Every Dog is OK

Calhoun hunts. Just in case you didn't know. I am learning about hunting, but mostly I am a suburban kid, without skills or instinct, who has found herself simply trying to keep up with the vocabulary and what is in season this week.

While I can't spot a deer trail or identify bird tracks, I know - when Calhoun comes back during the daylight, only two hours after leaving for hunting, and is white as a ghost when he gets out of the car - I have the instinct to know that something is wrong.

The word I added to my vocabulary today: "snare"

"Vasa was caught in a snare."

I knew Vasa was OK because Calhoun was at the house, not the veterinarian's office. I knew Vasa was OK because there wasn't blood on Calhoun's jacket. I knew that Vasa was OK because Calhoun was walking, not crying.

Vasa is fine. 

When Calhoun was finally ready to tell me what happened Vasa was banging around the kitchen, whacking his pointer tail against the cabinets and getting pets.  Calhoun threw the snare on the table and told me he couldn't figure out how to get it off right away, but that Vasa knew Calhoun was trying to help him.

Vasa held still. 

Vasa did not struggle. 

Vasa did not pull the metal snare tighter around his neck. 

Vasa held still.

Vasa was wearing two collars - that probably stopped the snares from pulling tighter around his neck.

Vasa was only a little over 200 yards away.

Vasa held still.

Vasa was scared.

Vasa laid for minutes in the snow after Calhoun freed him.

Vasa does not have a broken neck.

Vasa held still.

Thank God it wasn't Sogn. Thank God it was not the skijoring dog, who pulls on leashes and restraints like it is his job. In the time it took Calhoun to get to Vasa, Sogn would have killed himself.

Thank God it was Vasa.

Vasa is fine.

There was no more hunting today.

Vasa is fine.

Every dog is OK.

...until he is not.

Happy Holidays from Sogn and Vasa

The holidays means photographs for the annual holiday card! I glanced at an article a few days ago about the stress of trying to create a perfect holiday card and I could kinda of understand the stress. I definitely believe we work too hard to present perfect images of our lives to the outside (yes - I realize the irony of this statement coming from a blog writer who uses pseudonyms and cuts herself out of all photographs), but as we attempted to wrangle the pack and smile at the camera I could appreciate the stress of wrangling young children into a perfect holiday picture.

So, here are the puppy out-takes (the people out-takes are so terrible they are not suitable for the blog):

 poor hunting dogs, their noses are working overtime

this was just distraction 

Vasa tends to look like a crazy

p.s. photos taken by Red and Swan who made the drive to visit us a few weekends ago! YAY FOR FRIENDS!

Red Lake Falls

The past few weeks have felt very busy - it's a lot of work to settle in to a new house!

We've been in the new place, here in RLF, for about three weeks. It's amazing how fast a new place can feel like home. I can't overstate how wonderful it is to have our couch out of storage, our books on the shelf and our dogs sleeping on the carpet in our own house.

Today, Calhoun took Vasa for a mid-afternoon grocery trip (hunting then a stop at the local grocery store) and Sogn and I went for a walk. RLF has a bike-path that goes through town so we went for a stroll to check out the neighborhood.

Sogn, not afraid of the bridge

It was sunny and beautiful and even though Sogn has been a country dog for a long time now and hasn't been on very many leash-walks lately he did a great job. He even posed (kinda) for a picture! RLF is a cool town, it is a little east and north of the flat flat plains of the Lake Agassiz/Red River Valley and sits high above the bank of the Red Lake River. What that means is that this small town, in northwest Minnesota, does not flood and isn't flat. It makes for some pretty cool views from old train bridges.

Our walk this afternoon was also one of the only times in the past few weeks that Sogn has been without his new companion, Vasa. Mostly they are getting along pretty well. As well as any two creatures can who are incredibly curious about one another and what each other is doing and simultaneously very apprehensive of the other. It's kinda cute but I do think that Sogn sometimes misses his alone time. So, we had quality time together this afternoon and each of them did very well without the other.

When Calhoun and Vasa came home they had groceries and a sharp-tail grouse. Sharp-tail grouse are pretty unique to this corner of northwest Minnesota and we haven't eaten much of it in the past. So, Calhoun took to his favorite game cooking blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, and found an incredible recipe for Maple Bourbon Sauce. Calhoun was also inspired by some recipes he saw on Upland Journal that called for a "trencher" - a piece of fried bread that is used to soak up sauces and juices from your meal.

Luckily, we had a loaf of Calhoun's homemade peasant wheat bread to use as the base of our meal. He fried that up, topped it with caramelized onions and fried bacon, rare slices of sharp-tail and topped it with the Maple Bourbon Sauce. It was incredible and has made us more excited about eating sharp-tail and the recipes we will get to try as the season goes on.

dinner, a la Calhoun

All in all it has been a great weekend here in RLF, we really are feeling like this place is home and we enjoyed this beautiful, sunny Sunday.

Introducing Vasa!

A few weeks ago, when we were feeling really down about living in the basement and still not having a house of our own, we rebelled by doing something really irresponsible.

We bought a second dog. 

We've been talking about getting a second dog for a long time. I love dogs and Calhoun loves dogs and loves to hunt. We got Sogn after years of discussion, persuasion, and careful planning. It was a great decision, Sogn is an absolute joy and we love having him around every day. It wasn't so long after getting him that Calhoun figured out that, as an upland bird hunter, a pointer would also be an excellent hunting dog and that Sogn is a pretty social dog and would really enjoy having a buddy. So, I started pushing for a second dog - and after years of discussion, persuasion, and not-so-careful planning we added another furry member to our family!

To his credit, Calhoun did a ton of research, met dogs and watched bird dog trials. When I mentioned that I wanted an adult dog, not a puppy, he zeroed in on a trainer in South Carolina who was training dogs from a line he really liked.

And a few weeks ago the stars aligned for us. The timing felt right to make a really irresponsible decision and we bought a dog and scheduled shipping to Minneapolis.

After attending an incredible wedding this weekend, and celebrating with friends, we stopped by the cargo pickup area at the MSP International Airport and picked up Vasa, a fully finished English Pointer  who has never set paw in Minnesota before.

He has been wonderful dog so far. Vasa is truly a kennel dog, having been trained on a quail plantation  who has a kennel facility. He is an outside kennel dog and everything that suggests. Even though he's not sure what his name is and pees on concrete, he loves to be petted and is so sweet. It will take some time to introduce him to the finer things in life: carpet, hearth fires, treats, car rides, and flannel sweater vests. But he has major potential and we are so happy that he is finally here.

Sogn seems to be having some mixed feelings about this whole thing, we're taking the introduction slow and we'll keep you posted!

Feeling Like a Kid

I work really hard in my professional and personal life to be a responsible adult - because according to my age and the letters behind my name I am. But sometimes I just feel like a kid, and when that feeling strikes I love it. It feels carefree and fun and it's great.

It's been crazy hot. You know that, you live here too. I generally manage the heat well since I work in an air conditioned space and when I'm outside I walk slowly so I don't mess up my new "professional" hair cut. On the whole, I manage the heat in a very adult way.

But Sogn could care less if I'm an adult. He is a hairy animal, who has a lot of energy to burn, and it means that we play like kids! The other day I threw on some shorts and my favorite pair of sandals and Sogn and I walked down to Island Park to do kid things.

I played with shells on the dirty beach shore and snapped a few pictures while Sogn wallowed in the mud, chewed on some sticks, and got real stinky.

I missed this animal when he was gone. He really does make my life better. 

On our way home from the park we stopped by River City Eatery and got a waffle cone with rainbow sherbet. I even let Sogn have a few licks after I was done (don't tell Calhoun).

The Des Moines River in Windom

We were stinky and sweaty and had a great time just playing, and not caring about how our hair looked. 

Fetch

Sogn came home this Friday! It has been so great having him back I can't even put it into words!

We've been taking him around the neighborhood on walks but after 8 weeks away I wanted to see some fetching to see what all of this training was about! So, Saturday night when it started to cool off a little we went out Sun Valley Gun Club to see what all the fuss was about.

I more than "kinda" like this sign.  

We took a stroll around to burn of some energy and found thistles in full bloom.

Then the boys fetched. Awesome.

Then Sogn rested. I think he's happy to be home and we are happy to have him back where he belongs! 

Sogn Update! He is COMING HOME! ...eventually

We finally have a date for Sogn's triumphant return home! He is a full eight-week dog - and the weeks have been long - but we have been given a date to pick him up! July 15th! I can't wait!

The updates have been few and far between and I shared the last big update from the trainer with readers a few weeks ago. Since then we've gotten more positive reports, mainly that he is finally catching on and needs to do some live work in the field but then we can bring him home!

I have really tried not be be an overbearing dog owner on this one and it has been very difficult for me. It's pretty clear that our excellent trainer (please don't let Sogn's poor performance sour you on the trainer) is a big believer in the pack theory, and thinks that a reason that so many of our dogs don't do what we want is that we treat them like people instead of pack animals.

Ooopie.

So, I have held back. I guess I am being trained as well. I have restrained myself from emailing promptly every week (in fact, I have not emailed once) and although I have come within 100 miles of the kennel I have not stopped by - which means I haven't even seen Sogn for six weeks (and counting).

Calhoun, on the other hand, has.

As you may know, during Sogn's first season he had some ridiculous ticks. Since then we've switched to a more intense medicine and we are on time in its application. So, mid-month, Calhoun had to stop by and see Sogn.

According to Calhoun, from which there are no accompanying pictures, the encounter went like this:

Sogn curled his lips back in excitement and ran towards Calhoun tail wagging madly off. But before he could really greet Calhoun, Sogn gathered up a bag full of collars and leashes and brought them over to Calhoun all the while continuing the crazy wiggling and bringing of things. Then, after the lovely reunion, our sweet dog was called away and a chain link fence door clinked closed between Calhoun and Sogn. Sogn reportedly stood on the far side of the door and hung his head waiting for Calhoun to come get him...but he didn't....

I have been reassured that Sogn is just a dog, doing dog things, but I'm not so sure.

I cannot wait to have him back. I have not seen that apricot dog for six weeks (and counting) and I am going to smother him with love and treats when he returns in a mere two weeks!

"Not Where I Want Him to Be Obedience Wise"

We dropped Sogn off three weeks ago so we're halfway through our training program if all goes well. It doesn't sound like it's going well. Last weekend we got this email from our trainer:

" Quick update on Sogn. He is coming along ok. He's not where I want him to be obedience wise so have been working on that. He gets very anxious when asked to do anything so working with that. He picks up on things quick but can be really resistant if pushed to do more. All in all a normal golden :) " 

Something makes me think that he may be gone for a few extra weeks.

It's going to be a long six weeks...

please forgive the blurry images - it's hard to get the subject to hold still and we don't have a real camera

This is my dog, Sogn. 

He is awesome. You may have read about him here on the blog.

There are some things you may not know about Sogn.

First, he is named after Sogn Valley, in southeast Minnesota (near where we went to college), which is named after Sognefjord, the largest fjord in Norway. Like many of the Minnesota areas that derive their names from the native lands of the people who settled here, the people near Sogn Valley intentionally mispronounce the Norwegian word. Apparently, when people settled the area, in an attempt to blend the old and the new they used old-country names with midwest pronunciations. For example, folks from New Prague, Minnesota, pronounce it "New Prage" - not in the old world way of "New Praag." So, rather than "Sougn" (give me a break, I took Spanish in college - who speaks Norwegian?), we pronounce his name "So-gen."

Second, he likes to bring you things - mostly household things that he shouldn't be bringing you, think dishtowels, shoes, anything on the floor. Sometimes his desire to bring things actually gets very distracting for him. For example, people are his FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD. Any person. Favorite thing. If you're unlucky enough to be outside when first encountering Sogn chances are he is just going to pounce on you. But, if you're lucky enough to first encounter him in the house chances are that he is going to spend a good minute gathering up seven things to bring to you before he actually comes to greet you. And then when he does, he does that really cute retriever snorting thing while you pet him.

The fact that he likes to bring you things makes it even more strange that he is not actually a great retriever. To a certain extent he is a natural hunter. Once he's in the field and remembers what he's supposed to do he finds and flushes the bird, and he has a soft mouth. I've seen all of this first hand. On more than one occasion I've watched him catch a scent and then flush up a pheasant and look at me expecting me to shoot it down, which I don't, and then he gets disappointed. And, as far as the soft mouth thing goes, last summer when we were out behind a friend's house we wondered where Sogn was. When Calhoun found him around the side of the house he had something in his mouth and when Calhoun made him drop it it was a baby bunny! Turns out he had found a bunny nest and was moving the bunnies from the window well to a spot in the middle of the lawn. None were injured but they were wet and terrified.

But, unfortunately, he's not a spectacular retriever. Oh - he'll apparently get the birds - but he doesn't bring them to the hand like a good retriever is supposed to do. He does just about everything but bring them to the hand.

So, for the next six weeks, my darling dog is off learning how to be a good retriever so he and Calhoun can have an even better bird season. Sadly for us, training is a full-time job and that means no dog tail wags or antics at any time! Calhoun and I are just realizing how quiet it is around here without a sixty pound ball of fur rolling around causing trouble. We're already missing him terribly and wondering why we don't have a backup dog (maybe coming spring 2013?) and are hoping that he's having lots of fun and learning lots while he is away.

A final thing about Sogn is that he is a sweet sweet dog. We had him in Minneapolis with us this past weekend, where we were staying in a house full of friends and people coming and going. And once he gets over the initial panic of enthusiasm of SEEING A PERSON he is the sweetest pup. He likes to be pet and he likes to lean on you while it's happening just so you don't forget he's there. After two years of having an insane puppy, he's finally grown up. He is a calm house-dog who lays by your feet and follows you from the kitchen to the living room just hoping to get some lovin'.

It's going to be a long six weeks....

Welcome to Windom

It's been a solid two months since my last post. I guess it's time to get back on the train!

We've moved to Windom! Long story short, but we had rented the house on Little Spirit Lake for only six months and as we approached the end of the lease various factors made it apparent that it was time to move to town. We loaded up the truck last Thursday and Calhoun and I managed to move the whole house in one day. The one piece of sadness is that our couch doesn't fit in the house! It's temporarily housed in the garage, possibly to be lent to my brother (eek!) for the short-run.

I love it. I am so excited to be in town, a mere two and a half block walk to work and surrounded by the happenings here in Windom-town. And, Calhoun is getting more and more excited about being here as the days go by, constantly discovering the town I've been working in for six months! For example, the courthouse bells are used quite regularly throughout the week, and on the weekend - including 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings, tolling out patriotic songs to ensure that there is no sleeping in.

The only downside of being here in Windom is that, with each progressive move, Sogn gets less and less freedom which I feel bad about. When we were in Minneapolis we had a fenced backyard and he was left to his own devices to dig holes and cause whatever other havoc he could imagine. On Little Spirit Lake he had a little less freedome since there was no fence, but there was a trail close to the house we would walk on and he could be let out on the deck and kept there. But here, Sogn has lost even the freedom of an enclosed deck and has been relegated to sitting on the porch on the sideyard, watching the world go by. We absolutely can't leave him out there by himself because we're sure his sniffer would get the best of him and lead him astray, and Calhoun is fundamentally against him being staked out in the yard so we're going to have to be creative about how dog-in-small-town works, but I'm sure we'll figure it out and he will get much better at walking on a leash.

For now, we're happy to be getting settled in and starting this new chapter in out continuing adventure in southwest Minnesota!

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.

Light Up Dog

Sogn has an awesome new light on his collar. He is now see-able wherever he wanders! I can't believe it took us so long to do this.

Sogn is TWO!

I've been feeling...older...lately.

I don't feel old really. But time just keeps marching on - which I guess makes me older. There are things that have happened in my life that I feel like happened yesterday even though they actually happened years ago. For example, I studied abroad for a semester in college - the experience changed my life and informed a lot of who I am and when I mention the experience I have to remember that it happened in 2004-05... was that really seven years ago?

And as we all march onward in the years increasingly adult things happen in our lives. I mean, I am a lawyer. I feel like it was yesterday that I started thinking about being a lawyer now I am a lawyer. People have turned thirty and have babies. We have friends who are doctors, pastors, dentists, tenured teachers, physical therapists, nurses with more than five years of experience. It is crazy.

And then Sogn turned two today. A little over two years ago I was harassing Calhoun about getting dog, trying to convince him that it was the right thing to do and it was the right time of our lives to do it. I remember hearing that the long awaited litter had finally arrived and eagerly watching as they posted pictures online. I remember visiting his whelping pen, meeting his mom and wondering which puppy we would bring home back in March 2010.

One of the puppies we met that day in February 2010. 

To this day we don't know which puppy was Sogn - 

I also remember the day that Calhoun went to pick the puppy up. Sogn's name had been picked long before he was but besides his name we had no idea who he was going to be! I had classes that day and Sogn was coming from Wisconsin so Calhoun had to go pick him up by himself. We had arranged for him to come to school with the puppy so I didn't have to wait to meet him. Calhoun sent pictures and updates as they got closer and closer and I actually left class a few minutes early - I could see him through the window of the staircase at school, just this brand new puppy all for us. When I finally met him it was strange to meet this creature that we would be bringing into our home and our hearts! He was friendly, scared, already attached to Calhoun and so tiny!

Me and Sogn when we first met!

It hasn't all been wet noses and cute paws. There have been some difficult times, which I sometimes remember more vividly than the good and I've written about most of the best (Easily Pleased and Good Boy Sogn) and the ickiest (The Tick Retriever and A Losing Battle) on the blog. 

And this is us today. I think it's been a good birthday and I'm happy to remember this good time! That's my knee and his face. We enjoyed an evening here together with some cuddles and some outside time under the moon and Sogn got a rawhide. Time flies when I look back and realize that he's a real, grown up dog now! And I'm looking forward to many more years and fresh memories with this cuddly pup! Happy Birthday to my favorite golden retriever!

Grouse Opener 2011

This weekend is grouse opener in Minnesota, which means that the boys are out doing their thing - tromping through the grasses and looking for birds.

Beautiful.

Dog H2O - Cats Not Allowed

I've previously mentioned that I grew up in a wonderfully mediocre suburb of the Twin Cities, it was a place of parks, large lawns and completely devoid of sidewalks. As a result of our enormous back yard, our dogs were never leash walkers and when they were, it meant someone was walking them down the middle of the street.

But, because I am now a Minneapolis resident I have the wonderful experience of living in a neighborhood with sidewalks! It's a neighborhood filled with people who are walking to the train or their bus stop, walking to a local establishment, walking with their small kids on the sidewalk or walking with their dogs.

Calhoun and I often watch some of the regulars pass by on our sidewalks with their dogs, out for their daily walks. But, we have lamented the fact that Sogn is so well conditioned that he generally needs more exercise than you can get on a walk to be truly tuckered out (we're talking 10 miles or so with Calhoun on his cyclocross bike through the woods). Not only does he need more miles than we want to get in on a walk, but he also is not a great leash walker. We let him run a lot next to a bike or free in the dog park we also have not really taught him to walk on a leash (we have picked our battles).

But, with the weather so hot the past few days Sogn hasn't been run next to the cyclocross bike because he'll get too overheated, so I took the buster on a long walk the other day! We got to take a stroll on the sidewalk and it was awesome!

It was awesome for a few reasons. First, because it was hot out and he was hot he was a great walker, no energy to excessively pull on the leash. Second, every time I walk around my neighborhood I feel like I see new features of the neighborhood, and this weekend all of the lilies were in full bloom. Finally, a friendly neighbors put out Dog H2O!

I do get nervous taking Sogn so far on a walk because the poor guy does get really hot. And although our goal was to make it to the river so that he could get wet before walking back I started getting really nervous about him being very thirsty after about 10 blocks. And there, before us on the sidewalk, was the lovely sight of Dog H2O! Sogn didn't drink any of it, I'm not sure why, but this house is now a regular stop on our walks!

What a wonderful treasure to find on the sidewalk.

A Losing Battle

Sogn and I have been battling it out for the past few weeks. He likes to roll in rotten fish at the dog park, and I can't live with him after picking maggots out of his collar. Yes, this is gross.

The battle usually goes something like this:

We go to the Minnehaha Falls dog park where Sogn plays in the river with the other dogs. That usually goes well, it's the walk after the swim when we encounter the rotten fish. Sometimes the dead fish are near the river shore, sometimes they are left in areas from which the water has receded - but their location is unpredictable and once Sogn finds a fish and sticks his face in it it's hard to get him out.

The result is unfortunate and usually the full impact of the smell is unknowable until shutting Sogn in the back of the car. At that point, the full effect of the small has become apparent to both Sogn and myself.

Trying to protect the back seat from the Sogn smell

When this happens, I try to leave him in the backyard for a while to air off but that doesn't always do the trick. When airing out doesn't solve the problem and it becomes apparent that Sogn needs a bath the real battle begins. When it's nice out, we can at least have a bath outside. But I feel bad about this because it means I have to tie Sogn to the steps in the back and spray him with the hose. Although I tell him what's going on, he always seems surprised when the water shooting out of the hose is aimed at him.

But, when the weather is bad outside we have to have a bath inside and this is NEVER good. Sogn is smart enough to have realized that going into the bathroom is not a good thing and even though he loves to swim he does not like the bathtub. It's me vs. a 70 lb, wet, soapy dog who is trying his best to climb out of the tub.

Sogn, clean, but moping around the house

Although in both situations I win, because he smells better and I'm confident that after a bath and a brush he doesn't have maggots crawling around in his fur we are both worse for wear. I'm upset because I'm wet, the house is wet and I've usually been stepped on a few times. He's upset because he doesn't know why he got woman-handled and probably also upset because he doesn't smell like fish anymore.

You can be sure he's feeling ashamed when he puts himself in his kennel

I can't wait for the world to dry out a little bit more! I'm hoping this battle ends soon!

Nomads for a Day

The other day there were people working on the house putting new shingles on. Our landlords kept us in the loop and we knew they were coming and we thought that it would still be possible to work here in the house while they were working on the roof...we were wrong.

I spent the morning studying for the bar then grabbed lunch with a friend. When I got in touch with Calhoun he let me know he had escaped the cluster of our house and wanted to spend the afternoon studying at a coffee shop! Although we've been together for a long time, we've never studied together at a coffee shop (why buy coffee when you can make it at home for free??), so I was excited!

coffee cups at Turtle Bread

A new Turtle Bread just opened in our neighborhood so we went to check it out. It was awesome! First, they came into a building that has been sitting un-used for years, so we were happy to see a good business go into the space. Second, they did some remodeling but also kept a lot of the charm of the building, so the place is filled with great, sharp word work and open windows and white subway tiles in the bakery area (I'm mildly obsessed with subway tiles right now). Third, the soup and pie were awesome and the coffee refills were free. Finally, we brought Sogn and sat outside and he was so well behaved (he was exhausted after a ten mile run/bike with Calhoun). It was a great way to spend the late afternoon.

Sogn at Turtle Bread

strawberry rubarb pie at Turtle Bread

We left Turtle Bread just before they closed at 6, drove past the house to see that the crew was still here so we grabbed our wooden nickels from Tracy's and headed over for their tacos.

One of my favorite things about Tracy's is the diverse patronage of the place, different people at different times of the day. We first started going to Tracy's on taco nights, but usually post 8 pm so we could catch the wooden nickel happy hour - 8 pm on a Thursday is the start of the weekend for undergrads and about 10 pm the place would always start to get packed with Augsburg students getting a jump start on the weekend (ahh...I remember those wonderful college days). Then we discovered the amazing date night on Friday, date night has different attendance than the thirsty Thursday crowd. We've also nabbed a few other cheap meals at Tracy's, lunches and the half priced burgers. But, we've never been there early on a taco night and we had a great time in the chill atmosphere, used our wooden nickels and loved the discount on our tab.

Finally, we came home and the crew was just finishing. The house looks great and we had a fun, mid-week nomadic adventure!

...or lay on the Air Conditioning Vent

So, it has gotten hotter outside since Sogn first laid in his dirt hole this afternoon. He has moved inside and is now laying on the air conditioning vent. Poor guy.

Dig a Dirt Hole

We had a cool, rainy spring and many Minnesotans were wondering when summer was going to arrive. Just in case you were still wondering (and you are an out of state reader), summer has arrived and it is not messing around. Although this weekend was beautiful (perfect for a camping bachelorette party and a study abroad reunion and retirement party), today the summer sun is asserting its strength! Minneapolis is currently under an Excessive Heat Warning, which means that our heat index today is near 90 and tomorrow it will be near 100. Although I enjoy exercising my meteorological skills during the winter, I'm no good at the summer weather forecasting, although I attempt to understand the Updraft.

And it is, indeed, hot out today. I spend the morning in a heavily air conditioned lecture hall learning about partnerships, while Calhoun and Sogn went to the dog park. Calhoun came home and took a shower to cool off but Sogn took a different approach, making himself at home in a fresh dirt hole in the backyard. I guess digging a dirt hole is one way to handle the stifling heat!