Over the weekend

The weekend started with a lowkey Friday evening during which Josh tested out Wish's habit of resting his chin on the coffee table to see if it was actually comfortable. (The answer is no.)

Then we had Gophers football tickets (we've been to three Gophers games total, and two were in the last two weeks!) and joined last week's tailgating group again for Deep Fryer Day before the 11:00 game. This meant deep-fried everything, including Oreos, which I'd never had in deep-fried form before.

The rest of the weekend included more football, dinner with friends, and a visit to snap some photos of my friend's baby (a Santa hat did appear) before a family dinner on Sunday to celebrate my sister's boyfriend's birthday.

I've finished the fascinating book Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies and am reading Caitlin Moran's How to Build a Girl for this week's book club, with Rainbow Rowell's Attachments waiting on deck. (We also starting listening to Serial over the weekend.) Moosewood vegetarian chili is on tap for later this week - it was supposed to be tonight, but I forgot we were out of bulgur. A new week is underway.

Snowy Monday

A new season stampeded into town this morning with snow, sleet and cold wind. A few inches of snow fell in my city, but sixteen inches fell just over an hour north of here. With colder temperatures predicted for the next week, I think this snow cover is going to stick around for awhile.

Other tidbits to begin the week:

1) This weekend included a first birthday celebration, a 31st birthday celebration, and a dinner-meeting with some of my TCM friends. Josh and I also went to the Gophers game against Iowa, my first visit to TCF Bank Stadium in a couple of years. (It was a big win for the Gophers!)

2) I got a few miles in this morning as the snow was falling. I had a lot of snow in my face by the time I was done, but I'm glad I did it.

3) We bought a shovel yesterday - just in time! I shoveled light snow this morning and Josh cleared an icy and snowy sidewalk this evening.

4) Wish has been scrambling across our living room coffee table's lower shelf when he's running after a ball, but I think this weekend was the first time I noticed him using it as a place to rest.

5) We're hosting a big group for dinner tomorrow. Tonight I made brownies for tomorrow's dessert and I had to cut off an edge to make sure they were okay.

Onward to Tuesday!

Pause

Tonight, after Josh and I unloaded a Craigslist purchase from our car, I looked at the pile of boxes lining our dining room wall and instead flopped onto the couch to watch playoff baseball. Josh wasn't home at that time - but I still had company.

But now said company has run off into the guest bedroom, one of his favorite places in our new house, and I'm about to browse some magazines that seem to be filled with fall-themed project ideas. Twin Cities Marathon weekend kicks off tomorrow afternoon (I'm volunteering, not running!) and I'll enjoy this evening at home before those wonderful festivities begin.

Monday notes

Much like last Monday's post, I'm here to report that Josh and I spent big chunks of Sunday packing and organizing and preparing for our move in a couple of weeks. We get more and more excited about our house the more work we do, and just the simple task of labeling each box with its destination in our future home builds on that feeling. Soon we'll be in our new house!

Other Monday updates:

1) I ran eight miles on Saturday, my longest run in a few months! Molly nudged me to sign up for the 10-mile option of a great local race, and it's this weekend, so I've been slowly bumping up my mileage to prepare. She's running the 20-mile version, so I'll get to run one loop with her before she's on her merry way for 10 more miles.

2) This dog:

3) One year ago this week we were getting ready to get married! I love thinking back to the days leading up to our wedding.

4) Some autumn weather is swooping in later this week. I dug out my sweaters.

5) Chilaquile casserole tonight for dinner using tomatoes from the garden, fresh sweet corn and a farmers market zucchini - a big departure from how I assemble this dish in the colder months!

I'm off to pop outside to see if the clouds have cleared enough to reveal tonight's harvest moon.

The start of September

We've spent big blocks of the last few days getting ready for our move later this month—packing, prepping, organizing and cleaning—and feel good about the progress!

Five other notes:

1) I did start the weekend with a run: On Saturday morning I ran with Molly, two of our former cross-country teammates and one of their partners. I haven't run with a group that large since I was part of the running club a few years back, and I loved it. I was only with Molly and the crew for six of the 17 miles she eventually covered, but those miles flew by as we talked both as a large group and in pairs.

2) We took a break in between errands on Sunday for lunch outside at Anchor Fish & Chips in Northeast. The view from my seat:

3) I said before that our home projects were on hold, but we wanted to do one more: recovering four chairs for our new dining room. I read several tutorials online, but the one I recommend most is a Martha Stewart video on the topic. Josh used needle-nose pliers to rip out the staples on each seating pad's previous cover while I cut fabric, fit each piece to the chair and stapled it back on. This project was easier than we thought, especially once I got past the first chair's first corner.

Before:

After:

We liked the final result!

4) I might have also made a mini table runner modeled after the checkerboards in Tennessee's endzones to use up a leftover piece of duckcloth from last fall's table runner projects. And Josh and I were happy about many components of Tennessee's big win on Sunday night! I loved hearing how loud the crowd at Neyland when the team ran through the T and during other key moments. There were some great college football games this weekend.

5) As I sorted out my books, I discovered that I had two copies of Jerry Spinelli's book Stargirl, a pleasing realization. I hope this happened because I just bought duplicate copies of this wonderful book at different stages of my life, not because one copy belongs to someone else.

6) This guy elected to spend a lot of time lounging in his room (his crate) while we were packing and organizing this weekend, but he loved a long walk on Saturday.

Last night, Josh grilled bacon cheeseburgers on pretzel buns, I made Oreo ice cream, and we watched "The Way, Way Back," which I loved. We are ready for the first week of September.

Big sky

Tonight Wish and I went for one of our beloved sunset walks. En route to the best spot in our neighborhood to see a big sky, we saw so many people sitting on their front porches, playing in their yards and taking strolls and bike rides. It was a beautiful summer night and our neighbors were reveling in it.

We ambled over to peek at the sky just after the sun dipped below the horizon. The clouds tonight reminded me of Boundary Waters skies, which I visited two years ago this month and will not soon forget.

And then just one dog silhouette photo, okay?

I'm off to finish reading The Circle and maybe catch a bit of tonight's late Twins game.

Weekend vacation

Every spring at Dad's birthday celebration up north, a family weekend that has become a great tradition, he tells my brother and sister and me that we're always welcome to visit on our own. Josh and Wish and I took him up on that offer over the weekend, and we are so glad we did.

On Friday afternoon we arrived at the campground where the RV is parked, a few miles away from Mille Lacs Lake. Rain fell on and off for a little while, and I watched it from the comfort of the zero-gravity chair in the gazebo. (More on this chair later, because I could write multiple book-length posts about this chair.) In between two periods of light rain, I walked over to see the clouds over the smaller lake adjacent to the campground. The rain clouds were sparring with bright sunshine, and it was beautiful.

I returned to the gazebo and found Wish watching for me. He'd keep an eye out whenever one of us left for a moment.

Well, he did a lot of napping, too.

If you can imagine Josh in the hammock and me in the zero-gravity chair, or vice versa, you'd have a pretty good idea of how we spent a lot of the weekend. I finished the last part of Americanah and read Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference. I also google-searched "zero-gravity chair" to see where I might find one for myself. No luck yet.

We grilled hamburgers. I made guacamole and ate a lot of watermelon. At night (and once during the day), Josh built campfires. We roasted marshmallows and listened to Twins games on the radio while we sat by the fire. I ate the red tomatoes off my dad's rainbow tomato plant.

In past trips up north, Wish has been scared of campfires, but he did so well this time and I was so proud. He sat a few feet away from the fire both nights and relaxed - definitely relaxed. It reminded me of how sleepy he was after his first obedience class. The outdoors can be a lot for a pup to process!

Most of the time, though, Wish was within arm's reach of one of us, and that was just fine with him.

On Saturday, we drove over to Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, where Josh and I had camped and canoed several years ago. We had plans to take Wish for a canoe and hike, and in preparation, I'd even purchased a little dog life jacket for him. He loves hikes, but I really had no clue how he'd do in the canoe, since he's not particularly water-loving (contrary to his breed's history as Dutch barge dogs, he steps delicately around sprinklers).

We parked in a lot adjacent to the river access and rental canoes. I saw a magnificent hiking trail right next to the canoes and scampered a few yards in for a better look.

And then I scampered out a lot faster because swarms of mosquitoes had descended on me during my brief photo stop. We scrapped our plans for the hike and will go back in the fall.

Into the canoe we went, me in the front and Josh in the back, with Wish sitting on his own in the middle-back, and we pushed out into the slow-moving Rum River. Wish was getting a feel for the boat and All of The Smells in the river and nearby weeds, and he was shifting his weight back and forth and trying to move around the canoe. These are normal and natural activities for a dog who has never (to our knowledge) been in a boat before, and we weren't in any danger, but I plain old got scared. And my dear husband was patient and kind and paddled back to the boat launch area, and we switched spots so Wish and I could sit in the back of the canoe together while Josh paddled the whole way (from the front, no less).

We were a goofy sight to passersby to say the least, but everybody relaxed, and finally Wish did what I'd thought he'd do all along: lay down in the bottom of the boat. We actually had a wonderful time out on the water (Josh from the start and me as soon as I calmed down).

And then we were back to the campground for dinner and another campfire - and for me, one more peek at the sky over the lake.

We're already planning our next trip to this peaceful spot.

A walk with Wish

How has it already been two full days since the All-Star Game?

We are returning to our regular routines, and I think the dog is pleased. Yesterday was R&R at home - I'm taking some vacation this week - and today I took Wish for a morning walk around Como Lake. I love walking him there: besides the pup loving the change in scenery, it's great for training because it's always busy (so he can practice and be rewarded for good behavior) but not too crowded.

We usually go in the afternoons, so it was neat to see the lake in the morning.

Wish was zigzagging all over the path at the start - I think he was trying to smell both sides of the trail at once - but settled into a more even and moderate trot soon enough. Near the end of our loop, we sat down for a little break. It seemed like a good time for a picture.

I got up and watched the lake and wildflowers for a minute. Then I looked down and saw that my dog was hamming it up in hopes of getting a treat.

I love the little adventures with this goofball.

Sunset walk

Tonight I took Wish out for a quick walk as soon as I got home from work, then spent the bulk of the evening painting that cabinet we started working on over the weekend. (I think/hope it's almost there!) I finished with a bit of daylight left: perfect timing for a more leisurely stroll with the dog. We ambled around the neighborhood on a beautiful summer night and watched the sun set.

Take 1:

And take 2!

I am glad I paused painting for this walk.

Pausing at a bench in the shade

Happy first day of summer!

Another Nokomis visit

Yesterday: my second visit to Lake Nokomis in a week, this time for a leisurely walk with my pup.

Last summer I started taking Wish out for little adventures on Friday afternoons, and it was a fun treat for both of us that I wanted to revisit this year. Yesterday, we walked around the lake - just under three miles - and took a few water breaks and one longer pause in the shade. At one point during a break, I looked over at Wish and saw him dog-grinning, so I scooted next to him and took our picture:

Wish was loving all of the lake smells, which I got a kick out of watching, except when I had to drag him away from a fish that had washed onto shore. He also heard a fish flop in the water about 20 feet away from where we were standing and got a very funny confused look on his face.

I've written many times here about these peaceful lakes so close to the downtown skyline, but I don't think I will ever stop marveling at them.

Onward with the rest of the weekend!

Seasonal novelties

Sometimes, as I've noted before, I write for my January self.

I think back to how winter walks were spent with shoulders scrunched up to brace myself against snow, wind and cold. In these first few warmer weeks, I amble around the neighborhood and take stock of how much more relaxed these walks are.

Soon, my awareness of contrasts like that will likely fade (at least a little). Before they do, I'll jot down a few of this season's novelties - not because they're particularly unique or surprising, but for my January self:

1) No surprise with this one, right? Our garden. I planted everything one week ago today, and when I arrived at the garden plot today after a weekend away, I saw that the purple beans were already three inches tall! I watched this process happen last year, of course, and I'm hoping that the sight of plants soon won't be such a novelty. But for now: still a small thrill.

2) The farmers' market. Minnesota's farmers' markets are underway, and while this is far from a summer-only activity, the markets' natural time to boom is summer. I stopped by a market this weekend to pick up a spearmint plant to keep on our patio.

At this time of year, the focus is on plants. Among the flowers for sale:

3) The grill. Again, far from a summer-only activity, but iconic on these warm evenings. We fired ours up this weekend for the first time this year (for caprese sandwiches) so my head is full of ideas now.

Wish's head is also full of ideas regarding the grill.

4) The patio. As the temperatures heat up, I tend to think of our patio less often. Right now being able to sit outside is a much-appreciated novelty, and I'm planning to remember that feeling farther into the summer. (Eating lunch outside also goes in this category.)

5) And of course: watermelon (and, soon, the rest of the summer-specific fruit).

(Wish fits well into our household. He loves watermelon, too.)

What would you write down for your January self?

Two years with Wish

On this date two years ago, we met Wish!

I actually forgot what specific date we adopted him from the dog rescue organization and had to look back through Facebook photos to figure it out. Then I was chuffed to realize that it was May 13, which (retroactively?) continues (starts?) our series of special events that fall on the 13th (including the days Josh and I got engaged and married).

Sometimes we talk about the Sunday afternoon when we drove to pick him up and the first time he ran around inside our house. We didn't expect to adopt him that day and actually had to stop at a pet supply store on the way home. In the two years since, I have learned that I love so many things about life with Wish: his million odd nicknames (and I do mean "million odd," not "million-odd"), his affinity for carrots, and how he pounces to catch a ball always a half-beat too early. If I didn't believe the power of a nice long walk two years ago, I do now. And I love his grin:

I love how he goes wild when I get home from work (and especially when he hears the key turns in the door to indicate that Josh is home). He adores Josh.



We have completed two obedience training classes with Wish, and while he likely won't ever be the life of a big party, it is so sweet to see his progress. I love what he has taught me about patience. I love when we are working on training and he reacts the way we want him to act, in a situation that used to scare him. And it cracks me up - he has been doing this a lot lately - when he pretends a challenge is tougher than it really is and looks up at me in a charming and kind of hammy way to make sure I've seen his good behavior and treat him accordingly. The face looks like this:



And he makes us laugh - a lot. I could never have imagined how much joy he brings to our little family. My heart is fuller because of this pup. Happy "birthday," little Wish.

Dog shadow (and green grass)

Around town

In the last week, I have been grateful for fresh air, long walks, sunrises, a furry dog, and - most of all - the immense kindness of our family and friends.

A few of the recent sights around town: