"And it was all yellow": my visit to the National Mustard Museum.

Here are three words I never thought I'd say together: National Mustard Museum.

Jared is my best friend from summer camp, and when he made his first ever trip to the state of Wisconsin, I knew I had to show him a variety of my favorite Madison activities. And let's face it: the city is multifaceted. Delicious falafel from Banzo, skating on a frozen lake at Tenney Park, and dancing the night away at Plan B to Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild" were some of my favorite parts of his visit, but the weirdest part of his visit would certainly be the mustard.

In 2012, my parents visited Madison to help me move into my condo. During their time here, they went to the National Mustard Museum: a quirky, kitschy, lovable, free museum in Middleton (on the west side of Madison). Mom insisted that Jared and I experience the place together, and who wants to say no to mom? Not Jared and me. So the mustard excursion began.

Boasting a "Learn, Taste, Shop, Laugh," mantra, this place is exactly what it sounds like (and it doesn't take itself too seriously, either). Home of the world's largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia, the National Mustard Museum pays homage to America's yellowest condiment. 

Why is there a National Mustard Museum? The answer to this question, I still do not know, but what I can say is that the place was certainly unique, and I'd recommend that anyone who passes through Madison needs to see it for themselves at least once. But just in case you aren't passing through any time soon, here are some highlights:

Decked-out walls with mustard-themed art and comics:

Books of vintage mustard advertisements:

Mustards from around the world:

These shelves are alphabetized and labeled with mustard from all 50 states. 

Close-up on my home state of North Carolina.

A display devoted to the mustards of Canada. 

A vending machine for instant mustard gratification:

Oh, and an empty mustard mascot costume.

We made a new friend.

It was everything I'd expect a mustard museum to be, really. And after a plethora of free samples, I settled on a souvenir:

Maille (pronounced "my") dijon mustard, now at home in my kitchen. According to a museum employee, this is a highly celebrated mustard that won the Worldwide Mustard Competition. Yeah, not only is there a mustard museum, but there's competitive mustard making. For real.

Jared is one of my best friends, and he traveled over 1600 miles to visit me. That's what good friends do anywhere. Spending an afternoon learning about the history of mustard? Well, in Wisconsin, I guess that's what good friends do, too.

Jews on Christmas: nighttime skating on a frozen lake.

Jared and I met at summer camp when we were 10 years old, and we've been friends ever since. A good friend comes to visit you even when it's freezing outside, and that's the kind of friend Jared is. As Jewish folks who obviously had no Christmas plans, we figured it was the perfect time for him to fly in from NYC for a visit.

I picked Jared up at the airport with a custom sign that I made in honor of our joint Madonna obsession.

I found him!

Then we had a delicious dinner at Lao Laan-Xang, which was quite crowded for Christmas Eve. The next day, after a matinee (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), it was time for Jared's true Madison experience: skating on a frozen lake at Tenney Park.

I'm a competitive figure skater, but I rarely skate on lakes. I saved an old pair of skates for such occasions. The temperature was 30 degrees that night, which was downright humid for Wisconsin in December. There was a dusting of snow on the lake, and a few flakes were still falling.

The surface was different for me, but I got around just fine.
Jared liked the traction from the snow.

My skating abilities were limited since I was wearing a coat and on a lake. But of course, I had to work in a few tricks:

Scratch spin.

Salchow.

Jared had great balance and a knack for speed:

Taking in the Wisconsin winter!

Moving around kept us warm, and the night was picture perfect.

Posing on the lake.

An awesome night, an great visit, and an out-of-the-ordinary way to enjoy my favorite sport.

Thanksgivukkah: Bringing Bucky to the Carolinas

Greetings from my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina! Don't worry Wisconsin, I'll be back Sunday.

As I mentioned in my first ever post, Aimee is my BFF. I've known her since the 4th grade, and now we have another cool 4th grader around: her daughter, Isis. I come home for Thanksgiving every year, and my "niece" and I have a tradition of going to a matinee in a nearly empty theater, watching the latest Disney epic, and putting our feet up on the seats. This year, it was Frozen, and I recommend it! The music was great, and the Snow Queen is voiced by the fabulous Idina Menzel.

This year, I'm fortunate enough to be home for Thanksgivukkah:

My family collects menorahs and dreidels.

Oh, and my parents got a new dog:

Hi, I'm Max the Miniature Poodle!

And, for the first time in years, Aimee and I actually got to exchange presents on the first day of Hanukkah. In true Wisconsin fashion, I decided to get all Bucky-d out with gift giving.

This pair is making their Aviva in Dairyland debut. Meet Aimee & Isis!

Aimee got a Wisconsin tank to wear for running, while Isis (a tie-dye enthusiast) got a "Grateful Red" UW volleyball shirt + cow socks. If you're a kid with a Wisconsin auntie, cow socks are a MUST.

Bucky Badger owns this town, part 2: a sea of red.

As I've said before, Bucky Badger owns this town. He's everywhere: in stores, on cars, and gracing the packaging of locally made foods.

When my mom and our friend Pat came to visit, they had the privilege of meeting cardboard Bucky at Hilldale Shopping Center:

Wisconsinites love their Bucky, and the Hilldale skeleton greeter shares in the spirit:

Even this ghoulish bag of bones is supporting Bucky with a UW hat.

I live in the land of Bucky and I have gotten used to his constant presence (and hey, red is my favorite color). With that said, after 2.5 years of Madison residency, I should have known better than to drive to the West Side of Madison on the day of UW's homecoming.

I just wanted to go to Trader Joe's. My intentions were honorable.

But instead of a breezy 10-minute ride on a Saturday, I wound up in a 40-minute ride through a sea of red-clad Badger fans.

Badger fans crossing the street and heading for the stadium.

Badger fans tailgating in the parking lot of my doctor's office
(I later found more in the parking lot of my veterinarian's office).

Some may wonder why I didn't just turn around and go home, but here's how I saw it: I'm a busy gal. My weekdays are packed with working full time, skating practice, and still managing to socialize with friends. Saturday afternoon is always errand time for me, and with the sunny 70-degree weather, I was perfectly happy sitting in traffic with the windows down and enjoying some Alt Nation. It was a nice breather, and I found the extreme fandom fascinating. Thankfully I drive a red car, otherwise I would have been very out of place in my black Madonna T-shirt.

Just as I had planned, I made it to Trader Joe's and got my groceries. It just happened to be by way of a leisurely, interesting drive.

My friend Michal is a huge Bucky fan and she snapped a great shot from Camp Randall Stadium:

100 yards surrounded by red, red, red. 

Although I don't follow football, I try to stay in the know on whether Bucky won or lost. Living a block away from One Barrel Brewing Company helps, as the style of screaming from the bar clearly indicates glory or despair. This week? Glory screams in celebration of a UW triumph.

It's Bucky's territory (I just live in it).

Cheesin' it: vote for me!

Love Aviva in Dairyland? Vote for me in Madison Magazine's Best of Madison! Quick and easy to vote. Select "Arts & Entertainment," then "Local Blog (non-food)" and write in "Aviva In Dairyland."

Anyone can vote: you don't have to be a Wisconsin resident. Thanks, friends!

http://madisonmagazine.secondstreetapp.com/Best-of-Madison/Ballot/ArtsandEntertainment

Diary of a chicken farmer: part 2.

As stated previously, I spent 2 weeks as a backyard chicken farmer while Cory and Ryan were honeymooning. The major perk: eggs.

A sampling of eggs from the backyard chickens.

And since they enjoyed the cucumber so much (see my previous post), I figured I'd feed them some garden tomatoes:

Well, it was a fun gig, but now I'm off chicken duty. I'll be sure to visit them, though. Nugget and I bonded-- she likes a good neck scratching.

Diary of a chicken farmer: part 1.

First of all, big congrats to Cory and Ryan on their wedding!

Picture perfect, eh?

While my friends are honeymooning in Indonesia, I'm taking care of their animals and plants. I assured them that their cat and chickens would be in great hands, but I made no guarantees about the plants (I've been watering them every few days, but this isn't my area of expertise).

Caring for Cory and Ryan's pets goes as follows:

Step 1, check on Leisha.

A lovely Persian, indeed.

Step 2, gather the eggs.

Raki's present: a large brown egg.

Step 3, let the chickens out.

Raki and Nugget are best buds.

Step 4, tend to them. This means water, feed, and of course, treats:

Step 5, get the chickens back into the coop. This involves shooing them with a broom and a rake.

Doing my best farmer pose.

Overall, it's a pretty fun gig. The fresh eggs and garden veggies are a nice perk, too!


For my first post on Cory and Ryan's chickens, click here.