Hug a tree, in winter
December 21, 2010
I am no tree hugger—well, maybe I am more than some people—but there are no fake plastic trees in my neighborhood! I will start you with this gratuitous rabbit shot. I have come to know that a rabbit lives around these outbuildings beside my home train station. As I am leaving the platform, I stop to locate the rabbit. Tonight, it was snowing again and the pine tree was dressed up for a picture postcard, and the rabbit was giving me a nice, rabbity profile.
It is a few days before Christmas and some have been moaning about all the snow we’ve gotten already this season and about how kind of cold it’s mostly been. Well, I say, if it’s going to be cold (which it is), it may as well snow (I realized tonight after posting a different missive that I probably use “might” and “may” incorrectly in the context of statements such as the previous. I shall endeavor to do better). Unfortunately, that tripped me up with regard to getting to bowling tonight.
Last Monday, after the roads were well cleared from the seventeen inches of snow we had over the weekend, it took me an hour to make a drive that usually takes me twenty minutes, tops. So today, as five to eight new inches were predicted, with the accumulation culminating during rush hour, aka drive to bowling time, I made the decision early not to drive my four-cylinder, lightweight, manual-transmission econobox in less than ideal conditions.
On the other hand, the snow provides for wonderful visions of Mother Nature at her most beautiful, like in the opening photo, or in the photo above, from this year’s first snow in mid-November. For a day, it was a gorgeous winter wonderland. This is the lovely maple tree that’s in my front yard. It’s a beautiful tree, but it does throw a little too much shade on my gardening efforts in the warm season.
Other than the driving of my own car, which I only have to do twice a week for bowling, not commuting to work, you will be hard-pressed to get me to say negative things about winter. I like it.
I will end by coming full-circle, with what you probably knew would have to creep in at some point. This is one of my two favorite shots I’ve produced so far with Instagram, the latest apply-a-filter app. These are other pine trees next to the train station, taken after the snow we had the first week of December.
Winter is beautiful. Oh, and one time only, I hugged a tree.
The day in snow: Blizzard 12-11-10 (photos)
December 13, 2010
It snowed! Here are the photos; check out the few videos, too.
Friday night as the snow started around 10:13pm. If you look closely, you can see rabbit tracks crossing the sidewalk. I think one lives under my neighbor’s stairs.
Time lapse:
Saturday at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm;
Sunday morning before and after shoveling. I can’t see too much out my window anymore!
Saturday at 1:30pm 14 inches; at 5:30pm 17.5 inches. That was about the end of the snowfall. Then it got windier.
Saturday afternoon I shoveled an exit trail from my garden level apartment. I did it a second time four hours later. It wasn’t too bad Sunday morning after a few more inches and overnight winds. However, it had to get worse before it could get better as I did a thorough removal from my door area, steps, and walk.
Before and after. I was nice and shoveled my neighbors’ deck and stairs. I figured I could do it tidily myself and minimize the mess below, or be annoyed at having to clean up after them later. I also shoveled my end neighbors’ steps and made a one-shovel-width trail. They’re in Mexico and I bet they’re laughing right now!
Post-shoveling view of my window from the outside.
Fortunately, blowing and drifting worked to my car’s advantage. It wasn’t too much trouble to shovel out my parking space. The drift didn’t go very far underneath.
Around the neighborhood: My immediate street has not been plowed yet as of 9:30pm Sunday (it was vacated by the city years ago, so we have a contract with private plowing). The city made one pass through the side street. Snow emergency routes like Cedar Avenue are in pretty good shape. Drifted snow in a nearby vacant lot.
Views from my nearest MNDOT traffic cameras Saturday afternoon during the storm.
I’ll end with gratuitous rabbit pictures: a neighborhood rabbit frolicked Friday night before the snow started; tracks on a drift in my yard on Sunday.
Signs of spring
December 11, 2010
This evening, as snowfall begins that’s predicted to be the heaviest in ten years, I thought we’d review some signs of spring and both reminisce about and look forward to happier times.
As soon as it hits 50 or 60F (10 or 15C), it’s time to start eating lunch outside. There’s a nice plaza a block away from my office that gets toasty sunshine on clear days. It’s very refreshing to get outside for a little while, especially when you don’t have to spend ten minutes bundling up to do it.
Whose mood isn’t brightened by the first daffodils to show their yellow sunniness, or the gentle fragrance from a lilac bush wafting in the breeze? Lilacs. Look at that snow. Can you believe it will be six months until we smell their sweet scent again?
If you’re a baseball fan like I am, spring means the start of the regular season. This past year that was particularly meaningful as the Minnesota Twins inaugurated their new outdoor park, Target Field. It true that some of the first games were rather chilly, but it was so fantastic to be outside watching a game with 40,000 of my closest friends. And we know that in just a few months we’ll be sweltering in the dog days of summer.
We will finish our little mood-jogger this evening with beer. You figured I’d get around to something beer related, right? Perhaps my personal favorite sign of spring is when the Bell’s Oberon Ale is released. Even its sunny label says good times are ahead, and while we’re at it, let’s fire up the grill. Oberon pairs very nicely with a delicious, juicy steak and grilled veggies.
Ah, spring.
April 1, 2010
Flannel sheets surprise
June 5, 2010
I???ve already extolled the virtues of hot water and the morning shower. I???ve said how I love to sleep and wish I did more of it. If you have pets yourself, you know that they can melt away the day???s troubles with a well-timed purr. That these things make up a feel-good trifecta is no surprise. What does surprise me is that in the suddenly summer weather we???ve been having, my flannel sheets are not too warm.
Mother Nature has been confusing us Minnesotans this spring. I don???t waste time getting the flannel sheets onto the bed in the fall. then we had an early warm spell, so I didn???t waste time taking them off as spring approached. Trouble is, the warm didn???t last for very long and we swung to unseasonably cool temperatures. The flannel sheets make a curtain call. The cool stayed around and the flannel stayed on.
Then, practically overnight, summer made another push into the scene. Being the cynical Minnesotan that I am, it took me a long time to be convinced that it wouldn???t snow again. The flannel sheets stayed on. Then, me being me, when I did laundry, I just put them back on rather than have to fold them up.
It has continued to be summery warm. I have flung open my windows. And I am completely surprised that I haven???t been roasting sleeping in those flannel sheets. I have come to this conclusion: flannel sheets aren???t warmer than regular sheets. They just seem that way in the winter because they???re fuzzy. They aren???t cold to the initial touch when you get into bed. You don???t have to wait for your body heat to warm up the points of contact.
Last fall I was surprised when an online acquaintance who lives in central Illinois???further south, more humid???said that he leaves his flannel sheets on year round. Now I know he???s not crazy!
June 2, 2010
The day in bike ride: May 29, 2010
May 31, 2010
I finally went on a ride I???ve been wanting to, down the Mississippi River to Minnehaha Creek, up the sides of a couple of lakes, and back home on the Midtown Greenway to the Hiawatha path. It???s 20.5 miles. I stopped to take a photo approximately every mile and here they are, locations duly noted on the map.
Photo 1, mile 0.75: Mississippi River. I didn???t think to start taking photos until I got down to the river, hence the 3/4 measurement.
Photo 2, mile 1.75: Mississippi River
Photo 3, mile 2.75: Mississippi River, under the Lake Street Bridge
Photo 4, mile 3.75: Mississippi River
Photo 5, mile 4.75: Mississippi River, near the turn-off for Lock & Dam #1
Photo 6, mile 5.75: Minnehaha Parkway
Photo 7, mile 6.75: Minnehaha Parkway, between Lakes Hiawatha and Nokomis
Photo 8, mile 7.75: Minnehaha Parkway
Photos 9, 10, mile 8.75: Minnehaha Parkway, ???Cottontail on the Trail??? at Portland Avenue. I did not know this was there, and it was time for a photo, honest!
Photo 11, mile 9.75: Minnehaha Parkway
Photo 12, mile 10.75: jog up to Lake Harriet
??
Photo 13, mile 11.75: Lake Harriet
Photo 14, mile 12.75: Lake Harriet, lunch stop. I was really hungry by this time and the hotdog was a good enough combo of carbs and protein.
Photo 15, mile 13.75: Lake Calhoun. The temperature was in the mid-80sF. There were a lot of people enjoying the water.
??
Photo 16, mile 14.75: Lake Calhoun soccer fields
??
Photo 17, mile 15.75: between Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, access point to the Midtown Greenway
Photo 18, mile 16.75: Midtown Greenway. This follows old railroad tracks along 29th Street.
Photo 19, mile 17.75: Midtown Greenway. White building is a Freewheel Bicycle store and pitstop for bikers. It even has showers.
Photo 20, mile 18.75: Midtown Greenway, turning toward Hiawatha Avenue.??
??
Photo 21, mile 19.75: Hiawatha Avenue bike path. Franklin Avenue Light Rail Station in the background, and also downtown Minneapolis skyline. Almost home!
Photo 22, mile 20.58: Home, whew!
??
Satellite Map ?? Google Maps
Minnesot-ah: summer hoorah!
February 14, 2010
These photos sum up a lot about Minnesota. There is my Minnesota Twins baseball cap. There is a large fiberglass golden gopher (the state rodent). There is Summit Beer. There is Summit Beer on a stick. It is a gorgeous, sunny day at my perfect temperature of about 75°F/24°C. And all of this is happening at the Great Minnesota Get Together, otherwise known as the Minnesota State Fair.
If the temperature doesn’t go above 80°F, I love summer. If the relative humidity stays reasonable, I’m great. The Twin Cities are full of bike trails, golf courses, festivals, lakes, outdoor bar and restaurant seating, and everything else that takes advantage of our three week summer.
But the climax of the summer that everyone looks forward to is the State Fair. Probably the first thing anyone with experience would tell you is that at the State Fair, you can find just about anything on a stick. Sure, it’s mostly food items, but some non-solids find their way to stickdom, too—just look at my flight of little Summits (that’s Oktoberfest Red Ale, Extra Pale Ale, and Red Ale for those of you keeping track). There is a wide variety of music, exhibits, a sizable midway, and other entertainment. There is a grandstand. There are animals and agriculture. One wing of a building is dedicated to seed art. The Aquatennial Queen (a midsummer festival revolving around the Mississippi River and the many area lakes) has her head carved in butter. Or is that Princess Kay of the Milky Way? The downside to the State Fair is that it also signals the end of summer. It finishes its nearly two-week run on Labor Day (the first Monday in September here in the US). Summer work hours end, the kids go back to school, and you pack away your white clothing. Fortunately, winter doesn’t hit until at least the end of the month.Minnesot-ah: winter blah
February 12, 2010
I have said for a long time that winter is my favorite season. And this was after I moved to Minnesota. But this year, winter’s buggin’ me. Just take a look at my front yard.
I don’t know when I began actively liking winter. I remember enjoying snow as a kid in Ohio, especially that one year when there were snowdrifts up to the eaves and I burrowed out a snow cave in one of them. That was back in the days when parents still let their kids do stuff and didn’t freak out about safety or germs or whatever.
From Ohio, I went to Wisconsin, then to Minneapolis for a few years, back to a different part of Wisconsin, and then back to Minneapolis, where I’ve been since fall 1994 (my word, where does the time go?).
It must have been in the last ten years or so that I decided winter was my favorite. This probably coincides with aging and generally getting overheated more easily, so the summer heat became less appealing and easy cooling more so. I know it’s not because I adore winter sports such as ice fishing and snowmobiling.
A lot does go on during the Minnesota winter, as people try to embrace this thing that happens for half the year. St Paul has a perfectly nice Winter Carnival with activities such as an ice castle and medallion treasure hunt.
I think what’s annoying me this year is the below average temperatures that are keeping everything crusty. We haven’t had any more snow than usual, and certainly not even close to what has happened on the East Coast this year. But we have been suffering with those well-below-freezing temperatures. I’m sick of bundling up (though I’m quite fond of my sleeping bag-esque down coat that makes it more bearable by about 10°F; in other words, I can wait ten more degrees before I have to add the long underwear), I’m sick of slipping on icy patches created by 24-hour “warm-ups” followed by immediate freeze-downs, I’m sick of darkness, and I miss sitting on my front step for Home Happy Hour.
Summer, where are you?
Big deal, it snowed today
December 9, 2009
Today in Minnesota, we had our first consequential snowfall. It wasn’t significant in terms of inches (it looks like it was about one inch), but it certainly wrought havoc. I know it snows in Alaska in the summer. I know California is having their own unusually chilly weather. I know the UK is still trying to figure out how to build an ark. And apparently the American Southwest had snow yesterday and today and didn’t know what to do with it. (Did I forget anyone?) A few snowflakes shouldn’t faze us hardy Minnesotans. Nevertheless, every winter there is a period of adjustment. Heck, even a rain shower in the summer or a curve in the road throws traffic into chaos. It wouldn’t be half as bad if we were more courteous to each other on the road.
I was supposed to write about Minnesota license plates or, if I were writing a real entry for yesterday rather than relying on my bowling scores, about food that’s all the same color. Well, the snow made everything outside look the same color and I’ve heard that because of the snow, traffic was a mess which is related to license plates in that vehicles are supposed to have them.
I am glad that I don’t have to drive-commute to work. I benefit from readily available inner city public transportation and living less than two miles from where I work downtown. I can’t remember the last time I used my car to get to work. On the rare occasions when I do, it’s because I will be time-pinched to get somewhere right after work that is in the opposite direction of home. It would take me about 30 minutes or so to get home, get my car, and backtrack through downtown.
In the warmer weather I bicycle to work. It only takes 10 minutes and that’s a short enough length of time that I don’t get overheated (as a woman over 40, that’s an important consideration!). When it’s cooler, I strongly prefer to walk. It’s so much less stressful than dodging idiot, blinders-on car drivers with my bike. The walk takes about 30 minutes, which is a perfect length of time to decompress after the work day and to get physical health benefits. I call it utility recreation. I guess as a walker, I have a little adjustment period, too. Experience on the bike and on foot tells me that when the temperature is below 25°F, I need longjohns, so I always accomplish that part of the triquation. Last winter, I acquired my first ever sleeping-bag coat. Some of you know what that means. You know who you are. Today, I should have chosen the sleeping-bag coat over my merely big coat. My torso is always plenty warm even in the subbest of freezing temperatures, but the fronts of my thighs eventually get cold. Even 15 minutes (half the walk) is unpleasant enough. The sleeping bag goes down to mid-calf and takes care of that. But this weren’t nuthin’ today. Just talked to my parents in central Wisconsin and they’ve had a preemptive state of emergency declared for their possible foot of snow in the next 24 hours. They’re also 10°F warmer. I guess we Minnesotans got off lucky.
Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog 