all that's past is prologue...

"But wait," you say, "Bedrooms are things you clean every week. There is no way that they would get to a pandemic level of needing deep cleaning." You obviously don't live with a teen, or even me when I get really busy. On Friday I walked into her room and it was so bad that I called a halt on almost anything else this weekend until she finished cleaning it (and returned things she had borrowed from me, and brought dishes downstairs, and the like.) It's Sunday night and she is *almost* finished (tat least enough so that I can write this in good conscience). Meanwhile I cleaned her study room, which is the room formerly known as the "guest room" (remember those?). It looks ready for company, doesn't it? Come visit us — if you're vaccinated, that is. (Tiger Lily will move off the bed. Maybe)! I have been getting total crap sleep (you don't even want to see what my Sleep Number tracking says about it). Usually cleaning our space helps, so ...

Today, Beatrix has been cleaning her room. Since this morning, and she's nowhere near done. So Patrick and I really needed to get out of the house... Thus we headed over to Sociable Cider . I am embarrassed to say that it always feels like it's going to be a trek to get there and it's really remarkably close... It was Really Busy when we got there. The patio area (really part of the parking lot marked off with bike racks) is large, so there's plenty of space for rustic cable spool tables, very well-distanced, many with their own fire pits on top. I was impressed. We actually used "I've been vaccinated privilege" and sat just inside the front door, where there was still a ton of cross-breeze. Brutus liked this because he could be the unofficial ambassador to everyone who walked in, and we could give them each a cookie to give him. Brutus made a lot of friends today, and thus got a lot of cookies. He this ranks Sociable very high on the taproom scale. We TOT...

Today was supposed to be "Learning Wednesday" — after the morning at a client, I would spend some time gaining some self-directed professional development (maybe even at a coffee shop, now that I am vaccinated), and thencatch up on a few work projects that took some intensive time and thought. But I am finding myself really scattered after the verdict yesterday. Like pretty much everyone else I know, I feel relieved, but in an odd way. As I wrote yesterday: I wanted to believe that hours of thoughtful testimony were worth more than cookie analogies and a straw man of "carbon monoxide poisoning." I wanted to believe that the bravery of a young girl filming with her phone was worth more than the cowardice of a racist murderer. I wanted to believe that a group of 12 Minnesotans could stand up and say "enough." But I couldn't even dare to believe that until a couple of hours ago. And I still don't even know how to process it all. It's an odd feelin...

As I have posted, recently we have taken on a massive art framing/hanging project. We are far from done, as the mountain of things to find places to hang still dominates out living room. We're fortunate to have a lot of artist friends, so we have a lot of great art. And, the by-product of spending part of my twenties traveling around the world is that I have a lot of pieces from other countries as well, especially from Asia.  So when you have *too much art* (snorts, because that is not really possible), you have to find places to put it.  And then, in "Corona Cleaning," I recently cleaned out the linen closet, which gets opened every day because it's also where the cat food lives. It looks great when I look at the shelves now, and I wanted to do something to keep me cheerful and inspire me to keep it organized. So, I took some of the small frames we have acquired, and some marbled book pages we had made during a family art night at Junket a few years back, and some pa...

This weekend could best be summarized as a transition. Patrick got his second shot last Thursday, and I have had mine and hot full antibodies by next Tuesday (obviously nothing for Beatrix yet). So we are starting to take some slow, thoughtful steps about what our "New Normal" might be.  The weekend had a virtual kitchen design class, and a virtual families of color event for Beatrix's school. And Bogart's Donuts! It had hours and hours of me recording myself for the SPA Community Choir (the videos are combined together for a performance in May). The recording was REALLY hard and stressful and I think I sound terrible and look awful and it gave me a lot of sympathy for Beatrix in online learning (she's done 2 of these kinds of concerts already, plus 2 shows!) It included us heading to Prye's Brewing with Brutus, where we sat outside and everyone fawned all over him. And a fire and s'mores in our lovely, funky backyard. Today started with reading more of th...

Everyone loves scilla the time of year, but the minute you say anything about it on social media, someone posts within a few minutes that it is invasive and non-native and is the worst thing since buckthorn. Plus, the warnings about jumping worms are running hot and heavy on the neighborhood FB boards, threatening to overtake the privatization of trash hauling as Saint Paul's #2 problem. Those that are (rightfully) concerned about them are worried at how they spread and wash down into storm sewers, how their eggs are tiny and hard to see, and what they do to the soil (basically it becomes the consistency of coffee grounds and stripped of many nutrients). Their argument is that you should not plant share, should only buy from "approved" nurseries, and should be very careful about cleaning tools and not tracking dirt. Those that think that the concern is a little overhyped counter that they have been here since 2006 and are in many other places, that they are already here...

A few years back, we were getting our Global Entry cards (remember travel?). Since Beatrix was about 9, she could not go on her own to her interview, so I went with her (which had a bonus of letting me get mine done at the same time.). The officer interviewing us was a perfectly nice, Latinx man who spent some time explaining the privilege inherent in a GE card. He told her that if she were to do something wrong, like steal or drive drunk or something (again, age 9, so hopefully not soon thereafter), that she would lose the card. She listened attentively, with her trademark big eyes. "But," he said, "I'm sure you would not do something you would get arrested for, right?" "No," she responded. Pause. "Unless it was something I really believe in." "And what kind of thing would that be?" he asked. "Like protesting. (pause). Like for Philando Castile." The officer took a beat. Then he pushed aside his papers and looked at her. ...

I didn't want to clean the linen closet. But we have a Cat Who Pees, usually late at night as we are going to bed. And when she did that the other night, I had a hard time finding new sheets for the bed. Awhile back, Beatrix had reorganized the linen closet, much like realtors do by organizing books by spine color for decor (at least it was not spine in and pages out). So I cleared everything out, and re-arranged by sheet size, and got rid of sheets we were not using, and stripped and washed the linens. It was necessary, but not exactly fulfilling. So instead, I show you the after and before or prints in the back stairs — Saint Paul in the white frames, hung a couple of years back, and New Orleans prints from my dad's, that we got black frames for the other night in a  huge frame-buying frenzy at Michael's. After: Before: We also spent the afternoon at Beatrix's Norwegian dance rehearsal in Stillwater. Beforehand we got to go to my friend's shop in Marine on St. Cro...

All winter the Insight patio has been closed, so we've been doing growlers on Mondays (best deal in town, $10 for a growler! Though you need an Insight growler or a stainless.) But today it is 83 degrees! And I just reactivated Crafttapped! So we headed out for a drink and a growler! They were THRILLED to see Brutus. We had a side table, and so Brutus could not see people as well if he was not sitting on the table. We had the new Hop Drops (compared American to New England, the NE was very grapefruit-toned, yum!) Then a Hop Spin growler to go. Delicious. I'll meet you there anytime, especially 2 weeks after my 2nd jab tomorrow.

So this was supposed to be the weekend of art hanging (more on that below).  But yesterday was just too nice and so we worked outside. Today Beatrix and I started it by heading to a clothing exchange (Yay! Our first one in soooo long!), and then picking up some rhubarb to plant (after carefully cleaning the roots in case of jumping worms), so we got a little bit of a late start.  And then our first project was actually hanging  couple of pieces in the kitchen, which led to cleaning off a high shelf on the window that we were not using for the original intent of herbs at all (too high up and they would just die), so we replaced them with growlers, and by changing the batteries on the clock. So it was well into afternoon by the time we got to the real art hanging. But doesn't the kitchen look nice? Plus a couple of other small pieces hung on the walls there: We also hung a piece in the library that the Easter bunny brought Patrick (along with a beer caddy for bringing beer ...

This is the earliest we have ever gotten our back yard cleaned up and ready for entertaining (though I am leaving the front yard undone right now because there are more woody stems and such that pollinators would be hibernating in). Usually we are either too early to too late, and we can't get cedar chips, or the plants we want, or something. The fact is that I am dying to see people, while simultaneously a little nervous about it. But I get my second shot on Tuesday, and I would like to have you over, in small gatherings of 1-5 people, outside. Let's spend some time outside and catch up for real for the first time in way too long! I can hardly wait to do some planting!

Tonight we met our friends Debra and Paul at Lake Monster. They said they invited us because we had had so many posts about how covid-safe it was (happy to spread the word!) Brutus got excited the minute we pulled up. I was just happy to see someone I love spending time with. Brutus was happy to be out and is angling to be Lake Monster's mascot. He perked up as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. Afterwards, Patrick and I headed to Saint Paul Brewery for pizza and beer (avoiding some kind of protest on the way). It was lovely. If anything, from this pandemic, I have learned to love spending time outside.

You can't get much more mini of a mini-vacation than going to where Patrick used to go to work everyday. Still, going anywhere *real* seems so far away, and so tonight we headed down to Northfield. I had managed to nab one of Loon Liquors three small private tents: We got there a little early so got to hit a few thrift stores. Then headed over to the distillery, where they greeted us with some lovely small shots (including an NA apple soda for Beatrix). We ordered some delicious drinks (yes, mine was called "Who is Lady Whistledown?"): Snuggled into our tent and had a picnic dinner. Tried a few more samples of various liquors (including a gin-off), talked to the owner for quite some time, ordered another round of drinks. Discussed the state of alcohol regulation in Minnesota (sigh), bought a bottle of gin and one of aquavit, and headed home to spend some time in the hot tub. I love Minnesota's small distilleries and taprooms (and wineries!) and will fight to the deat...