all that's past is prologue...

  I (Brutus) hard not been to a taproom in so long it was criminal. So I faked an injury yesterday when everyone got home from some circus thing, so that they would feel bad for me. Miraculously, I got better when they said "Taproom tomorrow!" So tonight, after the show went up, Beatrix and mom took me to Wooden Hill Taproom in Edina. Yes, you heard it, where all the fancy people live. Everyone there was a little high maintenance, but nice. Mom and Beatrix gave me some french fries because there were no treats to bring with us (all 3 of us dogs got into them last week and ate the whole nag of them. It was really fun.) Mom said the beer was ok. They disdain hazy beer so that made her sad. I think I like more urban taprooms better but who was I to turn this one down?

This last month I've had a discount unlimited wash club membership at Soapy Joe's Car Wash (I'm going to have to discontinue it today because we've just been hit with a super-expensive bill for emergency cat dental surgery, but that's another issue). I've never been a big car-wash person; in general, my car is lucky to get washed twice a year.  But over the last month it's been really nice to get it washed frequently. The car looks better. And it's incredibly nice to have 10 minutes of just downtime to sit and watch the soap on the window and have NOTHING else I can do. A little like a mini spa-retreat. Wishing you peace and soap.

  People ask me to describe/explain Dinner in White, and I don't know that that is achievable. It's kind of one of those things you need to be at to grok. But here are a few things about it, in no particular order. The build-up, the planning, the waiting for the announcement of the site, and the getting there are all integral to the event. Pulling off the highway onto Plymouth Avenue (going to Boom Island) and seeing tons of people in white driving cars in the same direction last night made me giggle. I still remember our first dinner on the Stone Arch bridge, and feeling this incredible sense of belonging as we joined the throngs of people in white caring their dinners, tables, and decorations along the river and onto the bridge. Here's our "waiting" picture: Speaking of that first year, I can unequivocally say that a huge reason for our love of the event is the fact that our linked table that first year was with Michele and Chris. We shared a fantastic evening o...

You might have seen several repeat Brutus on Brewpubs sites lately. That's for a few reasons — they are our favorite places, and places also some of the ones we know where dogs are allowed. If you have a taproom that you love and that allows dogs, let us know! In the meantime, our reliable favorites are: -  CopperTrail in Alexandria - a great place to go when at the cabin! -  Saint Paul Brewing - love their indoor and outdoor spaces. -  Lake Monster - We went there all winter. Mattie is amazing, his staff is great, they took covid protocols really seriously but remained great hosts. Cannot say enough wonderful things about this place. -  Insight - When we walked in the other night, the staff all said "It's Brutus!!!" (and then one guy said "OMG, it's both Brutus and Cooper here tonight! I need to call my girlfriend to come in and see the cool dogs!" When your dog is that loved there, and the beer is so good, it has a special place in your heart.

So, especially when we first got him, Winston was a really nervous dog, who had huge separation issues when away from Patrick. And Patrick was rigging every night. So one particularly anxious evening, Winston Ate.The.Wall at Summit. (I mean, at least it made him feel better for a little). That particular wall had issues anyway. There were marks and scrapes on the wallpaper, and some fading.  However, though my mom saved many things from redecorating (anyone need any quarry tiles?), there was no wallpaper left to fix it. I could not match it, and I really did not want to redo the whole room. So it has sat, for a couple of years. Last year I got the idea to do an accent wall there. I found some wallpaper I liked ok, but it still was not ideal, so I didn't really move on it. Then I got the idea (I think from my friend Jennifer Halcrow) to look at murals, and so fell down the hole of murals available at Society 6  (full disclosure, the link is a referral code that gets you and me ...

Going with the "it's your project if you paid for it" theory.... Our front bed was a mess. Every year I have meant to get to it, but did not. This year, I dug part of it out (and even gave away the plants to happy new homes), and then the goldenrod felled me with an allergy attack. So it has sat part-done for weeks. Enter the amazing pair of Melissa and Baba. Baba came while we were at the cabin, cleaned up the bed, and cleaned up other parts of the yard as well. Our front yard looks great! I also had an expensive, and unexpected, car repair diagnosed while we were gone, and we recently had to buy a new heater for the pool. So, even with thousands of dollars in extra expenses, I am VERY glad we paid Baba to do this work (and it was not even that much, especially compared to everything else); it was a huge bargain that makes our life so much better!  (let me know if you want his contact info!) I am looking forward to planting some nice new things in the bed! Jumping worms ...

I was grabbing my toiletry bag for a trip to the cabin, and realized I did not need the small candle tin I always have in it. I learned to bring a candle with me when we last-minute road-tripped 8 years ago, and rented an AirBnB for the first time, in Asheville, NC; it was very musty-smelling. We hustled into town to buy a scented candle (the AirBnB was just on the outskirts of town, by the Blue Ridge Mountains), and I've not traveled without one since. But as I said, at the cabin I never need it because I love the smells: The intoxicating scent of the enormous basswood tree out the "back" door that leads to the lake. The tree is enormous, and slit in the past, with another big tree growing out of it. This year, in particular, it smells soooooo good. The 119-year-old indeterminate smell of the cabin itself. It's not musty, or off-putting, just ... the cabin. The different, but also distinctive, smell of the boathouse/guesthouse. I hate tiny houses, but I swear I ever ...

The industry the most affected by the pandemic has been the performing arts. But it seems like not all that far behind it has been craft cocktails. While we've been able to go to taprooms and huddle around firepits and such, it's been a l-o-n-g time since we have bellied up to the bar at Lawless or Stilheart or Martina or Colita or Bar Brigade or any of our other favorite places and watch the bartenders we have grown to know and love create their magic. Literally all of our favorite places have closed — either temporarily or permanently — or at the very least have new bar programs. We've made some good cocktails at home (I am sure you all remember a rash of French 75 pictures from over the winter), but it's not the same; the alcohol equivalent of watching live theater on Netflix. So we knew we needed to rebuild our game, but it was hard to know where to start, especially with limited hours and days open at places. Friday night, after an early-ish ending to the pool part...

So, since the pandemic, my hair has 1) gotten a lot longer and 2) gone red. Both are easier to maintain. And everything has been DIY. I tend to use kind of "whatever is available at the drugstore" to dye my hair. This leads to likely some damage, and certainly some fading. By last week is was "strawberry blonde" at best: I had had a gift certificate for E-Salon  that brought it down to just a couple of bucks, so decided to give it a try. It arrived quickly, in a lovely box that was both: 1) lovely, and 2) kind of a waste Applying it was harder than my usual drugstore stuff, which I just shake up in the bottle and slather on. There was one color for the roots, which I mixed up and applied, then 15 minutes later mixed up the end solution and applied that, then 10 minutes later mixed up the leftover with water and applied it all and rinsed it out. It was a lot more work than usual, and the concentration stung my eyes more, and it was messier; the bathroom looked a litt...