As we do on Thursdays we compared our volunteer experiences—he in the university greenhouse, I at the school. I’m cautious taking photos at the school, but Dwight went full-throttle photographing over-the-top orchids, including this one. Today was the final day of school, but I’ll be assisting with Summer School later this month. Meanwhile, the greenhouse needs constant attention.
Category: Living
And then it was gone
I looked away for a moment and the eagle vanished. It’s one of a pair raising chicks across the river from where we live, but it likes this safe perch on our side of the river where it presumably scopes out meal options. I then spent way too much time trying to track down a quote about the prey being dead the moment its image touches the retina of an eagle. AI assures me Saint-Exupéry never wrote anything like that, but I’m not so sure.
A day for indoor activities
This morning, woke up to a smoke-filled view of Downtown. When I stepped outside, I could taste and smell the wildfires in Manitoba. Definitely a day for indoor activities.
No more goopy stuff: 3D digital impression of my mouth
Pleasant surprise at the dentist this morning: digital impressions. Instead of the usual trays of goop for my crown prep, they used a special camera. I got to see a 3D/rotating digital model of my mouth with and without the crown, which was then sent to the lab. (Red reveals the bite surfaces.)
Push-fit fix and software re-jig
A plant misting zone had become anemic, so today I tracked down a failing solenoid valve. Swapping in a spare was easy because the electrical and water connectors are push-in, requiring no tools. Our irrigation system uses many convenient push-in water connectors, and tubes have never popped out when properly locked. More time-consuming was re-jigging the software that controls the misting zones, another item on my to-do list.
Early season finds at the Mill City Farmers Market
Our local farmers market was busy this morning. I walked away with asparagus, baby kale, bread, and honey. It’s too early in Minnesota’s growing season for anything cruciferous, except a few types of leafy greens.
Feeling at home at the Minneapolis American Indian Center
After my gig at Franklin Library deducing words from context, I stopped by Gatherings Cafe at the beautifully remodeled Minneapolis American Indian Center. While primarily serving the local urban Native community, I felt very welcome as I ordered a bison melt with a side salad. The delicious food is organic and made on the premises from scratch, including the bread.
Using AI to generate worksheets for vocabulary deduction
I’m constantly discovering new applications for AI. Tomorrow, I plan to guide an adult learner through exercises focused on deducing the meaning of challenging words from their context in both single sentences and three-sentence paragraphs. Creating two worksheets—one with 30 sentences and another with 30 paragraphs, ensuring the same difficult words appeared in both—took about two minutes.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
Led my friend visiting from the UK along a dirt path, past abandoned grain elevators to the seemingly dilapidated Harris Machinery Company building. Closer inspection reveals thorough stabilization. The rebuilt first floor now hosts The Market at Malcolm Yards, a food hall where my friend chose Argentinian cuisine and I, Korean.
Standing on a bridge to nowhere
Near the start of a cycle ride with a friend, we stood 680 feet out over the Mississippi on this bridge. Behind me, the bridge abruptly ends mid-river. The Rock Island Swing Bridge had two decks when it opened in 1894: a railroad above and a road below. We capped off our morning at a friendly coffee shop where we indulged in way too much cake.