Five Things I'm Diggin'

Here are five things I'm into right now.  Where to begin as I've got a little catching up to do.  I'll start it off with my favorite discovery of the year.  You are going to be shocked I know when I start the list off here...

1. RED COW!  This little local gem opened it's doors in my blogging fog days so I didn't get to really tell you how much I love the joint.  I know you all see the Facebook check-in's and patio shenanigans on Instagram, but I truly love this place.  It's the neighborhood equivalent of the Cheers Bar but I imagine the food and wine at The Cow are far superior.  Of course the burgers are standouts, but for me I tread heavily across the appetizer menu.  Ahi tuna crisps, homemade potato chips and dip, three different poutines, scotch eggs, cheese curds, and the pastrami sliders...omg.  I don't care for pastrami, or sauerkraut, or pretzel bread, but I bit into this baby one afternoon and I was smitten. In love, actually.  Three on a plate is more than enough so there is always one to bring home for later.  Wait, did I list the fish tacos?  Delish!  Grilled cheese? Amazeballs.  And did I mention the cute owner, Luke?  He's The Best and will always greet your table with a genuine smile and a funny quip.  And he seriously knows his beer and wine so get your tail in ASAP but just please don't take my favorite table.

2.  How about this FALL we're experiencing?  After the most offensive, depressing, lousy spring on record, we deserve this.  Here we sit in the first week of October and my garden is still pretty fresh, there are ferns (albeit a little scraggly) in my pots, and barely a leaf has littered my driveway.  A little A/C in late September is always welcome and a Homecoming parade in shorts is pretty cool.  I love it.  It's my favorite time of year and even with the monsoon that blew through here last night, it still sort of feels like late summer.  I will take it for as long as Mother Nature wants to cooperate because this rocks!!

Watching the Homecoming parade on a perfect fall day

3.  And speaking of fall, I'm also diggin' football this year.  Yeah, I know the Vikes suck the big one (except when they're in London!?) but we are lucky enough to have a great crew in this neighborhood that likes to spend Sundays worshipping the 49er's, the Bears, the Seahawks, and God forbid The Pack.  This season we were lucky enough to inherit a proper Man Cave in the 'hood that Mr. Howell tricked out in a pretty serious fashion.  The Cave seemingly attracts all kinds of fans and I know that when Mr. C rolls the garage door up on Sunday mornings an interesting collection of folks are going to show up.  As long as this weather holds, count on the chili being served, the beer being chilled and the team flags flying high.  And even when fall does begin to fade, the boys have plans for heaters and fur blankets, which I will make sure to share pictures of! And I can't talk about football without mentioning how proud I am of Mr. C for being brave enough to become a Badger for a day to escort me to a game at Camp Randall.  It was a spectacular day with a spectacular win so here's a shout to Bucky's cutest new fan!  

4.  So last spring I started chatting with my brilliant friend/hairdresser about how I was contemplating bangs. Yes, bangs.  Fringe.  Not since 1983 have I had hair touch my forehead but for some reason last April I got stuck on the idea of bangs.  Brilliant hairdresser says, "No way.  At least not until Fall."  Okay.  I patiently waited for the calendar to hit September 22nd (first official day of Autumn) and I start calling her.  "Should I?  Shouldn't I?  I really should, right?  What if I hate them?  What if they bug me?  What if they make my nose look big?  My face look fat?"  And so on and so on... I think she finally got so fed up with texts, photos and nonsensical chatter on the matter that she graciously slipped me into her first cancellation and had the scissors moving before I could even say, "Should I really do it??" Boom. Done.  Hmm.  I llike them.  I like the change.  I like the feel of fringe on my forehead, but mostly I like that I did something I normally would never do and I must thank my stylist/friend that encouraged me when everyone else said, "Don't Do IT!"  She  told me to jump in with both feet and said in her confident "I'm almost 40 and you're almost 42 so make it happen"  voice,  "You will look stunning.  Your pony is going to look amazing.  And your top bun, to die."  Obvi.   If I see you on the street and you don't like my fringe, do me a favor, smile and tell me that my pony looks amazing.  The only draw back is that I looked like Nikki Sixx when I woke up this morning.


5.  Which brings me to another obsession...The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx.  I read this little number on our last road trip and it is flat out addicting.  Couldn't put it down.  Crazy shit.  Who knew people would ever think to down a pitcher of hot tub water and snort coke immediately afterwards for the ultimate high only to purposefully puke?  And locking yourself in a closet (naked, I might add) with a shotgun because you believe the security system on your wall is out to get you and there are midgets hanging from your trees?  Now that sounds like a blast!  Not to mention shooting up in your xxxx??  Good times.  And the man is still alive to tell the tale.  If you enjoy rock star memoirs (I was not aware that I did) this is the read for you.  Graphic, shocking, sad, captivating, moving, all rolled into one serious page turner.  Nikki collects his diaries from years on tour in the hey day of Motley Crue to truly shock the pants off of his readers.  This book is like crack ( I assume)...read it.  

That's what I'm diggin' this week.  More next week.  Happy Thursday!


Writer's notes-

*Don't be offended but I am not going to reveal where said brilliant friend/hairstylist works.  That would mean that I won't get called up first on the cancellation list and it will make it harder for me to schedule my bang trims.  It's too bad though because she does the BEST blowout in town!  Email me directly if you really like my fringe and want her number.  And also, I don't think I look like Reese Witherspoon, I just really like her hair.

*The Man Cave depicted above is not at my home.  Don't come to my house on a Sunday morning looking for a bowl of chili and a beer.  If you would like to join us on any given Sunday, once again email me directly and I will reveal the address of The Cave.  And FYI, Nikki Sixx might be making a surprise appearance in November...