10 fun winter things to do in Madison

Got the late-Madison-winter blahs? Tired of the cold and snow? Remedies come in two trains of thought—embrace winter or plan ahead for spring. Either way, our city offers lots of simple, cheap or free things to do before first thaw.

1. Go sledding.
   Madison's best choices are Elver Park, Warner and Heistand parks.
   
   
2. Take up snowshoeing.
   Madisonians are really getting into snowshoeing. Emily Mills at Lost Albatross says Indian Lake, just northwest of Madison is a great snowshoe or cross country destination.
   
   
3. Walk in the woods.
   UW Arboretum is the place to go if you want to experience the beauty and solitude of a walk in the woods. You can go it alone or join a special winter’s end or spring equinox walk.
   
   
4. Get out your camera.
   Capture winter beauty on the lakes or in the woods. The Madison Flickr group organizes Sunday morning photo walks all year long. Want more colorful subjects? Lady Liberty is back on Lake Mendota, and check out Tim Browning’s Loch Ness monsters in Lake Monona.
   
   
5. Practice ice skating in Tenney Park.
   Skating at Tenney is a tradition, but other Madison area parks also have rinks.
   
   
6. Soak in warmth and savor scents at Olbrich Gardens.
   Olbrich offers a great winter music series and the March Spring Flower Show.
   
   
7. Volunteer your time.
   Holiday food drives are over but the long cold months aren’t. What’s warmer than sharing food with others at the River Food Pantry on Friday nights.
   
   
8. Support public media.
   WPT, WPR, WORT all have late-winter fund drives. Answer phones, serve food to fellow volunteers, help with paperwork. Get a neighborhood group, PTO or friends together and go.
   
   
9. Learn a new skill or take up a hobby.
   Latin dance lessons, rock climbing and stand-up comedy are offerings at UW Breaking Away minicourses. Learn computer, jewelry making or woodworking at MATC Adult Continuing Education.
   
   
10. Pretend it's summertime at the indoor Farmer's Market.
    Dane County Farmers' Market is held almost year-round now thanks to central heating at the Madison Senior Center!

Photo is my own, taken during the BIG BAD winter of 2007!

Free stuff in Madison

Free furniture, free clothing, free appliances—even free art—can be found easily in Madison. No, I'm not talking about dumpster diving after the students leave town (although I admit, I've scored some great stereo speakers and small tables that way over the years). I am talking about our city's virtual exchanges.

Virtual exchanges are websites designed to help people find homes for still useful things they no longer need or want. Got a nice dresser but it no longer fits your decor? List it on one of these sites. Your trash might be my treasure.

Keep it out of the landfill
Reusing or repurposing is more environmentally friendly than recycling because no manufacturing or remanufacturing processes are involved. Virtual exchanges don't even require the storage or trucking necessary for a resale shop such as Goodwill.

Unlike a store, exchange sites offer opportunities to ask others for things we need. They can become exchange or trading communities.

Explore Madison Stuff Exchange
The Madison Stuff Exchange offers free and inexpensive (under $99) furniture, appliances, clothing, sports equipment and more. And, it's yours if you're willing to come and get it.

Items are listed as "available" or "wanted." Available items are those offered free or for sale up to $99. Want items are requests for an item.

Finding an item is easy.

• Search for an item using the search function.
• Browse through the newly listed items.
• Browse by category (type of item).

Not finding what you are looking for? Sign up on the site to list items you want as well as items you have available. You never know when someone has just the thing you need stuffed in a box in the attic.

Signing up is simple.

1. Register on the site.
2. Read the short list of sensible rules (such as no hazardous materials).
3. Fill out a form with the details of your item.
4. You can also list items you want on the form.

Join the Freecycle community
Freecycle is another exchange, and all items are free. Part of a national network, Madison Freecycle operates as a yahoo group. You must join to view or post free items, and members are notified of new items via email.

Items available are listed in the titles of the posts from newest to oldest. Members can post photos in the group photo area. Find helpful information in the documents area, including a rather extensive list of group guidelines and handy tip sheets such as "How to Transfer Vehicle Titles."

For more, check out Madison Magazine's August 2008 article, "Unused items get a new life on Freecycle.org."

Gotta run. Someone's offering a free table saw on the Exchange!

Illustration (1874) of a farmer bartering for a Podunk Weekly Bugle subscription is courtesy of shareware via Wikimedia Commons.

Simple Living Starts with Living Local

Welcome to my first blog post. Simple Living has different meanings for different people. For me it means:

• Living within my means
• Living with the knowledge that I share this earth
• Living with a sense of community
  

Beyond this, no topic is too small or too large. The easy part is keeping it local. Madison offers a wealth of opportunities and support for living simple (while still livin' large).

Want to learn more about living simply in the Mad City? Here are a few city resources to get you started:

• City of Madison Streets and Recycling Department
  Madison has one of the best recycling programs in the country.
  
• City of Madison Parks
  Get closer to nature with hiking and biking trails, volunteer opportunities, workshops and more—and most activities are free!
• Madison School & Community Recreation
  MSCR offers classes in pottery, photography, dance, art, music. Start that DIY project and have fun.

The beautiful Madison shot included with this post, "Picnic by Yahara River," is courtesy of Monique J. Isham. Check out more photos on Monique's Flickr photo stream.
Illustration for Simple Living Madison (woman with coffee cup) is by Donna Collingwood.