The Last Three Weeks

The last three weeks have been a blur. Completely. Two weeks ago I was holed up in the woods, researching and writing. I hadn't been looking forward to the retreat. I had other things going on. I was going to be gone for a pretty big chunk of time right before classes started, and this seemed to be nothing more than in the way.

In the end, though, it turned out to be really good. I got some significant writing done. There were a few things I had been putting off since the spring and having time devoted to just writing was what I needed. Now I have another project with a fast-approaching deadline. Wish I'd known about it when I went to the woods to write.

The following week my mom came to the Pacifical Northwest for her annual visit. We spent some time in Seattle. We took a ferry out to the San Juans. We saw some waterfalls. We ate. We relaxed. It was a good visit. Last year she came in May and it was sunny and lovely the entire time. This year it was overcast and drizzly... So she got the feel for the place.

This last week, or actually weekend, I went to Wisconsin. I hadn't planned on going to Wisconsin this year, but it just happened that a friend was able to get tickets to the Packers' home opener in Lambeau. Initially, I wasn't going to go, but after discussing it with some friends, I realized I had to go. So a few weeks ago I found an inexpensive flight and planned a trip back to the Motherland; it was sorely needed.

I've been feeling homesick lately. Recently I read a story that homesickness wasn't about a place, it was about the feelings you had in that place. I had a minor "duh" moment when I read that, but that is exactly how I've been feeling. I've been missing things I haven't thought of or done in years. Most of them relating to Wisconsin.

I have a special relationship with Wisconsin. I spent most of my twenties and a good chunk of my 30s in Wisconsin. It helped shape me into the person I am. And, almost more important, I grew to love the overall quirkiness that is Wisconsin.

I love Madison. It is probably the one place that I will always consider home--even though I am not technically from there. It is the place I have always felt the most comfortable. I would still do almost anything to move back there. But I still have a softspot for the rest of the state with it's accent, it's love of the cheese curd, brats, Packers, and deer hunting, I just adore it.

Every time I go back to Wisconsin I go to Fleet Farm (or Farm and Fleet, depending on the part of the state you live). Why? Because as I told a friend who recently moved to Wisconsin, Fleet Farm represents every single thing that is Wisconsin. I don't mean that as an insult. You can find anything you want or need, except for possibly cheese curds and a full-body insulated Green Bay Packers suit (although I honestly believe you could find the latter in a Fleet Farm somewhere). Fleet Farm is an absolute microcosm. I adore it. I could spend hours there, looking at the random, weird shit they have on the shelves.

So what did I do? I went to three different Fleet Farms for three different things. It wasn't planned, but what was needed was at three different stores. (Green Bay Packers gear, cat food, and a Fleet Farm tshirt that said, "If you can't find it at Fleet Farm, you don't need it.")

This was a whirlwind trip, but it turned out to be one of the best I have taken in a long time.