Business as Usual

This one has been burning in my head for the last few days. Every week is another curve ball in this whole COVID drama. Even though we are far in, I don't think we quite have the grasp of hindsight yet. So for me it is about checking in daily and taking inventory.

Yes there was the initial phase of jigsaw puzzles, baking recipes and learning technology for Zoom meetings. But to me, that is just biding time. I have my eyes set on the light at the end of tunnel and am starting to grasp the next level of division that is evidently coming.

Each state, city and even neighborhood is trying to decide how this withdrawal will work. We are having to rely on whatever leadership we have, whether we trust that or choose to defy the parameters. There is never going to be a mutual consensus that is agreed upon. It is unknown and even facts are blurry. From what I can see, there are tons of options with much middle ground and compromise.

But as everything in this country seems to now dissolve into, it is looking like it will again be a two-side battle. You are either a snowflake liberal that is demanding absolute quarantine and sweating at the palms with gloves and face mask on. Or you are a fanatic conservative waving a rifle on the Capitol steps or a playground saying that your rights are being violated.

Neither party is equipped to handle how opening a restaurant back up will unfold. Or how a non profit board will craft a new direction for a theater to survive. Either one is a very specific entity and needs to do what is right for the organization it serves. This may have nothing to do with a governor or a President. Only they are burdening the weight of foreclosure, mortgage payments, a payroll relying on them, skilled workers that they have trained. On the floor at work EVERY day; I get customers who are "so thankful that you are open and we needed this" to "Why are you open, where are your guidelines and why is every patron not wearing a mask?" Every one of them is entitled to an opinion. But they are not entitled to judge others. They are not living in those shoes or in that world. 

Sadly, each of us is going to have to choose how this situation affects us and what we can or cannot deal with. You can always make the choice to not shop or support this business. You can make the choice to advocate for artists that you love. But there is no absolute right and wrong. It is not Business as Usual. Be firm in yourself but not judgemental of the choices of everyone else. It is literally about your own survival, and while someone else choices may impact yours, it is ultimately your own to make.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips - and Beyond!

I am trying to find some stimulation beyond isolation, quarantine and all the other buzz words that haunt our new daily routines. It is obviously Spring and so many of us are hands-in to our gardens, checking out hatching chicks or looking towards blue skies & longer days. Small pleasures.

But I am still seeking out larger things that can inspire and celebrate. This is an old archived article going back a few years that has been sitting on virtual ice. Today seemed a good time to put it in print. Who doesn't love a #Parade? We have our jewels of Macy's for Thanksgiving and the Rose Bowl for New Years. This one is a stunner in the Netherlands called the Corso Zundert. It takes place in the Fall around what would be our Labor Day; the end of summer and the harvest season. There are 20 nearby hamlets around Zundert that compete for the coveted prize in the festival.

Of course we always associate the country with tulips, but this is months after the bulb blooms. Floats are made using Dahlias, Sunflowers petals and 100s of other varieties. Imagine our Rose Bowl with a spin of modern art and psychedelia. The floats are absolutely mind blowing. The ones that originally captivated me were from 2015 when the theme of the Festival was Vincent VanGogh. I cannot even imagine seeing these live. But as I went to the website and the archives, there are pics going back to the late 1930s, impressive even for back then.


Enjoy some of this shared beauty and imagine what they must have looked like up close!

Corso Zundert Official site

Date Night

Considering that Jeff and I spent our Valentine's date at Taco Bell, and were happy with that - maybe we need to raise the bar a bit higher?! We do have our regular haunts that usually involve a dinner out. Favorites like Jason's Deli, Red Cow, Mayan Cuisine or even Perkins - don't laugh at that $9.99 burger and pie special! We also have special places we like such as Centennial Lakes Park any season of the year. Or a road trip East to Hudson or Franconia Sculpture Gardens.

I am catching up here on a feature from City Pages well over a year back. This tells you something there. We started out trying a concept called Fishbowl Dating where we would each put in strips of paper with unusual adventures on them. And when time came, we would draw one out and that became our outing. I know where that fishbowl rests in the armoire stereo cabinet with quite a handful of tags right where they were left. Part of our challenge is that Jeff likes indoor stimulation like films and museums and I am more of the outdoor type in the woods with trees or along a sandy beach.

I filed this article away and am pulling it out for 2020 as the winds change and Spring is going to allow us more chances to literally "get out."

There are of course, many bar options. Some greasy ones. But also fun kitsch like Marvel Bar & Volstead's Emporium which I have not seen yet. I've done the cheap berm seats at the Saints, but we have never done the roof top mini golf at either the Walker or Centennial Lakes. I also cannot believe that we have never boarded the infamous Ferris Wheel at Betty Dangers! We do Minnehaha with the dogs all the time, but I don't believe we have followed it all the way into the Mississippi and the caves. Who knew the U of MN had a Bioscience Greenhouse? The House of Balls on the West Bank? Did you know that the Parkway has film fests called Scream It Off the Screen where at 3 minutes into the film, the audience shouts back at the screen to yae or nay. Sort of like a live Gong Show. We do love the board games at the original Chatterbox. But I had no idea the Local had a kissing booth in the back of the bar??? So many things to chose from in this exhausting list. Or perhaps it will stimulate some ideas of your own.

The point is to grab your someone; special or just kinda special and get on out!

50 First Dates

Steadfast; onward!

I have been mulling over my New Year's Resolution for a few days now. I also learned a while back to refer to them as #Intentions. Resolution feels so firm & fixed and leads you down that rabbit hole of failure & guilt when falling short. The concept of an intention greets me better to make the attempt with some permission and flexibility. An intention implies there is a goal or a target at the end. I write this post as more of a journal entry to hold myself accountable than to broadcast it to the masses. But here it is in ink or at least print.

I had been toying with concepts like #Simplify #Breathe #GoGetIt. Generic enough to mold, but not so esoteric that they are not clear in my mind. And then a saw a Facebook post from a friend in Chicago, Whitney Rhodes whom I admire. And she is using the short phrase Steady. I didn't want to grab that, but was drawn to the idea and sat on it for a while to see where it led me. And I am taking it a step further in #STEADFAST.

I remember it from Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The term itself seems almost Victorian. As I am digging into it tonight, I see that it has many religious overtones with bible quotes which almost pressured me against it. Some of the definitions are a bit too stoic for me with words like unwavering, unflinching, inflexible. All of these tap into a rigidness I do not want to practice. But there are other words like constant, loyal, determined, resolute and reliable which speak strongly to me. I have the confidence down for the most part. But sometimes, lose focus or am swayed away from my true instincts. And I think this word is a strong reminder to stay the course. So please ask me how I am doing with this concept 8 months down the road!

Here is a noteworthy quote by Victor Hugo that gives me clarity on this idea: “Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”

Oh Christmas Tree! Retro!

The Year without a real Christmas Tree inside. Plumbing work and a new dog that would destroy both the branches and the ornaments. A loss but not a deal breaker here. I am sure it will be back next year. I have plenty of other holiday traditions with cookies, skating and TONS of outdoor lights.

Last year I featured a photo blog post of vintage cocktail dresses around vintage trees. Here is another link to Retro trees from the 50's & 60's that capture both the home and the resident of it. Some vivid snapshots for sure. 

Full link below: Mindcircle; People and their Trees

   

Holiday Lights in the Tundra

I have always been festive in terms of holiday decorating. But most of it had been an indoor vibe - the tree, the banister, some flash around the window panes. The first few years I moved into the house, I did construct this tacky blue star out of left over lumber scraps and hoisted it above the door for a few year until the entire unit collapsed on the side of the house. Curiosity was rekindled a few years back when I started at Gertens and holiday lighting became a part of my vocabulary. So each year I grab more on clearance and this year, have a Snoopy's House collection of dripping icicles; multi color LEDs and a big candy cane birch tree. With perfectly coordinated timers and a quilt of extension cords buried in the snow, I enjoy pulling home every night to the brightest house on the block.

Complete credit for this post goes to Karen Cooper who published a smart piece in the Southwest Journal about the history of holiday lights in Minneapolis. It states that it took only 3 years from the invention of the electric light bulb for it to emerge into the holiday market. And of course it was New York City that featured the first lit Christmas tree in 1882. The budding trend was 1st noted in Minnesota at the turn of the century when Henry Boos took the headlights from his auto to illuminate a giant evergreen nearby at 26th & Elliot.

But the true phenomenon arrived in 1914 with a city-wide effort to cloak Minneapolis in a holiday glow by encouraging many homes to light electric candles in their window sills. This was simplicity, and as costs of electric strings became more economical, displays evolved. Thus, by 1926 the fad became a contest decreed by mayor George Leach & the Minneapolis Electrical League. I was interested to find that this League was a civic/ commercial board which was promoting the concept of residential electric to the general public in those days. That seems so foreign to us 100 years later when current travels without a thought. But with this contest, Minneapolis was divided into different zones and a panel of judges would deem which neighborhood was awarded the prize in a quest to make it the "Brightest City in America." Who knew?

In only it's 2nd year the Chamber of Commerce and Retail Association jumped in and downtown saw miles of garlands and light strings culminating in a 75 foot tall tree at the pivotal Gateway Park. Henry Boos who was mentioned earlier, had now grown from car headlights into a mechanical Santa that climbed up his chimney on the roof. Homes began to outline their silhouettes in colored strings. Yard figures appeared. There were patriotic displays, manger creches, and oodles of snowmen.

Prizes were usually donations of electrical appliances like toasters and radios; eventually even television sets! It sounds pretty old-school, but the Minneapolis Jaycees kept this competition going until 1970 - a 44 year tradition. Sadly, because of the lack of color photography, there are limited pictures of the early displays. Attached is a single photo from the Journal article along with a few more vintage shots. 

Read the original feature below.
Southwest Journal - History of City Light Displays 

Killer Waffles

Being a lazy Sunday morning, Jeff is making a batch of blueberry pancakes and I am reading my New York Times. Dogs are around the house somewhere. A great morning.

I love waffles more than pancakes, but they are more cumbersome to prepare; one at a time in a single iron. Sometimes, during cold winter months, I make the effort with a fabulous recipe book I picked up. But to me, waffles are the ultimate eat-out Sunday brunch food. A shout out to Cities 97, I have now found a new destination for the craving. It sells itself as a Coffee Cafe with the motto - Be Woke, Stay Buzzed, but....

Buzz Coffee and Cafe has tapped into the donut craze and brought it into their own, with apparently multitudes of specialty types & 200 spinoffs in toppings. Their Instagram page is drool worthy to be sure. Even gluten free and vegan options  along with vegan meats. They rattle off names like Butter Beer, Candied Pecan & Honey, Chai, Chocolate Potato Chip, Banana Bread, Cranberry Chicken, Chili Dog..... this list goes on and on and really needs to be seen to be believed! How about a Mermaid - a purple waffle w/ sprinkles, whipped cream & Swedish Fish! What 8 year old would not want to try that? Or for adults, the Med Chicken - w/ chicken, spinach & provolone topped with basil and whipped butter!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Crunch

Two locations are on the outskirts in Plymouth and Burnsville. But this sounds like a road trip worth taking to me. If I went every week for a year it would take me 4 years to make a dent in all 200 varieties. Ponder that.

Vegan Strawberry Brie