Mornin’ All,
Happy Friday, Happy (almost) Weekend, and Happy End of the Week!😃
Well, here’s my first Happy Note totally contained within my blog…with a convenience link through Facebook (but no email distribution through a particular school some of we may know…). My first Happy Note since relinquishing my duties as Faculty Adviser for MUSOD’s Mental Health and Wellness Committee. Saying goodbye to the committee made me really sad (and maybe even a little mad…nope, really mad). But times change. Situations change. People in our orbit can and DO change. I do believe, though, that being aware of forces beyond our control can help us find pathways to wellness and happiness. And though I may not be in my previous “position” I’m still very much me and still doing everything I’ve always done (but maybe in a slightly different way). Like this Happy Note. I started the Happy Note as (hopefully) a little way to bring people to a place of joy. A little way to let people know that life is happening and there are so many ways, small and big, to jump into living life. It’s encouragement to make and take some quality time for ourselves. It’s a little bit about good stuff going on around us. It’s about getting out there and living life. It’s about renewal and re-creation and reconnecting. And though the Happy Note may not be the same (well, maybe how we access it has changed), the Happy Note endures (and that makes me happy).😊
Enough of my self indulgent…blah, blah, blah. What’s going on around Milwaukee this weekend? LOTS OF STUFF!!! Hold on tight cuz this is a BIG Happy Note (and why not). And so without further ado, and in no particular order:
-China Lights finally returns!!! After a two year COVID hiatus (good riddance COVID) China Lights makes its triumphant return with Adventures in Lantern Wonderland (Alice and the Cheshire Cat may be there…a whole lot!)!!! At the beautiful Boerner Botanical Gardens now until October 30th. BTW, it gets CRAZY BUSY (get there early). Shuttle buses run to and from remote parking lots.
-LOTS of concerts including but not limited to Panic! At the Disco at Fiserv (wouldn’t it technically be Panic! At the Fiserv???).
-Apple Harvest Festival at Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha ($10 per carload so go with A LOT of friends in one car). I hear that the Delafield Brew Haus will be there selling…apple cider (NO, BEER, you silly!).
-Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Fest (and it’s free…unless you want wine…and who doesn’t want wine???).
-Uncorked: Milwaukee Wine Fest at the Deer District (kinda ridiculously expensive…but I don’t wanna tell you how to spend your money…but I know that would probably be “good” wine wasted on the likes of me…give me a box and I’ll be happy).
-Jurassic Quest at State Fair Park (not free…and I heard that the Dinosaurs aren’t real???).
-Richfield Historical Society Thresheree and Harvest Festival (and it’s free).
-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents Working With Healing Crystals.
-North Shore Bank’s Southside Dining Week kicks off (on a weekend).
-South Milwaukee Open Doors (mostly free).
-Dog Days at the Lynden Sculpture Garden (free…as far as I can tell).
-Fall Bayshore Art Festival (and it’s free).
-Holy Hill Arts & Crafts Fest (and it’s free).
-Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off at the Deer District (and it’s free…I think).
-Barktoberfest at Estabrook Beer Garden (and it’s free…unless you want beer…and who doesn’t want beer??? Even gluten free people want beer…we just can’t drink it).
-Bay View Bash (in Bay View…and it’s free).
-BBQ & Blues at Motor at the Harley Davidson Museum.
-Bug Day at the Wehr Nature Center (free…other than parking).
-Briggs & Al’s Run (conveniently starts on Marquette’s campus).
-Milwaukee Makers Mart at Discovery World.
-Lucha Libre at Potawatomi.
-Awkward Nerd Book Fair at the Cooperage (sounds like something made just for me😊).
-Hill Bill: Volume 2 at the Rock Ski Hill in Franklin.
-Milwaukee Bike-In Movie Series in Swing Park.
-Interchange Theater Co-Op continues its performances of A Night in November (performed on nights in September…until the 25th to be exact).
-Brewers are at home against the Yankees (free…on TV).
-Racine Theater Guild performs Native Gardens now through October 2nd.
-The Milwaukee Repertory Theater continues its performances of Unforgettable (the music of Nat King Cole) featuring John-Mark McGaha (runs through November 6th).
-The Sunset Playhouse continues its performances of Spitfire Grill (through Sept. 25th).
-J.R.R. Tolkien’s (yes, the Lord of the Rings writer) “The Art of the Manuscript” continues its run at Marquette’s very own Haggerty Museum of Art (the Haggerty is a campus gem IMHO).
-The Milwaukee Public Museum’s narwhal exhibit continues its run through October 9th. And did I hear that narwhals have a really big and special tooth (and is this question getting really old)?
-The Posters of Jules Chéret at the Milwaukee Art Museum continues its run through October 16th.
-Yoga on the Terrace continues at Villa Terrace (every Sunday).
-Apple Orchard? How about Brightonwoods Orchard near Burlington? It’s not a you-pick-it place. BUT…while you’re there stop at Aeppeltreow (yes, I did check my spelling) Winery & Distillery for a wee nip??? Who doesn’t like wine and perry and cider (umm…that be hard cider) and whiskey???
-Hike? After visiting Brightonwoods (if you can still drive) how about heading a few miles south to Bong State Recreation Area (hard to believe it was to be an Air Force bomber base back in the day…remnants of the runway are still visible).
Wow! My fingers hurt from typing (I’m on my iPhone so I guess it really is just finger). But I am so happy to still be writing and sharing the Happy Note. I’m still here. I’m still who I’ve always been. And I’m still doing what I’ve always done (well, I am back in school as a student again so I guess I’ve added back even more of what I’ve always done???).
And there you have it. Please, please, please enjoy your Weekend. And please take care of yourself and your friends. Get out and enjoy all the good that life has to offer. And always know that being still and quiet and relaxing and renewing is ALWAYS an outstanding accomplishment.
Best regards and I’m hoping to see you around town.
Doc
Doc's Writing Refuge 