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Dreaming of Summer
Winters in Minnesota are usually very bright and very, very cold. We had plenty of that in January but now we seem to have hit a warm spell. This would be a good thing, except the warmth has come with rain and cloudy, gloomy days that mentally feel worse than the cold, sunny days and…
Great Article: Thrown by Elissa Pfost
As I live in Minnesota, it might surprise you to learn that I love to surf. As I’m not into the hardcore drysuit surfing amidst chucks of ice on Lake Superior’s North Shore I don’t get much time on the waves here, but I love to travel to surf spots that are good for beginners…
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Finding Beauty in the Sparseness
While I’ve seen many winters before, this year, as I’m taking pictures and spending more time really looking at winter, I’m struck by the sparseness. Everywhere the branches are bare, the lakes are frozen expanses of empty white snow, the walking and biking paths devoid of people. The is a lot of beauty in the…
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Taking the Long Way
When I finished my work contract last July, I was exhausted. I was completely burnt out from the weeks over the winter where I had worked 60 hours a week, working evenings and weekends to make the project a success. But in the end, it wasn’t a success. Facing funding issues, the project was taken…
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Warm Feelings on a Cold Night
It started snowing around 8 am this morning and it’s still coming down – we’ve got about 4 inches so far. But soon the snow will stop and with the clear skies will come the cold temperatures. By cold I mean that the highs for the next few days MIGHT make it over 0 by…
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Ringing in 2009
As the year comes to a close, it’s common to look back on what has happened; the good, the bad, the mistakes, the victories. I prefer to look forward. Forward to my plans for the new year, and to what I hope will transpire. Here in the U.S. we have a new president, so I’m…
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Merry Christmas Eve
The gifts are purchased, the groceries are bought, we have a log on the fire, a beautifully decorated tree and Christmas specials on the television. Tonight we plan a nice dinner and some Christmas gift wrapping, mixed with some eggnog and hot cocoa. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
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Wander Girl Learns to Knit
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this here before, but I love wool. I really think it’s the best fiber on the planet. And the best sheep, of course, are the merino sheep. There wool is so soft, and so warm when it needs to be and so not warm when it’s hot out, and…
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Hill House Holidays
My parents came to visit this past weekend, and one of the activities we did with them was a tour of the James J. Hill house. This house, located on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, was the home to James J. Hill, a turn-of-the-century railroad tycoon, and his family during the late nineteenth and early…
