LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

A special gift was given to us on August 16, 2022. This is when Public Law No.: 117-169 was signed into law by President Biden. This law is known as “The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.” It does several things: 1) It reduces the country’s deficit and fights inflation, 2) It invests in domestic energy production, manufacturing, and reduces carbon emissions, 3) It allows Medicare to

Dear Editor,

As we look forward to the 2023 gardening season, the River Valley Area Community Gardens Board of Directors and Gardeners would like to thank the people of the River Valley area for your support. Whether you visited the Gardens, made a donation, or bought a spaghetti supper at the Shed, an ice cream cone at the Art Fair, a brat meal at one of our brat frys, a caramel apple at the RV School Fair, or a plant or two at our plant sales, we thank you.

For help and support in various ways, we want to thank Jim and Caryl Sprecher, Jerome Sprecher, Roger Reynolds, the Spring Green Lions Club for sponsoring the Spaghetti Dinner for the benefit of our future equipment shed, the Spring Green

Dear Editor,

As a resident of the Driftless Area I am writing to my neighbors and friends to talk about a candidate for Supreme Court on the primary ballot on 2/21/23. She is Judge Janet Protasiewicz. She has 35

Dear Editor, I grow silently angry every time I see an ad for erasing the bulging bags under your eyes, having whiter teeth, or forever getting rid of your belly fat. We spend an endless amount of time and money on cosmetics than we do about a silent killer among us.

I wish I could say I was fighting along Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine against the Russians when a bomb went off yards from me knocking me to the ground. I wish I could say I was a famous quarterback being thrown to the ground by some ugly defensive line- backer and I was taken to a portable tent on the side-lines.

In reality on March 4, 2019, I slipped on the ice in my garage and my head landed on the cement floor. After visiting two emergency

Dear Editor, We'll be able to meet Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz Friday January 27, 1:45 – 3 pm at the Spring Green Community Center, 117 S. Washington St, Spring Green.

Dear Editor,

The most recently reported amount of surplus money the State Legislature is reported to have in their coffers is somewhere in the vicinity of $7.7 billion dollars. Imagine if Legislators had the foresight to use this money to accomplish good things for the citizens of this state and most especially for the people they were elected to represent.

I respectfully submit the following suggestions for your consideration as you determine what to do with our unexpected surplus:

• Send NO money back to individual taxpayers – Individually, the rebate money wouldn’t amount to much per citizen. Instead, use this once in a de-

Dear Editor,

For nearly 120 years, Wisconsin has formally embraced “the Wisconsin Idea (1904)”, a philosophy and tradition that holds that the role of Wisconsin’s public university system is to be actively involved in community life and to contribute its expertise and wisdom to improving the quality of life of Wisconsin residents. In 2015, Scott Walker’s attempt to abolish the Wisconsin Idea and replace it with a goal “to meet the state’s workforce needs” was received negatively by politicians and the public alike, and the Wisconsin Idea was re- negotiate prescription drug prices. These are good things for lower- and middle-class Americans. This new law directly affected my family at midnight on December 31, 2022. Let me explain. My wife, Catherine, has suffered from Type II diabetes for some time now. It is a hereditary disease that runs in her family. On December 21, 2022, I picked up her prescription from Center Pharmacy for “Lantis.” This

Art Fair Committee, Cardinal IG, Peoples Community Bank, Doerre Hardware, TriCounty Building Supply, the Spring Green Community Church and Spring Green Community Center, WRCO radio, the Weekly Home News, Valley Sentinel, Hometown Supermarket, Oakwood Fruit Farm, Thrivent Financial, Prems Meats, Wendy Crary and Vikki Stingley at the Village Office, and Adam Reno. For support of the Busy Bees Garden Club, we would like to thank the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin for a $500 grant for raised beds, West Madison Home Depot for additional financial help with the raised beds and Culvers of Spring Green. In 2022 we had 45 gardening families on 84 plots of various sizes. There were 6 par- years of legal experience which includes the Milwaukee County DA’s office and a decade as a Circuit Court Judge. Judge Janet Protasiewicz’s record shows her to be measured in her approach to the law and able to be fair, just, wards, having five staples placed in my scalp it was determined I had blood on the brain.

As a recovering TBI patient (TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY), I along with 2.6 million other Americans every year injure our brains. Our brain resembles soft butter floating in our skull in a bath of cerebrospinal fluid. When a head injury occurs, our soft brain is thrown against our hard skull often causing blood vessels to break and bleeding will occur, bruising of the brain occurs, lack of oxygen and the ripping open of brain cells.

This is an honest look into the mind of one survivor. TBI is a silent epidemic which needs to be brought forward.

I, with millions of others, will live with this injury till the day we die. The flood of blood

Judge Janet is the most experienced candidate on the ballot. She is a highly regarded Circuit Court judge who has a reputation for being fair and impartial. She is a strong advocate for women's reproductive rights, and is deeply concerned about cade windfall wisely for the current needs of your own constituents.

• Reduce taxes by a small amount in order to avoid future financial shortfalls.

• Use this money to help public schools across the state, many of whom are experiencing financial difficulties due to the Legislatures’ inadequate funding & inflation.

• Support The Wisconsin Idea and see to it that the UW system, especially our local UW-Richland Campus and public education at all levels remains Congress’ top priority.

• Earmark money to fix state highways that are under your jurisdiction, especially State Highways 80 and 14 right stored to that year’s budget proposal. is the medicine she needs to control her blood sugar levels. It cost $139.24 for a 26day supply. From January 1, 2023, we will pay $35.00 for a 30-day supply and capped at $2,000.00 for the year. These good things were provided by a Democratic President, a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic House of Representatives. All Democrats voted for this new law while not a single Republican in the ticipants in our Junior Gardener program for students in grades 4 through 12. There were 26 students aged 3 through grade 4 who participated in our summer Busy Bees Garden Club.

Over 50 years ago, the UW system agreed to establish a two-year campus in Richland Center. That campus has richly served the rural Richland County community.

• Richland County is one of Wisconsin’s poorer counties, its poverty rate of 13.4% being 4.69% higher than the national average. The UW campus has brought to countless Richland County residents an opportunity to begin a four-year degree program they could not otherwise have afforded.

We offered 5 gardening workshops open to the public including one on the development of a deep straw demonstration garden by Roger Reynolds. We donated 896 lbs. of produce to the Community Food Pantry of Spring Green with additional produce being donated to the Meadows Assisted Living facility and also placed in the kiosk on Westmor St. at the Gardens.

We are looking forward to an exciting 2023 as we build our new equipment shed and open more plots to gardeners. Registration for the 2023 gardening sea- non-partisan and devoted to serving the best interests of all residents. She is a lifelong resident of Wisconsin and she graduated from Marquette Law School. I strongly urge you to learn more about her and she is coming to our area this on my brain affected all areas of my brain, the cognitive, attention span, the perceptual, expressing my thoughts, the physical, my speech and behavior, my irritability.

Since the accident, I fell just by bending over, ran into a metal garage without being able to stop my feet, not able to handle a conversation while typing, felt the floor was moving under me while I walk, cry uncontrollable, slur my words, television and bright lights will bother my eyes, answer sharply toward others, and had thoughts of ending my life. Brain injury needs to be taken more seriously by patients, the medical field, and families. I do feel sorry for those around me especially when these brief episodes happen. My brain has a mind of its own and at times I feel I have voting rights and fair maps. She has 35 years of legal experience, and has been a Circuit Court judge for almost a decade following 26 years as assistant district attorney.

The upcoming primary election on Feb- here in Richland County.

• Broad Band in the Driftless area is either inadequate or nonexistent. This service is key to our future needs and must be prioritized by the legislature to attract new businesses to our area, improve students’ ability to learn outside of the classroom, and to enhance everyone’s ability to actively participate in the wider global community.

• Provide incentives for citizens to install solar, wind, and geo-thermal energy creating systems to make us more independent from fossil fuels.

• Provide more money to local, city, and county governments so they can do their jobs well and are able to provide

• The UW campus has brought an international community of students to a rural area not otherwise easily exposed to other cultures.

• The UW campus has provided cultural opportunities to both students and the community at large – theater, concerts, lectures.

• The UW campus has brought jobs to a community with a declining population.

• In short, the UW Richland campus has achieved precisely what the Wisconsin Idea advocates in enriching the sur-

House or Senate voted for it! Republicans continue to support the profit driven Pharmaceutical Industry and insurance companies who make record profits year after year. We’ve made our choice when it comes to the political party who has our best interests at heart. An easy choice!

Lee D. Van Landuyt Hillsboro, Wisconsin

son is now open. Applications are available on our website at rvacg.org, or request them via our Facebook page or via email at info@rvacg.org. Phone requests may be made at 608-588-6040. Print copies are located in the INFO box on N. Westmor St at the Gardens.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with the food pantry plots and garden maintenance. If anyone would like to help, please contact us.

Please visit us this summer to take a walk through the Gardens or participate in our gardening workshops.

The RVACG Board of Directors

Rose Ellen Schneider, President Spring Green, Wisconsin

Friday, January 27, 2023. Check your community bulletin boards to learn more.

Zann Liljegren Mineral Point, Wisconsin

no say in the matter.

My brain injury took place nearly four years ago. Through brain exercises, the reading of Dr. Amen’s book, “The End of Mental Illness,” compassion of several close friends, I am much better off today. I am still unable to carry on long conversations, talk to another while I am typing or washing dishes, and experience mood swings. I need to stay focused on one thing at a time.

Approximately 160 Americans die every day from brain injuries.

Love your brain, be patient with those who have TBI.

Dennis Siebert Town of Sylvan, Wisconsin

ruary 21st is critical for establishing a fair, impartial, and balanced Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Marie Baker

Dodgeville, Wisconsin needed assistance for their citizens. These are just a few of the more important items you might consider seriously to improve the lives of citizens you have sworn to serve during your time in office. We are one of the poorest areas of the state with much untapped potential. The decision is yours. If you put your constituents first, these underfunded or unfunded life-enhancing projects can make a real and positive difference to us all. Where does your sense of duty and responsibility lie? Hopefully, we’ll be pleasantly surprised by your decisions and actions in the very near future.

Lee D. Van Landuyt Hillsboro, Wisconsin

rounding community.

The current sabotage of the campus by starving it of resources — in the face of a $6.5 billion state surplus — is well documented. This dismantling of the campus deprives rural students of an opportunity for an affordable education and deprives the community of educated residents. Such an outcome is the antithesis of the Wisconsin Idea and an outrageous blow to our City and County.

Marilyn Martin Richland Center, Wisconsin

Reflections from Lost Horizon Farm — Whitewashing

Each edition, retired dairy farmer Barb Garvoille brings her musings on dairy farm life from her own years of experience on Lost Horizon Farm with her late husband Vince “Mr. Farmer” Garvoille. This mooving memoir focuses on 1980-2000, join Barb as she rises with the herd.

In the spring and in the fall, the interior barn walls were whitewashed. Whitewash was finely ground limestone that came bagged and would be mixed with liquid on site. To make a full day's work, the hired whitewasher would try to line up two farms in the same area. He (Lost Horizon Farm's whitewashers were always male) figured on completing one barn in the morning and a neighboring one in the afternoon. The whitewasher would arrive with his air compressor hitched behind his pickup truck and a large mixing tank in the truck box. The farmer would provide the water to mix with the whitewash and, of course, the farmer also paid for the whitewashing service. The cost was a dollar figure multiplied by the number of feet of barn wall to be whitewashed.

Whitewashing day meant a very early morning start and was met with optimistic thoughts about a flawless morning milking and chore routine, because, on that particular day, a person tried to adhere closely to a schedule to accommodate the whitewasher's start time. One also hoped for good weather with low humidity.

As soon as the cows had been milked and turned out of the barn, preparations for the whitewasher would begin. Anything that a person didn't want to be whitewashed had to be moved out of the barn: barn tools, calendar, breeding chart, feed pails and scoops, currycombs, calving ropes and the like. The diminutive barn refrigerator had to be unplugged and moved to a place in the milk house with a plug in; each of the drinking cups had to have a section of newspaper inserted between the cup and its paddle; all the cow trainers had to be taken down and stored outside; and the barn radio and the fencer had to be securely wrapped in a protective layer of plastic. The barn cats had been conditioned to the sound of compressed air, and as soon as the compressor was turned on, they took themselves out of the barn.

It was understood that the whitewasher would come with a bevy of burlap bags, and it was part of his job to tie them over the milking pipeline. With that done, the whitewasher would "blow the barn down." Dragging a long line of compressor hose behind him, he would blast every square foot of barn wall with air. Copious amounts of dust and dirt would create great clouds of matter that would be seen coming out of every window and door of the barn. Anything not secure would also be blown down: bits of hay or feed in wall cracks, the pencil someone had forgotten to put away, desiccated rodent and cat excrement, feathers, splinters of barn timber, dead insects and the sticky spider webs that held them.

The next step would be to spray the cleaned walls with a fresh coat of whitewash. (The whitewash mixture could include a spidercide; that was not an option at Lost Horizon Farm because of the health concerns we had regarding the chemicals used.) When his work had been completed, the whitewasher would take down his burlap sacks from the pipeline and store them in his truck, coil up hoses on his equipment, wash up in the milk house, receive payment, eat his lunch, visit with the farmer briefly, and then drive off to his next job.

The whitewasher's work was done, but the farmers' had just begun. A person had to walk in the barn with extra care because spilled whitewash was very slippery and contact with the still drying walls would mean clothing moistened with whitewash. The first job was to sweep the mangers of all the fallen debris and shovel it into the gutter. The cow beds were checked for debris, and newspapers would be carefully taken off the drinking cups, wadded up and discarded. The cups and paddles would then be brushed off and cleaned further. The stainless steel pipeline, although it had been covered, was usually blotched with spots of whitewash that had seeped through the burlap bags. Its entire length would have to be washed off with soapy water. The barn lights were cleaned off as well. The coverings would be taken off the radio and fencer, and that plastic along with the whitewash bags that the whitewasher would leave in a pile in front of the milk house door would be carried to the farm dumpster. After these tasks were done, the walls of the barn would generally be dry enough to replace all the items that had been taken out of the barn earlier. The cow trainers would be wiped off, pushed into their highest position, and put back in place over each stanchion. Each trainer would have to be readjusted for each cow later in the day after the cows came into the barn for milking.

The barn looked just beautiful after whitewashing, and the clean brightness of it all made the cows appear exceedingly sleek. It definitely made the beauty of each animal more defined. As long as all

An update on sports coverage

You may have noticed that there has been no River Valley Blackhawks sports coverage this winter season.

Our student athletes are great. Our coaches are great. Our parents and community supporters are great. So what gives?

While we appreciate the engagement, stats, pictures and write ups we get from coaches (and we urge them to continue) — covering, compiling and laying out the multitude of sports that happen, as a bi-weekly, is…hard.

That’s not to say we’re not up for the task. We’re proud to have put together great sports stories, opinion pieces and coverage in prior seasons. However, it’s never been on the scale and consistency we’d like. With our limited manpower and resources, we the barn items were placed in about the same position, whitewashing did not seem to faze the cows although some did pause to take an extra look at the refreshed appearance of the barn's interior. truly believe that if we’re going to do it, then we want to do it right. We want to find the best balance of print and interactive, online sports coverage (both scholastic and community/club/intramural) that the community deserves.

Observant milk inspectors seemed amused by the sign above the barn door that said: "Caution: This barn protected by attack cobwebs." Whitewashing eliminated all the dust-outlined spider webs in the barn, but it was always astonishing how quickly and in what numbers nature’s pest controllers re-established themselves. Coincidentally (and fortuitously), one time the Federal milk inspectors came by the day the barn was being whitewashed. Being unable to do their evaluation that day, the inspectors came the very next day, Lost Horizon Farm literally sparkled and received the highest score possible: 100. Not only were the barn walls aglow, we were too!

Barb has called Lost Horizon Farm, just north of Spring Green, her home for the past 42 years. She is fond of all creatures (including snakes). Her joy stems from being able to be outdoors every day observing and treasuring the plant and animal life on her small piece of this planet. She loved milking cows and is proud to have been a dairy farmer.

To do that, we most likely will need a sports editor and an additional paginator to coordinate and compile what is involved. So we wanted to send out some feelers to see if there is a savvy, passionate community member or members that live and breathe sports that want to be empowered to take this on and make it their own. We understand it’s a marathon, not a sprint, but we wanted to make sure our readers knew where we were and what we’re thinking too.

Stay tuned and let us know if you’re interested: editor@valleysentinelnews.com