northern life
I didn’t realize the depth of my unmet need for outdoor adventure until I hastily concocted a winter tent camping trip over lunch one day with a co-worker. While I love exploring with my family, I read Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail thru-hiking memoirs all winter, and I am consumed by a longing to hike to […]
When Beatrice was little, people said to us all of the time, “She’ll sleep well tonight!” And we always laughed, but inside we thought, “Nope, she’s going to sleep the same as she does every night, because she’s always this active.” Since then I love to ask other parents what comment they hear most […]
Like we often do, because great minds think alike, Jen and I decided independently to get standing desks this year. If you’ve read any of the research, they are calling sitting the new smoking, and saying that even if you exercise regularly you cannot overcome the adverse affects of sitting at your work all day. I’ve […]
Forget filling your car with hand warmers and signal flares, true winter survival is about keeping your spirits up and your eyes on the prize (i.e. spring). Here’s a foolproof recipe to help you survive winter a.k.a. enjoy our fourth season. First, get comfortable. Head to your favorite pharmacy/co-op/Amazon and fill your cart with Vitamin D, a […]
Rhubarb was the first edible I ever grew. When we moved into our house eight years ago the gardens were a mess (and still kind of are), but the rhubarb! The rhubarb appeared comfortingly and made me feel like I was doing something right. I harvested that rhubarb and made it into cakes and breads […]
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I absolutely geek out on gear. Baby gear. Kid gear. Winter gear. Biking gear. Skiing gear. Running gear. Baseball gear. Garden gear. I really, really want to buy a Silhouette machine because it would nicely complement my crafting gear. For a few years I’ve been contemplating buying Owen a kayak for his birthday, probably because […]
{Continue reading…}Every year I lovingly look forward to my neighborhood’s garage sale. I’m very firm on my routine: I get up early. I go on foot. I buy breakfast from some kid selling food, but it has to be real food, not just Costco stuff. I walk fast. I am very efficient and business-like. One year […]
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I remember a long time ago at some college party someone asked the group to answer: “what progressive cause don’t you care about?” (This may have been what passed for a drinking game in my crowd. Good progressive-activist, triple-majoring, newspaper-editing students, we.) That was easy: the environment. I just couldn’t get my back up over […]
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It is so, so hard to wait. In St. Paul, Minnesota, the last-frost date is May 15, and that’s how long you’re supposed to wait to plant your garden. Generally, I’ve taken this to mean Mother’s Day, and my mama’s day fun usually begins with a trip to the greenhouse and ends with me covered […]
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Raucous weekends with your college buddies, family get-togethers, quiet weekends with another couple—there is nothing better than a good cabin weekend. To the unfamiliar it sounds a bit strange: load up your car and drive 2-4 hours on Friday evening. Spend the weekend in the middle of nowhere in a cabin with limited amenities. Haul […]
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I’m not much of a sewist. As mentioned before, I’m most comfortable with straight lines and no patterns. But I do have a sewing machine and I love fabric. So when I stumbled on this tutorial by Dana at MADE for how to sew fabric cards using little bits of cute fabric, I was all […]
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It’s hard to believe, but one of my favorite Minneapolis parks actually bans running. No tiny shorts here. No huffing puffing runners thundering behind you, no sweaty elbows pushing you aside. Also: no bikers, with their startling cries of “On your left!” And even though I love them: no dogs, either. Instead, the place is […]
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