Lost Spring

We are having a very cold and rainy day so I turned on the fireplace. Frankie is loving it.

Walker Library

Or new library in Uptown opened today. It has been exciting watching the design come to life.

The new library replaces the old one that was mostly below street level which always seemed odd.

The new library is such a difference. Nearly completely glass walled, it also includes sun chimneys that let in even more light.

2014 Minnesota AIDS Walk

It is Walk fundraising time.

This year I will be not be walking in the 2014 Minnesota AIDS Walk but I need your support! The walk supports the work of Minnesota AIDS Project; a local organization that for the past thirty years has been raising awareness, funding life-saving programs, and has helped improve the lives of thousands affected by HIV across the state.
I have pledged to raise money to support that work, and to stop HIV in Minnesota! Please click on the link below to learn more about the Minnesota AIDS Project and to make a donation.
http://mnaidswalk.org/jeffjeffereygeoffrey#.U1hxuREU_X4

Unbelievable

Turns out there is an entire brand of treats that Uno will not even try!  My little girl will eat pretty much anything... popcorn, chicken, peanut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese.

I had earlier purchased some beef treats that she turned her nose at. I thought it was the beef.  Her normal treats are salmon, tuna and chicken flavored from Purina.  The store didn't have the kitties' usual treats so I got three different brands and flavors.

The Party Mix from Friskies were accepted and gobbled down. I tried a salmon flavor from Whiskas' Temptations. Uno would have nothing to do with them.  That is the same brand as the beef flavored she did not care for. So I need to remember never to get Whiskas brand treats. I get the evil eye when treats are late let alone when Uno deems them inedible.

On the other hand, Frankie has no problem with any of them. He inhales them all... which kind of defeats the tartar control effect the treats are supposed to have.

Backyard garden

I want to keep track of the backyard garden as it grows in over the Spring, Summer and Fall.  Also, keeping a journal will hopefully give me incentive to work on a couple of projects.  One is to widen the path from the patio to the garage using the technique I did last year with the pebbles and stones.

Today was an absolutely beautiful day. I cleaned up most of what winter had kept covered up.

Bowling

Last week was filled with bowling. Sunday was the banquet for my Sunday Bowlers league. The team came in 8th this year but I won the raffle drawing. The prize was the bowling-themed blanket pictured.

The other bowling event was the Thursday's championship and final night of bowling at Town Hall Lanes. This time the outcome was more exciting as we came in FIRST!  Won some cash but mist exciting was that each of us got a golden bowling towel (also pictured).

Yes, it is snowing and raining and snowing

This photograph was taken while it was snowing and raining. Soon after this it started to snow big big snowflakes which covered the patio. 

Goldy's Run - Running For Brunch

It was supposed to be nice day but it was cold, windy and rainy. Nonetheless we had a good time.

This run is at the University of Minnesota. The UofM mascot is Goldy Gopher hence the name. Can you guess our costume theme?

Mr. and Mrs. Duck

The Uptown ducks are back. I saw them this morning on top of the Lagoon Cinemas building.

Along with Mr. and Mrs. were another female mallard and a small canadian goose...on the roof, too.

Some Assembly Required

I've been nursing my gas grill along for the last few years so I decided it would be safer to purchase a new one.  Apparently it is too early in the season for the free assembly and I figured it couldn't be too difficult. Boy was I wrong. This took me at over 3 hours to finish.

Up North

Took a long-ish weekend trip up north to Jenny and Andrew's cabin. I left really early Friday morning in the middle of a big big snow storm! Traffic going north was not bad but the driving conditions were. At one point I could not see if there would be a vehicle in front of me or not. And Interstate 35 was down to one good driving lane. What would normally take about a five hour drive was 7 1/2 hours. But I do take my time and stopped several times for coffee and restroom.

 

 

A lot of ice on Lake Superior. These ice flows were all the way up to Two Harbors.

This is a panorama shot. Click on the image to open to get the full effect.

A telephoto shot of the lighthouse on the edge of Split Rock.

There was tons of snow up north and especially around Jenny and Andrew's cabin. The road had been plowed the week before so we were able to get all the way to the cabin with our all-wheel drive Escapes.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. The sun is shining through the frosted trees. We went skiing at Lutsen. Jenny and I went on our second snowshoe hike.

And you can see how beautiful the sun set was as the light streaks across Gust Lake.

Lake Superior from on top of Lutsen.

 

Moose Mountain from Papa Charlie's back deck.

Me, Andrew and Jenny on the top of Moose Mountain 

Jenny and me snowshoeing the back trail.

The drive home was smooth sailing. It was raining in Lutsen which cleaned the truck a little bit. There were so many deer along Highway 61...both dead and alive. Also passed two bald eagles that were just standing by the road.

Spring snow

A big big storm is forecast for tonight through Friday evening.

The first two photos are the start at 5pm Thursday.