Relaxed day: walking, reading, troubleshooting, …. Here I’m troubleshooting a plant watering schedule on a Hubitat home automation hub. I finally set up schedules for a water pump that irrigates the long line of grasses on our balcony. Back in the day, a plug-in mechanical timer would’ve done the job.
Category: Living
Finding Inspo
Took in some of my favorite sights on a Nordeast Minneapolis bike ride. Between Bauhaus Brewery and the headquarters of modern furniture company Blu Dot, this silent gantry crane nods to the building’s industrial past. Last year this scene inspired me to create a LEGO gantry crane.
Bringing a Prairie Home
It was Dwight’s fourth visit to Gertens this week, my first. Now we have 72 pots of native grasses, plus various herbs and tomato plants. We spent the afternoon putting the grasses in grow bags then placing the grow bags in long planters. When the grasses have recovered from the ordeal, I’ll make the big…… Continue reading Bringing a Prairie Home
Thriving
Debriefed our respective days at our local bar. Dwight spent much of his day mitigating black mold at the greenhouse, oh, and spotting these native Minnesota cacti outside at the entry to the greenhouse. Seriously, they survive our winters! I shared about the vagaries of the English language, working three 90-minute classes with learners from…… Continue reading Thriving
LEGO and War
On my cycle ride, stopped at the showroom of Brickmania, a Minneapolis company specializing in LEGO-compatible military parts and model kits they’ve created based on real-world military designs. Some kits were over $1,000. Brickmania also accepts commissions to build huge LEGO military models. The LEGO Company itself doesn’t manufacture sets based on real-world military conflicts.
A Quiet Day Was Had
Rain ruled out a cycle ride, but not a morning walk. An afternoon on the couch ensued, napping and reading a novel, with cups of tea delivered periodically. It was that kind of day.
Taking the Pressure Off
Cycled rail trails with a friend: part of the Gateway Trail to Brown’s Creek Trail down to Stillwater. Refueled with coffee, we cycled across the historic lift bridge (and back) before heading uphill for the return journey. This was our longest ride this year so it felt good to pause and stand to take off the pressure and admire this lush bank of ferns.
Sushi Sunday
Sunday lunch with the family: a boat-load of sushi at Misono; even the teens were on board.
Prepping for Native Grasses
Today’s theme was irrigation. This morning, I tackled some watering issues with a couple planters on a community deck downstairs. This afternoon, I prepped our balcony for native grasses (in planters, of course) by setting up 48 drippers. One of my goals for this year is to focus on improving soil moisture sensing.
A Vehicle for Butter
It’s Syttende mai (“Seventeenth of May”), Norway’s Constitution Day. And you can’t get more Norwegian than lefse from Fargo, North Dakota, where people of Norwegian descent still eat lutefisk, brown cheese, and boat-loads of butter. At Dwight’s direction (a true Norwegian descendant), I tracked down the lefse at our local Lunds & Byerlys. We’ll have…… Continue reading A Vehicle for Butter