Most days I post something about my day in a microblog. Without over-thinking, I’ve selected one post from each month of 2020.
Ridge Trail
Hiked seven hours on a well-designed and maintained trail along a ridge separating Kenepuru Sound and Queen Charlotte Sound. Sometimes we saw Kenepuru, sometimes Queen Charlotte, sometimes both.
Hasty Departure
Au revoir Hawaii Big Island. It was time to pause our stay in Hawaii: tomorrow, a stay-at-home order goes into effect for the whole of Hawaii. We’ll return in December (ultimately it was December 2021) to complete the journey when the island will be back in business and trails have been reopened.
Menu Management System
Our new Menu Management System imposes structure on our week, reminds us which day it is, and helps us manage our inventory of vegetables. We shouldn’t need to go to a supermarket until the middle of next week.
Pedestrian Power
Cycled some of the many miles of roads in Minneapolis where pedestrians and cyclists have priority.
Minneapolis Protest Street Art
Posted Minneapolis Protest Street Art.
Minnesota Not Nice
Included the Arthur and Edith Lee House on a cycle ride. In 1931, the black couple bought this house in what was a whites-only neighborhood. Each night, thousands of angry white people protested outside while throwing rocks and excrement at the house. Read more here.
Social in a Time of Covid
Chatted with friends.
Supermarket Haul
Cycled home from a large Asian supermarket with this haul in my pack. I’m learning to make Japanese tonkotsu pork broth, hence the pig trotters, pork neck bones, and chicken carcasses. If all else fails, we have Japanese Kit Kats.
Snapshots: Superior Hiking Trail 2020
Posted Snapshots: Superior Hiking Trail 2020.
Just Married
Yesterday we got married. Posted Our Elopement Timeline.
William O’Brien State Park
Hiked William O’Brien State Park on frozen ground lightly dusted with snow.
January
Looking back from today, January 2020 seems like an alternate reality where we could sit in theater audiences, eat in restaurants, and ride public transport.
The Minneapolis Guthrie Theater’s artistic director, Joseph Haj, had been staging several plays exploring social justice themes. At the time we did not know that social justice, specifically protests brought about by disregard for black lives, would take center stage in our city later in the year.
February
We flew out of Minneapolis MSP in the middle of a snowstorm. After a few days in Hawaii, we continued on to New Zealand where we hiked. A multi-day hike took us inn-to-inn on the Queen Charlotte Track.
In December 2021 we’ll return to New Zealand and walk this lovely trail for the fourth time.
March
After New Zealand, we spent more time in Hawaii, but not as much time as we had planned.
Before leaving Hawaii prematurely, we moved a condo reservation in Kona from March 2020 to December 2020. It’s now December 2020, Hawaii is back in business, and trails have been reopened, but traveling in these times is not prudent for us. We moved the reservation yet again, this time to December 2021. This could be the next time we board a plane.
Until next fall, absence of herd immunity, and Covid flareups resulting in lockdowns, will make it attractive to enjoy staycations at home. We play the hand we’re dealt.
April
The Covid virus meant we ate all our meals at home, and tried to restrict supermarket forays to once every two weeks. We love to cook from scratch, but keeping track of fresh ingredients and meal possibilities became problematic.
Later, I posted about whiteboards.
May
Minneapolis became even more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, as a way to get people safely out of their homes.
Later in the month, the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis resonated around the world.
June
I keep my microblog personal and generally stay away from immediate or emotional reactions to the events of the day. I focus on what I do rather than what I think. However, in my microblog you’ll see references to the Floyd murder, its aftermath, and my search for the history of systemic racism in Minneapolis.
July
During the summer, a friend and I cycled to significant places in the history of discriminatory housing practices in Minneapolis.
August
Covid helped me to embrace my introversion. No longer did I need to feel stressed knowing I would have to mingle at some big social event. However, I love getting with friends in small gatherings. With Covid we just had to be a little more creative.
I often used my bicycle to enforce social distancing.
September
I had cancelled a September trip to Japan, but could still enjoy making Japanese food.
There’s a large Asian supermarket in walking/cycling distance from our home. It stocks enough ingredients for a lifetime of learning Asian cuisines.
I’m becoming somewhat adept at making Japanese-style tonkotsu (pork) broth. I find 26 hours on high in a slow cooker delivers a product that, for me, evokes a Hakata-style (Fukuoka) broth. After filtering the broth, a quick blast with an immersion blender approximates the distinctive cloudy, creamy texture.
October
We hiked parts of the Superior Trail with our two young nephews (now 12 and 13) and their dad. We rented a townhouse on the shores of Lake Superior, the one time this past year we chose not to follow Covid guidelines.
November
After 33 years together, it was about time.
December
I love to move, be it walking, cycling, or occasional jogging, while avoiding driving. However, this month we varied our activities by driving out to two nearby state parks: Afton and William O’Brien.
Love it. Making the best of a bad deal.
Thank you for being part of that.