Weekend Fun

Pizza and Beer.  I seem to be developing a theme.  I swear I eat other things.  Next time you find yourself in the warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis be sure to stop in at Black Sheep.  Coal fired gourmet pizzas and craft beer; what more can you ask for?

 Market Salad 

 Top: Homemade Meatballs, Ricotta and Garlic

Bottom: Oyster Mushrooms, Smoked Mozarella, Rosemary and Garlic

Afterwards and slightly tipsy, we biked a few blocks east to One on One Bikes to view the Art Crank  exhibit "A Poster Party for Bike People".  In the past One on One has hosted the opening event, however the function has grown to be bigger than the accomodations.  I was happy, this year, to be able to skip opening night altogether.  The experience was much nicer.

my mom's cats

I have always grown up with a menagerie of animals.  At the peak of pet occupancy we had 3 dogs and 2 cats.  As a little girl, I vividly remember hollering from my bedroom for my mom to bring me a cat or a dog or a whatever.  She would always oblige with the warning that they probably wouldn’t stay very long to which I would reply, “Can you shut the door?”.  By morning the door would be open and my bedroom would be cat and dog free; undoubtedly, my mom released them from my room the moment I fell asleep.

Today, she has 4 cats. Kobe, Nabi, Mukka and Winky.

Kobe is an original; meaning we got him when I still lived at home full time.  He never liked me much, most likely due to my penchant for wanting to hug him 24/7.  Now he is an old crotchety boy.  He keeps the other 3 in order and is affectionate when he wants to be.  Because he grew up with dogs, nothing seems to phaze him.  When the house gets rambunctious with toddlers and a fumbling Doberman puppy, he holds his ground while the other 3 seek out refuge in the basement.

Nabi was originally intended as a first cat for me.  My Imo does  a lot of work for a Cat Rescue in California and was fostering Nabi.  My mom brought her back, but never brought her up to Minneapolis.  I might have been more upset, but she had just recently lost 2 dogs and a cat, so she really did need Nabi.  I also never would have gotten Box Spring, and he truly needed to be rescued.  She is a half Siamese mix.  I sometimes think her other half might be dog.  She comes when you call and likes to jump right onto your lap.  Her favorite past time is fetching stuffed animals from the basement and carrying them upstairs in her mouth.  Sometimes she picks a stuffed animal too big to drag upstairs and my mom will find it later halfway up the steps with tufts of fur pulled out.

Mukka is another kitty originally intended for me.  I gave her the name Mukka which means cow in Italian.  She is a bright playful girl and is Kobe’s right hand cat.  They are often found together snuggling or cleaning each other.

Winky.  I am so glad my mom rescued Winky.  He is an insanely shy cat and due to his physical appearance and his shy demeanor he would have been hard to find a family to adopt him. Only coming out at night and for food, he spends the bulk of this time in the basement crawlspace.  He actually is a very beautiful cat, with rich brown markings and white paws.

my mom's garden

Illinois is already much warmer than here in Minneapolis.  I was excited to see the first Crocuses and early Spring Iris’s blooming.  Inside, my mom has already started her seedlings and I can’t deny my jealousy of her African Violet collection.

Baby Names

I am a happy imo (aunt) of two, but soon to be three.  And according to the saliva applied penny stuck to the wall by my pregnant sister, it will be a boy.  Apparently a male pregnancy causes an enzyme in the saliva of the mother to be “adhesive”.   I too participated as a control in this experimental guessing game of boy or girl.  My penny, dropped without hesitation, meaning that the sex of my hypothetical baby would be female.  My sisters penny stayed put the entire weekend and I imagine it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.  Although she doesn’t ever find out the sex of her babies; it is always fun to speculate and participate in superstition or, in this case, scientific experiments. 

My sister has always been decidedly secretive about her baby names.  After the first two pregnancies, I have learned not to ask.  I will find out when the new guy is born and it will be another surprise to be excited about.

My nephew Meris, on the other hand, wanted to name the baby Olive.  When my sister reported this to me I exclaimed, “You can’t have Olive.  Olive is my baby name”.  Rest assured she won’t be stealing the names of my non-existent children. But when she prompted Meris on where he got the idea for the name Olive, he replied, “Imo Kim. She’s going to name all her kids after foooooooood.”  I don’t remember ever saying this, but I do know children are talented parrots, so I am sure that I must have said something along these lines at some point in time.  I spent the rest of the weekend telling Jen that Gorgonzola was also out of her baby name pool. It made us giggle, every time.

Craft Retreat-Chicago Edition

I went home to Wheaton this past weekend for a mini craft retreat with my mama and sister Jen.  Ariel, my brother-in-law took my niece Matea and nephew Meris to Portland for  long weekend, so we were free to knit as we pleased.  Our days involved a lot of knitting, talking and walking.  A perfect way to enjoy spring.

The last bit of winter

There are two ways for me to bike to and from work.  The street way and the trail way.  After months of commuting in winter darkness, I look forward to opting for the longer scenic trail route.  After a long day at work it is the best way to unwind, enjoy the warming sun and crisp spring air.

It had been warm all week and undoubtedly the trail would be virtually clear of ice and water.  As I turned onto the beginning of the trail, which can be accessed due west of down town on 11th Street just south of the new twins Stadium, I noticed there was another new trail splitting off to the right.

I hadn't taken this route in a couple of months and suddenly I was presented with options.  But just where did this new trail go?  I could see that it went under the new Twins Stadium, but then where?  The river?

I felt like Alice mediating with the Cheshire cat.  Well, where did I want to go?  Home.  I wanted to go home.  I turned left and started pedaling, promising myself I would explore the new trail another day.  About a mile later, I turned around.  Actually, I wanted - no had - to see where this trail went.  I didn't get very far, but I would have regretted not trying.  I am hoping the warm months bring a new way to bypass downtown Minneapolis.

The rest of my ride was equally lovely.  The lowering sun makes that last bit of snow and water sparkle like diamonds.  The simplistic beauty always fascinates me, although it can never quite be captured in a picture.

On the loom