all that's past is prologue...

I had some fantastic meetings today. I had a great, philosophical lunch with my friend Robert, and then met my friend Roddie for Cozy Hour at Cooks (more on that later). Roddie is one of those friends who can always inspire you to do more and be better. So, when we parted and I told her I had plants to get in the ground tonight, and she was impressed, I knew I had to live up to it. Just one more way that she makes everyone's lives better — I hope you have a Roddie in your life! I did not really *want* to get 35 perennials in the ground in the sticky heat, but I did. And then I picked up some more plants someone was thinning, and swam five laps in the pool. I'm feeling pretty good about it all. I'll post some pics once I have everything watered and mulched. In the meantime, my jasmine sure is happy outside!

  I'm feeling especially protective about theater in the Twin Cities right now. The arts — and yes, especially theater — is so important to our sense of place. It's not only vitally important that we stand in support, but it's also so fulfilling to us as humans to be able to have these experiences. And the big theaters, Penumbra with Joe Turner's Come and Gone and now the Guthrie with Come From Away have been knocking it out of the park. So much gratitude for the incredible artists who create this work, from direction to design to performance. So much respect for tech crews. So much admiration for the theaters who keep on keeping on. Yes, I got all teary. (I tried to look up reviews to link to but they are pretty buried deep in the online news sites, though I did find several articles about hot dogs in the "Culture" sections. But that's a gripe for another day.) So yeah, go see shows. Start with Come From Away , at the Guthrie until August 9.

  There was no yoga today, so our morning exercise was marching in the Saint Anthony Park parade (which is an institution!) with our mayor, Kaohly Her . It was a lot of fun, we ran out of candy, we got to see other politicians we admire (like Congresswoman Betty McCollum , Commissioner Garrison McMurtrey , and Representative Claire Oumou Verbeten ), and it reminded us of the importance of democracy. Plus we got to see my cousin Erin and her husband, raising money for Mutual Aid through their church with a VERY well-rehearsed bucket brigade. We then got to check out a few stores (and the Finnish Bakery). Top on my list was Acorn Bookshop , a new, women-focused shop in the old Micawber's space that I have wanted to go to for awhile. The shop was great — totally lived up to expectations, and I wanted to buy everything there (but also tuition was due today so...) Tonight was the annual Songs of Hope picnic that Summit Manor holds on the 4th for their first concert. Songs of Hope is muc...

We don't skip yoga lightly, but today was the graduation party for K, who is the granddaughter of/lives with one of my oldest, dearest friends — and we were NOT going to miss it! K and K being the awesome women they are, there was a delicious coffee bar and donuts! But not going to yoga meant we did not get to see our friends M and B. Their son and his wife and their dog stayed at our other place while coming through last week, and left us the sweetest thank-you present! Though I love it intensely, I feel guilty; we were just trying to do them a favor, and they totally one-upped us! While Beatrix was at Pride, we foraged, picking tons of serviceberries (an homage to Robin Kimmerer ) and sour cherries from our trees. The serviceberries are small so it's hard to see how many there were, but there are A LOT. And we had 3x that many sour cherries!  I also harvested some rhubarb so I can make rhubabaritas. It was the kind of day to feel incredibly grateful for the friends and family...

  Poor Patrick Rhone. He's not a fan of list posts, and really photo dump posts are just a variation thereof. But today is our twentieth anniversary, so I'm going down a bit of a rabbit hole. Of photos at the park that afternoon (because Sarah Whiting is the best). Dinner at Zander. A late night ceremony at Nautilus: A reception two days later at the Ritz (just after it had opened to the pubic): And a mini-moon afterwards: Here's to an amazing husband, an incredible life, and all those who have supported us along the way. You are my sun, and my moon, and my stars above.

Ok, to be fair, I am a huge fan of everything Skewed Visions does. But even among an exceptional body of work, this one stands out. The show only seats 30, and there are only a few performances and tickets left. If you see one thing in the Twin Cities this year, this should be it. Tickets and information here . I don't want to say too much about it because I want you to see it and then I want to discuss it with you. But i will say this. get there a little early if you want to look through the rehearsal photos beforehand (or a lot early if you want to grab a drink and a dog at Meteor , down the block.) It's a contradiction to try to stay focused in a situation where you want to be hyper-aware of everything, but that's exactly what I would ask of you.  After the performance, take advantage of Charles' invitation to walk through and explore the set. Every single inch brings so much to take in. The performers are incredibly generous in discussing the process as well. If yo...