Mr. Têdé politely declined a gift of dinner for two at Owamni by the Sioux Chef, a restaurant with a national reputation and the first in the nation serving dishes made from ingredients known to the original Americans. Although it’s a short walk from our home, we’ve never been, deterred by sometimes challenging-to-secure reservations. Mr. Têdé expressed concern about the possibility of bear being on the menu.
Category: Seasonal
Home for the Holidays
The two of us are cooking up a storm just for ourselves. Santa’s received the “please, no gifts” notice. “I do not want what I haven’t got,” as sung by Bettye Lavette, sums it up. Grateful and contented, I am.
Under the Tree
LEGO Snow Village designed by Dwight. 4-seasons lamp made by a former colleague of Dwight’s. My grandma’s 1940’s radio; after she passed, it was in constant use by my bedside when I was a child. Model of the family’s second farmhouse, built by Dwight’s uncle; the first house was a dugout in the earth to establish homestead rights. The small stocking belongs to my snooty teddy bear, Mr. Têdé.
A-Frame Challenge
Dwight was engrossed in the den, immersed in the world of architectural LEGO. His current challenge: constructing an A-frame for the Christmas village beneath the tree. Achieving an acute roof angle, while avoiding any “illegal techniques,” demands ingenuity.
Neither Snow Nor Rain…*
The first real snowstorm of the winter, as I waited for the bus. It was a busy morning, with a little help from technology. Some students had chosen to take a job qualification test in Spanish, so I found myself pointing Google Translate at their screens so I could offer hints. In another class, I used Gemini to generate random numbers to select writing topics submitted by the students.
Sunday in the Park
On our Sunday morning walk, the mist veiled our surroundings. Patches of slippery ice, remnants of yesterday’s snow, distracted us from the calm scenes. Here in Boom Island Park, Downtown was obscured, allowing me to frame a simple composition.
Frozen Expanse
On my walk, the view upriver from the Franklin Avenue Bridge. At this point, the Mississippi is slow-moving, so it’s frozen from edge to edge. Beyond the Interstate 94 bridge, downtown Minneapolis stretches out to the left, and the University of Minnesota Medical Center is on the right. As I walked, the temperature was slowly rising, bringing snow once I was safely home.
Carefully Curated Christmas Gifts
Today I started my Christmas shopping at the Downtown Target where I purchased a gift card. I’ll pick up the rest of the gifts from an ATM.
Once-a-Year Day
Birthday boy about to extinguish candles.
Wot No Turkey?
Spent most of the afternoon making veggie moussaka as the main dish for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. Porcini mushrooms, lentils and chickpeas nicely fill the meat space. The dish required red wine (3 cups); the cook required some too, but a much lesser amount.