Beneficial Insects

Sunday morning: While listening to BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time, Dwight misted plants to highlight cobwebs. He found none thanks to two types of beneficial insects he’d ordered online. Thursdays: He volunteers at a teaching/research greenhouse at the University of Minnesota.

Sausage Saturday

It’s Sausage Saturday, its a warm day, it’s time for our first barbecue of 2022. I picked up the bacon brats at the local farmers market. We also barbecued (in foil) cabbage with soy sauce, butter, and garlic, and carrots with olives and olive oil.

Categorized as Cook

The Case of the Crooked Glasses

Cycled to an optical store to get my glasses straightened. Bent them recently when I had chest pain, staggered towards Dwight, then face-planted. It was like a scene from an Agatha Christie murder mystery. A trip to the ER pointed to a culprit: an ongoing potassium issue.

Categorized as Health

Minimalist Website Design

Deployed a new version of tomwilson.com. It may not looks so different, but under the hood it’s a modern approach to WordPress. I was motivated by “Less is More.” “Less” turned out to be more work. Next up: fix loose ends, Search, and improve Mobile Responsiveness.

Categorized as Design

Swedish Treat

Went on the longest cycle ride, so far, this year, with a mandatory DQ towards the end. My friend had a two-for-one coupon to use before it expired. The DQ was closed, so instead we continued to Fletcher’s for first-rate lingonberry ice cream, a nod to the area’s Swedish roots.

Categorized as Cycle

Top-Up

We both walked over to Walgreens for second COVID boosters.

Gold Plating

Last week a friend emailed: “Release 2 [of my pneumatic machine] should have some AI to know when there’s something to load and when it’s done.” He was teasing, but I liked the challenge. Today I got the AI working. Next, I’ll add code to operate the air valve with a servo motor.

Categorized as LEGO

Wet Walk, Lucky Brides

On my drippy walk, “spose bagnate, spose fortunate”—wet brides, lucky brides. On Stone Arch Bridge a wedding party assembled under umbrellas. Later, a different bride leapt out of a car, dashed past me, and disappeared into the Guthrie, presumably abandoning outdoor photography.

Freedom

As I sometimes do, stocked up for our weekly “Sausage Saturday” with smoky Ukrainian sausage from Nordeast Minneapolis institution, Kramarczuk’s. It was founded by a couple who immigrated in the 1940’s from Ukraine, a country which had suffered terribly under Stalin and Hitler.