If It's December, This Must be Another House Project

We're working on the dining room, trying to get it up to speed.  We had taken the carpet out back in August and it's been a mess since then.  Now we're making a push to finish it up.  The floor in there was a nice maple, long covered by carpet and glue.  It's looking pretty good now, patched, stained, and finished.  I removed the false ceiling and fixed the holes in the plaster there.  I'm currently working on getting the east wall, long covered by wallpaper and paneling, into shape.

One of the improvements will be putting vintage mop boards and chair rails back into the room.  They are long gone, but it's clear they were part of an early version of the room.  We're interested in how the design of the room has changed.  In the first photo below, you can see outlines of where trim surrounded an old doorway, and the discolored panel to the right shows where there appears to have been another door.  But lath and plaster reveals that those changes were made LONG LONG ago.  

The wife is choosing colors to make it pop, and trim from the old Mason's building downtown Madison will surround the doorway and provide a new, vintage mop board.  It's going to be much nicer.

We are also refinishing the oak floor in the entry way.

The doorway from the kitchen to the dining room is opened up.  

Repairs needed on the east wall.  Cracks!  The chimney creates a little trouble.  

Once we took the carpet up, this glue hid the wood.  

Penny does NOT like the floor.  

Partway through sanding.  I had never used a big sander before.  

Sanding the edges.  

The completed floor, patched and stained.  I don't remember if this photo came before or after the final coats of poly.  

Blue Jeans 'n Classics, the South Dakota Symphony, and Fleetwood Mac

The wife, the mom, and I enjoyed our Sunday afternoon with the Canadian group, Blue Jeans 'n Classics, who played with the South Dakota Symphony to offer up many hit songs of the group Fleetwood Mac, songs that I remember so well, especially from my two years in Germany.  My big expensive stereo at that time could crank out the tunes on the albums Fleetwood Mac that appeared in 1975, then Rumours, appearing in 1977, both while I was doing my soldier duty in Friedberg.  They were awesome records for me at the time, great lyrics, beautiful signing, and some hard-driving rocking.

The group of musicians that put on their show were welcomed by the crowd, and they were well worth it.  I hope the many sponsors from Madison that supported bringing them here were pleased with their efforts.  Thank you, sponsors!

Sirje Kiin and Marie Under, Poets, Writers, and Estonians

After a day at home it was nice to get out and have a meal with my mom and the wife and go see our Madisonian Sirje Kiin tell about the subject of her book:  Marie Under, an Estonian poet whose work hasn't had the attention it deserves.  Her poetry is almost all written in Estonian, a language that only about 1.5 million people speak in the world.  Sirje has written (in Estonian) a critical biography of the poet.  
The biography is now being translated into English, along with some new translations of the poetry.  It's a remarkable thing to hear about a person who lives just up the street who is working on such good, important things.  Marie Under's Wikipedia page needs editing!

Our speaker pointed out that one of the problems with getting Under the attention she deserves is that good translations of the poetry can be difficult, since the language they're written in is so unlike English or many other major languages.  

Another Blower

Today's another blowing day, another day with the trees waving in a gale, snow flying, students emailing me that the weather will keep them out of class.  Another day in Madison.
I spent part of the day outside examining my wood pile. Let's call it that, as I took the wheelbarrow to the back yard and filled it from my ever-diminishing pile of firewood, which I thought would last us all winter.  I'm not one skilled in estimating wood usage, but I'm spending more time in the house this winter, and it's been a cold one, so we keep stoking that stove, watching the wood flame up and out of the chimney.  We've always got one damned warm place in the house.  Some cool places too.

Water Issues, Wind Issues, Snow Issues. Winter. I'm issued out.

The past couple of days we've been riding a winter wave as the giant claw of a blizzard grips eastern SD and other parts.  Yes, out in the west it's something different, but here in the frozen east we keep watching out the window with it feeling like we're flying this old house through a cold and cloudy sky at a breakneck speed.  The old girl doesn't care for all this windage.

We'll survive.

The situation with the water was that a roof caved in on a water supply, a "clear well."  All over town we've had to curtail (as in STOP) our water use.  But our city fellows hustled through the night and during the day today despite the bad weather, and they're allowing water use and soon will have drinkable water again.  Thanks, guys.

I'm not sure why it's in the Anchorage news:  http://www.adn.com/2014/01/16/3276441/residents-of-madison-urged-not.html.

Salvo #997

After five days away from home in Madison, SD, it's good to be home, ready for catching up with school and home maintenance and getting ready for winter.  It was a good trip though to St. Charles, IL, for workshops designed for schools seeking to maintain their accreditation.  The workshops helped our team move from an idea to a fully-fledged plan for making a significant improvement in life at DSU.  Thank you to those folks at AQIP for leading the show.

At My Door the Leaves are Falling

This morning the song in my head is one by Johnny Cash, "I Still Miss Someone," as it describes the mournful loss of a loved one, set against the the falling leaves and the wild winds, both of which are going on outside my windows.  The wind is whipping out of the south, leaves tearing off the trees and covering the yard once again.
The welcome rain comes as a marking of the end of our summer days, a blast of what is to come as we move into the fall season.  It's been a long haul with little or no rain to speak of, and the grass and trees have shown their stress, turning brown and sere as the long dry spell went on.
It has now rained steadily all morning, and with some luck it will continue.  Certainly the farmers don't have the same perspective, since many of their crops are still in the field.  But we'll take it, we lawn farmers.

Wenks' Chicken Nightmare Warehouse

I just saw this ad on Craigslist for a set of buildings that I run past often south and west of Madison, out past the grain elevators.  It's the old Wenks Chicken Factory, a series of corrugated metal buildings that have been abandoned ever since I've been in Madison.  It always looks to me like the set for some apocalyptic horror movie, like some disaster struck and everyone disappeared suddenly, or maybe an evil scientist set up  an assembly line for building some world-domination gizmos.

I'm struck by some of the pictures that have been uploaded to the Picasa web album the ad links to; it's available here:  https://picasaweb.google.com/109076386369885516606/SD?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKHp5Y7v0afy5gE&feat=directlink

Check out this pic, for example:

Explain to me how this photo makes you want to buy the buildings, despite those nice rafters.  

The Picasa album is identified as being owned by Scott Mahar, who is not listed in the Madison directory.  I found a Scott Mahar in Fargo who's in engineering.  There must be a new factory of some sort coming in here.  Maybe the one from Arlington?  I thought that one was going in at the industrial park.  

Tell me, though, don't some of these pics look like they would be great for a horror movie?  My friend JH says working there was a horror in itself.  I can see it.  Ever been in a chicken coop?  Imagine that times 10,000.  Or more.  Nasty.  

Center of the Community

My trip to the Madison Community Center this evening was a reminder of just how much the place plays in the life of the community.   From people on the track and in the pool, to a class in the workout room, to the guy sitting on a machine reading his Kindle while he worked out his legs, it was a busy evening there.  The handball courts were busy, and some folks were lifting weights.  All the treadmills were busy.  But the real crowd was down in one of the gyms, where it was Dr. Seuss night, which brought families with the young ones, lining up to get tattoos, make hats, and pick up some green eggs and ham.

I'm reminded of much of the resistance that the proposal for the community center had when it was still in the planning stages.  "Nobody will go there," some said.  But there they are!  If you look at the photos, you can see the lines go out the door, kids waiting with their parents to come into our Madison Community Center.

Man Lost in Madison Creek

Keloland News tells about the young man who was lost in the flooding in Madison over the weekend, the brother of a DSU student visiting family.  The young man, PJ Bean, from Alabama, was an experienced firefighter and trained to save others.  He got swept away on early Sunday morning as he tried to wade across the swollen creek.

Enough Water to Shake a Stick At

Tee off box for hole 6 at the Howard Golf Course.

The creek through Madison

 Water, water, water.  Imagine dumping six inches of rain on a town and on the land that drains into it.  Then imagine all that water gushing through a little creek bed that usually trickles with a slow drizzle.  What happens, as you can see here without the need for imagination, is a mess, a tragic event for those in the path of the water.  Some residents clearly had a basement entirely full of water, with huge pumps discharging water from two or three inch hoses.  They've got my sympathy.

Highway 34 going west from Madison

Madison golf course

Our Rain Gauge Runneth Over

Cherry-sized hail

 Waves of rain-clouds traveling above Madison yesterday dropped a whopping FIVE inches of rain, with some hail mixed in.  Thunder, lightning, wind, rain, hail, darkness.  Reports indicate that the little docile creek that runs through town overflowed its banks and caused trouble for residents nearby.  Collapsed or flooded basements? We're going to cruise through town to see what we can see.

Julie Gross--New LAIC Director

News from the Chamber of Commerce in Madison, and the Lake Area Improvement Corporation.   We've got one of our own now in the group, and I hope this means things will be getting better.  

The Lake Area Improvement Corporation is excited to announce they have hired Julie Gross to serve as their new Executive Director.

Gross currently serves as the Executive Director of the Madison Chamber of Commerce and will transition into her new role over the next few weeks.
"We are very excited about Julie accepting this important role within the Madison community,” said LAIC President Mark Stoller.  "The LAIC board, along with community members, interviewed several candidates and put a great deal of time and energy into the interview process.  We feel we have chosen the right person to promote our community and continue the efforts of the LAIC.”
“Julie is a lifelong Lake County native and has deep ties to the community.  She has successfully led the Chamber where she developed new programs, enhanced existing programs and made a positive impact on the community.  We are excited to have her on board."

I do hope this means better things for Madison.  Our man at the Madville Times has been calling for a replacement in this role for some time. Go Julie!  

St. Patrick's Day--Limericks and Libation

A week late, but the B's had their annual St. Patrick's Day party this past weekend, giving us some time to get together, share some limericks and talk, and gather 'round the "campfire" for storytelling and catching up.  Returning visitors from Missouri came up, and this photo shows the elite crew that remained until late, long after the lighter weight classes had cashed it in.  It was a great time!

Let It Snow Snow

Madison has not seen a lot of snowy days this winter, but February shall not pass without one.  Here we're getting a good dose, light and fluffy, with no wind (yet).

The Shooter's Legacy

This week has brought its share of unpleasant excitement, and it's no small thing in a town like Madison, where people know people in a tightly-knit kind of way. We have a friend who can generate family trees, along with temporary relationships and marriages, from generations past, and she's not a Madison native.  Even I, after living here a mere 10 years, know well how many of the townspeople are related to each other, who their kids are, and what their family history is.

But the discovery of an apparent 50-year grudge of one man against another stemming from an incident in high school is a real revelation, the stuff of fiction.  In news reports about the shooting of Norm Johnson by Carl Ericsson, the motive apparently comes from some incident lost to the memories of all but the shooter.  It reminds me a bit of Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado," in which the narrator Montresor reports that he had borne a "thousand injuries" and so sets out to wall away Fortunato in the catacombs to die slowly in revenge for those unidentified injuries.  Poe's story identifies its narrator as the one carrying the grudge, the other not knowing what motive lies behind Montresor's actions.

In any case, the creative writer in me sees the possibilities in this small-town tragedy, dreaming as is my wont about the scene or scenes that may have played out repeatedly in the imagination or memory of the tortured soul.

I'm reminded though, that Poe had an idea of revenge that you'll see in movies and tv shows:  the act of revenge must be known about, that the person seeking revenge must inform their victim and have them know what's being done.  At the end of "Cask," the narrator, noting that it's been 50 years since he walled up Fortunato, still nurses a grudge, having never told his victim what was going on, so what he asks for at the end is perhaps not for Fortunato, but for his own conscience: "In pace requiscat!"  

Shooter in Madison, SD

Last night nerves were on edge after a fatal shooting occurred in downtown Madison, not far from Dakota State University.  Today they're still a little frayed, with some imagining a threat at every turn, afraid to go out, fearful of someone waiting to injure random citizens.  It's easy to let one's imagination run wild and see a killer on every corner, but I just can't muster up the siege mentality when someone probably had a specific beef and addressed it by attacking someone else.  People usually attack people they know, not random folks. Fault me for minimizing the threat, putting me, the wife, and the dog in danger, but that's my nature, and it keeps my life in the kind of perspective I like.  I'm not the center of the world; important things--things that the history of the world, or even the town, will recall--happen somewhere else.  This thing is not about me.

In the meantime, Madison police are patrolling the streets, looking for a white guy, 50-60 years old, medium height, who was seen driving a maroon, four-door sedan.  Sources say he might be wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.  The scene played out on Egan Avenue and Fifth Street, near Memorial Park.  Our campus was on lock-down last night but classes resume today.

Have You Seen These Movies? Not Likely.

We're lucky, in our small town, to have a movie theater with two screens, and every night they offer something to watch, at six bucks a head.  But I can't help but stop and notice when the two movies offered seem to be tamer versions of some of the popular films being shown elsewhere across the country.  How about taking the dragon out of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," so it's not so darned wild-sounding.  Doesn't a movie like "Girl with a Tattoo" sound a lot more like a small-town movie?  And rather than "We Bought a Zoo," how does "We Bought a Soo" sound?  That might be a little more controversial if you realize that some have, over the years spelled Sioux as Soo.  Sure, they just got the Z up there backwards, but it's interesting to mark the little things that make living in a small town so darned interesting.

(Just a little note here:  the bowling alley/lounge is NOT connected to the theater.  They just share the sign.)

New (Interim) Prez at DSU: David Borofski

The South Dakota Board of Regents just announced our interim president at DSU for the coming year as they search for a new president to replace Dr. Doug Knowlton.  It's Dr. David Borofski, currently the provost and chief academic officer at Westwood College, a for-profit school with its headquarters in Denver, CO.

Let's hope he's the man for the job.  He won't be a candidate to replace Knowlton.

Smith-Zimmermann's 50th Anniversary

Here's a video I made to give a sense of what the dedication was like in 1961 of the Smith-Zimmermann Museum in Madison, SD.