Classical Music

CP & I hit the Uptown VFW for an incredible night of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath cover bands. I had bought the tickets months ago, and it was a nice way to end a weird week. 

Both bands (Maiden Minneapolis and Sabbatage) were amazing. Truly talented musicians and playing some great classic tunes. Usually they play in the burbs. Not sure how we got lucky and were able to see them near home.

 

Ice In

What a difference a few days makes. After a few days of single-digit highs and sub-zero lows, the lake iced over. 

 

Still not much snow, but at least it now looks and feels like winter. The dog is itching to go out on the ice and run off-leash.

Lake Walks

With my new schedule, I can wait until sunrise to take the dog for our walk. It's nice seeing everything in the light. Easier to pick up the dog poop in the light, too.

We took a stroll around the lake. Along the way we saw three bald eagles and the polar bears enjoying the ice-free water. S jumped in, too. He was overheating by the time we got to the north beach.

 

End of an Era

So this happened. I've been on the giving side of the equation before and now I'm on the receiving end. Shit happens. Over the past 19-1/2 years, Toro has put a lot of meals on the table and put two kids thru school. I don't have any hard feelings over this life change; it's just another chapter. 

I came home and caught up with JP on her dog walk and we enjoyed a sunny cold day at the beach.

 

No Eggs

The egg case @ Target is like this more days than not. One would think that with egg prices at an all time high, it would decrease demand slightly.

 

New Assist Spring

$60 and a week after the old garage door spring broke, we installed a new one. It was unnerving putting six and a half full twists in it. There is more than a bit of stored energy in it.

 

Paper Snowflakes

When JP went to the Swedish-American Institute last summer, she picked up some paper snowflakes for 50% off. Fun! It took MB & me two hours to assemble four snowflakes. 

The wreath and snowflakes transformed the kitchen into a festive space.

 

Galleria Shopping

No trip to MN would be complete without a trip to a mall. Rather than the MOA, we dodged the crowds and hit the Galleria. 

 

Sunroom Nap

S found a new friend in his sunroom.

 

X-Mas Tree

Our normal boy scout tree lot did not pop up this year, so we had to go down the street to Wagner's. This year we got one that goes to the ceiling.

 

Icing Conditions

We had our first night in the single digits. The wind blew all night and created icy lily pads along the shore.

 

Boilermaker Colors

We got decked out in Purdue gear to root for the Boilermakers as they took on Indiana. Our efforts did not make a difference in the 0 to 66 score. We always have next year.

 

Thanksgiving 2024

MB came to MN for her short Thanksgiving break. It was great having her around the house for a few days. She brought us a beautiful wreath and helped out in the kitchen.

 

Garage Door Spring

The garage door spring decided it was time to go early (4:30) Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving. It shook the house and sounded like a car hitting a trash dumpster. I jumped up and ran outside to see what had happened, but found nothing. It wasn't until we were leaving for the airport to pick MB up that we realized that the reason the door wouldn't go up was because of this.

 

Sunset Walk Home

My walks home from the bus stop are now graced with the early sunset. 

 

Beach Breakfast

On the weekends, S directs our walk to the coffee shop where he gets a goodie and I get something equally tasty in human terms. Today it was a ham & cheese croissant sandwich. We sat on a bench by the dog beach and had a tasty breakfast.

 

Leaf Raking

Even though the landscapers came and removed a truck load of leaves a couple weeks ago, we raked up 10 bags from just the front yard. We finished out the day with a pleasant backyard fire with the neighbors.

 

Bird Dock

The fishing pier was moved offshore and the seagulls quickly took it over.

 

2nd Snow

We had a front come through with an inch of precipitation, but only a dusting of snow. It was right at 32° and glazed the roads with some icy patches. When will it turn into real winter?

 

Café Dining

Our café makes everything from scratch. This month is Indigenous Peoples' month, and each week there's some special dish on the menu. 

I could not pass this up. walleye wild rice cakes & squash hash. It was tasty!

 

Early Thanksgiving

We hit Nana's house for an early Thanksgiving celebration. It was nice going on a non-holiday weekend; the traffic was minimal, and all the stores in town had normal hours. We took the scenic route down & back and had a great time. We even scored some egg nog!

 

Model Dog

We are blessed to have such a photogenic dog.

 

Fall Lake Sunrise

The nice thing about the darkness of this time of year is that it's easier to hit the lake at sunrise on the weekends.

 

One Last Swim

I think this may have been S's last swim of the season. 

 

Tub Caulk

We've had a minor leak around the shower door. Re-caulking has helped, but not all the way. The real solution: remove the entire door frame, remove all the grout around the tub, and re-grout it. We ended up spending way more time than we thought it would take.

 

Fall Decor

All the Halloween decorations went away on Nov. 1 and the real fall decor came out.