It's a short list - -the famous ski hills of Wisconsin - that teaches one of life's great things aren't always what they are cracked up to be. In this collection of humorous essays, Scott Jacobs explores a boyhood of idyllic pastimes and the questions it led to later in life. Why is Budweiser beechwood aged? Is Black Friday a scam? And where have all the waysides gone? Here is proof positive that Wisconsin isn't a state, it's a state of mind; and gentle good humor is the coin of the realm. "A delightful mix of funny and affectionate tales . . . Jacobs makes junk shops, college cheers, little league baseball and, yes, even ski hills as fresh and inviting as Peshtigo after a new snow." - Elizabeth Station, author of Casseroles "A born storyteller . . . How going to the grocery store can captivate a reader for more than a few pages is a testament to Jacobs ability to write what he knows and write it well." - Alisa Hauser, Chicago Pipeline "In this pleasureful book, Jacobs shows us the evolution of a boy, a time, an era. Excellent writing, wonderful tales, his basic recipe includes his own crazy humor, a dab of poignance, some absurdity, and the deepest colors of his past. . . . tantalizing-stuff that makes readers laugh and tear a bit, a combination that elevates his stories to the read-em-again kind." - Bill Janz, former columnist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel