all that's past is prologue...

I'm in bed with the full-on intestinal flu. The fever, the aches, the every-ten-minute-trips-to-the-bathroom, the bucket by the bed, all of it. So much for everything that had to get done today — it's hard to work when you can't stand up. Being sick always makes me really miss my mom. I think everyone wants their mother when they are sick, actually. From the time I was little and she would leave me with my glass of flat seven-up (and then try to get some work done, much as I am doing now), to after my neck surgery when she came over and sat with me every day, she was always there for me. Luckily, those I love try their best to fill the void. Patrick has risen to take care of things wonderfully, even though he is still on the mend from a cold. Beatrix comes and hangs with me. My friend Geri dropped off a care package, even though I am the worst friend in the world because she had the same thing a few weeks ago and I did not even know. Even Mimi hung out with me all day l...

Current status of 466 Iglehart: Meanwhile, Nicole Curtis tells me that Minneapolis has demo orders out for 54 properties. At a completely conservative estimate of 20K each for demo, that is over a million dollars of taxpayer money going out to tear down houses that don't need to be torn down and that leave gaping holes in the neighborhood (remember that when you get your property tax statement next year). These empty lots are not "pocket parks" or "green space," they are open hazards that cause risk and community decline; a recent City of Saint Paul study found that empty lots generally cause a 15-20% decrease of the value of the adjoining properties. Proving the insanity of this situation, today the City of Minneapolis is tearing down a North Minneapolis home that Nicole actually had a purchase agreement on. And, after spending taxpayer funds to demo sound homes, they will then donate at least some of the lots to Habitat for Humanity (rather than the ...

Just a few weeks back, the back corner of our yard was a mess. Stacked high with wood and debris, volunteer trees several inches thick growing, generally inaccessible. We finally decided to do something about it, though I forgot to take a picture of the "before." This gives some idea, if you multiply it literally by 10 and throw in a lot of trash: So, late one night I am messing around on the internet, and I see a FB ad for a new-ish organization called We Can Grow . I had already written off the idea of starting a garden this year — so much work, so time-consuming, so much added stress. But at the same time, Beatrix has been a lot more interested in gardening, and the information on We Can Grow was so interesting...I bit the bullet and applied for a scholarship. The idea behind the organization is to provide a full (urban-style) farm-to-table experience. Mike, the founder, had a 2,600 square foot garden last year, planted with the express purpose of providing food t...

For the past two weekends, we've been immersed in history. Last weekend, we went down to the Mankato area. I'm working on a National Register determination for an apiary near Janesville, and I got to show Patrick and Beatrix some of the work I've been doing in Waseca and Mankato. Beatrix's favorite, however, which she still talks about constantly, were the Betsy-Tacy houses , which I think really made the stories come alive to her. The next day, we visited the Jeffers petroglyphs — though it was too cold, with the wind coming off the prairie, to stay long. We also stopped at the Harkin General Store — also a little cold and crowded. Nevertheless, we had fun at each. Building on that, we visited the Ramsey House today. They have a kids' time capsule program, where a certain year is featured and there's a kind of treasure hunt through the house. The year today was 1857, and we stopped at various points through the house for different activities, from guessin...

The long winter and wet spring has really done a number on all three of the gardens I tend. At Summit, the Great Pool Disaster ( TM ) had the biggest impact (short version - big tree branch fell on pool and ripped apart the cover plus caved in the poorly-laid bluestone, thus causing a multi-faceted repair plan and over 20K worth of work needed). That work has only drawn attention however to the remarkably terrible job the landscaping company did just 7 years ago, however (hint, if you want landscaping done, DON'T use Landscape Renovations!!), and I have spend much of the spring ripping out dead plants and getting really bummed out over poorly designed/planted beds. It needs some major redesign and replanting, especially since we are hosting the SARPA tea, but I just don't know that we can afford that with the other work going on. Winter Street is...well, Winter Street. We planted a new tree. Here at Ashland, we are preparing to install a raised bed garden in back to grow ...

So, last week I was able to cross off a long-standing item on my bucket list and go see "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" recorded live. But it gets better — the amazing John Moe introduced the show! And better — in a reception afterwards (more on that later), I got to see the lovely Joanna Schnedler, and hear my former classmate Dave Kansas (now the COO of American Public Media) speak, and meet his lovely and impressive wife Monica! And even better — I got to attend with Jennifer and Elaine, the two best friends a girl could have, and the perfect companions to girls night out! (plus chauffeur service by a handsome man!) And better still — my college friend Adam was one of the panelists, and so we got to catch up ever so slightly. Adam is an amazing and talented human being that I feel lucky to call a friend. But most amazingly, Peter Sagal hosted the entire thing having experienced a brutal fall earlier that day, with an eye swollen shut and likely in an incredible amo...

Another preservation goal — I suppose that's appropriate, since May is Preservation Month! This building, and another one like it, sit over in Highland Park; this one is on the corner of Hamline and Montreal, right by a frisbee golf course that has sprung up and across from a city-owned golf course and from Circus Juventas . I believe it's designed by Cap Wigington , if I remember correctly. What you can't see from the picture is that it is two-story, built into a hillside, and with a lovely patio spreading out beneath it. It's city-owned, and it's been boarded up as long as I can remember. To their credit, they have not demolished it, simply moth-balled it.  The rationale I keep on hearing about it is "we can't do anything with it because it's historic," which makes no sense, because it's the history that makes it so beautiful. I have heard recently that they are looking for a public-private partnership to develop it, which is a good...