Minnesota March

Western Minnesota doesn't have the problems that the northwest portion of the state does. But during our weekend trip to visit Alan's Dad, we found some of the 4" of rain seeping into the basement at the farm and spent a few hours rolling up carpeting and putting furniture up on 2"x4"s.

Driving back to the Cities on Monday, we saw many spontaneous lakes and rivers, adding exponentially to Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. We're experiencing what Alan calls the perfect storm of spring flooding: warmer than average temperatures, frozen ground, snow melt, rain. End result is much sandbagging in the flood plain of the Red River of the North and lots of flooded fields in the plains of western Minnesota. So odd to see ducks, geese, tundra swans bobbing around in whitecaps and corn stalks.

More smoking ban, please

We two Minnesotans attending a concert across the border tonight (wonderful Irish music and dancing) and innocently wandered into a bar for a nightcap. A wall of SMOKE hit us on the way in--we were in Wisconsin! No smoking ban and 10 people puffing away. We bolted down our drinks and escaped from Wisconsin. Thank you, Minnesota Legislature, for the Clean Air Act. And I say this as a reformed smoker.

Wally Lamb

I'm halfway through Lamb's "The Hour I First Believed" and I'm torn: I wish it would never end and I can't put it down so, damn it, it's ending. Well, it's also a library book so I have a deadline, so to speak.

This guy is a WRITER! Best book I've read in years. He weaves the story of a relationship around the Columbine school shooting. His descriptions and character development are absolutely riveting. At over 700 pages, it's daunting until you read that first paragraph. Then all you can do is hold on and keep turning those pages.

The Minnesota Zoo

I'm a longtime member of the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. Since it's about 3 miles from our home, you'd think I would visit more often than I do but I've kept my membership just to support the Zoo.

I was surprised at the vitriol of another local blogger on a Zoo project to open in July--a children's outdoor playground. General Mills, sometimes called Generous Mills, and other private donors, are donating $1 million for the project. The blogger is of the opinion that the money is wasted on this project. Actually this particular blogger is mad about a lot of things so maybe s/he is just using the blog to vent and drop a lot of f-bombs.

The Zoo can't have too many beautiful large and small cats for my taste. The latest additions are Amur leopards that have heated rocks right next to the window so you have a real close-up view of these spectacular animals.

Is it just me?

Does it seem like there's more interest in politics lately? I've always paid attention to politics since it's the way the world works and all.

I was and am an Obama supporter, more so I believe because of the contrast between BHO and GWB. I know they're both politicians and sometimes have to do what is politicallhy expedient. But it gives me no end of pleasure to see/hear/say the phrase "President Obama." Not that I wish any of the Supreme Court justices any harm or misfortune but if a couple of them wanted to retire in, say, the next 3 years....

Of course anyone with a 401K or an ownership in stocks is paying more attention to what's happening in the world lately. I'm sure the state of the economy sparks the interest of even the most clueless.

So is it just me or are we paying better attention these days?

I'm a faux parent

For intense animal lovers like me, as I'm sure it is probably 1000fold for parents of humans, "child" or child sickness is not easy to handle.

The welfare of the cats and kittens I foster for the Minnesota Valley Humane Society weigh on me heavily as well. My latest foster is a black and white pregnant stray cat from Apple Valley. She was on the street long enough to get pretty gritty, her normally bright white tummy and feet now grimy grey in color. She was treated for a variety of parasites before joining our household. And at the shelter she contracted the feline upper respiratory infection nearly all felines get in shelter situations, kind of like kids at school.

Tonight was a moment all other parents, faux and otherwise, will recognize. She ate and drank! I haven't seen her eat or drink, and the litter box is my silent witness, since Friday and it's now Sunday evening. In case you don't know what that's like, when the patient finally willing takes food or drink, you just freeze and barely breathe because you don't want ANYTHING to interrupt the moment.

So, relief, Bella is on the road to recovery and I hope will keep her kittens inside until she's much better. Eat and drink up, pretty kitty!

Autumn

It was a real "duh" moment a few years ago when Alan suggested that instead of buying evergreen branches at the garden store, why not just cut some from our evergreens. Well, duh! So I just finished a fall job, cutting said evergreens for a pot on the front step and some deck pots.

I added some sumac berries, cone flower seed pods, and some red I think dogwood branches (bought at said garden store but saved for years.) It looks pretty nifty.

The deck pots are to keep our cats from leaving the yard. You can see some of the prison yard look of the yard--green chicken wire attached to the fence and in the tree. It looks a little, um, strange but it works. All my cat friends are jealous.