Spring is on the horizon. It’s time to plan our rides for the 2025 biking season. We will be scheduling bike rides for each Saturday again this year, as weather permits, generally in the morning. Our preferences are for off-road bike trails and side streets as much as possible, loop routes when possible (versus out-and-back), and away from noisy highways. We have a great selection of bike routes in Madison and Dane County (and beyond).
At the end of each meeting, The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton members and guests typically lift their glasses or cups of water, coffee or sugared beverages, offering a salutatory toast to each other. Changing the routine, this week’s toast was fueled by a bit of bourbon, provided by product enthusiasts Cory Recknor and Gregg Riek. The two speakers’ presentation was entitled “All Bourbons are Whiskey, but not all Whiskeys are Bourbon.” For those who imbibed, designated drivers weren’t required, as only a thimble’s amount of the drink ever touched the lips of the participants.
Middleton Wildlife photographer Kevin Munson’s presentation at a meeting of The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton was entitled “A Walk Through Wonderland - Wildlife in the Middleton Hills Wetlands Conservancy.” It was an eye opener, revealing the beauty of the creatures sharing the Walk-Through city with us. As the name of his talk suggests, most of the 50+ slides Munson showed were taken in the Middleton Hills Wetland Conservancy, although a few were photographed in Pheasant Branch Conservancy. The latter is the largest of Middleton’s conservancies.
I’ve been a Rotarian for over thirty years, most with what is now known as The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton. Previously, for three years, I was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Richland County. It’s been a great ride!
Katherine Ryback, guest speaker at The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton’s Friday meeting, quickly read the room. She noticed several people, like herself, wearing hearing aids. Ms. Ryback’s hearing problems were discovered, while being tested for kindergarten. Many surgeries followed that discovery. Ms. Ryback’s career included work as a special education teacher, later focusing on deaf and hearing-impaired students. A member of the Hearing Loss Association of America - Madison Chapter, Ryback talked about some problematic statistical data. She said 14% of adults aged 20-69 have a hearing loss. Some 28.8 million adults in the United States could benefit from using hearing aids. Yet, despite a diagnosis in hand, most people will wait 7 to 10 years before addressing the problem. Maybe that’s you! This dawdling can have a negative impact on one’s physical and emotional health. It can stress family interaction, self- esteem and the ability to work with others on the job and/or at school.
In 1989, a New York Magazine article by Eric Pooley, offered the phrase “if it bleeds, it leads.” Only on rare occasions do we read about the positive efforts made by the women and men in blue and how they quietly work to prevent human tragedy and the bloodshed which may accompany it. Madison Police Officer Mackenzie Cole, a member of the Madison Police Mental Health Unit, (MHU) is just one of those people. Officer Cole recently addressed members of The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton. She told her personal story and the work of her unit.
Madison Police Officer Mackenzie Cole, a member of the Madison Police Mental Health Unit, (MHU)
