.  Seriously.  Just about every restaurant here has a fish fry on Friday nights.

Scott and I ventured into the Tipsy Cow to kill a little time before our dinner reservations at The Tornado Room (more to come about that later).  It didn't take me long to figure out why it's called the Tipsy Cow.  I ordered a Cosmopolitan.  This is what it looked like (after I had already consumed most of it).

If you see a Cosmo that's that light in color, it's a good indicator you are drinking mostly straight vodka.  The drink was decent and I liked the twist in it, but it was potent.  The kind of drink that will make you grow hair on your chest.

Scott first ordered a Spotted Cow beer and then a Captain's and diet.  The Captain's and diet was super strong, too.....much like the Cosmo.  Scott didn't have any problem downing it.  Or the second one he ordered. 

At this point, we were both well on our way to "tipsy cow".

I took this picture of the decor above the bar.  Cows.  OK, that figures.  But....is that the Frisch's Big Boy??  They don't even have Frisch's around here.  Where did the Big Boy come from?  And how did he become such a universal symbol?

You may also notice that there is a Pabst sign in the picture above.  I'm desensitized to Pabst's signs now that I've lived up here for a year and a half (hard to believe).  A lot of places serve PBR's here in Wisconsin.  Honestly, if you can get it on draft, it's not bad.  In a can?  No thanks.  On draft? Maybe occasionally.

The next picture is of the coasters at the Tipsy Cow.  "To 25 years of independent thinkers and drinkers."  Sounds like Madison, Wisconsin to me.

Speaking of Madison, Wisconsin:  I think the next photo epitomizes Madison.

A bike helmet.  A couple bottles of water.  And a can of beer.....a PBR no less.  On a bar.  That about sums Madison up.  Bikers and beer drinkers.  The only thing missing is the politics.  And the cheese curds.

That's a quick summary of our somewhat brief stop in the Tipsy Cow. We were there long enough to get tipsy.  Didn't take long considering how strong the drinks were.  We left there and went to The Tornado Room for Scott's birthday dinner.  More to come about that later.....

Happy Birthday!

The love of my life turns 39 years old today.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Eugster's

Since moving to Stoughton, we have often driven by a place in the country just outside of town called Eugster's Farm Market and Petting Farm.  We have been wanting to stop in for some time and see what it's all about, particularly since we have been intrigued by this big......thing.....out front.

Yesterday I wanted some fresh produce but didn't want to fight the crowd at the farmer's market downtown, so we decided to finally stop in at Eugster's.  We wanted to see what it is all about and maybe score some sweet corn or a zucchini while we were at it.

We had no luck on the produce tip.  I was actually quite disappointed.  Perhaps it's a little too early in the season. Even though there was virtually no produce to speak of, while there I saw a sign about bottle feeding baby goats.

You may not know this about me, but I love goats.  I don't know why.  I just think they are so funny.  An opportunity to bottle feed baby goats?  I'm in.

After paying 7 bucks for admission and a dollar for a bottle of milk, off we went.  We would soon learn that Eugster's is kind of scamming families with children and suckers like me because a buck gets you a bottle with this much milk...

 
...(can you see that little bit in the bottom?).....and little goats drink that milk fast.

It didn't take long for us to realize we were the only adults there who weren't accompanied by children.  Oh well.  There is no shame to our game.  We went full-speed ahead.

The first animals we saw as we started winding back through the petting farm were these peacocks.

Peacocks are fascinating creatures.  When I look at them, I find myself in awe of the diversity of the animal kingdom.

Next up, we saw some baby chickens.  I don't think I had ever seen a baby chicken before.  Usually I'm enjoying scrambled eggs or an omelet before they reach the "baby chicken" stage.  Baby chickens are so darn cute, though, and they scoot around so fast following their mama.

Around the corner from the baby chickens were turkeys.  If you read this blog, you know how I feel about turkeys.  Ugly m-f'ers.  They creep me out.

What doesn't creep me out are cute little pigs.

It was hot and humid yesterday, which apparently made this pig very tired.  There was a second pig in the pen with him, who was also laid out.  Scott had me laughing so hard.  He would make a snorting pig sound and every time he did those pigs would start snorting back at him.

Scott: snort-snort.
Pigs: snort-snort-snort.
Scott: snort-snort.
Pigs: snort-snort-snort.

The pigs wouldn't get up.  I guess that would be too much effort.  But they snorted right back, on cue, every time. 

Next to the pigs was a donkey.  Awwww. 

I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but the donkey's "toe nails" are painted.  A lady who was working there told Scott and me that the little Eugster girl paints the donkey's hoofs and puts ribbons in the hair of the miniature pony.

It looks like she must have painted the miniature pony's "toe nails" too.  It was so hot/humid that most of the animals had apparently laid in cedar chips to try to stay cool, so the chips were stuck to them.

Next up on our journey to the baby goats were a couple of cows.  I don't think I had ever seen a cow with long hair before.

The lady working there said this long haired cow rarely takes treats from humans.  He must have liked Scott because he took several treats right out of Scott's hand.

Communicating with the pigs.  Feeding the cow who rarely takes treats from humans.  Scott was, like, some kind of an animal whisperer yesterday.  He also gave this cute little cow a few treats.  Makes me feel bad for loving a good hamburger or a juicy steak.

A pen of sheep was across from the cows.  And then, finally, the baby goats.  In addition to the Eugster's overcharging for a dab of milk in a bottle, they also engage in mis-representation.  The goats weren't babies; they were miniature goats.  I like pretty much all goats, though, so I was fine with that.  Obviously these goats are accustomed to being fed by visitors because when Scott and I approached their area, they came on the run to the fence.

They poked their funny little goat heads through the fence, looking for the milk.

 
And when the bottle came out, they were crawling on top of each other to get to it.

That little dab of milk we paid a dollar for was gone in a flash.  Those goats loved it.  After the milk was gone, they tried eating Scott's shirt and shorts.

A posted sign gave fair warning.

Isn't this little goat Scott petted so cute???

I adore my husband.  He is such a good sport.  Remember this picture?

How many guys will put on a viking hat with blonde braids and let you take a picture?  At Eugster's, I asked Scott to get in this prop for a picture.  He did it without hesitation.

I love that sweet boy. He is even cuter than those miniature goats.

So, that was our big trip yesterday to Eugster's Farm Market and Petting Farm.  It's just more evidence that we are living like rock stars in Wisconsin.

I Get By...

...with a little help from my friends.

My very dear friends Renee K. and Renee H. came to Wisconsin to visit over Memorial Day weekend.  It was so, so, so wonderful to have them here; nourishment for my soul.  I'm grateful to these two faithful friends for making the long trek up here to Wisconsin to visit.  Renee K. and I have been friends through thick and thin for over 20 years now.  I met Renee H. more recently but she is truly a kindred spirit.

I consider myself fortunate to have these two strong, smart, kind, amazing, down-to-earth, have-a-good-time, keeping-it-real women in my life.  I'm better for it.

Wisconsin Drivers

Wisconsin drivers, in a word, suck.  They're horrible.  I know, I know.  Everyone complains about the drivers in the town where they live.  When I lived in Columbus, people complained about the drivers there.  To me, Columbus drivers were just kind of normal.  Yeah, they sucked at driving in snow and rain-- but that's pretty typical for drivers everywhere, at least in my experience.  I didn't have any huge complaints about drivers in Columbus.  Some were good.  Some were bad.  Overall I thought they were typical. Drivers in Wisconsin are another story.

Problem #1:  Tailgating

I have never, in my life, seen so many tailgaters.  It's crazy.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that nearly every car on the road is tailgating another car.  And don't think snow or ice stops them.  They tailgate in the winter too.  Semi drivers are right in the mix as well.  I saw a tanker truck on what they call "the Beltline" here in Madison that was no more than 4 feet from the car in front of it.  It was actually scary how close that idiot was to the other car...... in a tanker truck no less.

Problem #2:  Bad Merging Manners

Another thing Wisconsin drivers do a lot is try to peel real fast around cars in front of them when entering the highway on an entrance ramp.  They will sharply swerve over to the farthest left lane and speed by the other cars trying to merge.  I watched a car do this on I-94 on my way back to Madison from Milwaukee a couple months ago.  The car that swerved over to pass the other cars entering the highway didn't bother to notice that there was a car in the lane he was swerving over to.  He didn't end up hitting the car because the other guy swerved to miss him.  In doing so, he lost control of his car and wrecked into the concrete median.  Real nice.  The stupid jackass who was driving like an idiot was fine and his car was fine.  The other fellow, the innocent victim, wasn't quite so lucky.   I don't think he was seriously injured, but his car was totally messed up.  I was right behind the car that wrecked.  Do you know why I didn't hit him?  Because I wasn't tailgating and had ample time to stop.

Problem #3:  Not Paying Attention

In less than a year, I have been hit from behind twice by Wisconsin drivers while I was at a complete stop in my car.  When you hit from behind a car that is completely stopped, you were either tailgating or not paying attention.  Or both.  The most recent accident occurred this past Friday when I was in a town named Waukesha.  I had stopped because the car in front of me stopped and was waiting for traffic to pass so she could make a left-hand turn.  Here is a picture of the pile up.

My car was in front of the grey minivan.  The lady driving the maroon minivan didn't bother to stop even though the rest of us were.  I heard the brakes squeal.  I heard the impact coming.  Thud.  Thud.  And then thud into me.  The lady that caused the accident had a little baby in the car with her.  You would think you'd be just a tad more careful when driving with a baby on board.  The lady in the red car apparently didn't have her seat belt on.  She must have hit the steering wheel because she had a bloody nose/face.  The people in the car right behind me were fine and I'm fine too.  Damage to my car is minimal.  My Ford Edge has been pretty tough in both accidents and held up to the impacts.

I have really had to work on my attitude when driving in Wisconsin.  I have learned, for the most part, to ignore the idiot behavior because the sucky drivers are all over the place and unavoidable.  If I don't work on myself to keep a peace mentality, I would end up being pissed off every time I drive and I drive way too much for that.  I just don't want to be pissed off that much.

Interestingly, Wisconsin drivers know they suck.  They will come right out and admit it.  They make themselves feel better by commenting that Illinois drivers are worse.

Straight to Summer

It seems spring missed us here in southern Wisconsin this year.  I thought winter was never going to end.  It finally did and, then seemingly overnight, it got really green and warm outside.  The past couple of days have been absolutely beautiful.  Sunny.  Breezy.  Warm.  Low humidity.  We have a relatively small window of opportunity to enjoy the outdoors before mosquito season goes into full effect.  (The mosquito situation up here is ridiculous, probably because of all the lakes/water.)  For now, though, it's been gorgeous and we have been enjoying every minute of it.

This past Monday I planted a few flowers.  I'm not doing a whole lot of planting this year, but wanted to plant at least a little.  I think I'd feel like I was missing part of the summer experience if I didn't plant a few flowers.  I didn't plant any in the ground this year; just in pots-- which I think turned out OK.  It's nothing too special and certainly not as beautiful as the landscaping we had at Bendelow Drive, but here is a shot of the front of our house.  I'm not crazy about the big rocks, but they are used a lot up here in landscaping and/or for retaining walls.  We might change it at some point, but it won't be this year.

 

These next 2 shots are taken looking out from the front porch.  When I took the first picture below, Scott was watering the lawn so the garden hose makes an appearance in the photo.  

And this shot is as you come down the stairs from the front porch.

A friend of mine recently purchased one of those sofas that reclines.  She said it's an indicator that she is getting old.  Along those same lines, an indicator that Scott and I are getting old may be the rocking chairs on the front porch.

Honestly, though, we love sitting out there and rocking.  It's so pleasant.  We live on a cul-de-sac, so there is hardly any traffic.  There are a lot of kids running around playing and the neighbors are often out.  I find those kinds of sounds of life comforting.

I haven't gotten many good pictures of the back deck yet.  It has gotten so lush and verdant.  Even though neighbors are close by, our deck is very private when the leaves are on the trees.  You may remember this shot from a previous post.

  

This is what it looks like now.  Much better!

Yesterday was just about a perfect day weather-wise.  I decided an outdoor afternoon nap was in order.  I covered my face with this hat...

...and crashed on this zero-gravity chair on the back deck....

Excuse the unstained square on the deck...it looks like that because that's where the platform the chimminea sits on was located before we moved it.  We just haven't re-stained it yet, but that certainly didn't interrupt my nap.  I was knocked out for about an hour.  It was so very peaceful.

We have been thoroughly enjoying our outdoor time, both out back on the deck and rocking on the front porch.  Soon the mosquitoes will force us indoors, but for now we are outside as much as we possibly can be.  It's refreshing and a welcome relief from a long winter in Wisconsin.