Accumulative By Nature: November 2010

We have all heard of Southern hospitality. I'm sure the South is wonderful - I mean, it has drawl, twang, magnolias, and Paula Dean wrapped into one charming package. But over the past six days, I've experienced some amazing Midwest hospitality. For those of you who don't know, Wisconsin is the home of one of my very best friends, Mitch. And in turn, home to some of his best friends who I luckily get to know as well. Mitch and I go back and forth visiting each other. As much as I love when he comes to Toronto, I cherish the time I spend in Milwaukee and West Bend - not to mention the half dozen other small towns within the surrounding area. These are my humble adventures.

I went to the Public Museum in Milwaukee. Mitch worked one morning, so his BFF Jenny's mom, Kathy, offered to take me to Milwaukee. We took the hour bus ride from West Bend into the city where Jenny's husband, Jason met us.

We wandered around the museum for almost three hours. My favourite was the old village models. There were little houses and businesses to peek into. There are street lanterns and a cobblestone path. It is absolutely darling. My least favourite was the butterfly pavilion. I braved it out though - thank goodness for my hood. God forbid those suckers fly into my hair. Jason said to me, "It's not like they are attack butterflies!" But, let's be honest - stranger things have happened. That being said, I'm proud of myself for standing up to my bug phobia and spending some time getting in touch with the butterfly. I feel like we have a better understanding of each other now. After the museum, Kathy and I wandered the streets of Milwaukee, deciding to make our way towards the Art Museum. We had a lot of solid family bonding time - even if I was on my cell phone half the time (sorry Kathy!). To paint a picture of Kathy - she walks around saying hello to everybody she crosses. And that is what I love about her! Even if they don't say hi back, she is just so full of bigheartedness that it doesn't even matter. She makes me laugh and I enjoy her take on the world. We walked by an empty building being renovated and on the window there was a sign (left by the former owners I assume) that said "Beware of Dog." Kathy looked at it and simply said, "Well that's just silly. There can't be a dog in there all by herself!" I think Kathy and I understand and appreciate each other through our shared love of collecting, odd knick knacks, and quirky people.

Mitch finished work at Starbucks, Jenny finished work at the bank (they bake cookies everyday at her bank! Where do I sign up?), so we all met up for lunch. We did some more wandering - namely into Winkie's which is a Hallmark store on crack and Penzey's which is a store dedicated to spices!

The evening's weather turned dark and stormy. The sky was brooding. In the distance, the ivory white Art Museum stood in stark contrast to the slate sky. It was striking. Forgive my lousy Blackberry camera, but you'll get the idea either way. It was a picturesque way to end the day.

I bowled at Classic Lanes in Menomonee Falls. While Milwaukee is a perfectly lovely city, it isn't quite the bustling metropolis that Toronto is. That means we sometimes have to get creative at night. Choosing between two bowling alleys - one described as Jersey Shore and the other described as Average Joe - we flipped a coin. Fate decided upon Classic Lanes, which was the Average Joe option (although that didn't stop someone in the neighbouring lane to enter in her name as Snooki). We walked in, not knowing what to expect. The lanes were in the basement and on our way down, we passed a giant wall poster that said "This way to the high life" - I don't know about you, but that is enough camp to get me through until the next episode of Glee. And let me tell you, if there ever was a high life, Classic Lanes is it.

We talked to the nonchalant gals working to find out we were just in time for $10 Cosmic All-You-Can-Bowl until 1:30am. About buffets, Ellen Degeneres says "As people, we shouldn't be eating all we can eat." I feel like the same can apply to bowling. For some reason or another, everyone thinks it is hysterical to put in joke names into the scoreboard. Don't act like you're above it. It's one of those classic jokes that never fails to amuse. Jenny, Mitch, and I were Dog, Pony, and Awesome, respectively.

Conversation at Starbucks prior to bowling:
Mitch: where should we move this dog and pony show?
Danita: wait, if one person is dog and the other is pony, what does that make the third?
Jenny: Um, Awesome - because they are hanging out with a dog and pony - WHO TALK!

After three straight hours of bowling, four games, forty frames, a questionable pizza, countless 80s songs, and uproarious laughter, we were ready to go home.

I went to a barn dance in West Bend. All I have to say about this is you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. At first, I was weirded out. Of all the things I've wanted to do in life, a barn dance never came to mind as one of them. Jenny's mom, Kathy, invited us. While we were reluctant at first, I think all of us got something out of it. It was a pot luck organized by a community group that functions as a time bank. Essentially, people volunteer their time and skills to people in need and instead of being paid with money, you get paid with time. If you ever need help, you can cash in your hours and receive assistance. It can be anything from help in the garden to changing a flat tire. If anyone is interested, here is their website: http://kettlemorainecommunitytimebank.org/index.html. As much as we poked fun at the situation, I was happy that I could support such a good intentioned local organization. After an array of gluten-free, vegetarian soups, stews, breads, and pies - it was time to dance. Ain't no party like a barn dance party! However, there was no talk of being fly like a G6 - the music was more dosey-doe style. We were in the corner trying to avoid the hungry, hungry hippies, but Mitch threw me to the wolves as a sacrificial [Canadian] lamb (a tofu lamb). I took one for the team, grabbing hands with an old man and young boy of about ten. The dance circle was kind of like a giant peace and love blob - enveloping anything or anyone in its path. After getting over my "I'm a cold Torontonian and don't want anyone to look at me, talk to me, or touch me" mentality.. I embraced my surroundings and went with it. The little boy really did it for me - he was just cute as a button.

Danita: You're pretty good at this!

Boy: I know how to do the four square!

Danita: So if that's next, you can teach me?

Boy: Well, I don't know about that. It was MANY years ago. I'm a little out of practice.

Halfway through, he turns to me and says, "I think I'm really getting a hang of this dance now!" with the utmost dedication and sense of accomplishment. But my absolute favourite was when he let go of my hand to wipe his nose and then without hesitation, he grabs my hand again. He just looked at me and said as innocently as possible, "I think I have a grandma disease. I can't breathe out of my mouth right now." What I wouldn't give to be ten again. As much as I hate to admit it, I left there feeling pretty warm and fuzzy. If anything, it was life-affirming. The fact is, there are good people still out there - even if you have to travel to a barn in the middle of no where to find them.

I went rollerskating in Cedarburg. My last trip, I spent a lot of time in Cedarburg as Mitch worked at the local Starbucks there. I developed quite an affection for the little town and was happy to be back. I'm convinced it is a town run by elves. It is as close to Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow as one is ever going to get in real life. With its twinkling tree lights, kitschy boutiques, and sleepy air, Cedarburg is a hidden gem. Jenny found out there was a family skate night at the local Skateland so we jumped on the idea. On the way there, I figured to myself.. I can Rollerblade, and I can ice skate... rollerskating must be the easiest out of the three. I'm okay with admitting when I'm wrong. And for the record, I was wrong. It was HARD. I fell within minutes on the rink. And my thighs are still feeling the burn! Once I caught my balance, I began to enjoy myself. I loved skating around to the music of Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Michael Buble. The whole thing was steeped in nostalgia and that was the best part. It was one of those moments in time I consciously appreciated as it was happening because of its pure sentimentality. Now, I wasn't going to write about this story, but I feel like it would be a shame if it was left untold. There was a wee little kid skating around the rink and I was so terrified of hurting him. I focused on staying away from him as much as possible My plan backfired. Somehow, the next thing I knew, I was about to skate right into him! I didn't want to pulverize him so I grabbed both his arms, held onto him, and I fell backward while I pushed him forward. We ended up in a pile on the ground, but in the end, no one was hurt. He just got up and kept on skating - the little guy didn't think twice about it. Resilience is key out on the rink. Apparently I never learned that lesson because I needed a break to collect myself. I eventually talked myself into going back out, but that was a bad idea. I was skating around and all of a sudden, I see the little kid again! Mitch claims I would have been fine, but I panicked and flopped to the ground to avoid another collision. Suffice to say, I was pretty much done after that. We traded back our skates for shoes and said goodbye to the smell of play-dough, glow-in-the-dark carpet, drinking fountains, flashing arcade games, and a Teenage Dream (that's a shout out to Katy Perry, in case you missed it).

I went for a long walk along the river in Milwaukee. Mitch and I had a day to ourselves so we did our favourite thing - walk! We found some interesting things on our journey. Here are three of my favourites.

Now this cracks me up. We saw this stuck onto a metal ramp post. It is hilarious on so many levels. First of all, who references Three Men and a Baby. Second of all, I was like "is that....." "no, it can't be Three Men and a Baby" but then I confirmed the presence of Tom Selleck and his sticker mustache and instantly knew. Mitch can confirm that I laughed for a good eight minutes on this gem.

This was in someone's garden. Three wigs (?) lined up in a row. I like to think that someone planted people seeds and they are ready to harvest!

This is just the beginning of a lovely sunset with the river and skyline. The lighting was orgasmic. I wish I had a legit camera.

I learned how to knit at Jenny's house. Mitch unexpectedly had to work so the incomparable Jenny came through and entertained me for a good part of the evening. I want to give a shout out to Jason for making me a special no-meat spaghetti sauce. My whole life has been picking through my food for things I don't like so I always hold special appreciation for people who do the work for me. I always stress it isn't necessary because at this point, picking out undesirables is second nature to me, but regardless, it is always a gesture that gets me. We had planned to see a movie, but decided we would rather watch a classic. Jenny mentioned she would knit while we watched and I got really excited about it because learning to knit has been a goal of mine for years now. My grandma tried to teach me when I was younger, but I was never successful. I've had many friends tell me they'd teach me, but no one has ever gotten around to it.

So that was our night. Knitting, Audrey Hepburn, and of course, bonding! Does it get better? Jenny teaching me to knit was one of the nicest things anyone has done for me. As insignificant as it seems, it meant a lot.

I want to give a mention to our dear pal, Kelsey. She worked with Mitch in Cedarburg and we clicked right away. She is an absolute doll. I told her I was coming and she suggested we go for breakfast bright and early Saturday morning. When Mitch and I agreed, she was so relieved - leaving me this comment on facebook:

"I knew you were in town, and I've literally thought about how to arrange my schedule to see you for two weeks. I worked wednesday, and i work friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and with school and homework thrown in, i didn't think I'd be able to see you! So I'm very happy. I may not be able to stay super super long, but I'll make sure we have adequate talking time. Yay!"

It probably doesn't get more wonderful than that. I understand what it is like to be working and going to school and I understand how hard it is to make free time. I appreciate her effort more than she knows. I am so happy we got to see each other.

I am leaving on a jetplane tonight to go back to "up there" (that is how Americans refer to Canada). I am leaving the land of giant sodas, flip flops in November, and custard. When I've thought about traveling the world, Wisconsin was never on my "to-go" list. Life is funny that way. We end up in places we don't expect sometimes. And with that, I think it is safe to say that Wisconsin will always have a piece of my heart.

On this trip, I:

1) Learned how to play Quiddler -