Get out and smell the darn roses

If you’re wondering what that strange feeling on your skin is when you step outside of your house, I believe the word is “heat.” Yes, for the first time in ages, temperatures in Wisconsin are actually not only above freezing, they are even above 70 degrees.

We are now in the first week of June, and it seems summer is, at long last, finally coming to Wisconsin. It’s going to be a summer unlike any other, that’s for sure, with the coronavirus cancelling festivals and parades and all manner of summer events left and right.

Colby’s very own Cheese Days was cancelled recently, and you can read that story inside the pages of this week’s Tribune-Phonograph. I’m sure more events in the coming weeks will shutter their doors and close up shop.

It’s sad to see so many events get cancelled, and I will miss not seeing smiling children playing games and enjoying carnival rides. I’m also going to miss the food - corn dogs, mini donuts, burgers cooked on the grill and topped with cheese made in Wisconsin.

I’m not going to mince words, from an economics standpoint this summer is going to be hard on the state of Wisconsin. With smaller crowd sizes urged, and social distancing still in place, small businesses in tourist towns like Hayward or Bayfield or Minocqua are likely going to feel the pinch as many people are planning on staying home rather than take that out of state vacation like in years past.

Now more than ever we need to support our local businesses - after all, Walmart and Amazon aren’t going to sponsor your local Little League teams as much as your mom and pop places will. So what does that mean? It means getting outside and living your life, that’s what.

Fear is a powerful thing. We all know this - it can keep you from living your life to its fullest. Now, I am not advocating that you go out and find the biggest crowd you can and stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone while not wearing a mask.

But a rose still smells sweet, the sun still feels nice, and warmth is always a welcome visitor after your typical rough Wisconsin winter. Don’t be afraid to go outside. Don’t be afraid to go for a hike. Don’t be afraid to live By all means, be safe when you travel, but don’t let fear rob you of the things you love. Bit by bit we will get over this. Bit by bit things will return to normal. Incredible progress is being made, and will continue to be made. I know tensions and stress are at an all-time high, and 2020 is certainly not the year we were all hoping for, but as my father said, “It can’t rain all the time.”

At this point I am praying we don’t see murder hornets make an appearance. Of course, with the year we’ve been having, I would not be surprised if Big Foot showed up, or Godzilla came out of the ocean. But if that does happen, we’ll get through it. We always do.

M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS

ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER