all that's past is prologue...

I referred to a "case of the Februaries" the other day, and my companion knew exactly what I meant. By this point of the winter, we're all just DONE. Next year, I swear to god, I'm getting away for a weekend. This weekend, though, I did two things to keep me warm: A trip to the Conservatory with Beatrix on (yet another) day off from school. It was warm, and floral, and filled with birds. (it don't work, though, she came down with strep). Then today, I visited a pop-up sauna outside Ikea (funded as a public art project). It was SO warm and comfortable. I settled in for half an hour with a book and breathed warm air and it was heaven. It's free, and still open tomorrow!

Don't get me wrong. I'm a firm supporter of health care reform and the ACA. But some of this just boggles the mind. (And I am not, in this post, even commenting on the special circle of hell we are undergoing to get coverage for our daughter. That's a whole other, as yet underdetermined, issue). No, this is about the birth control pill (so dad, if it's too much information, you might want to stop reading now). I've been on Sprintec for 7 years. My doctor first prescribed it because it was on the $4 formulary at Target. I think I wrote a post about it a few years back when Target stopped carrying it and I had to look all over for it, finally finding a CVS that carried it. But that was a whole other rant. Under Medica, I used to get 3 months at a time, for $0 co-pay. Then, under Preferred One last year, I could only get 1 month at a time (presumably because people were stocking up or something? I don't know). Then I switched to Blue Cross Blue Shield this ...

I'm a pain wuss, and so I'm just never likely to get a tattoo. Beside, Patrick has enough for both of us. However, I am supremely tempted by a couple of things in place of one… This state necklace, because Minnesota really does have my heart: And these awesome book temporary tattoos, wonder how long they last?

(attributed to Louisa May Alcott) I can't remember a time I could not read. Literally can't remember not being able to pick up a book and get lost in the story; I started reading at 2. I made a specialty of rushing through my schoolwork so I could have free-reading time. I knew every book on the shelves of the Lower School library. When I was young I would finish a book, and then immediately flip it back around and read it again. Books were always scarce — not because my mother would not buy them for me, but because it was hard to keep up with my book-a-day habit. Wherever I lived, my library card was one of the first things I obtained. When I travelled the world, my backpack was always heavy because it was half-full of books, and I eagerly exchanged the ones I had just read with other travelers. The cafes where people left free books — nirvana. And I remember standing in the Hampstead Waterstone's, looking at all the tables of books and feeling an endless sense of poss...

For the past couple of years, I have been working with a world music series co-produced by Minnesota Global Arts and Hamline University. It has been a fascinating look into world music and traditions, with everything from gamelan to klezmer. Music is by far the art form I am weakest in; I can't play an instrument, and don't have much musical background. But I have especially enjoyed this series (and loved taking Beatrix to it!) because of the way it has tied together music and folk dance. This year's series is South of the Border: Traditions , focusing on Latin America. As usual, there are  a lot of related events: a concert, a family-friendly dance party, school presentations, workshops, etc. I have been especially excited about the Carnival celebration on February 22, because I thought Beatrix would especially love the masks and face painting and samba. This afternoon, I stopped by the campus to take some pictures of the concert artists as they held a workshop with t...

As many (ok, well, all ) of you know, we have been desperately looking for a new keeshond;  Geronimo's passing left  a big hole in our life. In doing so, we started with the usual methods — searching Petfinder and the Animal Humane Society. WE then asked friends to keep an eye out. We *almost* got 2 keeshonds from Midwest Animal Rescue, but both feel through at the last minute. We registered with every place we could find. We found some breeders in the area, and even attended the Land O'Lakes dog show, which is an interesting world all in itself. Recently, I have become active in a few Facebook keeshond rescue communities, especially one very active with 101 Keeshonden Rescue: Free the Kees , working to shut down an infamous puppy mill in upstate New York. The site has become active with other keeshond rescue as well, and on MLK Day two Minnesota members drove to Wisconsin to rescue a keeshond there. Lacoya had been owned by a backyard breeder, who apparently decided to get ...