Hibernation

Life has been pretty great up here in the northwest. Work has been busy and rewarding every day, the weekends have been filled with knitting projects and I've put a lot of treadmill miles on the awesome running shoes I got for Christmas. And, there's always a furry creature around to snuggle up with.

But, as far as the blog goes, it's in hibernation. I'm not super motivated to go outside on adventures when the morning air temperature is negative twenty-two.

The blog will probably be back in the spring, hopefully filled with new adventures.

But, in the meantime, here's a little treat for you courtesy of Updraft, which brought this little Lewis Black gem to my attention:

WARNING: This comedy is most definitely not Minnesota Nice, not appropriate for children or those sensitive to swearing.

Stay warm people!

The Fifteen Foot Christmas Tree

I grew up with artificial trees and I love them.  Through all of our moves I have moved the six foot tree I got my first year after college. I love that tree because I can put it up myself and I have the exact right number of decorations for it and they all fit in one rubbermaid box. Calhoun does not like my artificial tree so much.

Calhoun likes real Christmas trees. So this year, for the second time in my life, we got a real Christmas tree. I asked around at work and was informed that the Rydell National Wildlife Refuge lets people come in one weekend every December to cut Christmas trees, that are not native to the area. We called up Calhoun's parents and made a day of it to go out and get a tree.


It was awesome. We tromped around in the woods and finally picked a few trees that we wanted to bring home with us. Calhoun's parents picked a three foot tall tree top that will be safe for Blueberry when she comes over and we picked out a fifteen foot whopper. We are always trying to make the most of our current situation and this Christmas we decided that means a fifteen foot Christmas tree! Our current rental has an open living room and we wanted to fill it with a tree. So we did.

Calhoun fell the tree with a handsaw and then he and Kenyon dragged it out and tied it to the truck.

That same night we rearranged all the furniture in our living room, and our tree has stood two stories tall all week. 

Then last nigh, we made spiced cider and lit up Rydell National Wildlife Refuge Tree. The season has arrived.  

 p.s. the dogs are totally uninterested, thank goodness!

First Ski of 2012

I did not grow up in a family that skied. We took a few winter trips to the bunny hills of Telemark Resort in Hayward, Wisconsin but that was pretty much it. The fact that my downhill ski experience was at Telemark is is funny because Hayward, Wisconsin is ground zero for the American Birkebeiner ski race - which hosts a 54 km classic and 50 km skate ski races from Cable to Hayward.

The American Birkebeiner was held this weekend and we have three friends who raced, two in the skate and one in the classic, and all finished! We haven't heard the stories yet so we're not sure how they fared but I think it's probably pretty safe to say that after skiing a little over 30 miles you're probably a bit tired.

In honor of their epic skis this weekend I took my skis out for the first time this season! Calhoun helped me buy some classic skis a few years ago and, while I enjoy skiing once I'm out there it's the getting out there that's a little hard for me.

We slept in and had a leisurely morning filled with coffee and quality time with National Geographic. We finally decided we needed to eat a little more before heading out for our afternoon ski and sat down to some amazing smoked canadian bacon from Everett's Foods and Meats, smoked gruyere and crackers. 

Then it was time to get ready! We layered on the long underwear and warm socks while Sogn waited - not so patiently - for us to get ready to hit the big outdoors.

Then we did! And it was AWESOME! It was just me, Calhoun and Sogn on the lake. We cut our own  trail around the shore of the lake and were mostly able to stay out of the wind. The major complication in our route came when we hit some big open water. The geese down here are either the smartest or the dumbest geese you've ever met. They don't fly south for the winter. Instead, they use their body heat (gross) to keep an area of water open all season long....so although the rest of the lake is frozen solid there's a lot of open water around these silly geese. Skiing was going great until we came to the open water which came much closer to the shore than we had thought it would and we had to take off the skis and tromp through someone's backyard to make it around to complete our loop. Thankfully, we made it without anyone ending up in the water!

It was a great first ski of 2012. And I'm so glad that we went out yesterday because there is NO CHANCE we are going out today. We're currently under a wind advisory, with winds at 30 mph, gusting to 38! The house is rattling and the snow has been blown off the trees and we are staying inside!

True Joys

It has been a strange, snowless winter in Minnesota. It seems as though mother nature is offering an apology for last year, but I didn't need an apology! I love Minnesota and I love the snow!

I'm always happy when it falls (I'm also not primarily responsible for shoveling). I was even a little disappointed after our area didn't get hit with the massive snow fall that was predicted Wednesday into Thursday morning. I made it to work just fine this morning but was happy to see light snow fall in the afternoon and was thrilled to see that the snow has stuck farther south where we life.

 This was the view from the deck over the lake when I came home after work today. Beautiful!

Sogn likes the snow as well, but he may love this stick more.

Hoarfrost Monday

Hoarfrost: a deposit of needlelike crystals coating a surface. 

 Made for a pretty awesome drive to work this morning

The Lake Moves - and Talks

I'm back :) Thanks to Calhoun's good work, we finally have internet! Let the blogging resume!

Minnesota is The Land of 10,000 Lakes. It is the state's nickname, and according to the Minnesota DNR, there are over 11,842 lakes that are more than ten acres - that number doesn't even include all of the small lakes!

And now, for the first time ever, Calhoun and I are living on one of them. While we're both Minnesotans born and bred, neither of us have lived on a lake before or spent the winter next to one while it freezes over.

It is amazing.

The lake moves - and it talks.

While it sometimes seems like winter swoops in swiftly and suddenly, unleashing winds and freezing temperatures, the story of the freezing lake is a little different. While we surrendered to our down coats and hats quickly, the lake fought mightily against being trapped in a frozen state. For the past few weeks every day on the lake has looked different. Various patches freeze, thaw, move, and re-freeze  - creating an ever changing landscape. Some mornings the ice would look smooth like glass, and other mornings looked like it had been stopped mid-wave by the frigid temperatures.

Some time last week it appeared as though the winter temperatures had finally won out over the stubborn waves of the lake as the water near shore was stopped in place. And, although the phrase "locked in ice" is frequently used to refer to frozen lakes, I can assure you that is simply not accurate. Even though the lake is frozen, it is not locked, and when you have pounds of ice moving around on the lake, shifting back and forth, it's loud!

At first, I though the noises were some creature of the night that I had only read about in those books I shouldn't be reading when I'm by myself...but they were from the lake. The low, almost growl like noise, is coming from the lake. The crazy thing is that you don't even have to listen to hear it. You just hear it. The noise even comes through the windows of the house and reminds us, ever so kindly, that we're not in Minneapolis anymore.

The Lake and Wiser's Scotch

...and you thought you were moving today...

Today was the big day! We've spent weeks boxing up the house, we picked up the Penske truck and we recruited friends and family to help with the heavy lifting.

Mother nature had a different idea.

We knew it was coming. Like any good Minnesotan who's planning something big, we've been watching the weather all week. But, there's not a whole lot you can do to prepare for the first snow and a 200 mile move at the same time.

The good news about the snow is that there is now, officially, no rush. We're definitely not driving this truck in these conditions. Instead, we've stayed tucked in tight, enjoyed chili and a few Winter Ales. Unfortunately, we've moved all of the furniture out of the house, Sogn is the only one who's found a good place to rest.


A HUGE Thank You to everyone who helped today. We absolutely could not have done it without you! 

The Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam

I've been a little out of it this past week. It's taken a toll on my personal life, academics, job and the blog.

I've tried to write truthfully, while keeping this blog as an ode to Minnesota. But, as I find that my life as a student severely inhibits my ability to enjoy Minnesota I feel I must explain.

I am in my last year of law school. And although the common motto is that in law school, "The first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death and the third year they bore you to death" - I have not been bored yet this year.

Yesterday I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). Yes yes, insert clever lawyer joke here, but there are ethics rules and we do have to know them to become a member of the Bar Association. As such, I spent the majority of the week bent over my rule book and study aids in preparation for the exam. In five weeks we'll know my fate - ethical or unethical lawyer? Only the MPRE can answer that one.

After surviving the exam Saturday, Calhoun and I had a great Sunday, settling back into the Minnesota groove.

We slept in and after a few great cups of coffee headed off for the day. Our first stop was The Baker's Wife. But, as we were parking we recognized a familiar familial vehicle and detoured to stop by The Angry Catfish to find Nokomis (Calhoun's brother) and Eveleth (the sister-in-law) having breakfast, chatting with friends and correcting papers. After inviting them over for dinner we finally made it to The Baker's Wife and were thrilled to find that they still had hame an cheese croissants!

The Cow from The Baker's Wife, dressed for winter.

We grabbed a croissants, along with their legendary donuts and drove down to Terrace Oaks Park to take Sogn for a little walk. Calhoun usually takes Sogn to the dog park just south of Minnehaha Falls but on the weekends the place is crowded with small dog owners who don't appreciate Sogn's enthusiastic, seventy-pounds of love for people. Calhoun had taken Sogn to Terrace Oaks Park for some skijoring earlier this week and wanted to explore more of the trails. We were relieved to find it nearly empty! We were able to let Sogn run off leash on the paths and he seemed to like exploring new territory. It was great to get some Vitamin D and have some time outside!

After making a stop at Tangletown Gardens to pick up some tulip buds we came home and cleaned. It's that time of the year when I'm actually looking forward to some spring cleaning, opening the windows and hoping the gentle breeze clears out some of the dirt and scum that this winter is leaving behind.

Finally, Nokomis and Eveleth arrived for dinner, bringing our day full circle. I sometimes marvel that we live in a part of town where we run into Calhoun's brother by accident...and then cook bacon wrapped meatloaf for dinner.

The week will be crazy again, but it was great to have a March day in the sun, with family and lots of good food.

Flowers and Chocolate

It's still winter in Minnesota and it's still cold. School is really ramping up, so is work and as a result, there's just not a lot to blog about.

But yesterday, after a ten hour day, I came home to this!

I'll do something fun this week that is good to blog about, but for now, this is a very nice Minnesota Winter update.

...And It's Still Snowing

The email came last night after dinner. The whole campus was closed today for a snow emergency! Because I didn't have to rush off this morning I took a stroll around the neighborhood and caught some of it on film. The grand total at 6 am was 12.3 inches in Minneapolis, and it's still snowing! The downside with snow and my zero photography skills, is that it's hard to capture the effects of white on white! Please enjoy my feeble attempts at photography!

I love this picture because you can see three people taking care of the snow. This neighborhood is so snow responsible!

Matilda! Buried under the snow!

The snow plow! These guys are my favorite on a day like today.

City of Lakes Luminary Loppet

TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

Calhoun and I spent last Saturday night skiing around Lake of Isles along with so many other Minnesotans at the City of Lakes Luminary Loppet.

It was wonderful.

Losing the Battles

It's been a rough week around the Mostly Minnesotan house. We've been slow to recover from our Minnesota sicknesses and mother nature has been generous with the snow. And, when completing an exercise for school with Calhoun, I learned that one of the three things that he hates most in the world is shoveling snow. That's one of the things that I hate too. As a result, we have definitely turned into "those people" on the block.

Earlier this week a much milder version of the blizzard that hit Chicago and the rest of the east coast swept through Minneapolis, dropping about 4 1/2 inches in Minneapolis. That's definitely enough to come up over your shoes and make sweeping off your car and delivering mail a pain.

It took us two days to get it shoveled. And the majority of that was thanks to our neighbor, who pushes her snow blower around the corner and over our sidewalks so she can get her sidewalk clean.

We may have lost this last snow battle, but we will win the winter war!

No Bowls, No Mugs, No Spoons

Somehow, I manage to stay healthy through finals and the holidays, but I catch some horrible sickness just as the semester gets going and there's homework to be done.

The one beautiful thing about being sick in Minnesota is that you're not alone. Granted, it can be a bit alienating when you sit down to a meeting and people back away from you, but it's because they have been battling sickness in their own homes and can't afford to go down for any period of time. On Wednesday I was chatting with my boss at work and he said that he wasn't feeling well and had to go to two different stores to find sudafed!

Calhoun and I have been sick all weekend. I'm not sure if we both caught it somewhere else and brought it home or if we caught if from each other.

I learned a lot of things about Calhoun when we moved in together. We didn't live together before getting married so moving in together, consolidating our stuff and getting sick for the first time were all interesting experiences. And because we always had separate homes, we didn't really spend time with each other when we were sick.

I embrace my sickness right along with healthy amounts of vitamin C, Echinacea tea, chicken noodle soup, sleep, water and cold medicine. I believe in spending the day in bed, sleeping as much as possible and as little time in the cold as possible. On the other hand, Calhoun is a purist. Yes, he eats healthy but he does not take cold medicine, doesn't embrace sleep as much as me and does not cut down on his physical activity. Calhoun still made it out skiing twice this weekend and even managed to take Sogn to the dog park!

One of the nice things about living with someone who is also sick is that we were both interested in eating and drinking the same things this weekend. We've had a lot of soup, tea and coffee (well, maybe not very good for you). We finally had to load the dishwasher tonight because we've run out of bowls, mugs and spoons.

Hopefully we are both feeling well enough to make it through Monday tomorrow and not spread our sickness, or catch any more of it!

Fishing on the Ice

This is an epic music video created by some friends, many of whom have been mentioned! It's been up for over a year but has never gone viral...but I keep hoping.

This is the clean version, I just couldn't bring myself to post the original on my nice little Minnesota blog. If you want to see the original you can follow this link:

Fishing on the Ice Original

U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships were this weekend on Lake Nokomis. The first pond hockey championship was held in 2006. I've always wanted to go, but a combination of college, travel and cold weather have kept me away, but not this year! Calhoun and I made a not-so-early run to REI to pick up some snow pants then went to Lake Nokomis. Luckily, parking was free, the temperatures were just below freezing and the chili was steaming hot.

It was AWESOME! There were 25 rinks, filled with players who skated 30 minutes games all day Saturday and Sunday. Calhoun and I didn't go with much of a plan so we just wandered around and watched the games that we stumbled upon, including a team sporting Northstar Jersey's.

One of my favorite parts of being at the Championships was the clothing. I spend a lot of time in downtown Minneapolis and I'm sometimes dismayed at the winter weather clothing selections that are made by some people. I'm a big believer that sometimes stiletto heels are just plain old inappropriate and hats are absolutely necessary. And the clothing choices for the Championships were very smart and very Minnesotan! There was a lot of Carhart gear and Sorel boots, all looking well worn and well loved.

On Average... Coldest Week of the Year

According to the Updraft Blog and weather experts all over, this week is, on average, the coldest week of the year. As I understand it, about a month after the Winter Solstice, cold arctic air has finally made it to Minnesota, hangs out for a while and then starts moving out.

So, it's pretty cold. Low temperatures are solidly in the single digit negatives, moving into double digit negatives with windchill during the night.

I'm thinking of how to put a positive spin on this one, but I can't. It's cold.

Menacing Minnesota Weather

Minnesota weather can be harsh wherever you are in the state. The feet of snow that we've had in Minneapolis have caused serious winter problems. Icy roads are a problem wherever you go and anywhere in the state you risk getting stuck in a ditch you can't get out of.

But there's something that's incredibly unique, amazing, scary and powerful about the blizzard winds on the open prairies of northwestern Minnesota.

Our holiday travels were ambitious this year. We left for Fargo on the 24th and met Calhoun's parents in Fargo for the 5:30 Christmas Eve Service then headed to his hometown, 40 miles north of the Fargo/Moorhead area. We lounged around there for a few days and on the 28th headed across the state to Tofte, Minnesota to spend a few days with friends at a cabin. The weather was beautiful for our travel day and our whole day in Tofte was spent cross country skiing. Absolutely amazing Minnesota winter weather.

But the weather on the 30th was the stuff that travel nightmares are made of. We drove away from Lake Superior and straight into a front bringing rain, freezing rain, sleet, then snow. Not so good for my little Toyota with the old tires. Thank goodness Calhoun was driving, because other people do stupid stuff in bad weather and he did a great job of keeping us out of the ditch. We decided it was better to stay under the cover of the wooded areas of Minnesota rather than risk the weather on the open plains, so we booked a hotel in Grand Rapids and ate at Sammy's Pizza.

On the 31st we headed west again. No cover, just snow and incredible winds. Apparently one of the primary concerns on the plains, during a blizzard, are snow drifts. The winds are so strong that they will cause snow drifts to accumulate on the road, and swerving on icy roads is bad and blowing through a snow drift that's larger than it looks is also bad. It is also bad to drive when you can't see very far ahead of you. Really, we were probably idiots to be out on the road those days, but we needed to get home to plan for our next trip so, slowly but surely, we made it west across the state and finally back to Calhoun's parents house, where the weather conditions were so poor that Sogn didn't even come to the end of the driveway to greet us!

Eventually we arrived home safely. But a trip that we anticipated taking 12 driving hours (Tofte --> Small Town --> Minneapolis) ended up taking about twenty four hours. I have since realized that the winter emergency kit should also include an extra $200 for hotel and food should the need arise!

3 Degrees - Feels Like Negative Twenty

We've had an incredibly busy and amazingly fun Christmas holiday. We headed up here to Calhoun's hometown on the 24th, spent a few days here then headed across the state to the North Shore to spend some quality time with great friends from college.

We left Sogn here with Caleb's parents so we had to come back here and get him before heading home. But the weather, as you good Minnesotans know, has been horrible. Since we've been traveling I don't know the details, but it has something to do with the moisture that's been making its way across the county and the low pressure area that's hanging around somewhere in the midwest. Long story short, we had a bad experience slipping on the icy road yesterday so we stayed the night in Grand Rapids then barely made it back to his parent's house today due to the bad weather. I wish I could describe this weather, but it's beyond anything I've ever seen. Calhoun says that if you're from this area you know it, but I've never actually been in white out conditions or seen snow snake across the highway looking like it will wrestle your car to the ground at any moment. I'm glad we're warm and safe, even if we are 260 miles from home.

So, despite our planning, we're spending New Year's Eve here, safe from the blizzard, winds and negative temperatures.

Happy New Year! See you in 2011!

Ten Things to Love about Twenty Inches of Snow

Number Ten - Snow Days

Okay, this is number ten on the list, not number one, because I no longer attend a public school in Minnesota (tear) and I haven't had any school days cancelled. But, I have fond memories of that fateful January day back in 1994 when then Governor Arne Carlson cancelled school statewide due to the frigidly low temperatures (negative 26 temps, negative 48 with windchill). The irony of the whole thing is that we played outside all day. Awesomeness. Although snow days are an epically awesome reason to love Minnesota winters, having come closer to the age that I will have children that the age at which I was a child, I have come to fear the snow day. Kids at home! During a weekday! TWO DAYS IN A ROW! Well, I will always have fond memories of the snow days of my childhood.

Number Nine - Living up to the Minnesota Reputation

Minnesota has an reputation for extreme snows and extreme temperatures. But, the reality is that winters in the metro aren't usually that bad - I mean it's Minnesota winter but it really isn't as extreme as the winters some of our neighbors regularly experience. The winters around here are usually mild in comparison to the winters in the Dakotas, Northern Minnesota and sometimes even Iowa. But not anymore! We have officially claimed our title to horrible winter conditions this year!

Number Eight - Snow Forts

Snow forts are another memory from my childhood, although I think mine were very unique as I wasn't allowed to actually crawl under snow tunnels or igloos (you know, your parents see one story on the news and you can't ever have any fun). So, we builtwalls and mazes and thrones and whatever else we could imagine into the snow and the snow banks along our culdesac. The best thing too was that you could buy thing to dye the snow. Which meant that dragons and doorways came to life! Oh to be three feet tall again!

Number Seven - Soups and Hot Drinks

Food is driven by the seasons, and that's apparent in Minnesota. You don't eat the same things on a hot summer day as you do on a frigidly cold winter day. Bring on the soups and hot cocoa! I love winter because it's perfectly fine to boil something hot on your stove all day because you don't have to worry about blowing out the air conditioner. And, when it's lower than ten degrees out, it's always the perfect time for hot chocolate or hot apple cider, morning, noon or night. The only bad thing about eating and drinking warm liquids during these days of frigid temperatures is that they cool down so quickly!

Number Six - Neighbors Helping Neighbors

OK, this is a little cliche, and as one of those helpful neighbors it sometimes gets a little old (if you drive a Toyota Prius you're just going to have to wait for the plows), but it's the daily deeds of life that become more neighbor friendly during this time of the year. Our neighbor kindly snow-blowed our sidewalk on her way from the alley to her front sidewalk and you see people help each other over snowbanks and across the street more often this time of year. It's nice.

Number Five - The Sounds of Snow

Snow makes very distinct sounds. Usually it doesn't make that sound until you step on it or move it or something, but it makes those sounds all the same. And the sounds are distinct. Fresh fallen snow is light and sounds like glitter, gently moving from place to place, easily kicked out of the way or stepped through. When it's very cold out, snow makes a very different sound. It's a hard, crunching sounds that lets you know you better tuck the ends of your mittens into your jacket before you get too far away from the door. And the painful reality is that it gets really cold around here whether there's snow or not, so I would prefer to at least have a soundtrack that goes along with the bitter cold weather!

Number Four - Winter Clothes

LOVE WINTER CLOTHES! There's something natural about wearing three sweaters and two pairs of pants on a winter day. It's a kind of style that I like and feel comfortable in an am eager to embrace. Also, it becomes pretty much acceptable to wear the same outer item multiple times week (at least, I think so), since it's not against your skin and is just for show, go for it! Wear that Norwegian sweater three days in a row! But seriously, I think boots, wool sweaters, scarves and down jackets are totally unnecessary when the temperatures are above 32 degrees, so I welcome the cold weather because I do love all of those things!

Number Three - It Looks Like Christmas

Believe it or not, sometimes we come dangerously close to having snow-less Christmases! These are dreary times in Minnesota and I think the Christmas spirit does not truly arrive unless there's snow on the ground to make your travels hazardous. Not to mention, evergreen, lights and red bows are set off more brilliantly against the blanket of white that covers the cities when there's snow.

Number Two - Skiing, Skating and Snowshoeing!

Just like food and wardrobe, there are some things that you can do in the winter that you just can't do any other time of year. Now, I understand that one can ice skate inside, but I find that skating inside isn't really a fulfilling experience. There's something magical and fun about skating outside, in the evening, across the uneven ice, spreading vaseline on your face to make sure you don't get chapped. Yes childhood, there you are again. The beauty of skating outside is also that there's not ice time, you can skate as long as you can handle the cold and there's triumph in that. As an adult, I've come to enjoy more cross country skiing and snowshoeing. I like them because they're great ways to be active in the winter, you can go at your own pace, and the world is shown under a different light when you are out, late at night, wearing snowshoes and just, being in the winter.

Number One - Snow is Just INCREDIBLE

It's pretty amazing, isn't it? That snow even exists.

"SORRY!"

I love my neighborhood. We're close to parks and the river and it's a straight shot to school. I also love it because many of our friends call this area home. I think part of the reason is that Calhoun and a bunch of his buddies lived in a house over here, so when it came time for them to all grow up and move out of the bachelor pad they knew the neighborhood and chose to stay here.

Saturday night, as the snow was slowing down, I got a call from Catalina. I figured she was stuck somewhere in the neighborhood and needed someone to come push her out of a snowbank, so I answered. And, to my great surprise, she wanted to know if they could come over and hang out. Apparently they were on their way to the Riverview Winebar and arrived to find it closed - and needed somewhere else to go as they were all suffering from cabin fever. I was a little hesitant, I had been in my sweatpants all day and my finals studying had exploded all over the kitchen table. I asked who she was with, she said she was with the D.D.S. and Boston, and Calhoun immediately extended the invite.

So, we put together a little display of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, hard liquor and coca-cola to welcome our friends. They came in covered in snow and with some pictures from the walk that I've included here. Thank goodness for Catalina and her working camera!

This is not my car, but my car looked exactly like this before Calhoun dug it out of the snowbank.

Now, I'm a big believer in the board game "Sorry!". Calhoun and I play it a lot and I love it because it's a game, when between two people, that is of pure luck. Our win-lose ratio is basically 50-50. It doesn't create any arguments, especially because when you flip that "Sorry!" card, you have to sorry the other person!

When you play with a full board of four people though, it's a different story. Especially when a few of those people grew up playing with their brothers, and are jerks, and take you out just to take you out! It was not very Minnesota Nice, but it certainly was a lot of fun. I highly recommend all board games the next time you have a snow day!