Microblog

Posted A Medication Vacation.

My bicycle hung out with neighbors’ bikes at the end of a spin alongside Minneapolis lakes, the Minnehaha Creek, and the Mississippi.

Completed a controller for our indoor plants. We can control irrigation and three sets of grow lights over the Internet. The controller turns the water pump off when the tank is almost empty or the Internet goes down (after a preset number of minutes).

Cycled past Fort Snelling at Bdote. I appreciate how the Minnesota Historical Society is striving to present a fuller history of the area.

Local eggplant from the farmers market is the best at this time of year. I first microwaved slices (8 minutes at 60% in our oven). For breading, I use Japanese panko crumbs. Simple food, served with a dollop of yogurt with mint.

Sheltered from the rain at St. Paul’s Union Depot.

Pushed my bicycle through “The Shed” in Nordeast Minneapolis. Over 300 people work 21st century jobs in the surrounding former industrial spaces. The gantry crane nods to the past.

Recent heavy rain explained the bike path along Minnehaha Creek being flooded in several places, and the Falls going full throttle.

Cycled over to Axman Surplus in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood to forage for parts for a project. The iron lung has been a fixture as long as I can remember.

Walked my bicycle across the pool at the newly restored and reimagined Peavey Plaza, downtown Minneapolis. The pool is one-quarter inch deep, so there’s no need to remove shoes.

Bought lightweight spectacles.

My Wednesday lunch tradition at the Minneapolis American Indian Center after a morning of tutoring: bison melt on wild rice bread that’s baked in-house. The salad has a light, citrusy dressing.

Rode the light rail with a friend and our bicycles to St. Paul, then explored points beyond. I hadn’t noticed Swede Hollow Henge before. Behind, the abandoned Hamms Brewery awaits a new purpose. Until the 1950’s this area was a shanty town with no electricity.

Posted In Praise of Tactile Controls.

Long cycle ride, bar lunch, short cycle ride, cup of tea, nap.

Assembled a grow light stand where we’ll grow herbs, baby greens, and microgreens. Each set of LED lights is connected to the Internet. I’ll be adding drip irrigation and will create IFTTT applets to control the lights and the irrigation.