Anticipation

There's lots of construction going on downtown Minneapolis - mostly luxury apartments. Apparently Baby Boomers are moving to the city as they retire. (This Baby Boomer would prefer to spend less on housing and more on having fun).

For the record, I would hate to be one of those people up at the top trying to catch the piece they're attaching to the side of the building.

Living on the edge of the dicey parts of town - the less expensive areas - means adventures, especially on the light rail.

But living on the edge to have cash for fun has its benefits.  I've been busy getting ready for a trip to Istanbul coming up soon.  I'm going for work and staying to check things out.  I haven't been so excited about a trip since ... my first knitting cruise.  

I say first because I have another knitting cruise coming up in May.

Figuring out what knitting to take is perhaps the most difficult part of packing (which should I take for a backup pair of vanilla socks?)

I do hope the cruise happens.  Although Auntie says I must go, I did purchase trip insurance for the first time in my life.  Just in case.  

Spring is going to be fantastic this year, which is great because I fear the rest of the year will not be much fun.  That's ok though.  Visiting Constantinople and knitting on a big boat will keep me going for a long time :-)

Wow. A Google Doodle that sends birthday wishes. Is that cool or creepy?

Spring Weirdness

Spring is time for weird weather here, and the past week has been no exception. Mopeds left out in the snow are a sure sign - this is what we woke up to this morning.

I would like to note that although I have been whining all winter that we haven't had enough snow, I am currently feeling unenthusiastic about it all.

Today's weather is in stark contrast to the previous weekend which was 70 degrees, albeit with ice still on the lakes and the warming house still up at Lake of the Isles.

And apropos of nothing, while Pandora was playing recently on my genius TV, an album cover with a detail from a Manet painting was showing beside the poster I have with the same detail (from a show I saw with my mother at the Grand Palais in 1983).

Happy spring!

Bugs Meet Textiles

The Textile Center has a great exhibit going on right now - A Bug's Life.

One Thing Leads to Another

The knitting table has found its place of honor in the corner with a cozy basket of yarn beneath. In order to accommodate this I had to take down some photos which catapulted me into another project, started long ago but not finished until now ...

... behold the Family Photo Wall:

I guess it's all because I just never have enough to do, given that the Rip-Out-The-Carpet project turned into ...

... the Rip-Out-The-Vinyl-Too-Because-It's-Too-Ugly-And-Doesn't-Deserve-To-Live-Here project ... 

The carpet-pulling was a picnic compared with the vinyl-ripping, but so goes one thing leading to another.

I will never be bored because I can never stop.  

Hopefully there will be time this summer to get the concrete floors painted and polished.