Last Sunday we experienced a mid-winter heatwave with high temps of nearly 50 degrees. Today, just a few days later, we were back down to -3. Minnesota is all about those wild swings. But during the brief warmup, I was able to drag my young adult out to see the Ice Castles in New Brighton. […]
Pandemic
Letting the Days Go By
In the past, I’ve written about how challenging Minnesotan winters can be. And that was without the added obstacle of a pandemic, when it was still safe to gather indoors with friends and family. Now that we’re into our third pandemic winter, I know I took past indoor winter hangouts for granted. Or just anti-social […]
Welcome to the Heat Dome
My son and I are a blend of homebodies / travelers. We enjoy travel. The pandemic has put a hold on that, of course. After gratefully receiving our vaccinations, our top priority was visiting family in the Pacific Northwest. Historically, Seattle had only reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit three times before. Remarkably, in one heatwave, highs […]
Swan Dive
Walking has been my main form of exercise for many years now, but especially during the pandemic. Early last week I was looking ahead to the impending polar arctic vortex. While the weather was still mild, I forced myself outside. In the last few weeks, I’ve been making more of an effort to take my […]
Under the Bridge Residency
Music has always been a huge part of my life. When I was a small child I would dance around the living room as my Dad’s reel to reel player. He played everything from Elton John to the William Tell Overture. In my early teens, I started attending live music shows with my friends. And […]
Spectrum of Risk
I have posted about being Minnesotan. And the need to seek out activities over our long winters to avoid cabin fever. Or to get out on hot summer days, when our homes don’t have central air conditioning. I experienced an added dimension to this as the single parent of a child with autism. Early on […]
Prime Number Pandemic Pride Birthday
One of my favorite pastimes is travel. Generally, I enjoy a balance of visiting friends and family elsewhere while also exploring new-to-me locations. At the start of this year I took a solo trip to Portugal (amazing) for the first time. But also planned another Pacific Northwest adventure for my son and I. We set […]