On Sunday, August 22, we took another one of our day trips to destinations that allow us to return home by evening. Our first stop was Meringue Bakery & Cafe in downtown La Crosse. In case you don’t recognize the name, it is the creation of Stanley native Jen (Haas) Barney, who started her business boosted by winning the Food Network’s $50,000 prize as the 2017 Holiday Baking Champion. We were totally surprised when we stepped inside and Jen was actually there and took our order. We then had a very nice chat with her while our food was being prepared by her kitchen staff. We had a chicken salad croissant sandwich, a raspberry scone and Pat indulged herself with a Dark Chocolate Latte. All the food was excellent and I would highly recommend anyone visiting La Crosse include a plan to stop by and try her sandwiches, specialty drinks, pastries, etc. You will not be disappointed. We also left with a berry streusel and an almond lemon loaf cake. They melt in your mouth. Jen started her business in the midst of the pandemic and says she is holding her own, which is great. She hopes 2021 will see the return of her wedding cake business. She exhibits a big smile all the time and a confidence, which I trust will get her through these trying times for small businesses. It was also neat to learn that she employs three Stanley-Boyd graduates who are attending school at UW- La Crosse. You might also get to talk to one or two of them like we did. *** After our visit to Meringue Bakery & Cafe, we visited the International Gardens that are located on the Mississippi River Front. Jen had recommended the visit and it was very interesting. And the weather was so beautiful for a walk around the gardens. From there it was on to visit two wineries – one at Trempealeau and one in Fountain City. In all, it was a beautiful day for a ride throughout Western Wisconsin. *** It is nice to see that Governor Tony Evers has created a Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access. This is long overdue. Such a task force should have been established years ago, as it has been evident that computers have taken over the world for years now. The task force will advise the state on broadband actions and policies, including strategies for successfully expanding high speed internet access to every residence, business, and institution in the state; initiatives for digital inclusion; and pathways to unlocking and optimizing the benefits of statewide, affordable access to broadband for all communities in Wisconsin. The pandemic has really underscored the need for high speed broadband – for kids and educators involved in virtual learning, workers having to work from home, and even us folks using the computer for telemedicine visits with doctors. I recall when I was serving as mayor, and making annual visits to local industries to explore their needs, that one industry was struggling with getting designs between Stanley and Texas because the internet was so slow. *** School’s in session!! If you don’t need to be on First or Fourth Avenues between 3:15 and 4 pm, avoid those two streets. The streets are full of vehicles picking up and taking home students as school dismisses at 3:25 pm for elementary students and 3:30 pm for the high school. There are also lots of kids walking home from school and sometimes they spill over into the streets. If you need to be on these streets, pay attention to the speed signs which flash how fast your traveling, and observe them, as the police are in the neighborhood overseeing a safe dismissal. *** Do things ever change much as it relates to politics and government? Voltaire, an 18th century French philosopher, historian and satirist said: “The art of Government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of person to give to the other.” I would offer that that argument remains with us every election. *** Here is a little exercise I received recently. Which of these statements are “true” and which are “false”? More info will be provided at the end of Smile Time. 1.) Apples, not caffeine are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. 2.) Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a bellybutton. 3.) A pack a day makes an average person lose approximately two teeth every ten years. 4.) When you sneeze, all bodily function stop even your heart. 5.) Only 7% of the population are lefties. 6.) Babies are born without knee caps. They don’t appear until they are 2-6 years old. 7.) The average person over 50 will have spent 5 years waiting in lines. 8.) The toothbrush was invented in 1498. 9.) The average housefly lives 1 month. 10.) 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year. 11.) A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened. 12.) An average computer user blinks 7 times a minute. 13.) Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than the rest of the day. 14.) Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep. 15.) The real reason ostriches stick their head in the sand is to search for water. 16.) The only two animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot. 17.) Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are reused in vein transplant surgery. 18.) Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins. 19.) If coloring weren’t added to Coca-Cola, it would be green. 20.) The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor. See the end of today's column for the answer. *** Smile time. A woman and her husband stop at a dentist’s office. “I need a tooth pulled right away,” she says. “Don’t bother with the Novocain.” “Which tooth do you want pulled?” asks the dentist. The woman shoves her husband toward the dentist. “Go ahead dear. Show him your tooth.” +++ Here is another story that may offend some readers but it sorta fits the pattern of the previous one: A newlywed farmer and his wife were visited by her mother, who insists on a tour of the barn. While they are walking through the barn the farmer’s mule kicks the mother-in-law in the head and she dies. At the funeral service the farmer greeted the attendees as they walked by. The pastor noticed that as women walked by, the farmer would nod his head, “Yes,” and say something. When a man walked by, the farmer would nod his head “No” and whisper something. Curious, later the pastor asked the man about what he said. The farmer replied, “The women would say, ‘What a terrible tragedy’ and I would nod my head yes and say, “Yes, it was.” The men would ask, “You wanna sell that mule?” and I would shake my head and say, “Can’t. It’s booked up for a year.” (Regarding the answer to the statements in the above section the answer is TRUE to all the statements.)