Local Color

A fun part of sustainability is participating in local commerce. Chatting with neighbors, eating at the local restaurants, and buying from local businesses all help to strengthen the fabric of our community

Trivia Night

We met a friend of Maggie's and another couple at Wild Hills Winery in Muscoda Saturday night for trivia. We had never been there before...

Jul 131 min read

Craft Camp

This past week I was able to take a week of vacation, which is something I have not been able to do for a long time. Planning it on a...

Jul 53 min read

Dairy Breakfast 2025

June is dairy month, and we continued our tradition of going to the Vernon County dairy breakfast. This year, the event was held at the...

Jun 151 min read

Wonderful Breakfast at the Annual Spring Amish School Auction Event

Amish Buggies Parked in Field for School Auction Event Parking and Auction Building for Amish School Auction Event There is an Amish...

Maggie

May 261 min read

Garden Expo 2025

A couple of weeks ago, Maggie and I attended the newly renamed "Garden and Green Living Expo" in Madison. As always, we enjoyed getting...

Mar 22 min read

Dia De Muertos

One of the fun things about living in an area with many small communities, local businesses, and non-profits is that many host events to...

Nov 24, 20241 min read

Rainy June

The average precipitation for Richland County is about 5 inches. Last summer, we were lucky to have gotten an inch of rain in June, and...

Jun 23, 20242 min read

Wool Mill Field Trip

We are always on the hunt for local open houses and events, to learn more about small-scale agriculture in the Driftless Area. I recently...

Apr 22, 20242 min read

Prepping for Pigs

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a new episode of Around the Farm Table. The episode profiled a farm advocacy and support group in...

Aug 6, 20222 min read

Dairy Month

Wisconsin takes dairy seriously. June is National Dairy Month, and the Wisconsin Dairy Farmers trade group celebrates it by coordinating...

Jun 21, 20222 min read

Winter Classes

Although the winter season meant the end of gardening and other outdoor activities, there has been no shortage of things to do. We are...

Feb 22, 20222 min read

Shopping Amish

We faced a rainy Saturday at a time when our to-do list featured mostly outdoor tasks. Rather than trying to sand stair treads or garden...

Apr 20, 20212 min read

Lunch at Turbo's

This winter, we stumbled across a series of YouTube videos posted by Richland County Tourism, dubbed "The Richland County Food Trail"....

Apr 11, 20212 min read

Logo Design

I do not watch a lot of homesteading YouTube channels, but Maggie has several she follows. As a result, when I open YouTube on our...

Feb 14, 20212 min read

Meeting Neighbors During Hunting Season

We live in an unincorporated township, run by a small town board. So small, that the town treasurer, who used to work at the high school...

Nov 25, 20203 min read

Friends and Family Visit

One of the nice things about our progress rehabbing the farmhouse is that it is comfortable enough to invite visitors. Having actual...

Oct 7, 20202 min read

Fish Fry Friday

I was driving through Richland Center on the way to the homestead on Friday afternoon, and passed a crowd of people beneath a large tent....

Jun 28, 20202 min read

Strawberry Pie

Driving through Richland Center this weekend, we passed a small roadside stand in the parking lot of the Napa auto parts store. An Amish...

Jun 22, 20203 min read

Fishing Story 2020, Part Two

Some days, despite best efforts, fish are hard to come by. On such days, anglers will ruefully say that is why we call it 'fishing' and...

May 17, 20203 min read

Fishing Story 2020, Part One

Anglers share many characteristics. They tend to overestimate size and quantity. They will fish in conditions they will otherwise claim...

May 17, 20202 min read

Spring Green, WI Butcher

On the way to the property this weekend, we stopped at Prem Meats (a butcher / catering company) in Spring Green and picked up some...

Maggie

Apr 23, 20201 min read

Potosi Brewing

I have a soft spot for Potosi Brewing. They are local, brew good beer, and all profits go to local charities. I recent tried a Cave Ale,...

Apr 21, 20201 min read

Cabin Fever

Today's beer review is for New Glarus Brewing's Cabin Fever beer. I thought this would be a fitting beer to try, being stuck at home...

Apr 15, 20201 min read

Cinco De Mayo Mexican Grill in Richland Center

Cinco De Mayo in Richland Center was empty but for us at 3pm on Friday afternoon amidst all of the Caronavirus concerns. This was our...

Maggie

Mar 16, 20201 min read

Changing Plans

At the start of the week, our plan was simple. We had taken Friday off to meet with a WDNR forester to walk our woodlots and learn about...

Mar 15, 20202 min read

Richland Center's Gun Show

I write this entry with some trepidation. Nowadays, there are so many things that polarize our society. Guns are near the top of that...

Feb 10, 20201 min read

Dreaming of Spring

Writing this, I glance out the window and watch the snow starting to pile up. We have had a mild winter so far, but today we are getting...

Feb 10, 20202 min read

An Afternoon at the Richland County Rifle Range

On day 2 of our stay at the property with Henry, it rained. It was not the best of conditions to shoot outside on the property. The...

Dec 29, 20191 min read

Driftless Brewing Company's Rhuberry Beer (i.e., strawberry rhubarb beer)

Dec 8, 20190 min read

The Lemon Door Cafe and Coffee Shop in Fennimore, WI

I stopped at The Lemon Door in Fennimore on the way to pick up Henry at UW-Platteville for Thanksgiving break. They were mentioned in a...

Nov 28, 20191 min read