Microblog

Walked between lines of rail cars parked across the river from our home. The hopper cars on the left usually carry tiny plastic pellets. “Hot 3257” hazmat placards on the insulated tanker cars on the right warn that the contents are hot and molten, probably asphalt.

On my walk, former industrial land awaits a new purpose. To the right, a railroad embankment abruptly ends at a stone buttress that once supported a bridge. Behind me, many of the warehouses in the Minneapolis North Loop have been converted into condos and apartments, creating a vibrant neighborhood.

Today, I tentatively reintroduced lactose to my diet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pour heavy cream over my oatmeal, along with the usual maple syrup. Note the ready time: I’ve become a morning person in my senior years.

My morning walk included Stone Arch Bridge, so of course I took a picture.

My friend and I planned to have breakfast at this diner, but it was closed this morning despite Google saying otherwise. We ended up getting a pastry and a surprisingly decent coffee at a nearby multispecialty clinic, but the important thing was to catch up and have a good conversation.

For six weeks, I’ve been on a restrictive eating plan to eliminate any food for which I may have developed an intolerance. Now, I’m slowly adding back foods to discover any culprit(s). First back are caffeine and gluten, which I much enjoyed today at FRGMT Coffee.

Salmon smoking on a smoldering cedar plank for dinner tonight. This is probably the last time we use the barbecue until spring.

Today I had to accept symmetry in my LEGO gantry crane isn’t always achievable. Here’s the hoist and grabber subassemblies, operated by pneumatic pistons. Scissor mechanisms are inherently not symmetric in operation, so I had to consider choosing symmetry in either the extended or closed positions, not both.

View from the lobby of Orchestra Hall while enjoying a pre-concert glass of wine. Tonight the Minnesota Orchestra featured pieces by six black composers, including two women. The art form tends to be Eurocentric, sometimes stodgy; tonight was refreshing, mixing it up.

First day of my new weekly ELL (English Language Learning) gig with adult learners. Three classes, great attitudes and determination, spiffiest facilities yet.

Election Day is next Tuesday, but we already voted by mail today. This was the shortest ballot I’ve ever seen, with just one contest for a city council member. I’ve come around to Minneapolis’ ranked choice voting system.

Lightly drugged with Fentanyl, I saw places on a monitor where the sun never shines. “Do you mind if a student from Normandale College watches?” they’d asked. I needed clarification, so asked what she’s studying: it could be bread making. It was nursing, so I welcomed her to the party.

Next September we’ll walk with two friends along the Thames Path from Oxford ① to its source ⑥ over five days. Today I booked our hotels. Some are quite small (one has just four rooms) and few and far between. One was already booked up, so we had to juggle with dates.

I caught his attention by saying we needed a selfie to prove we were in church this Sunday morning. Of course it was a special occasion: our youngest nephew’s Confirmation at Faith Lutheran in Forest Lake, Minnesota.

Dwight sterilized soil for our next batch of microgreens, the last batch having succumbed to fungus. The kitchen was filled with an earthy scent, which was not unpleasant. He sterilizes the seeds in diluted hydrogen peroxide.

While a friend drove around and around Downtown trying to find our home, I kept the fish pie I’d made for dinner in a low oven. Fish pie is good working-class food where I grew up. I used tilapia and a small amount of smoked salmon—nothing fancy, but robust when coated in a parsley sauce.