As long as I can remember, the Greater Madison area has been going through a perpetual identity crisis. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The area means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and as many of us strive to adapt to social evolutions in concept, perception, and demonstration, what we showcase as our identity shifts under the magnifying glass. Art, from fine to culinary, has worked to capture these moments, allowing us to close our eyes and hold them before they hollow.

Shared meaning is reality’s chimera—multiple truths merged into something concrete. Very distinct and easily understood. But stare at it too long, ask too many questions, and it’ll be picked apart until interpretation uproots meaning from whatever plane of authenticity it found purchase in. Pranav Sood’s bright, captivating paintings initiate a conversation on love, but the more an individual attempts to determine precisely what’s taking place, the further they stray from their original impression.

Tenacity is celebrated as a cornerstone of strong character. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. We’re sometimes afforded these chances through structure and other times through dumb luck. Structure in that our society is designed around allowing some mistakes to be made and learned from. Oftentimes, juveniles are given lesser sentencing for the same misdemeanors as their adult counterparts. Dumb luck in that I didn’t lose a finger or get pierced by the errant projectile flung when I learned why table saw kickback is so dangerous.

We’ll remember this pandemic the rest of our lives. There’s a lot of talk about when we’ll get back to “normal,” as in life before the virus, and the answer maybe never. We’ve all dealt with a trauma: anxiety over our own health and the health of our family and others, some with major financial stresses involving the loss of jobs, the political climate charged to a fever pitch, leaders in our country unprepared and unwilling to make decisions that keep people alive, and then the death toll here and around the world. The trauma has been both individual and collective, and then on top of it, we’ve experienced major inconveniences, like the inability to travel or move about freely. Many are trying to work from home while educating their children and keeping them occupied and so many other issues all stacking on each other. It can feel overwhelming.

COVID-19 was the pandemic everyone saw coming, yet nobody prepared for. The boogeyman in plain sight. Once the virus came to Wisconsin, County Executive Joe Parisi recognized that if he didn’t act soon, the nightmare would last well past nightfall.

Creatives see the world a little bit differently—a little more boldly. They take it in then turn out something equally beautiful: a painting, song, theatrical performance, or even a breathtaking bouquet of flowers. The latter is how Jane Kinney created and gave beauty to us.

Growing up in Wisconsin, I always felt I was afforded this fantastic opportunity to connect with the worlds around me—to nature, to neighbors, those I struggle to understand, and those I bond with straightaway. And I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when I’m not reminded of the importance in maintaining the connection I have with the food I eat—food that presents opportunity for community fostering.

Humankind has been brewing beer for almost 6,000 years that we’re aware of. The first use of hops is thought to have been sometime around the 9th century, that’s around 4,800 years later. Most brewers can tell you the year the famous German purity law, the one that states beer must be produced with barley, hops, and water, went into effect (1516). So you ask most any brewer or drinker what the four main ingredients are in any beer, and they’ll tell you grain, yeast, water, and hops.

As a young man, Alexander Smith emigrated from England (or perhaps Ireland, depending on which early census one views) in the 1800s to the township of Blooming Grove outside of Madison. There, in 1848, the same year that Wisconsin became a state and eight years before Madison was incorporated as a city, he purchased a quarter of a section (160 acres) in the northern part of the township.

A crisis was in the making as Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) approached the 20th year in its first permanent shelter at 2250 Pennsylvania Avenue. Even with a 1969 addition that doubled its original size, the shelter was experiencing wear and tearabout 600,000 paws' worth, according to 1984 DCHS Director Carter Luke.

When my youngest son was four, a friend asked if we could take care of their rats while they went on vacation. Micah was very excited, so two rats, Whiskers and Squeakers, came to stay with us for a week. Not having spent much time with rats before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But they were really fun! They would run around in Micah’s room, sit on his shoulder, and eat pretty much anything he gave them. We were all sad when the rats went back home, so for Micah’s fifth birthday, we added another pet to our household, Jimmy Juper Explorer Rat.

Normally this is the time of year we see the Greater Madison area and the rest of the state enter its busy fall schedule, driven by students returning to universities and other school systems. But in the continuing “operations changing daily” fashion of 2020, many will not be returning in person, and those that are will be doing so under very different circumstances. The usual ramp up and bang will most likely be replaced by a cautious ping.

If you aren’t already familiar with Booth 121, you’ll soon want to learn more. Some of the items at this specialty craft store can also be found elsewhere, but what makes Booth 121 stand out is the originality and fun that owners Leah Robertson and Rebecca Aide bring to your experience, as well the personal touch and investment they place in each artist’s work.

While many of the sports programs on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus have gone through ebbs and flows over the years, the women’s basketball team has enjoyed a fairly consistent and stable track record since its inception in the mid-1970s. Strong leadership and, of course, a continuous roster of talented, dedicated athletes have been attributed to the program’s durability over the years.