Though we live in Minnesota, somehow my son and I saw the end of the Mississippi River – in Louisiana – before we made it to the headwaters in our own state. I’ve since rectified this. Our lives are seriously overscheduled. Not uncommonly so but we hadn’t made it up North in many years. I […]
Life
Here We Goat Again
Happy Vernal Equinox! We celebrated Spring a little early. Technically it was St. Patrick’s Day but that doesn’t mean a whole lot to us. We were just excited to hang out on a friend’s goat farm and use his sauna. That was a fantastic way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. It will be even […]
Feeling Minnesota
Minnesota apologists will claim this is just a normal winter, like the kind we had when we were kids. But no. This extreme weather has all been occurring in a more condensed window. As a friend put it, “it’s like we get all of winter’s greatest hits in one week.” Extreme cold, ice storms, two […]
Standing at the Threshold
My last post expressed concern over the Soap Factory’s fate (a local, beloved arts institution). Apparently I wasn’t the only one worried. Due to the outpouring of support and concern for the Soap Factory during the last few weeks, the board has decided to host a town hall meeting, where community members can hear directly […]
Cruising Altitude and Attitude
Last weekend CNN aired Anthony Bourdain’s final Parts Unknown episode. I’m all kinds of sad about his death. And recently binge watched more episodes I hadn’t seen before from other seasons. They’re all wonderful and bittersweet. In October I enjoyed another remarkable solo trip. To Ireland and Italy. It’s interesting and frustrating how I’m treated […]
Time In Common
Somewhere along the way I became a morning person. I can’t quite pinpoint it. Motherhood isn’t to blame, since my adult son is turning 19 in just a few days. Guess it’s just my advancing age. This season of my life finds me at work by 7am daily and in bed by 10pm. Hard to […]
Summer’s Long Shadow
This summer started off with so much promise, with my son’s high school graduation and subsequent party. But things quickly went downhill from there. There have been many missteps, some on my part, but mostly factors out of our control. We had to move suddenly from our home of 4+ years due to an unabated […]
Sun-Stopping
We marked the Summer Solstice last week and it’s been on my mind. Meteorological Summer has begun in Minnesota, but this was a particularly oddball year without a Spring. I’ve lived here all my life but I’m still taken aback often by the weather extremes. And my friends who live elsewhere are downright alarmed by […]
Hothouse Flowers
When I woke up Friday morning I checked my weather app then dressed in multiple layers, like a good Minnesotan. And left for work in the dark with temperatures of -10 and windchill -25. Not so great for the body or soul. Same goes for watching extra bleak Black Mirror episodes in the dead of […]
Emerging Adulthood
To quote Douglas Adams, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Thankfully we just squeaked in ahead of one. My son is a high school senior this school year. How that happened so quickly, I don’t know. But I do know I’ve always planned to take his senior […]