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Hey, good morning, 806.
Nice to have you back here up north on this Friday morning from Lake Wissota and Dr. Kristen Lyrely is here from Green Bay.
Parker Olson producing things down in Madison Studio A2 and coming up later this hour.
Laura Bird will be back with us.
Had a great batch of books on Monday all about gratitude and this time around
Turning our attention toward winter, which seems really appropriate given how cold it's going to be this weekend and how to get through the winter without so much of the winter blues.
Laura's got some great books to tell us about just a half hour from now.
But in the meantime, Dr. Lyrely is here on this Black Friday.
If you missed it, we just finished our weekend review quiz done under protest as always.
But, you know, Kristen always making a respectable showing.
You know, but
one of us knows that the Macy's Day Parade started 1924.
That's the importance of listening
entire show for today's history lesson heard every morning at 6.35 here across the Civic Media Radio Network.
Anyway, so here we are.
We've made it to Black Friday.
And my question to you to start things off before we get to the news is whether you are now or ever, we're much of a Black Friday shopper chasing after those deals and fads like, you know, Furby and Nintendo and flat screen TVs.
You're
shaking your head.
Nope.
I'm a very intentional shopper.
I keep a list all year long.
So when somebody says, I'd really like this, I put it on my list and then I put it on like a list of.
Like on Amazon, I'll watch and when it gets cheap, I'll buy it.
Nice.
Because you can trigger.
Like it'll actually tell you, oh, there was a price drop.
Oh, that's very smart.
I'm organized.
Yes, you are.
Wow, that's great.
It's
not fun, though, but it's great.
Yeah.
We got a lot of holiday shopping done last Sunday.
And by we, of course, I mean Dr. Crichtlow.
I did most of the driving home from visiting the grandkids in Kalamazoo.
She was just on a roll.
I was only supposed to drive the first part of it and she was just going to town on her phone Say, how about this and you get this for this person this for that person?
I've never seen her do so much e-commerce on on one iPhone ever
But she was, she was feeling it.
She was in a groove.
And I'm like, well, I guess I'm still driving here.
And we got, we got a lot punched out.
It was, it was great.
We, you like that?
We.
Yeah.
That's nice.
You know, I hope to the olden days though, like, you know, the PlayStation, you know, to stand in line and the people who got crushed at Walmart because they opened the door and like.
I remember the thank you.
The first time they did something, you know, resembling Black Friday shopping was one of my early jobs out of college at WBKV Radio and West Bend.
And, you know, I had the very early shift.
So normally I'm getting there at, you know, four, four thirty in the morning, something like that to get all the news ready.
And remembering that I'm pretty sure it was Shopco.
Everybody remember Shopco?
Oh, yeah.
Great Wisconsin based chain.
killed by vulture capitalists.
Um, anyway, they were going to have one of these, you know, we're up at like four AM or something like that.
And it was so weird to drive past it and see the lights on.
Now, of course, nowadays, you know, 24 hour stores are everywhere.
That's, you know, to be expected, but it was kind of a weird deal.
And so I thought, I'm going to go do this.
So I drove in and again, it wasn't like, there was like nobody there.
You know, it wasn't like the big crowds that we would see later on Black Friday.
And so I had the store almost to myself picking out, you know, one or two things that I wanted to get.
It's just felt weird.
It's like, you're not supposed to shop at 4 30 in the morning or five o'clock in the morning.
It's something they write.
And yeah, they see people do it.
They, you know, they bring their hot chocolate or whatever it is they put in their hot chocolate and they go for the full experience.
But
good for you.
Yeah.
Good
for them.
Yeah,
knock yourself out.
So all right.
So your shopping is scattershot throughout.
You won't be doing anything special like small business Saturday, Cyber Monday, anything like that.
No, I do like that.
I'm just not much of a shopper and I have other plans on Saturday.
Okay.
Yes, you do.
Yes, yes.
So that's true.
You've got plenty going on there.
All right.
Well, so by the way, before I forget, I've mentioned small business Saturday, get out and support some hometown merchants.
And of course, Cyber Monday, people are going to be shopping online.
And then Tuesday is Giving Tuesday.
And we've got a few things going on here for Civic Media.
They're going to celebrate Civic Tuesday, or I'm sorry, they're going to celebrate Giving Tuesday, a reminder that every act of giving matters and all of the Civic Media stations around the state will be highlighting and raising money for local organizations and making a real difference.
We're going to be doing that right here on this program as well.
We're going to do our own 12 days of kindness starting on Giving Tuesday.
So be listening in for that.
And on Monday, we're starting a new text to win content.
You can get prizes off of the grown-up gift list by using the Civic Media app to text in keywords throughout the course of the day.
Again, that'll start 7 a.m.
Monday right here on these mornings powered by UpNorth News on the Civic Media radio network.
So we got a lot going on.
Not the least of which is the Dr. Kristen Lierley show, which will be airing this Saturday and replayed on Sunday across the Civic Media radio network.
You've had candidates for governor.
You've had all kinds of well respected and esteemed individuals on this show.
Where'd you go wrong this weekend?
Yeah, how does it feel to be on the other side of the mic again, Pat?
Pat Pryl is my guest this week.
It was so much fun and it's so different to switch roles and to talk about, we talk about this kind of stuff all the time, you know, what's going on with news and Wisconsin politics, but it's different when you're approaching it from a different perspective.
So I really enjoyed our conversation and I think our listeners will too.
You want to do that some other time?
We'll pull a freaky Friday.
And we'll just have you run it and I'll be your co-host for the hour in the morning.
Yes.
Okay.
Just
Okay.
By the end of it, you'll be like,
no, I think it
would be great.
You,
you, you pick out, you know, whatever it is that you want to talk about the questions that you want to ask.
And, you know, maybe we'll get some great call or response too.
You never know.
Look
the wheels are turning.
All right, sounds good.
Let's get to the theme of the weekend here.
There's been a lot about gratitude.
We'll get to gratitude about things in the news coming up, but just overall, from a general standpoint, you know, as you were celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, what are the kinds of things that came to mind when you thought of gratitude, especially after a year like this?
I just love being with my kids and my family.
That means everything.
I don't care about the presents for Christmas.
I don't care about like the food is great because we all cook it together.
But it really is just that time.
And now that my boys are big, you know, the only one is still in high school.
So they're kind of all over the place.
It's neat to see them come back together and to appreciate each other in a way that they really didn't when they were always together.
So they're all very different.
They're funny.
We laugh.
a lot.
And that is the gift for me.
So that's what I'm grateful for.
And you're smart again.
I mean, that's that's the experience of a lot of parents is once they get out and about, they're suddenly they discover you're when they are teenagers, you're an idiot.
You know, that's the way it is with most teenagers, like, oh, dad, mom.
And then later on, they're like, you know, you were kind of right about some of that stuff back in the day.
It's like, oh, God, you figure that out now.
I'm smart
again.
We have a culture in our house where we call each other on things because it's four dudes and you can't get away with anything.
So if you're being dramatic or you're saying something that's not the truth or whatever, your brothers are definitely going to call you on it and I do that too.
So a little bit of that, but I think we've always been so real with each other that there hasn't been a lot of teenage eye rolling.
You don't think there's gonna come a time when they're gonna say, hey mom, remember that time when such and such, and they're gonna call you out on stuff that they haven't called you out on yet?
Oh yeah, we laugh about that stuff all the time.
We're always doing that, because they're 10 years apart, from the oldest to the youngest.
So the dyads, just the way that they talk to each other, it's just fun.
I can't explain it.
Come to my house and let's just have a blast.
Parker, she needs more boys in the house.
She should adopt the two of us.
My cats are even boys.
Of course they are.
So that that Dr. Kristen Lyrely show with somebody as the guest who was very happy to be there noon on Saturdays on the Civic Media Radio Network.
So head over or as a podcast.
Wherever you get your podcast,
look for the
Dr. Kristen Lyrely show.
And on my YouTube channel at Dr. Kristen Lyrely, if you want to actually see us in person, you can see what Pat's wearing.
Yeah.
Let me tell you, it's flannel.
What a guess.
Yes.
It's flannel.
Yeah.
So we were talking to our Week in Review panel in the last hour, and there was a little bit of gratitude for what I would say we're coming off of peak mega.
And this is not at all to diminish how bad things can be.
All the damage that has been done.
There's still going to be bumps in the road ahead.
There are still abortion bans out there and being proposed and things like that.
But you've definitely seen pushback from people.
You've seen pushback from some of the courts.
Am I being
a little two rose-colored glasses for the holiday season that I feel thankful that maybe we've come off the worst of Trump fever that's out there.
Well, nothing lasts forever.
So the pendulum always swings back.
We just had to wait to start seeing it happen.
But I don't know about you.
It was when Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from me.
That woman is crazy like a fox.
She is so smart and political, and I don't agree with much that she says or does, but she
she knows how to work the system.
And just flipping is such a harbinger for what's to come with MAGA.
And then the piece that came out earlier this week about the other Republicans that are talking about quitting, and Mike Johnson is starting to recognize that the ground is unstable, we really could have.
a democratic majority before the midterms.
I mean, that is possible.
Yeah, I could.
This is how either cynical or I'm thinking too far ahead on the chessboard, that that would almost be by design because then they can run on the midterm saying, oh, see, it's the Democrats that are in charge now.
Whereas, you know, if they hold the majority all the way through, but again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The fact of the matter is, they're only a couple of Republicans away.
from saying, you know what, yeah, we need to go in a whole new direction on this, but I can guarantee you that your Congressman, Tony Weed, my Congressman,
Tiffany, and Derek Van Orden and the others, they are not going to be among those people.
They are attached to Trump to the bitter end.
these guys are so socked in that I was thinking about that like strategically where are those soft spots where you can push it is none of our republican congresspeople because they just are completely devotees and they're going to go down with the
ship.
Oh yeah they're absolutely in the tank and the the tanker in this case you know a titanic submersible
that's hanging
down.
But there's lots of room in the state legislature.
I mean if you're feeling motivated and you want to do some cool stuff figure out who your state reps are odds are right
Now, there's somebody who you can jump on board with and hold them accountable for the terrible things that they've done because if they're a Republican and they're in this current assembly or Senate, they've done some terrible things.
Let's have some fun.
Yeah, plus again, there's new maps.
And so half of the state Senate is running under new maps.
The other half ran last year.
And so we talked earlier this week to Charlie Ray, who is a Democrat running in Northwest Wisconsin in the 25th State Senate District, where there is no Republican incumbent.
Romain Quinn is in a different district now.
So that's a seat that could be picked up or flipped.
And the same goes for, you know, you've got Jeff Smith, Senator Jeff Smith going up against Senator
or Jesse James, there's all kinds of potential for flippage, shall we say.
And things could look a lot different in Washington and Madison Thanksgiving of next year when we have this conversation once again.
So much to give thanks
for.
Absolutely.
So we'll continue more about that.
Kristen was also part of a news conference earlier this week because, again, while there's things to be thankful for, there's still a lot of work to be done in Washington and in Madison as well.
And she and some other folks talked all about it.
And we'll get into that here on this Friday morning of these mornings with Pat Krightlow, powered by UpNorth News, here on the Civic Media Radio Network.
This is my theme song for you, Pat.
You don't want to do my dirty work no
more?
What
dirty work of
mine have you been doing, Kristen?
None.
I don't know.
It just seemed funny.
I know.
Now that I'm like, no, isn't that funny?
Any reason
to play anything even reminiscent of Steely Dan works just fine by me.
It is 8.22 now on this Black Friday.
Nice to have you along.
Kristen Lyrely is here.
Parker Olson producing things down in Madison.
And let's get to some of the news this week because you were making a little news yourself.
Earlier this week, we've talked repeatedly about the legislature having its fall session.
It's done now.
They'll be back sometime in January or February for a little bit of work, but this was really when they were supposed to get a lot done.
And they didn't.
The things that they chose to spend their time on were things that are not going to get signed into law.
and are just plain old bad ideas.
And that includes the ongoing attacks on women's reproductive health rights, which you and some legislators wanted to make sure got the attention that it deserved because again, we're paying these people a full-time salary and they're meeting for short periods and doing very little other than attack, attack, attack.
It's nonsense.
So, up in southeastern or northeastern Wisconsin, Representative Lindy Brill and Senator Andrei Shaku, who happens to be my senator, have introduced this bill.
Oh, let's not leave out Representative Nate Gustafson have introduced a bill that purports to be concerned about clean water, but it's actually an anti-abortion bill that would...
that would put severe restrictions in place for people who used medication abortion.
It's part of a nationwide multifaceted attack against medication abortion, but the contents of this bill and even the hyperlinks to the sources that they cite are complete garbage.
They talk about how people who use this medicine, if those contents of that pregnancy end up in our water, it will cause endocrine disruption and they cite a study that
That has nothing to do with medication abortion, actually even with medications.
It's focused more on flame retardants.
This is, it's a parody of a bill, but that's the kind of work that they've been doing.
We've let them do that work.
We have not held them accountable in any sort of a meaningful way.
I think because for a long time, we didn't think we could make a difference.
But now that we've got new maps, I think in many cases, we can make a difference.
And holding them accountable is going to be something that will be a priority up here in Northeastern Wisconsin.
Well, especially when you're talking about things like, you know, catch kits for miscarriages.
And I mean, like I said, last week when we were talking about this, you know, you had the
you know, the invasive ultrasound probes that, you know, just showed you to what levels they would sink and now they want to do it again.
And it always, it always comes back to bite them because there's enough people who are not politically extreme that go, ick, gross, should, should you not be working on something else right now?
Yeah.
Can we talk about the catch kits for a little bit here?
So they're, these are bio hazard containers that when you actually pass
the miscarriage or the abortion, you have to take that tissue and put it in a catch kit.
But I think we should call them brill bags.
And we should personally reach out to Representative Brill and ask her for our brill bags to make sure we're prepared.
And if she's not the right person, we could get a Jacques in the box because you could use a box or a bag.
and just reach out to the appropriate legislator who initiated this idea, whether it's a drill bag or a jack-in-the-box.
What do you think?
I love this.
All right.
Well, see, this is what happens when you come up with bad policy ideas.
It comes back at you.
with branding, with brand.
Get those things trademarked as soon as you're
able.
Honestly, if they were concerned about clean water, let's do the PFAS cleanup.
Let's take care of the lead pipe contamination in Milwaukee.
There are so many things that we should be doing to make sure that we have clean water.
We are a water state and we care deeply about this issue.
This is a joke.
Oh yeah, without a doubt.
Dr. Kristen Lyrely is with us, host of the Dr. Kristen Lyrely show that you can hear Saturdays at noon, replayed on Sundays across the Civic Media radio network.
So we've been talking about how, you know, we are thankful for some of the things, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
For example, you've got the
enhanced tax credits that are going away for the Affordable Care Act.
So people's health insurance premiums are skyrocketing and many are going to choose to go without coverage.
For a moment there, for a hot second, it looked like Donald Trump was going to embrace.
extending the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits and then got pushed back from Republicans who said, how dare you even consider helping Americans save money on health insurance?
So I mean, at least we know where our Republican representatives in Wisconsin stand on that issue.
Not to beat a dead horse, but they're also using abortion messaging here by saying that they oppose these tax credits and they want more abortion restrictions before they would consider passing them.
So get over it, people.
People need health care.
Make it affordable.
And this option that Trump has floated about just giving people money so they can buy their own health care is maybe the worst thing that I've ever heard.
And anybody out there who has needed health care in the last five years understands what a terrible idea this
You can't just give people money and expect them to be able to afford health care that costs thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.
Think of how much people would not get care and how many people would go bankrupt and how our hospital systems would suffer.
This is a non-starter.
It is and it does nothing to alleviate the problems that we've been talking about all year with world health care that are already coming.
And now we've also got a CDC that we can't trust.
for vaccine guidance or for pretty much everything.
So we
have that
this year.
So you see how our thankfulness only lasted for so long that we were reminded of who else in charge of these things.
But wait a minute.
You know what I'm thankful for?
What?
I'm thankful for you and I'm thankful for our listeners and I'm thankful for the people who are thinking now like what am I going to do?
I'm going to stand up.
I'm going to have these conversations.
It is really important
to me, to my family, to our state and to our democracy.
So I am thankful for all of us who are coming together to save our country and to make our lives better for all the right reasons.
That's the way to do it is not to walk away.
Kristen, thank you so much.
Have a wonderful rest of your holiday weekend.
And when we come back, we're going to be talking to Laura Bird with some book recommendations for the winter.
Kristen, we'll talk to you next week.
I am thankful for you, Pat.
Thank you, us for you as well.
I'm Pat Crightlow.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Hey welcome back it is a Friday morning it's 8 35 and look at this we're talking to Laura Burt a couple of times in the week because well we're smack dabbing the holiday season now and we're changing the seasons you know from a climate standpoint as well getting fall into winter so before we even have a chance to think about the winter blues let's take care of addressing them.
through books as one potential tool.
And that's why Laura Bird's with us again this week.
Laura, hello, how are you?
Great.
Thank you.
And thanks again for doing double duty this week to get us into the holiday season and to the winter season as well.
And look, there are people that
just love winter, love, love, love, you know, the, the skiing and the tubing and the hot cocoa and all that stuff.
And then for a whole lot of other people, it can be along with the white from the snow.
It can just be a very gray, gray time.
And, you know, there are ways that we can address that.
Yeah.
I mean, I think the holidays can be fun and, you know, that first snowfall or two can feel kind of romantic and magical.
But I don't think that this, this is always an easy time for folks.
And I did some research, actually, preparing for this conversation.
And I found out some reasons why it can be so hard for people.
So I'm glad to share that information.
Yes.
First of all, a 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 89% of adults in the US feel stressed during the holiday season, with 41% reporting higher stress levels compared to other times of the year.
Second, the National Alliance on Mental Illness noted that 64% of people living with a mental health disorder feel that their conditions worsen around the holidays.
And last, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, millions of Americans grapple with seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD.
And of course, that is when we have reduced levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which helps regulate our moods.
So all these things together, I mean, it might actually sound like really depressing and hard and that's because it is, right?
It is, yes.
The winter blues, even if it's not extreme, it hits every one of us at times where we go, what is wrong with me today?
And then you look outside and you see how great it is.
And it's like, okay, it is definitely reflected in my mood here.
And I'm sure there are symptoms that come along with that.
I mean,
Aside from feeling sad, we have the tendency to want to oversleep.
We also want to eat all the carbs all the time.
We might gain weight.
We might feel tired and have low energy, all those things.
But there are some things we can do to counteract these winter blues.
And the Mayo Clinic has done a lot of research on this.
These probably won't be surprising to you, but the first one is getting outside as much as possible, exercising regularly, sticking with the same bedtime routine every day, taking vitamin D supplements and or antidepressants.
And this is an interesting one, making your home as sunny and bright as possible.
So opening up your shades, opening up your blinds, sitting close to the windows when you're working,
and even using one of those light therapy boxes every day for a good chunk of time.
Those can all help.
And by the way, I don't know what a doctor would say, but I would not necessarily count your computer screen as light therapy.
If
anything, that might be the light that's doing some of the most damage.
Just get some sunlight, get some kind of artificial light if need be.
But step away from the monitor for a little while.
In the summertime, we like to say touch some grass.
Here, it's just touch anything other than a computer screen.
But how about a book?
You could touch books.
And that's my suggestion to people is to read, because I think books can give us a really meaningful break, you know, from the craziness, the stress, and especially the rampant materialism of the holiday season.
You know, to me, reading a good book is like a deep inhale and a deep exhale.
So I have these great titles with me today, and I hope that you can read one of them, sit in front of your fireplace with a hot beverage and a cozy blanket,
And I, notably all the titles I brought with me today are very soothing so that I think they will give listeners something really cheerful and calming to look forward to in December and January and beyond.
All right.
Well, let's get into
Let's do it.
The first one, appropriately, is called How to Winter.
Harness your mindset to thrive on cold, dark, or difficult days by Carrie Leibowett's PhD.
So the author grew up as a self-professed winter hater until 2014 when she became a researcher and Fulbright scholar at the University of Tromsø, I hope I'm saying that correctly, in Norway.
That is the northernmost university in the entire world.
So she lived, of course, through the polar night, which is the two-month period when the sun never rises.
So along with that, she began conducting research on how people think about winter.
And she calls it our wintertime mindset.
In other words, what does it look like for us to embrace this time?
How can we find peace and opportunity?
despite the cold and the darkness.
So her main advice, and I know people hate to hear this, but it's to get outside.
And she gives great stories and anecdotes about this, specifically in Tromsø, Norway, little kids play out on the school playground, even during the polar night.
They wear reflective vests, it makes them visible, but it really helps, you know, mental health, physical health, all the things.
So she gives a lot more examples just like that.
She also does acknowledge that there are times in winter when we simply have to be indoors.
So when that's the case, it's helpful to be intentionally slow, meditating, listening to music, taking a hot bath, whatever we can do to really be mindful.
So this book, How to Winter, is great.
It's inspired by research and it provides concrete tools for making winter a little more wonderful.
All right.
And again, if you miss any of these while we're talking about this, we'll have these in the show notes.
Head over to civicmedia.us, click on shows, click on our show, and you'll see it under this particular segment.
What's our next book?
He is a journalist for Time Magazine in New York Times, and his TED Talks have been viewed over 11 million times.
But what I find most interesting about Pico Iyer is that he has made more than 100 retreats to a small, benedicting hermitage overlooking the sea in California.
He stays in this little cottage with no bells and whistles, and it's like $25 or $30 a night.
So this monastery is run by Catholics, but it's not required to be Catholic to stay there.
Pico himself is not religious.
He goes there for the silence, the emptiness, and the light.
And notably, there are no screens allowed.
So in this book, A Flame, he writes about being mindful as we go about our days, because when the world gets loud, it's hard for us to be present and to see all the possibility that's right in front of us.
So even if we can't go on a retreat to a beautiful hermitage in California like he does, his book reminds us that simply getting quiet
Now and then is not selfish or indulgent.
It actually helps us take better care of ourselves so that we can take better care of the people we love.
All right.
We're joined by author Laura Ann Bird out of Madison as we look through books that help us get through the winter blues.
What's our next one?
It's called Wintering the Power of Rest and Retreat.
In Difficult Times by Catherine May.
So a number of years ago, the author found herself in a really tough time.
Her husband was ill, her son was ill, she was really a hot mess.
And for her, winners sort of came to symbolize all of her struggles.
And she writes about this idea of wintering.
And she says it's like a fallow time when we're cut off from the world, when we feel rejected, sidelined, blocked,
from progress.
And I think we all can relate to this no matter what the weather is like.
So in wintering her book, the theme, like many of the books I'm talking about today, is to learn to be where we're at right now.
In other words, we have to stop wishing it were summer because when we do that, you know, we are trying to skip over a time that is actually really well suited
for reflection, recuperation, and slowing down.
So in Wintering, each chapter is a month.
It starts in October and it runs through March.
So you can opt to read it all at once or one chapter a month and it is absolutely beautiful.
It's not one to miss.
Okay.
What's our next
I have a novel because you know I love literary fiction and this one is perfect.
It's called The Correspondent.
It's by Virginia Evans and it's one of my favorite books from 2025.
So it's an epistolary novel, which is a fancy word for a novel that is told through letters or other correspondence between the characters.
Our main character here is Sybil Van Antwerp.
And at age 73, she's a mother, a grandmother, a retired lawyer, and a divorcee.
And she's really set in her ways and kind of stubborn.
And suddenly she is faced with unforeseen opportunities
for connection and even reconnection that blow apart her quiet life in Annapolis, Maryland.
And I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is a good thing that her life sort of gets blown apart.
So this is a beautiful, affecting reminder of what it means to live a good life, one that brings you joy and allows you to make other people's lives better.
So I think this one is one to savor, it's perfect for winter.
The
Correspondents.
The Correspondents by Virginia
what's next?
So I have a cookbook.
It's called Seasoning, How to Cook and Celebrate the Seasonings by Angela Clutton.
It's got nice thick pages and lovely illustrations and photos.
She organizes it, no surprise here, by season because of course seasonality really matters when it comes to cooking, particularly loading up on seasonal produce.
So the author tells us what to look for when we're grocery shopping and also how to store and preserve fruits and veggies in winter.
So for the season we're in, carrots, parsnips, kale, oranges.
She focuses on stews, broths and one pot meals.
And also she claims that there is never a better excuse than winter to make or eat pies.
So there's that.
All right.
What's next?
So this book might sound like an odd choice, but work with me here.
So the author traveled to Wyoming a number of years ago and her mind was blown from all the geology she encountered there.
And she has this to say, quote, I imagined my own short life in the context of all the time locked up in that canyon wall and I felt tinier than tiny.
a speck of dust.
But in that smallness, I felt a sort of relief.
So I love that.
I think it's a really nice reminder that the world is a much bigger place than we are.
And, you know, my goodness, how many winters the earth itself has gone through.
Oh, my.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So this is a really interesting concept.
the earth is in a constant state of shedding.
It releases bits that sort of sift and gather in low places and accumulate in layers called strata.
And so the author examines the strata and she weaves in research, anecdotes, poetry, and memoir.
So I think this book is really beautiful.
It will leave you with a deeper appreciation of our planet and the history that came before us and also all the ways that were connected.
And again,
I love any science writer who can make science feel accessible and digestible for someone like me who doesn't know a lot about science.
Right.
Okay.
Well, we got a little over a minute left.
Sure.
So you want to
last two on your list?
Well, whatever we can get through.
But I've got meditations for mortals, four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts by Oliver Bergman.
So maybe your challenge in the holiday season is feeling like stressed out.
And I get that.
So this book with 28 chapters, um,
Oliver Berkman suggests reading one per day so you can get a sort of month-long retreat of the mind.
And what he's done here is remind readers that there's never an end to our to-do lists.
Nothing is ever out of the way and our hardest difficulties might never be fully resolved.
So it's sort of his love letter to imperfectionism and I think there's so many great takeaways for us as readers.
To me, it feels like a guide for staying sane when the world out there is going nonstop.
a guide for staying sane is exactly what we need.
And we didn't have time for
beyond anxiety, but Martha Beck, but
on the list as well.
So check that all out.
And Laura and Bird, I mean, we had books about gratitude earlier.
Now the winter blues can be a thing of the past.
So you have just been full service.
Thank you so much this week.
me.
Oh, Laura, thank you very much.
Hope you have a great weekend and a good start to the holiday season here.
We will come back with some final news and notes.
from Lake Wissota on a Black Friday morning, which hopefully is nice and bright for you.
I'm Pat
Critello, this is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Now, I'm in my happy place.
All right, it's Friday.
We're wrapping up the work week.
We are cruising on out of here.
Right after I tell you, Matt Nair on air is on the way.
Only a couple of more weeks with Jane.
Better enjoy that time.
My thanks to today's guests, Keeva Keel, Dr. Kristen Lyrely, Jonas Pizito, Mark Jacob, Jim Santel, Laura Bird.
Laura Bird with a bunch of great books.
I mean, I'm intrigued by these, Parker.
You know, something like as simple as carbon, the book of life.
Yeah.
It's like, I, I want to know more about this.
And then the, the, the two of them about dealing with winter, how to winter and another one called wintering.
And that, that appeals to me less than almost anything is having to deal with winter.
I mean, I'll go through it.
I've, I've moved away from winter.
I, I respect the seasons again, but I don't know that I'm ever going to love winter, you know?
no, that's it.
Yeah.
And then the other one that intrigues me is seasoning the kind of the recipe book of the different ways you can use the seasons
produce for fruits and vegetables, especially since I'm not really much of a produce guy.
I'm kind of the boxed and packaged and ultra processed foods kind of guy like a true
Yeah, like any other American, like any other overweight American, that maybe a book like that would do me some good.
Although I'm looking right now online and I believe it's retailing for about 54 bucks and I'm not even sure I'll eat $54 worth of fruits and vegetables, but you know, it's worth considering.
Anyway, coming up this weekend, of course, we've got the Badgers playing football against the Gophers.
1230, the pregame starts across the Civic Media radio network, which
I guess there's a reason to really root for the Badgers this time, Parker.
goal.
Yes.
If you're going to get Paul Bunyan's axe, you want to do it on their territory.
You want to be able to steal it away.
Yeah.
So that, that's nice.
I like that.
Uh, obviously no Packers on Sunday.
Oh wait, what about whitewater?
Are they, uh, they've got some playoff football going on, don't they?
They're going to be hosting against the paw there out of a Indiana, I believe.
Uh, should be a pretty good game.
I think it's actually a really good matchup.
Um, I coming into the playoffs, I thought whitewater was like a quarter final, maybe semi-final caliber team.
Um, with this matchup though, I'm not a hundred percent sure and they've got a tough draw.
So it could be very interesting.
And there you go.
Who, whoever thought a show hosted by a blue gold would have such a dedicated white water fan that we're giving football updates from them.
And of course you've got the, um, um, make the call sports show, the big call, the collect call,
make the call all right yes and it's a it's a jimmy casca special this weekend
yes the extravaganza from jimmy casca uh he's going solo this week because you know thanksgiving we're all kind of on the road uh so he is putting together a quick packers uh recap of what's been going on lately with the packers
then moving forward a little bit into the remaining schedule.
He'll also preview the Badgers against Minnesota.
He's got Jay Kokorowski coming on as well.
I will have a college football preview.
You know, Whitewater is not the only Wisconsin team in division three that's in the playoffs.
There are four division three YX schools that are in the playoffs.
So we'll be talking about that.
Talking with the DW River Falls head coach, Matt Walker as well.
He did an interview with him a little while back.
We're going to re-rack that one for you.
And then he'll have an interview from a little while ago with Jordan Treske, I believe is the name.
He wrote a book about the Bucks winning their first title in 1970 or
in
The Sports Empire.
That's what Jimmy calls it.
All right.
Let's come back to my seasonal obsession here.
And that would be all the catalogs that are getting mailed in.
Here's a quick mini game that we can play.
I'm going to have you pick a number somewhere between five and 15.
And because all these catalogs, all of them have at least that many pages.
You pick a number and then I'm going to pick something on that particular page.
of a couple of different catalogs and you got to pick, you know, A or B. So first off, pick a number.
Let's go 12.
Let's go 12.
All right.
That's easy enough.
All right.
So I'm going to start with the sharper image here.
Okay.
So on on page 12 here, we've got a Christmas printed candles three pack.
cordless electric shears, or an old-fashioned mini bar kit.
Those are all on page 12.
Let's try the Swiss Colony really quick here.
39 tasty treats, mini torts, snack-sized summer sausages, cheese bars, and wedges.
That's all there.
Let's see, and I've got, oh, cringles.
Oh, cringles.
Oh, here we go.
Oh, come on.
Let me just turn one more page here.
On page 12, you can get the cream cheesecake cringle or wild blueberry or cherry cheese.
Okay.
So if, if you were only restricted to products on page 12 of these catalogs, Park Earl's, what would you get?
I would have gone with the old-fashioned kit myself.
know me so well.
So I mean, look, you could keep this going, of course.
Let's see if I can lure you on page 12 of the Newskies.
catalog, the bountiful breakfast basket, which includes bacon, ham steak, uncured bacon, smoked Canadian bacon, corned beef, ash, English muffins, apple butter, apple pancake mix, and pure maple syrup.
and meat.
A variety of bacon.
I'm
I'm so in on that.
All right.
So there we go.
There we go for the number 12.
Trust me, I can do this for the whole rest of December because it's like our own little radio shopping mall here.
Yes.
So anyway, all right.
Have a great weekend.
We'll see you on Monday.
And a reminder to all of you as well.
Starting Monday, we will have our text to win contest.
You can get something off the grown up gift list potentially get that civic media app.
and get ready to text in keywords.
And then we have Giving Tuesday coming up in the new week as well with a 12 days of kindness, community kindness here on this program.
I'm Pat Critello.
Have a great weekend.
See you Monday.
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