Popped into Pow Wow Grounds, a Native-owned and operated coffee shop surrounded by one of the largest urban Native American populations in the country. When I ordered my coffee, the young barista ran a card on a string through the payment terminal causing it to display an unexpected “$0.” Noticing my confusion, he pointed to a sign and explained, “No charge for coffee for elders.” I accepted graciously.
Category: In This Together
Bonhomie at Falling Knife
Cycled over to Falling Knife Brewery with friends who live in our building. Good conversation flowed in the taproom.
Did Lunds & Byerlys miss the memo?
When I stopped by L&B for some groceries, it appeared they hadn’t read the memo from the federal government. This is a business we happily support.
A sad day in Minnesota
The Minnesota Orchestra’s season finale began with reflective words, Elgar’s deeply emotional “Nimrod,” and a moment of silence.
Pride in a challenging time
It was time to bring out our Everyone is Awesome LEGO model for Pride Month. This year, it feels less like a celebration and more about asking what we can do to stand up to the discrimination flooding out of Washington.
Sunday dinner with family
Dinner with my sister-in-law, two brothers-in-law, and a nephew at Misono Asian Bistro, which is midway between our homes. Caught up on life’s events over sushi (one of two trays shown here) and various starters, including gyoza.
School’s out, but plants rest for no-one
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.
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.
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.