Plants drippered, fridge tipped, bags packed. Ready for an early morning departure. (The Vikings stadium roof is visible through the far window, glowing blue. The lighting is dynamic; for example, during the Christmas season it features a candy cane design.)
Category: Seasonal
Frozen air, still water
Sub-zero (Fahrenheit) sunrise this morning. The Mississippi was unusually calm, mist rising from the near-freezing water. Another day to stay inside.
Time to get ready to be snowbirds
Woke up to Gold Medal Park, Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum in a snow globe. A perfect day to stay in, ride an exercycle, and start packing for our annual snowbird trip. New this year: we’ve arranged for bikes, so I’ll be gathering our helmets, locks, and some tools.
A day off from the world
It was a day for isolating ourselves from the world: the weather was still too frigid to go outside, plus we declared a no-news day. I prototyped a LEGO pneumatic AND gate that functions significantly better than the gates I built yesterday. However, I won’t be building a pneumatic adder any time soon because I don’t have enough pistons.
A winter’s night with Nordic composers
Drove from heated garage to heated garage for a Minnesota Orchestra concert of music by Nordic composers. There were nods to hygge, which was fitting with temperatures staying in negative territory for a few days. We’re not leaving our building again until Wednesday.
Snow on steel
We’ve had a light dusting of snow, and temperatures have moderated, making it a perfect time for a walk outside. Traces of snow resting on steel caught my eye.
Hibernating
We’ve declared this a shut-in weekend while the cold weather continues. We both took advantage of the workout room downstairs, and Dwight started reorganizing the plants, preparing for our escape to a warmer climate (even though it’s still a month away).
Recalibrating
When I took this picture at sunrise, the outside beckoned, but the ‘feels like’ temperature was -6°F. Dwight and I agree the ‘feels like’ temperature scale should be adjusted for age: for us, it feels closer to a bone-chilling -20°F. I used to jog in this weather, but today, I’m opting for a Skyway walk.
Starting the Year Right
Our annual New Year’s Day tradition: walk then lunch at our local. Had it been any colder, we would’ve ditched the walk and gone straight for the warmth and refreshments.
Our Hogmanay Tradition
Installed VPN on the TV so we can ring in the New Year with TVE 1 (Spanish TV) at 5:00 pm Central Time, which is midnight in Spain. New this year: optional/necessary automatically generated English subtitles. Our home is filled with the wonderful aroma of sofrito, the base of the paella I’ll finish cooking once it’s midnight in Madrid.