Let’s Scrap Christmas

Once again, The Seasons’ Players at Bunker Hills Golf Course presented a heartwarming story about family. “Let’s Scrap Christmas” made me laugh and cry.

Written by Patti J. Hynes-McCarthy and directed by her husband Thomas G. McCarthy, the show had all the makings of a holiday favorite. There was the saucy but caring Grandma (played by the always-hilarious Suz Adamson). Her pink-loving perfectionist daughter Carol (played by Laura Lynne Tapper), and her counterpart, the can’t-do-anything-right-been-married-three-times-and-getting-another-divorce daughter Vicki (played by Jacleen Olson).

Each of the four granddaughters is facing her own set of troubles. Hope (Emily Carroll), married with two children, seems to have it all together, but is turning to a therapist to save her marriage. Sister Faith (Jane Samsal) is suppposed to get married in a grand ceremony next summer, but isn’t sure she can go through with it. Carmen (Jenni Aldridge), nearly 30, still lives in her mother’s basement and bursts into tears whenever she’s happy or sad - and it’s mostly sad in this production because she misses her recently deceased grandmother. Darby (Lisa Bol) is raising her daughter (Meg, played by Rebekah Olson) alone and has just learned she has breast cancer. It’s only Meg who can see and hear the Grandmother who dropped out of heaven to check up on her family.

Grandma Loretta loves each of her granddaughters, professing by turns that each “is my favorite.”

Rounding out the cast are Greg Eiden who plays Carol’s husband Mike, a man who has just discovered the hundreds of sports channels available on Dish; and Timm Holmly who plays Terrance, Grandma Loretta’s odd neighbor.

It is Terrance who arrives on a snowy night during the girl’s annual scrapbooking weekend, to share something special with them all.

Once again, Hynes-McCarthy has fashioned a set of characters you can’t help but love through their good and bad. I left inspired, just as I have after each production that I’ve seen at the Seasons over the last 14 years.

More at:

http://www.theseasonsatbunkerhills.com/dinner-theater/purchase-tickets

763-755-4444

Treasure in a small town

There isn’t much in the small town of Rush City, Minn., but residents can now lay claim to the cutest coffee shop north of the Twin Cities.

Firefly Coffee & Bistro at 255 West 5th Street is worthy of anything you’d find in downtown Minneapolis. In fact, the owners operate another location near Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.

Firefly is a vibrant bistro with great food. We had pannini sandwiches and hearty soup. I washed mine down with a mocha that wasn’t too sweet or too strong. The bistro also offers gourmet pizzas, salads, burgers, breakfast and a weekend brunch.

There were newspapers to read, and free Wifi. Didn't bring your own computer? Use theirs.

It was pretty quiet when we were there on a Sunday morning — perfect for catching up with good friends. I’ll be back, that’s for sure.

More at: 320.358.0882 or www.fireflybistro.net

Hours are: 6:30am-4pm Sunday-Wednesday

6:30am-8:30pm Thursday-Saturday

Tea from the other side of the world

I tried Bubble Tea in China, but had no idea it was available in Minnesota until last month. How exciting!

Although I sipped my first bubble tea in Beijing, it actually originates from Taiwan. What makes this type of green or black tea unique? It’s all about the bubbles. The bubbles are actually tapioca made from cassava plants. At The Tea Garden, bubbles also expand to 9 varieties of fruit and coffee-flavored jellies.

On the Saturday we went to the Tea Garden in Uptown, it was a gorgeous Indian Summer day. Thus, the place was packed. Half the time we were there the line went out the door. Wow. Needless to say, it wasn’t a place to sit and chat with your friends. It was a place to try new things, however.

The menu is extensive, ranging from hot or cold lattes, chai, iced teas, coolers, shakes and hot cocoa. PLUS, you can pick from a range of jellies and bubbles. You could go to the Tea Garden every day for a year and try a different combination. For the newbie, the menu is a bit intimadating. Thank goodness for “Specialty Shakes”. I went with Calvin’s topical shake: sour sop, guava and mango. Yum! Bubbles made up half my shake. In the future, I’d ask for half as many.

Flavors range from the typical (strawberry and chocolate) to the exotic (guava, star fruit, kumquat) to fruits I’ve never heard of before (taro, coconut mung bean, lychee, and matcha). Here we were in Minneapolis, but I felt a world away. I’d recommend bringing anyone to the Tea Garden. Even the 8-year-old girl with us loved it.

According to teagardeninc.com:

The Tea Garden has four “categories” of bubble tea.

• Fruit teas come with your choice of green (jasmine) or black tea, shaken in a cocktail shaker with your choice of fruit concentrates. Served hot or on ice.

• Tea lattes also come with your choice of green or black tea, shaken or blended with your choice of fruit concentrates or flavors such as cappuccino, coffee, chocolate, etc, plus non-dairy cream is added to give the drink a smooth, creamy taste. Served hot or on ice.

• Coolers are slushes/icees — Ice blended with fruit concentrates or flavors.

• Shakes are creamy smoothies — Ice blended with fruit concentrates or flavors such as cappuccino, coffee, chocolate, etc, plus non-dairy cream is added to give the drink a smooth, creamy taste. In addition, chai - a popular tea from India - is available in lattes or shakes.

Of course, tapioca pearls and/or jellies can be added to any of these bubble tea categories.

Pearls and Jellies: The tapioca pearls are about half inch in diameter, made from cassava plants. They are slightly sweet and chewy. The dark coloring is natural for unbleached tapioca. In addition to pearls, there are nine varieties of jellies: mango, green apple, lychee, pineapple, coffee, strawberry, passion fruit, crystal, and tri-color (strawberry, coconut, and passion fruit). They are made of either carrageenan or agar-agar (seaweed-based), and are vegan-friendly.

LOCATIONS

There are 5 Tea Gardens located in the Twin Cities: Uptown at Hennepin and 26th, Mall of America, 1692 Grand Avenue in St. Paul, Stadium Village Mall on the U of M campus, and in the US Bank Building Skyway in downtown St. Paul.

Great place for a tree

We ventured down a dirt road for our Christmas tree this year.

Based on the

recommendation of my sister’s new mother-in-law, we headed about 10 minutes from Cambridge to Anderson’s tree farm. According to Mrs. Anderson, they’ve been living on the property since 1971, and have operated a tree farm there for several decades.

The place is family-run and it shows. We parked next to the home and treehouse. I headed inside the gift shop to get the lowdown. Mr. Anderson told me to grab a saw, walk on back and pick my tree. Jesse was disappointed he couldn’t take the Avalanche off-road. I enjoyed the walk - until on our way back, anyway. My baby gets heavy without a sling.

We usually get a Blue Spruce, but opted for a tree with long, soft needles this year because of the baby. (Good thing too, because Blue Spruce were hard to find.) Trees are just $20! They are by far the cheapest around.

Once back, I headed in to the gift shop and couldn’t resist a hand-crafted ornament. The hot cocoa and coffee was free - again, another benefit you usually have to pay for these days.

The owners were warm-hearted, and the tree the right price.

DIRECTIONS: Take CR 5 west of Isanti. Pass through the CR 5/Hwy. 47 intersection. You’ll see your first sign there pointing the way. Proceed past Oxlip Free Church to Zuni Street. Turn left. Proceed south several miles, until you see a sign on the left side.

OTHER LOCAL TREE FARMS:

• Rudolph Tree Farm, two miles south of Isanti off Hwy. 65

• Pinestead Tree Farms, Isanti, MN (763) 444-8206

• Wolcyn Tree Farm, 4542 Highway 95 NW, Cambridge, (763) 689-3346, http://www.wolcyntreefarms.com/minnesota_tree_farm_about.html

• 15 miles west of Cambridge (I can’t remember the name). Huge Belgium horses pull a haywagon out to the field. My nephew loved this place.

It's a humbling experience

It’s a humbling experience to be back in the classroom again — as a student.

After I graduated from Bethel College, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to take another class. I was ready to spread my wings. Ready to work and not study something endlessly. I wanted to live and do instead. So, that’s what I did.

After seven years in my chosen field, I was asked to teach. The thought of sharing the lessons I’d learned (some the hard way) sounded exciting. So I found myself standing in front of the classroom, rather than sitting in it.

Now things have come full circle. I’m simultaneously a student and an instructor. While it’s been difficult, it’s been good for me.

I think it’s a great thing for every instructor to remember what being a student is like. In my poetry class at St. Thomas I’ve had to question what it is my professor wants from me. I’ve had to puzzle out what she expects in my weekly papers. I’ve looked at the syllabus and wondered how I will ever fit that much homework in between my other responsibilities.

I’m a bit like a fish out of water here. I’m taking the first poetry class of my life after having been immersed in journalism for 10 years. It’s a bit disconcerting. I’m not sure I have anything to add to the conversation. I certainly can’t read a poem as I do a news story. Somedays it feels like everything I spent the last 10 years building no longer matters. Considering that I teach at a college populated with many students returning to school after a long absence, this lesson is also good for me. Difficult, but good.

One thing I did learn as a journalist is that everyone and everything we come in contact with broadens our horizons if we let them. My perspective is changing constantly these days. It’s good for me.

Consignment sales = savings and convenience

Do you love garage sales but cring at the thought of dragging your baby in and out of the car? Hit up a Just Between Friends sale and you won’t have that problem.

I went to my first sale of this sort today. It was great! (And goes through Saturday if you want to check it out yourself.) Here’s the idea behind this mega sale: Consignors bring their new and gently-

used children's and maternity merchandise to sell. Shoppers can then browse and purchase these items at great savings, usually far below retail prices.

The prices are higher than what I’d pay at a garage sale. Instead of $1 a shirt I was paying $3 to $4. But I didn’t have to dig through piles of clothes either. All of the clothing was hung on racks and easy to look through. There’s more than clothing at these sales. I saw big items like cribs, basinnets, cradles, strollers, exersaucers, and swings. There were also mounds of toys. I found cloth diapers and slings, as well as backpacks and disposible diapers. I was amazed at the variety of Halloween costumes. I even saw a man checking out with a snowboard.

These sales are held around the country in numerous cities. The closest one to me is in Maple Grove at the Golf Center (Highways 169/81). Sales are held twice a year so you can stock up and save. Yeah! New moms get in a day before the general public. The last day of the sale, Saturday, everything is half off. Cash, credit and check accepted.

If you want to sell, you will make between 60-70% of the sale price.

More at:

www.jbfsale.com

Another sale like this one is the Munchkin Market. Again, sales are held twice a year in the spring and in the fall. The sales this fall were held in Stillwater at the Washington County Fairgrounds and also at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Cash or local checks.

http://www.munchkinmarkets.com/

A web site that compiles sales information is:

http://www.twincitieskidssales.com/sales.htm

Sale organizers have to pay for a listing, so it’s not complete, but well worth checking out. Sales are organized by area (North-West Metro, North-East Metro, South of the River, West Metro).

My harvest

I miss paper

I miss getting bills in the mail rather than having to remember another username and password to find out what you owe.

I miss reading poems and stories out of a book. I like holding it in my hand, putting it down for a second so I can grasp the meaning and then bringing it back up to read again. I miss the feel of the paper and the weight of the book. I miss the smell. You don’t get that from a computer screen.

I miss getting information in a handout. Now, when you start at a new college you’re expected to find what you need to know online in a see of virtual pages. You need a user name and password for your email, and another for your account. You don’t get a syllabus anymore. You have to find it in this sea of online pages. There’s a page titled Portal. Another for email. One called Murphy. And one more titled Blackboard. How do I keep everything straight? I miss getting every thing I needed to know in a convenient folder. Here’s how to access your mailbox. Here’s a map of our buildings and a list of accronyms. Your class meets in this room at this time and your instructor is Leslie Miller. Here’s an invoice; send your check to this address.

Yesterday I got a postcard in the mail telling me St. Thomas doesn’t send out bills anymore. It’s all electronic.

Yeah, I really miss paper.

Beware of Snow Leopard

Yay! There’s a new operating system for Macs. I was ecstatic — until I installed it and couldn’t open either Word or Excel 2004. Seriously?!

So I had to do some digging to discover the problem. Now that I know it, I’m sharing it so that hopefully others don’t spend an afternoon as frustrated as I was.

I got great information at this blog:
http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2009/09/hot_topics_using_office_for_mac_with_snow_leopard.html

My problem was all font-related.

I had to go to the application Font Book and manually delete all the duplicates. Just turning them off didn’t work.

Then I went to my Microsoft Word font folder and deleted a few specific fonts. Apparently, they are older and mess things up. Delete:
• Andale Mono
• Arial
• Arial Black
• Arial Narrow
• Arial Rounded Bold
• Brush Script.ttf
• Comic Sans MS
• Georgia
• Impact
• Tahoma
• Trebuchet MS
• Verdana
• Wingdings 2
• Wingdings 3

In a perfect world, everything would just work. Bummer we don’t live in a perfect world.

Something good from something bad

I still remember one of the worst mistakes I ever made as a journalist for the STAR newspaper in Cambridge. It happened in the winter of 2001. A home outside Cambridge caught fire because a methamphetamine lab burst in the garage. The homeowner, a J. Siems, faced several meth charges. At the time, meth busts were happening every week and this was a big deal.

Now, I knew a J. Siems. Jason Siems had been my sister’s neighbor a few years earlier.

When I typed the story, instead of writing about James Siems, the homeowner where the meth lab was found, I substituted the name I knew: Jason.

When the story printed it was not a good day in our newspaper office. Jason’s wife called, she yelled, and threatened to sue. I felt terrible. Absolutely terrible. I knew Jason, and he was a nice guy. I didn’t need a potential lawsuit hanging over my head to feel guilty. We printed a correction, of course, in our next edition, but I never shook feeling terrible about what happened.

Fast forward to 2009. Jason Siems has accepted a job working at the main desk at the college where I’m now teaching. I’ve gone through the summer without running into him, but as soon as school starts I need his help. He says, “I know you, don’t I?”

“Yeah, you used to live in the same duplex as my sister,” I reply, hoping he doesn’t remember how else he knows me. He remembers.

“And you used to write for the STAR newspaper, too, right?” He asks. “You wrote that story about my brother and the fire at his place.”

“Yeah, I did,” I say, ducking my head in shame. “How is your brother doing?” I didn’t expect to hear anything good; meth is a hard habit to break and has destroyed many lives.

“He’s fantastic,” Jason replied. “He’s doing great. He’s off the drug. We laugh about what happened now.”

“I still feel terrible about what happened,” I interject.

He continued, “In fact, we speak together to groups about his addiction and how it affects the entire family. You know, if you hadn’t written that story and accidentally used my name, we wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Amazing. Something good, you could even call it wonderful, happened because of a mistake I made. A weight I hadn’t even realized I had been carrying for years fell off my back. I felt a hundred pounds lighter. My mistake enabled two brothers to reconnect and to share their story. Perhaps they had saved another from making the mistakes James had made.

It is true. Something good can come of a mistake.

Peace at Glendalough State Park

Find peace without driving to the Minnesota-Canada border.

I’ve always gone up to Voyageur National Park to center myself. I’ve found that a dose of wilderness brings calm back to my soul.

But with a five-month-old baby, I wasn’t up to boating into a remote campsite. I discovered that at some state parks, you can “cart in.” These campsites are slightly off the beaten track. I was a bit hesitant knowing how much stuff I bring camping now because of the baby. I wasn’t sure we wouldn’t be trekking back and forth between the truck and campsite. But it worked great and we’d do it again. I loved not hearing the constant hum of vehicles circling round us like we had at Forestville State Park earlier this summer. Glendalough was tranquil. Relaxing.

Minnesota’s newest state park, Glendalough, was a two and-one-half hour drive. It’s between Alexandria and Fergus Falls. The drive wasn’t bad, although we couldn’t have made it much farther with our active babe. The park is a few miles outside Battle Lake, a little town with a Civil War museum, postage-stamp mini-golf course, and a giant indian in the Wayside Park. It qualifies as a Minnesota town by the DQ sitting in the middle of it. Yes, we did leave our campsight on Saturday for an ice cream blizzard. Summer’s almost over; make the most of it!

I’m used to miles of miles of road stretching between state park attractions. This park is compact in comparison. The way it is set up now, you pass the campground to head to the office. It was slightly confusing and took us a bit to figure out what to do. (My suggestion box tip was to add an office sign and arrow at the campsite sign to help out newcomers.)

This is how you do it. At the carts, pick one without a reservation sign on it. The numbers on the cart correspond to campsites. Unload your vehicle, load up the cart and head to your site. Once unpacked you’ve in essence reserved the site. Then head to the office to pay. It’s $18 a night, plus a state park sticker fee.

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to pull the cart. It had large bicycle wheels on it and was well balanced. I held the baby and hauled a cartful of stuff.

My recommendation if you go: pick site 22 or 24. Both are close to the parking lot (and toilets/showers). They’re on the lake site. No. 22 is almost full sun, which would be great if the weather was a little on the cool side (ie. under 70º). Both those sites were already reserved (via the DNR reservation web site), so we opted for 23. It was a great site, though a little too shady for me (cold mornings). An advantage was that we could take the shortcut to the bathrooms through another site. That turned into a disadvantage Saturday when it filled up. Not only was the shortcut then barred, but the campers left their propane lantern on; it shone directly into our site and was oh, so annoying. I wanted to enjoy a dark evening with campfire light and stars.

ABOUT GLENDALOUGH
For every two acres of land in Glendalough, there is one acre of water. In fact, there are five lakes inside the park. Lake Emma is closed to boats entirely. Annie Battle Lake is off limits to motors. Annie Battle Lake is provides a “heritage fishing” experience. My husband loved it because it put us non-boat owners on par with those with fishing boats. Special regulations on Annie Battle Lake sustain a steady supply of large sunfish, crappie, the occasional walleye, and large bass. My husband had never seen such large sunfish. He was impressed.

The park was managed as a private game farm and corporate retreat for over 85 years. It was first developed as by Ezra G. Valentine in 1903. Later, it passed through two owners of the Minneapolis Tribune. Over the years, many famous people visited, including Presidents Nixon and Eisenhauer. Nixon went for a dip in Annie Battle Lake in October one year. Brrr!

There are 26 cart-in campsites and two large group sites. Feeling more adventureous? Canoe into a site. Feeling lazy? Opt for one of the two camper cabins that are available year-round. They’d be perfect for motorcyclists.

Boats, kayaks and canoes are available to rent if you don’t feel like hauling yours. The cost is just $20 a day, or $10 for four hours — pretty affordable, we thought. They provide the life jackets too, although we brought our own for the baby.

If you’re a birder, you’ll love the park. I picked it in part because of the fishing pier and swimming beach/picnic grounds on Molly Stark Lake. There was a dog cemetery that piqued my interest.

DIRECTIONS: From the town of Battle Lake, go 1.5 miles north on State Hwy. #78 and 1.8 miles east on Ottertail Co. Hwy #16 to the park entrance.

GEOCACHING
One of the hottest new hobbies is available at Glendalough: geocaching. I’d been dying to try it out, so on Saturday we did. Using a handheld GPS unit, we found the first two clues. While the first was on a bulletin board, the second was buried deep in a fallen tree. So cool! That one had a small treasure chest full of flsh flashcards. We had to ID the fish, put them in the order stated on another card and use that to discover the coordinates to the next location. Although we thought we had it right, we never found the next cache. Bummer!

On our walk though, we ran into three deer grazing about 100 yards away. Amazing. It was breathtaking.

IF YOU GO TO BATTLE LAKE
• Check out the Civil War Museum. It’s right off the main street. Watch for the open signs. I’m guessing it’s only open on the weekends. I didn’t see it advertised in any of the tourist guides so I can’t give you any details other than location.
• Take a photo with the giant indian. The statue is located in the wayside park on the north end of town.
• Play mini-golf. Turn at the liquor store and go one block.
• Enjoy a glass of wine at the bistro on the main street. The outside dining area was a perfect place to while away a few hours.
• Stop by Inspiration Point on your way there. Watch for signs to turn right off Highway 78. This is the second highest point in Minnesota.

SEE FULL POST WITH ALL PHOTOS AT
http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Minnesota/Alexandria/blog-435368.html

Hair Dye Debacle

I have some hard-earned advice to share. Don’t use Loreal’s highlighting kit on your hair if you’ve recently had a baby. No, I have to confess I’m not sure if it was the kit, the hormones or something else. What I do know is what happened scared me enough that I may never highlight my hair again.

I was good during my pregnancy. No hair dye. No chemicals (except for that weed kill incident). No vanity. But once that baby was out, I was more than ready to bring blond highlights back. I waited nearly five months though, not wanting to subject the baby to the odor of a home kit. Finally, I could wait no longer. I hatched a plan. Bring the baby to grandma’s where she would highlight my hair grandpa would watch baby. Foolproof, right?

Well, baby had other plans.

She ate before we left home, but mostly nibbles. Once at grandma’s she went down for a nap — that lasted just long enough for us to pull my hair through the cap. Once we were ready to bring on the chemicals (outside of course), she was ready to be held. And not just by anybody. Only mom would do. Grandpa tried his hardest. Grandma rushed through the process of spreading the chemical mix across my hair and covering it with plastic in order to take over with the baby. Five or so minutes longer none of us could take her cries — which had escalated to the loudest screams I’d yet heard my sweet baby make. Forget it. My baby needed milk. Oh, why had I decided I needed to highlight my hair?

As I sat down to give the baby some milk to quiet the screams, I realized that my scalp was starting to burn. Ouch. Five minutes later it really hurt. Baby was sated and quieted -- although she was still hiccuping – so we rushed to the sink. As soon as grandma and I left the room, the screams returned. Grandma left me to rinse alone, and headed back to calm the baby. I rubbed and the burning stopped,but as I continued rinsing I realized way too much hair was coming out. Had I actually melted some strands? The answered appeared to be yes. I washed it a few more times to get rid of the strong chemical odor, and then tried to comb it out. More hair. Was I going to have any left when this was over?

I decided to leave it alone, and focus instead on the baby, who still wasn’t too thrilled. She wanted mom.

We headed home. Once we stepped in the doors, she was calm and happy. Mom, however, was a mess.

And that’s how I learned my lesson. Stay away from home highlighting kits and women who have never done it before. And plans that involve babies never turn out how you thought they would.

A Girls' Outing

I made a delightful discovery with a bunch of friends a few weeks ago. We stopped by Serendipity in Anoka for Sunday brunch. Not only was the food delicious, but the atmosphere was perfect for a girls gathering.

Serendipity sits off Bunker Lake Boulevard just east of its intersection with Round Lake Boulevard. But you forget the traffic while sitting on the flower-covered patio.

We opted for the all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. There were multiple cold salads and hot breakfast foods. We topped off the meal with Italian gelatto. Seriously good.

After dining, we headed upstairs to check out the gift shop. It was the perfect way to while away an afternoon with the girls.

www.serendipitystoreandcafe.com
3450 Bunker Lake Blvd Anoka
763-427-0699

Need coffee?

I discovered a great little coffee shop in Minneapolis this week. Anodyne at 43rd and Nicollet.

Anodyne means “something that soothes, calms or comforts”. I spent two peaceful afternoons there. Yet the place - and its coffee - was invigerating. Or maybe that was the company I was with.

A sprial staircase in one corner leads the way to nowhere. Art on the walls explores the subject of eyes. A long table down the center of the coffee shop offered places to sit for people on computers (there’s free wireless), neighbors, and us, a group of five ranging from four months to 31.



I tried the mocha blended with Sebastian Joe’s ice cream one day, and the Honey Bear Toddy (ice mocha with cinnamon and honey) the next. I wish I would have tried the Mischief Turbo (homemaid chai with a hint of orange blended with ice cream). I tasted my friends and oh! it was delicious!

The place, as described by the web site (anodynecoffeehouse.com) says: “Although we began as a coffee shop, we now also define ourself as a homemade eatery offering a complete menu of made-from-scratch, fresh daily classics.  We mix in seasonal specials in our selection of salads, soups and sandwiches to keep things interesting.  Satisfying both an urban feel and a local vibe, we are also a cultural hang out offering free, live music, open mic, and an art gallery that changes monthly.” Oh, and you can also hit a Farmers’ Market across the street every Sunday from 8:30am to 1:00pm. 

Cambridge has a new community center!

Fireworks at Spectacle Lake

The fireworks at Spectacle Lake were fabulous. Every angle I turned I caught another display. I had no idea so many people on the lake shot off fireworks. They reflected beautifully off the water. Of course, being directly underneath one of the displays was amazing.

Grandma's Marathon 2009

An amazing human feat: Grandma's Marathon

I’m not a marathon runner, but there is something amazing about watching people finish a four or five-hour run that chokes me up.
It is simply amazing.
It’s the sort of thing that a human body shouldn’t be able to do. Yet with months of training, people are able to accomplish that feat. I’ve been up to Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth twice now to cheer on my father and sister.
I end up cheering for every runner who passes me.
I can’t help it. “Go, go, go, you’re almost there!” just erupts from my mouth.


Some dress up for their 26-mile run.

View of the final stretch down Canal Park

Our runners.

I prefer to watch the race from the end. We park in town (never getting there early enough to avoid the detour on 35 and subsequently wind up in the stop-and-go traffic jam). Then we walk down the route until we hit the end. Friends of ours watched their runner pass on Superior Street downtown and then walked across the Interstate bridge in order to watch her pass again. I wouldn’t want to almost miss my runner(s) at the end, however.
It’s simply phenomenal how many people run Grandma’s Marathon. This year there were 8,400 runners. In all, between 50,000 to 60,000 crush into the Twin Ports for the annual event. Hotels are booked solid, and restaurants packed.


After the race, runners head straight down to Lake Superior to cool their muscles.

This year we camped on the outskirts of Duluth at Indian Point Campground (Indianpointcampground.com). It’s a picturesque stay nestled up to the St. Louis River. A nice place, my only complaint was that the water was never above freezing in the showers. At one site, we pitched 5 tents. A tent site is $21 a night.



Indian Point Campground 75th Avenue West and Grant/Highway 23.

The best sites are on the St. Louis River.

We fit five tents on a site in the center.

While you’re in Duluth, drop by Grandma’s Saloon for dinner or a drink. But beware when telling folks where to meet — there are 3 locations on Canal Park!

Off-the-vine goodness

I’m a sucker for fresh taste. So the idea of off-the-vine strawberries was enough to lure me to a pick-your-own place this week. We go through a lot of strawberries round this place. Our Vita Mix gets used most days to make smoothies. So, I figured not only would I be satisfying my craving, but I’d also be saving the family money. Right?

Well, I’m not sure I did that, but the berries I plucked from the vines at Rob’s Berry Farm midway between Cambridge and North Branch off County Road 5 sure are sweet and tart. The worker who walked us to the fields and then weighed our heavy boxes later told us that the owner had feared he wouldn’t be open more than a week and one half, given the heat earlier in the season. But they’ll make it three weeks. This is the last one, and the fields are full of small to mid-size berries. Cost was $1.50 a pound.


I brought them home Monday night, saving the washing and freezing for Tuesday. Of course, we did make smoothies right away! Delish.

I did the washing in my sink, putting the berries on a towel to dry off. Then I popped them in a single layer on cookie sheets to fast freeze for an hour. Once they were hard and wouldn’t easily crush each other, I put them in gallon Ziplock bags. Any bets on how long these 4 gallons will last?

Detour Season in Minnesota

Yep, it’s detour season here in Minnesota. I had a 3pm appointment off Snelling in St. Paul the other day. I barely made it there in under an hour.

First, the colleague I was meeting with directed me to stay away from Highway 280 because it’s under construction. So I opted to go the long way, heading over to North Branch to take 35E into St. Paul, then 94 west to Snelling. I neglected to remember that the path to North Branch was also under construction!

(Word to the wise: Don’t try to take Highway 95 either west or east from Cambridge. There’s a bridge out towards Princeton, and the road towards North Branch is torn up.)

Thus, with no time to spare, I was heading north on a detour instead of going slightly south to North Branch. Aiiii. We ended up in Harris before we were heading south the way we wanted to go.

Amazingly, I made it just in time to Coffee News in St. Paul.

Upon leaving, I opted to head north on Snelling instead of battling rush hour traffic on 35W. Bad idea. The north end of Snelling (near Northwestern to 694) is also under construction!

So, beware, you drivers. There’s road construction everywhere here in Minnesota.

Other diaper tools

If you do opt to use cloth diapers, here are a few other 'tools' I've found helpful.


Make your baby happy by buying a wipe warmer. I know some people say not to do it because then the baby hates when you're out of the house and have to use cold wipes. While that may be true, the happiness a warm wash cloth brings to my baby is worth it! Diaper changing time is her favorite time. All crying stops when she's on her diaper changing table. We don't use wet wipes, but instead fill the warmer with baby-sized washclothes. I fill it up with water every day (even though the package said it would only need filling once a week. Yeah, right!).



Connect a sprayer to your toilet. It makes clean-up so much easier. We decided at first to do it ourselves, so we trotted off to Menards and dropped over $40 on supplies. My husband spent the better part of a Sunday afternoon connecting the sprayer up. The next day we discovered a puddle on the floor; it had a slow leak. After looking it over a bit, my husband decided to give in and purchase the ready-made package from Bum Genius for $40. It was easy to install and works great. I love it.

To keep the odor down between washings and to get the diapers cleaner, I spray each with Bac Out after I spray it out. You can purchase Bac Out at natural food co-ops; I stocked up by buying 4 gallons off Amazon.com. It has a fabulous lime scent that I love.

Not your momma's cloth diapers

Cloth diapers aren’t what they used to be. I know what you envision when you think ‘cloth diaper’. You picture a white square and sharp safety pins. Well, think again!

Today’s cloth diapers are actually oh-so-easy to use. Think velcro and fleece. Plus, they’re actually adorable! Picture Dr. Suess and frog prints.



Today’s cloth diapers consist of an inner layer of cotton or fleece and an outer layer that is waterproof. Pop the diaper on and then put the cover over it. Others, known as all-in-ones or AIOs, have both the inner and outer parts in one diaper. I prefer those for use when I’m not at home. Daddy also prefers those and thinks they’re easier.

I began my quest for cloth diapers by visiting Pea Pods (www.peapods.com) on Snelling in St. Paul. I wanted to see and touch. I spent $100 and got a variety to test, including Bum Genius, Bamboozle (made of bamboo!), and Kissaluvs. I figured after I had tried them I could then order seconds off Craig’s List. The nice thing about cloth diapers is that although they are not cheap to buy new, they do retain their value very well.

Here’s what I’ve learned after three months of use:



My favorite diapers are Thirsties, and they’re not easy to find used. Thirsties are made of soft fleece and have velcro. They resist staining the best. And they come in great colors: bright orange, melon green, hot pink and more. The accompanying covers have gussets around the legs, which work well for my chubby-legged daughter.



I also love Bummies covers. They are great! The Bummies Super Brites also have gussets, but the regular have worked just fine for us. I love the frog print the best. Oh so cute!



The diapers that leak every time for us are the Kushies. Although they are the cheapest, and easily available at walmart.com, I wouldn’t recommend them. The triangular shape doesn’t keep anything in; it all seeps out around my daughter’s legs.




Although many rave about Bum Genius, I am not part of their fan club. They’re not terrible diapers by any means, but they’re not the best either. What I dislike most is that they are hard to get clean. With the Thirsties, the poo practically rinses out. The Bum Genius require scrubbing and whitening in the sun.



Kissaluvs are my second favorite. We actually started with about 20 used Kissaluv newborn diapers. They lasted my 9 lb, 12 oz baby only 2 weeks, but they worked great. The snaps are nice and make it easy to adjust for a tight fit around baby’s waist. Kissaluvs tend to be on the lower end of the price range for cloth diapers.



I also have about five AIO Bumpkins. They come in great designs. I use these most when I’m out of the house. They are Daddy’s favorites because they take just one step to put on.

PRICES:
Bum Genius 3.0 One Size Pocket Diaper $17.95
KIssaluvs pre-fitted $12.95
Thirsties Fab Fitted $14.25
Kushies: $49.95 for five
Bumpkins AIO: $24.95 or 6-pack bundle for $109.95

Bummies Super Whisper Wrap $12.25
Thirsties diaper cover $11.50

SIZES
Thirsties: XS 10-15 lbs, Sm 12-19 lbs, Med 14-22 lbs, Large 16-25 lbs
Kissaluvs: Size 0 - 5-15 lbs, Size 1 - 10-25 lbs, Size 2 - 20-40 lbs
Kushies: 10-22 lbs
Bumpkins: Sm 6-12 lbs, Med 12-22 lbs, Large 22-32 lbs, XL 32-42 lbs, Youth 42+ lbs
Bum Genius: one-size; adjust the snaps to lengthen