Microblog

Cycled with a friend, as I do every week when it’s dry and warm enough. We rode on a rail trail from a former train depot in Hopkins to Excelsior and back. I laughed the first time he appeared with this truck, but it’s great for transporting bikes, includ

Took time to warm up on a chilly bike ride.

On my multimodal jaunt (shared bicycles and walking), an artist took the opportunity for self-expression on some of the plywood that is temporarily ubiquitous in our community.

Greeted National Guardsmen on my walk through the Minneapolis North Loop to a block where, in 1934, strikers were shot at by the police. Most were shot in the back, 67 were injured, two died. Martial law was declared, and the National Guard was deployed.

Picked up ethnic foods at Lands End Pasty Company in the Dinkytown neighborhood of Minneapolis: Cornish pasties, sausage rolls, and, drum roll please, a can of mushy peas. Takes me back to my childhood.

I always smile when I cycle past “Lizard Lounge” on the grounds of a social services organization in northeast Minneapolis. The sculptor, Mary Johnson, was inspired by 1950s roadside attractions, and used materials authentic to that genre.

Started our search for area rugs.

Posted Senga Sayin’ It as It Is (Guest Blogger).

On my walk: perpetually peeing dog beside an apartment building parking lot. I must’ve walked past this several times, but never noticed it until today.

Abandoned objects punctuated my walk in the rain on a dissonant day in Minneapolis: stuffed animal in gutter; armored vehicle in collision with car going wrong way on one-way street; balloons beside oddly placed gas meter; remains of a sofa beside bus sto

Meat and gravy left over from Sunday dinner. SOS (sh*t on a shingle) is in our future.

I’d missed this energy waster until today: on standby, a powered subwoofer was drawing 15 watts. Programmed a smart plug to only supply power when needed, saving about 130 kilowatt-hours ($17 in Minnesota) per year. Of course, I could just unplug it, but that’s no fun.

Posted Visualizing International Travel.

On our walk: Dutch kitsch met emerging tulips.

Sent photos of my 1950’s adjustable cantilever table to a furniture restorer who will come up with a plan to fix the much-abused surface. As a kid, I did homework on it; as a college student, I typed thousands of pages on it using a manual typewriter.

On a cycle ride with friends, following the Mississippi, starting south of St. Paul: Vermillion Falls, Vermillion River, Hastings, MN. The flour mill is still operating, but no longer uses water power.