On our hike through Indian Canyons, the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a barrel cactus looked ready for some fancy dance moves. We’ve hiked these trails so many times over the years, and each time it seems to require a little more effort, particularly on the ascents.
Category: Living
What a difference 8,000 feet makes
This morning: hiked a snowy landscape with temperatures in the 50s. This afternoon: desert hiking in the 80s. All thanks to an 8,000-foot elevation difference and an aerial tramway. Both hikes were cut short: the first by ice, the second by dehydration.
We like it here*
A cyclist, unperturbed by the chill, overtook me as I walked home after wandering around the university with a friend. (*Slogan once used to promote tourism to Minneapolis. To me, it comes over as defensive, even though I do like it here, provided we can shorten the winter by retreating to warmer climes.)
Birthday reflection
Took this thank you photo for a friend who gifted this cake. Since it’s a half-cake, we should hopefully avoid hyperglycemia. I used a mirror to double the number of candles, then performed minor AI subtractive cleanup to create a stronger composition. (The subject? Birthday Boy or the dessert? Take your pick.)
The American Dream lives on in the classroom
It was a morning of Certified Nursing Assistant and English Language Learning with mainly Somali immigrants. These word choices by learners demonstrate the classroom as a safe space. Their attitudes were remarkable, especially given the appalling statements made by the POTUS this week. The fear of arbitrary race-based detention and deportation is a disturbing reality in Minneapolis today.
One in, one out
This beauty arrived from Williams-Sonoma today: a Le Creuset cast iron gratin dish, my online Black Friday purchase. I generally do the bakes, so I’ll be making good use of this. The dish is made in France, so I will have missed the more extreme tariff placed on China. Our household rules dictate that an old kitchen item must now go to Goodwill.
Life in a cold climate
Waiting for friends at a light rail station, I pushed a timer button to run this ceiling-mounted infrared heater. I used to view these as wasteful, but given this cold snap, I’ve come to appreciate anything that takes the chill off my bones.
Prince library card: I’ll leave home without it
Walking near the Downtown library, I stopped in and picked up a limited-edition Prince library card on impulse. As I continued my walk, I quickly realized it’s destined to lie in a drawer—I’ll never actually use it. I primarily check out eBooks to read on my phone, tablet, or Kindle, and even when I borrow physical books, my phone serves as my digital card.
Gasket secret revealed
Who knew? Our washing machine’s door gasket has hidden drain holes. We noticed water accumulating and causing mold growth, but Dwight found the solution on YouTube: remove the gunk from the hidden drain holes. Unblocking them motivated me to clean the air and water filters in the TOTOs, which I do periodically, having read the manual. Such is our pursuit of excitement this quiet Sunday.
A recurring symbol of the season
Our Christmas cactus suddenly appeared in a nook in our home today. Now that it’s starting to flower, Dwight decided to give it this more prominent spot. We reckon the plant is over 60 years old.