Frozen Wonderfalls

Technically, Niagra Falls is Wonderfalls but this is the first time I've seen a frozen waterfall so for me it is a wonder. Winter is long and harsh, no doubt about that. But it is also unusual and beautiful. It makes you grateful for nice weather and green growing things. I went out to Minnehaha Park, a place I love here in the city. I try to go a couple of times in the warmer weather to see Minnehaha Falls. It was above zero which translates to nice weather this time of year so off for a visit I went. Ice is so amazing.

Minnesota Monday, Just get outside!

This weekend was in the 20 degree temperaure range and 30 degree range. This means it felt very warm to us winter people. Which means you go outside, at least for me. I went and walked across a lake and then around it. It was so nice to get some outdoor exercise.  I have a bunch of new winter gear that I found at REI so I am warm as can be in my new comfy head-to-toe black snow pants, baselayers, hat and gloves. Walking on the lake was challenging though quite beautiful. The snow was pretty high and since I don't yet have snowshoes (possible future purchase after I try them out) I was lifting my legs very high to climb over the 12"-15" deep snow. It was quite a workout. The walking path part of the hike was much easier in comparsion because a lot of it was shoveled. Sunday took me out to frozen Minnehaha Falls. I'll post pictures from that little trip in a day or two. I am learning to use Photoshop and had my first lesson this morning. That's going to make pictures much more fun. Happy Monday!

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Minnesota Monday- Our Tree is as Big as Yours!

Of course we all know the tree in Rockefeller Center in New York. I would guess it might be one of- if not the most famous Christmas tree in the world. But what you don’t know is that right here in Minnesota’s state capital city of St. Paul is a tree just as big and just as lovely. Perhaps not as famous but maybe someday. If you can you should go visit the lights and trees in Rice Park….I wish all of you the Happiest of Holidays whatever they may be that you celebrate and a Happy New Year!

For the Love of Snow

My boyfriend likes to tease me about how many snow pictures I take.  Every year I run out to get pictures of the first of the fallen snow on trees, the ground and the lakes. I can't help it really. Newly fallen snow is so beautiful to me. I hope the excitement of it never wears off.

CatDay

I've also included a couple of pictures from my visit to the Wildcat Sanctuary. I went there about 6 years ago and I hope to go again. My boyfriend and I have been sponsoring cats out there for a long time and the woman who runs the place is a hero of mine.

Minnesota Monday a.k.a. Shameless Self Promotion

This weekend I had my first open house for my jewelry shop. It was a way for me to learn some ins and outs of hopefully moving on to craft shows. It went wonderfully and my friends, family, former co-workers and new friends came out to support me in a big way. Here are a few snaps from my weekend as well as the link to my shop which I would love it if you visited.

I would be delighted if you stopped by: GirlyGeekChic !!

Goose Lake Farm and Winery

So, my blogging schedule fell apart last week with preparing for Thanksgiving (I had 20 people to dinner) and having caught a cold the last couple of days. I am going to get back on track here. Today is a bit of a random post about a winery I went to in mid September. It's about an hour from where I live. Goose Lake Farm and Winery is in the tiny little town of Nowthen, MN. I really enjoyed my visit out here especially because of all the animals and birds roaming around. The wine is quite good and they served sparkling red wine on tap. That was an unusual treat and it was delicious. They also make and sell their own chocolates.

I am really delighting in visiting all the wineries in Minnesota. I like to support small business and I might add the ones I've been to thus far have all been owned by women.

Minnesota Monday, United Noodle Delights

When I first moved here I used to explore grocery stores. For some reason, I stopped. I don't really know why but recently I went back to one I used to really like and was very happy by what I found. I will no doubt be going again. United Noodle is a wonderland of treats(and real food too) and gift items. I very quickly found a bunch of snacks and tea to take home with me as well as tea tins. I will most certainly put this place back on my list of shopping stops, especially since so much Asian and Indian food is vegetarian friendly. Here are some pictures of the snacks I bought, the tins I loved and the veggies that became part of a fabulous Pho made for me. Have a delightful week!

What to Eat Wednesday

The place I'm going to write about is a favorite of mine if for no other reason than the atmosphere is great. The Bad Waitress in south Minneapolis has been a regular haunt of mine for sometime. If I were to be totally honest I'd have to say that the available vegan food menu is not very big nor are the breakfast dishes the best of those available in the Twin Cities. However, they do have some of the best coffee I've ever had and I very much enjoy the simple tofu scramble known as the Heavy Pedal. It's really a great dish to have when you've had a little too much to drink the night before. Judge me all you want, I have no problem admitting to enjoying a night out with cocktails and as such I've figured how to recover from them with what foods and activities (or lack thereof). The Bad Waitress also has a vegan sloppy joe that many of my friends really love. Not to mention a vegan chocolate cake to die for. Oh and the name? None of the service staff is anywhere near bad...in fact, I'd say they are the opposite.

Minnesota Monday, The Mayan Edition

Another new regular feature I’d like to start on my blog is Minnesota Monday. I will write about something to do or see here. I love my adopted state and it’s full of unexpected, strange and interesting places. I’ve written about some of these places a little bit before but Minnesota Monday will have more information going forward as well as more pictures and more Minnesota sass.

Today we’ll start with the current exhibit at the The Science Museum of Minnesota which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The exhibit features treasures and displays about the Ancient Mayan culture. We all know the tales of the end of the world, human sacrifices and giant pyramids. Well, the world hasn’t ended but the human sacrifices and giant pyramids, that’s a thing. A real thing. In fact, sacrifices were a ritual they believed were essential to the city’s survival. Although, one of the more unnerving things you learn was that if you lost this particular game in the Ancient Mayan culture, your life was forfeit. Other fascinating facts included finding out that dwarves and hunchbacked people were sacred advisors to the kings and that there is a system of nearly underwater caves for worshipping the afterlife in the Underworld. There’s also a lot of information about the alignment of the stars and what that meant to planning for building and planting crops. This is a really interactive exhibit. There’s a lot to put together including a digital Mayan calendar that I could’ve played with for days. I hope they make it into software so I can buy one for myself. I even got to print my own birthday out in Mayan glyphs. One other thing that I learned that was a surprise to me was how much Mayan culture there is in Belize. I always think of Mexico as being the one place alone to be home to Mayan culture and that is incorrect. So go forth my friends and learn. I certainly did.

Here are pictures from the exhibit and some of the museum in general. Have a great day!

What to Eat Wednesday

Next up on my What to Eat Wednesday we go to St. Paul, Minnesota. The capital of Minnesota. It's a nice city. Beautiful and quiet. Old trees, old houses, yummy food. 

One of my favorite places in the Twin Cities to eat is Babani's. It is thought to be the first Kurdish restaurant in the country. I don't know if that is true but I do know the food is very aromatic, warm and unique. Some of the dishes seem to be a lighter version of Indian food. My favorites are the lentil soup, Niskena, the Kurdish bread, the Kurdish lemonade made with black lemons and the Garbanzo Bean Shilla with chickpeas that melt in your mouth.

To the Land of Make Believe

I love going to the Mn Renaissance Festival. It seems to be getting more and more popular too. People dress up to the nines! I can't believe the shopping there either. It's impossible not to leave with some sort of fun, gorgeous little trinket. It so fun to wander and see what's about.

Happy Birthday!

I am having a birthday very soon and one way to celebrate is to have a coupon code running in my shop. It's 25% off your entire purchase. All you need to do is is enter code: BDAY25 in the coupon field upon checkout and it will be deducted. The offer is good until Oct. 23rd. Thank you Thank you! I love having a birthday, I'm so grateful for so many things!

I would very much appreciate it if you stopped into my shop and had a look around!

~~~~~~Have a Wonderful Day~~~~~~