feb. 1, 2013...

we are addicted...

Today's plans include our new hangout.
We are addicted,
and H has NEVER EVER liked coffee.
It's that good.

Hooray for Saturday!

my new theme song...

If you knew me,
you would know that
I like
my salty snacks.

And I am not alone...

These kids didn't know they were doing it,
but they made my theme song!

Summer Lovin'...

Summer is my favorite time of year.

I have not been here much,

and I am glad for it.

Because 

I have been soaking in

every

single

moment

of

Sun

and

warmth.

I plan to continue my

Summer Life,

and as time allows may stop in here

for a visit.

A few weeks ago

I planned a night

of enjoying

Summer,

our bicycles,

good food,

and new-to-us entertainment.

this is just us...

so after a few days in the desert,
we needed to be by water.
real water.

it is beautiful...

We have a favorite farm
from which a lot of the food we eat comes.
It is local, organic, and delicious.
Thing is, we had never been there,
until this weekend.
Thanks to some good folks in the area,
our farm, and others, were open to everyone this weekend,
to talk to the farmers, see the fruits of their labor,
and in our case, take home the first corn of the season.
yummmmmmm...

When I was little,
my parents best friends lived on a Wisconsin farm.
I spent a lot of time there.
Being around cows and fields
seemed like a great thing to be doing as a child.
Then I moved away to bigger, and bigger cities,
until I bounced back to the Midwest.

It has been about 30 years
since I set foot on a farm.
It has been far too long.
What a city girl needs more than anything,
is to escape the city.
See the bluest blue skies,
breathe the freshest of fresh air,
listen to the silent silence.

One of the biggest surprises of the day
was entering the garlic drying room.
Completely unexpected
and completely divine.
The smell, oh the smell!!

Many years ago
I came home to a very sick husband.
His body was rejecting something he ate.
After experiencing this a few times,
we began to deduce it was a reaction to pesticides on our food.
We started going to a new grocery store,
we began buying organic produce,
and we started to live.
Not only did H's body stop having violent upheavals
against the food he ate,
but our lives changed
bit by bit.
Our store started to become part of our community,
the way we ate became a way of life,
our eyes were opened and we became aware.
We understood that the choices we make
have direct results
on our livelihood,
and the livelihood of others.

Minnesota is difficult,
but when it shares its bounty
and you meet the people
and you eat the food fresh from the land
organic and vibrant,
it is beautiful...

clever beauty...

Woolly Pocket & Bacsac images

This is not a new concept by any means,
it has been floating around in the pages of Dwell and at Maison & Objet for a few years.
But I have seen this concept in two places in my life in the last week and have been giving it more serious consideration.
The textile garden.
Being I love textiles, am enjoying gardens more as I age, and love good design,
I am thinking I may incorporate some of these into my Summer.


OMG - Am I really sitting here having meetings right now?!!!

In fact, I had two meetings in this very spot last week.
Yes, even I was jealous of myself!!
And they had cleverly used the textile garden to great affect
on the border of the railings here.
Loved.


Wise Acre Eatery Ceiling - I am in love with it.

Then I ate a new restaurant in town and these things are all over,
on the walls on the inside, and covering the fence around the waste area outside.
Great concepts!
More on this place later.


Image: Flora Grubb

What do you think?
Have you used these before?

Clever beauty,
it's what makes the everyday
unique.

Inspiration:
Woolly Pocket
Bacsac
Flora Grub

six hundred, sick, sun, and SPRING...

Of course...
All good Spring training programs
start off with
getting sick.
blah!

I have been laying around bored and listless all afternoon,
and had to bail on my bikish meeting tonight,
so figured I might as well distract myself
with a little good ol' blogging.

At least I have had the Sun here to hang out with.
And finally, I can hear the snow melting, slow but sure...


I have spent my afternoon starting to dig into a new book.
So far, so sucked in...
Anything about living in Europe,
especially by someone who lived in San Francisco,
of course I go gaga over.


The new JCrew catalog arrived today.
I enjoyed drooling over it as I slurped up my soup.

As I logged in I noticed
that my last post
was my 600th Post!!
Why are these things so thrilling in blogland?
I don't know,
maybe it is because they are like other ritualistic moments in life.
A time to stop, celebrate, look back, and look forward.
A time to think of your accomplishments
and what you want to accomplish.
Regardless, it's kind of damned exciting.

Miss Sarah is also celebrating a blogiversary today.
I particularly liked one thing she said:
Sometimes I wish I could be more like other blogs. More technical. More organized. More bikey.
What these three years of blogging has taught me is that it's funnest to write and post about the things that feel natural to me. Although I do love riding the bike, what I find even more important is what riding has awakened and reinforced in me: Love for my community, friends, and family.
Amen sister.


I found a new-to-me blog today.
Sometimes, it is certain things people say
that you can just so completely relate to.
Sometimes I think what is the point of blogging...
Check out what Margarita has to say: Why I Blog

I do sometimes also wish I had more bikey things to say,
but not today,
and not everyday.
I do sometimes also wonder what is the point,
but in the end I enjoy being here.
And I appreciate you being here too.
On my bikey days
and on my not-so-bikey days.

Best of all, when you visit me today,
you won't catch my cold!
May you stay healthy and be ready for Spring.
I know I am!

eat and drink...

what did I do, where did I go, what did I see?



So what does a gal do when she is on a blog hiatus?

wait to eat udon
on a cold winter's night.

sip an espresso,
eat a treat,
and soak in the sunshine
at her favorite patisserie
on a cold winter's day.

meet to review an agenda
and talk about the summer
with like minded folks
at a quaint little wine bar
on a cold winter's night.

tuck into her new favorite
pizza joint
with her sweetie
for a pie and
a refreshing beverage
on a cold winter's night.

seemingly random...

Sometimes happiness can be
taking a day to yourself
sewing a reversible apron
and making dinner for your man.

Why is this happiness?

Second to riding a bicycle,
sewing is a form of meditation for me.
I lose myself in it,
it relaxes me,
and I feel enormously fulfilled
when I complete something
out of seemingly nothing.
Sadly, cooking does not
give me the same enjoyment,
however,
giving H a break from the kitchen
on occasion does.
And I do find it fulfilling
to make something tasty
out of seemingly random vegetables.

I miss my bicycle
in the winter.
But Minnesota has taught me,
and allowed me,
to be so much more.
As I was meditating in my studio
over Thanksgiving Holiday
and mulling in some winter frustration,
I began to see how well my life has charted itself
these last few years.
Despite the challenges,
I think perhaps this journey,
that seems to be in frustratingly slow motion,
is leading me
to a better place.

Hard to believe
during a Minnesota winter,
but possible...

Some lovely thoughts here.

anticipate enjoy...

anticipate

enjoy

too much going on lately
and soaking in every drop possible
of
Summer.

some blogging related frustrations
swirling intermittently
in my head.

too much biking
not enough biking.

puppy is cute
puppy is driving me nuts.

work is good
and then it is frustrating
but mostly good
have to work through it
i think i can.

where do i go from here
what have i become
how do i feel about it.

saying goodbye to things i no longer need
so i can take care of the things i do.

less computer time
more family time
more reading time.

Happy Saturday everyone!
Looks to be a Summer scorcher today
can't wait to get on the lycra
and feel every bit of it.

so many hours...

I have a lot of posts swirling in my head lately,
but I've been doing a lot of this.

Very little of this.

And on occasion,
we've been able to do some of this.

There are only so many hours
in a day.

Hang in there with me...

Happy End of Monday Everybody!

Spring greens...

beauty within...

Winter Prep Installment 6

Winter can try the best of folks,
it really tries me.

I do not need a change in seasons
to make me happy,
I need SUN,
I need warmth,
I need fresh air,
I need to be outside.
All things a bit difficult to obtain
in the depth of Winter in Minnesota.
After 15 years in sunny climates,
I have to admit,
living in Minnesota is hard for me.
And I'm not kidding around,
I have officially been tested
for low Vitamin D.
Last year I tried the little gold rays of sun,
but it was not enough.

I refuse to let those grey days get the best of me,
instead, I want them to bring out the best in me...
So...

This year I've ramped it up.

For mornings....

A little ray of blue sunshine
with my coffee
and blogging...

and for afternoons...

A little ray of brown sunshine
while hanging
with my boys.

I had hoped to hold off on the double caffination until 40,
but I gave in a wee bit early.
Luckily, I love coffee and all processes involved with making
and drinking it.

All this and a little exercise (more on that to come)...

Finding ways to make myself alert, happier, and more pleasant to be around is not giving in
~ it is improving my quality of life and helping me find those rays from within.
And in a way,
I welcome the challenge...

soul food...

old haunts

new perspectives

local flavour...

This is my new favourite beer.
Sometimes it is the little things.
Yum.
"hiding from winter's chill",
That would be me.


Saw this.
HIGHLY recommend it!
The Guthrie is an amazing local asset to be sure.

Local bicycle flavour...

Reconfigured Downtown Bicycle lanes...
If you live here what do you think?
Personally, I haven't ridden the newest configuration yet,
there are so many better places to bicycle here than downtown,
but I have seen them from yes,
my car.
Honestly, I don't like them.
I have ridden on other streets downtown in the past
thinking the bike lanes on the left made no sense,
and that the old center lanes on Hennepin were nonsensical,
but this is even odder...
They seem dangerous.
How could you consult with so many experts and end up with these types of situations?
Bless the Mpls. Bicycle folks, they think people will come around once they get 'used' to it,

but bicycles and buses seem like a poor combination.
We drove down Hennepin today and it does not yet look like this.
The signs are up, but there is no lane painting,
and it was all cars driving in the right lane.
Why is there a dotted white line?
Shouldn't it be a double white line or something between the cars and bicycles/buses?
I realize they likely need to finish all the lane painting,
but I'm feeling a bad vibe on this one...
Even Mia isn't a fan.

and bicyles and car doors and people hopping over the bicycle lane to feed the meter,
also doesn't seem to be a great solution.
I GET it - a buffer.
But I just think it's not a good solution.

Why can't we just get here now?
Trees....how nice....

I cycle all the time and I'm not a fan,
I volunteer for a bicycle sharing organization and I am not a fan,
if I don't really want to ride downtown and my comfort level with traffic and cars is fairly high,
how about those 'regular' folks the City wants to get out on their bicycles?
Time will tell.

I know Minneapolis is not done yet,
so I give them credit for trying,
and I will practice patience,
but for now, I think Nicollet may be the way to travel.
Just my two cents...
More info here, here, here, here, here and here.
Another meeting here.


And, this is kind of cool...