Woodson Wanderings

Old People Don’t Bounce

Posted on March 07, 2018

My family and co-workers will attest that I have periods of clumsiness. Sometimes the incidents are resolved with a bandage and other times, not. After a recent ice-related fall, several doctors and X-rays, a removable brace, two fiberglass casts, and restrictions to not lift anything heavier than a toothbrush, I’m on the mend.

Passel of Puppies

Posted on February 28, 2018

Nellie is sophisticated, older, and receives private, in-home lessons. Mike and Molly are a bonded pair displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Ellie Mae’s pedigree is a smidge dubious (a further explanation follows), and Piper is a bounding, Tennessee ball of energy. Puppies . . . plenty of puppies. Our staff of fewer than twenty-five is currently raising five dogs, each younger than one year.

Catch Birdwatching Fever

Posted on February 21, 2018

Emerging from what seems like a long winter, I’m always happy to get back into nature to pursue my favorite pastime – birdwatching. The Great Backyard Bird Count was last weekend, and I’m happy to report that our winter bird population is vibrant and healthy. In fact, we’ve seen a robust return of common redpolls and pine siskins, whose numbers were very low last year.

Manifestations of Love on Valentine’s Day and Everyday

Posted on February 14, 2018

Valentine’s Day is one of my two favorite holidays. No surprise, the other is Thanksgiving. Love and food. These holidays are hard to beat. I take an expansive and inclusive approach to Valentine’s Day, perhaps more like a kindness day — to others and to ones’s self — and a reminder that love takes many forms. We regularly see aspects of love and kindness on full display — yes, pun intended — at the Woodson Art Museum.

Animal Motifs + Relief Printing = Classroom Quilts

Posted on February 07, 2018

I met printmaker Sherrie York late Sunday evening at the Central Wisconsin Airport where she arrived after a harrowing day of travel to begin a two-week printmaking residency, which kicked off early Monday morning. During her residency, Sherrie and I will work with over 150 area students, first onsite at the Woodson Art Museum and then again in their classrooms.

Stories Spur Us Onward

Posted on January 31, 2018

On this final day of January – a month full of reflection, goal-setting, and resolutions – I’m thankful for opportunities to listen to and learn from people. Their stories are powerful, especially when they provide a boost to improve or strive onward.

Still Defrosting

Posted on January 24, 2018

At face value, Tom Queoff, Mike Martino, and Mike Sponholtz seem to have nothing in common (in looks nor personality), but work together as well as any team or group I’ve had the pleasure of watching.

Blogged Down

Posted on January 17, 2018

I typically anticipate my slot in the “Woodson Wanderings” posting rotation. Storytelling is what I do; it’s the creative filter through which I experience the world. This time I became stuck, until I focused on a recent spontaneous creation that SPARK! participants sculpted from modeling compound. It means the world to me. May a modicum of all that SPARK! is – for individuals with memory-loss and their family members, friends, care partners, Woodson volunteers, and staff – find its way through my blogged-down thoughts and into this post so that you can delight in it, too.

Mid-Winter Warm Up

Posted on January 10, 2018

During the winter holiday break, my wife Jeana and I visited our son, Justin, and family in Dubai, located on the Arabian Gulf in the United Arab Emirates. Leaving the bitter cold of Wisconsin and spending a week in warm weather was a good reason for the trip. An even better reason was spending time with our family, including two grandsons.