Arctic Vortex in Minnesota

Sub-zero temperatures, high winds, snow every other day

Tuesday, actual temperature -13 (that's 13 below zero) hearty Minnesota walkers braved the winds and low temps to turn up at the athletic club dome to walk. On our way into the building we were passed by a cute little seven-year-old toting her skates and gear in a wheeled crate. At 7:30am, she had ICE TIME! Even in January, life goes on in Minnesota.

PS. The high for tomorrow is minus 2. Friday it will get up to 29 and snow again. Got to love Minnesota.

Christmas 2013

Wild turkeys

Roses for Christmas

Flowers from Trader Joes

Uncle Don

Uncle Bob, self-decorated

Kity in a gift box

"Whose woods are these... I think I know... fill up with snow" Robert Frost

Happy Birthday Grandma!

"You're never to old to learn," she said, when I shared a new idea. It might be about the way she was doing something that she had done a certain way all her life, but she was receptive to ideas, even from a young granddaughter.

She learned to speak perfect English when she came to America as a young adult with her family.
She even attended college, and yet, all her life she subscribed to and read a newspaper in her native Norwegian.

The "Judge" (I knew him as Grandpa), an elected county judge for thirty-five years, was certainly a life-long learner too.

On October 18, her birthday, I especially celebrate the heritage of my grandparents and my parents who were "never to old to learn."

The three-year-old in the photo below is me. Now, seventy-some years later, not too old to keep on learning new things, new ideas, new ways of doing and thinking.
I have been blessed.

Half Moon Bay Marathon & Half / Part 2

Scenes, Spectators, Volunteers

Half Moon Bay Marathon & Half

September 29, 2013

Pre-Race


Magnificent Marathon and Half Marathon Course







Delightful volunteer medal presenters


Almost finished


Finished!


See also Don's blog on the Half Moon Bay Marathon: http://minnesotadon.blogspot.com

New Trail Shoes by Sweet Pea

GMO Pork

Alas, a person working at our favorite co-op meat market told me today that they have no pork that is GMO free.
No pork farmers can assure the co-op that the corn fed to their pigs is free of genetically modified corn.
Even when farmers raise their own corn for feed they cannot protect it from cross-pollination from Monsanto neighboring fields.

Frankenfood is here.

Three hours on Grass Trails

The spring wash out in the corner of the corn field is dry as a bone now, as we hope for rain to come soon.


The poison ivy is a danger even in late summer.


And, well, Sweet Pea and I got lost. What was to be a one-hour hike turned out to be TWO.


Early in the morning a spry fawn came prancing toward us, but then stopped and reconsidered its course.


You can click on the sign to read the details of the prairie restoration burn.


Life is persistent. On the edge of the burn, wild flowers flourish.


It was a day made for KITES!


Families of campers enjoyed the dry weekend. These small children rode their bikes down the grassy hill, below the soaring kite.


Sumac is already forecasting autumn.

Our son and daughter-in-law lost their entire house to a fire early on the morning of June 21.

Lightning struck the electrical entrance box in the garage of our son David's house. The natural gas entrance to the house was fifteen feet away, but the lightning nevertheless found a way to burst the corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) that was used at the entrance and throughout the house.

It turns out that this is a national issue, with new homes built with CSST going up in flames when lightning strikes nearby. The lightning pokes a hole in the tubing, ignites the gas, and the result is a gas-powered blowtorch inside the home's wall or basement.

Here is a short Channel 11 story about our son's situation that aired Friday night:
www.kare11.com/news/article/1034149/391/Cause-of-Maplewood-fire-serves-warning-to-others.

David and Caroline are going to rebuild, but the gas lines will be good old black iron pipe!

Remembering June 2013

Don's Dad died. We made many many trips to Duluth in the preceding weeks. His death leaves a big void and great memories in many lives.

Our son and daughter-in-law lost their new house (in Maplewood) and everything in it (including cars and tools in the garage) due to a lightning strike in the night and the resulting fire. And then it rained for two days on the ashes. They escaped without injury.

Our daughter-in-law continues to endure chemo for ovarian cancer.

You can read about all of those events on Don's blogs: Make it a Masterpiece and Myeloma Hope.

"Grief upon grief," they say.

We are running, often and regularly, in the park.
Unusually cool weather, highs around 80, this week makes for pleasant morning runs.