all that's past is prologue...

I'm huddled on the couch, feeling grim. Tonight should have been the kick-off to our Friday night pool parties, for the first time since 2019. But I just shot out the "postponed" message because I have come down with some kind of crud that turns out to be more than the allergies I initially suspected. In the Before Times this would have been the kind of thing I just kind of soldiered through with, but that kind of thinking seems incredibly irresponsible now. And, though I know in *theory* that there is no way I have covid, waiting for the test results is excruciating. As glad as I am that we have efficient, organized test centers, going to them is always incredibly depressing (and I, like probably everyone reading this except my friend C, don't go enough to get routinely tested, certainly not every week as recommended). If we could take the organizational energy that takes into providing those test centers, and put it toward food distribution, or literacy, or other is...

  Yesterday was the kick-off of the Chroma Zone festival, so we headed off to see the murals and to take Brutus to a new-to-him taproom — Urban Growler. He liked the art, and especially liked to watch the pottery throwing at Deneen Pottery. But he especially got to this happy place when we reached a picnic table outside the taproom and sat down with our friends René and Christoph. I'm always kind of mixed on Urban Growler. I love that it is women-owned and brewed, and plays such a huge role in the community. I'm ok on their beer — like it fine, but don't crave it like I do at other places (possibly because I am not as big on cream ales, and that's their specialty). But there was nothing better than spending yesterday outside seeing art and discussing it with people, and for that, Urban Growler was perfect. It plays that community role well, and Brutus agrees.

This re-emerging from the pandemic is not for the faint of heart. But it can also be rewarding (if weird!) Last night we got dressed up and parked in a parking ramp and went to an actual PARTY, on the rooftop of  the new Dayton's Project (our friend Whitney's divorce party, and one of the first events to be held in the new space). There was a musician, and dancing. There was food and a great bar. There were incredible views and interesting people to talk to. There was a baby blowing kisses. We got to be on a date. In other words, it would have been a fantastic party in the Before Times, and after 14 months of isolation it was amazing, easily one of the best parties I have attended in my life (and very Intsa-gramable). This morning, while Beatrix was filming for the school Spring Showcase, Patrick and I went to go help out at Lookout Park. There's a group of us who keep it up, and many hands make light work, even if part of it is just stopping to catch up and talk. Before: A...

My friends Aimeé and Anna have an amazing track record for finding fantastic getaways. So when they raved about their escape a few weeks back to SoulSpace Sanctuary, I was intrigued. We decided to book it after Beatrix's (early) Sytennde Mai Norwegian dance performance, so this last weekend, after the performance and a beer at Life Bridge, plus some rolled ice cream in Stillwater, we headed out. Little did we know how much it would change our lives. The sanctuary is one of the few of its kind in the midwest. It was started by former SPPD cop Kara after she retired due to an on-the-job injury, and one of its early rescue was Wally the escaping pig . Honestly, I could probably tell you a hundred stories about the various animals after spending just a short time there, but I think the real power comes from going out there and getting to know them yourself. Each one has a different, poignant story. Amos, in particular, is a selfie star. There are also a number of chickens, ducks, and...

This weekend, we returned to socialization — not in terms of huge parties or anything, but people, gathering together, to achieve things. And I had not realized how much I had missed it! Friday night, we took Beatrix and her friend to a Saints game with some tickets I got from a client (ok, no higher purpose there, but it was a lot of fun). I have not been to a Saints game in years! I started Saturday with a launch party for an Irvine Park coloring book  that I had done some pro bono historical advising for. It's beautiful and I am so glad the author got it finished! It was at our friends' house (the cover pic), which made it all the more fun. I then went to help garden at another friend's. A group of us took over her yard and cleaned it up and planted things. It was so great to see them and to make K's yard pretty; she is an amazing woman that gives so much of herself to others. It would have been very fun to share plants from our yards with her, but we went the purcha...

 ...we tend to our wounded, we count our dead black and white soldiers wonder alike if this really means freedom Not Yet. --- Tonight I stood in front of the glass door at the amazing Saint Paul Corner Drug (which has cleared out everything in the store so they can give as many vaccines as efficiently as possible), and watched an incredibly brave Beatrix get her first shot of Pfizer. She has a terrible fear of needles, but she hates covid more. I cried when I got her the appointment, but tonight it was just an unbelievable relief. And then as I drove away I heard the news about the ending of the mask mandate, both from the CDC and now in MN. And honestly I'm just sitting here shell-shocked. It's been such a long haul. So much has changed. I'm not sure I even know how to process it all. I don't think I thought it would change this fast, and I'm unsure of my footing. But I am incredibly determined to take this as an exciting new chance moving forward.

Anyone who has been to one of our pool parties at Summit knows that space can be...tight. We wanted more space for entertaining outside, but there's no real room to expand the deck without killing some of the gardens. So for years I have wanted a connecting patio. I've gone down this path many times. Collected pavers and sand for it, but figured out they would not work. Had a friend come to look at it. Priced out paver patios 100x at Menards/Lowes/Home Depot. Watched videos and read about it. I've put in brick walks before, and a small square patio, but not a round one (which is what we decided the space needed). With all the work on Hague going on, plus everyday life, it just didn't seem achievable. But then I searched through some Facebook groups, and found a recommendation for a guy named Leo. He came out to look at it, gave some great suggestions (including poured concrete with a stamp and some colorizing instead of pavers), got us on the schedule right away, and bi...

As is evidenced by the fact that my father's ashes still sit on the bookshelf, I am slow with the whole cemetery thing. I finally got a vase placed on my mother's niche last November, and so today clipped a few things from the garden and brought them over. Mother's Day at Oakland Cemetery is very busy (I don't know why that had not occurred to me before), an it helps somewhat to remember that I am not the only one missing my mom today. (Circus shows already have me missing her a lot, thinking about how much she would have loved to see Beatrix perform). But a reminder of the complexity of the day is very fitting. Perhaps this year more than most, as we start to see family again — and remember those lost — it's an emotional day for a lot of people. It's already a day that is fraught with reminders of what we DON'T have (including those who have difficult parental relationships, those who have lost children, those that don't have children for any number of ...

After noticing, at the local hipster cider taproom, that all the young women had cut off their jeans, I hesitantly embarked on the look. I've cut off 3 pairs now and love it. I had no idea how much the length was literally weighing me down! I also paid big money to get my Blundstones polished at the local shoe store, but that was less successful. But again loving the shorter jeans! I planted canna bulbs in several outdoor pots today (at Ashland and at Summit). Hoping it's my look for the summer and I don't have to invest a lot in annuals. This had been a dark shelf full of similarly framed pictures, and I like how I have lightened it up with a cut-out metal frame I got as a favor for being in a wedding years ago, and the red and white frame that matches the wall. I need to remind myself, when I am the most overwhelmed, that sometimes it is the small things that can make a big change in how things feel.