Wisconsin in my bones

Wisconsin is in my bones. It forms the framework for everything I am.

I eat Wisconsin. Catfish, walleye, perch, apples, cherries, cheese. I drink Wisconsin water and beer. I am made of Wisconsin you could say. It makes me ill that convenience stores feed our bodies with junk food made in strange factories that send the huge profits out of state.

I see our state. My eyes look out across a ridge prairie waving so gently as an homage to our capital Madison. Rock bluffs along the Kickapoo river. Descending wheat fields along Lake Winnebago. Small city stores lined with false fronts so the buildings would look more impressive. I also see huge dairy farms right next to our creeks, rivers, and lakes. So shortsighted. So greedy.

I speak Wisconsin. It's not backwards to me, it's regional, and I'm proud of it. I talk to fun loving, hardworking people in restaurants, bars, grocery stores everywhere I go in Wisconsin. A quick joke about the snow, exchanging practical advice or sharing a story at a bar. I talk to hardy, resilient people that don't get paid enough, live with a lot of stress, and do the best they can with what they have.

I feel Wisconsin's bounty everywhere I travel. My shoulders ache paddling the lower Wisconsin river in a canoe. It's a good ache. My neighbor shot a glorious big buck a few years ago on our land. Who gets to experience deer, turkeys, and eagles, and sandhill cranes in the wild? We do. Wisconsin traditions like hunting, ice fishing, paddling, and cross-country skiing are available to everyone here. Thank you, governance, for setting that beautiful piece of land and water aside for all of us. Thank you, past Senators, Governors, Mayors, or Congressmen, for saving the land and the water for everyone. How unselfish.

I'm surrounded by Wisconsin in the air, the land, the water, and the people.

I love Wisconsin. I come from someplace. Someplace I love. I will be here forever. I don't want to live anywhere else. I've lived in eight foreign countries, but it’s Wisconsin that is in my bones. I'm so lucky and I hope the children of Wisconsin are lucky too.