I’ve heard lots of theories about why filmmakers at MGM studios decided to premiere the Wizard of Oz in Wisconsin.
Some say it was because composer Herbert Stothart had a summer home on Okauchee Lake. Others think it was because Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin Coroner, grew up in Watertown.
I think it’s because we Wisconsinites experience the miracle of sepia turning to technicolor every spring.
And, come May, we often find our heart’s desire in our own backyards.
Maybe the Wizard of Oz is a political allegory, but I also think it’s a celebration of Midwest optimism.
We get to go to sleep on a dark, rainy night and wake up to a technicolor morning. Spring happens that fast here. And, when you experience the abundance of color after a long stretch of darkness once, you know it can happen again and again.
Yesterday was that kind of gift.
As I followed my own yellow brick road through a wood poppy field and along a river where fat geese strutted, I felt, as I often do, that there is no place like home.
It’s been a little dreary here lately, so we were all thrilled to see that sun shining through the baby leaves yesterday.The Fox River dredging project made the water so much more accommodating to birds. I still get thrilled when I see pelicans hanging out with the ducks and geese as though Wisconsin were the most natural place in the world for them to be. It’s not a yellow brick road, but it is filled with yellow wood poppies. My favorite flowers pop up naturally, like these bluebells along the Peabody Creek.Daffodils! And Apple Blossoms! Oh My!This whole view was sepia a few days ago. The geese get aggressive this time of year, and I really don’t like their hiss. But, yesterday, I saw this poor couple’s belligerence for the trauma it was. A few days ago, they had a half dozen goslings between them and I rolled my eyes at their parental nastiness. By yesterday, they had become a family of just three and my whole attitude changed. “Go get ’em, dude!” I said as I hustled past. Maybe the five little geese will find their way back. Mostly, I hope that last little gosling makes it.Guess why I wanted to take this guys picture? Sure, motorbikes are another sign of spring. But, I also liked his number.Welcome home, baby leaves! There’s no place like it.It’s good to be on the technicolor side of life in Wisconsin.
