by Melissa | Blog Post, Uncategorized
Bust out the tshirts and flip-flops – it was in the 30s today in Minnesota!
I took advantage of the warm up to take advantage of a few things and spend some time outside. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was outside and not shivering without 484 layers in.
First order of business was taking Scout to the dog park. I think he could tell it was warm outside and was a bundle of energy all morning. I got him suited up and in the car to head off to the dog park. This was exactly what he needed. He pretty much ran for an hour straight.
Next up was the battle of the snowbank blocking the walkway by my house. This has been there since the first big snow storm and with the uber cold, there was little we could do. Jason decided to tackle it, and with the combination of a shovel, ice melt, a baseball bat and a hammer we were able to clear a path! Mr Florida did most of the work in just a tshirt an jeans. He’s totally turning into a Minnesotan.
I’m looking forward to warmer temps for the next week or so, but not looking forward to possibly getting water in the basement. Joys of homeownership…..
by Melissa | Blog Post, Uncategorized
November 3, 2009 – a day that will live in infamy.
Well, actually no, that’s the day I closed on my first house in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul.
I had been living in St. Paul for almost 2.5 years and was getting sick of a) paying rent b) not having the space to do what I wanted/needed and c) not being able to have a pup. I kind of started the house hunt on a whim, but I am very glad I started when I did. The house I ended up getting was love at first sight – I walked in and knew that it was going to be mine. It felt like home. I never thought I’d be a big geek about this style of architecture, but I learned quickly through my house search that bungalows were what I needed to focus on.
After some trials and tribulations and waiting and seeing, I finally was approved for the loan, heard back about some other programs and I was on my way to being a new homeowner.
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by Melissa | Blog Post, Uncategorized
Size does matter.
I recently had my first run-in with ice dams on my house. Luckily, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of leaking into the house – at least that I’ve been able to find. There was a little bit of dripping in one of my front windows, and hopefully that is all.
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by Melissa | Blog Post, Uncategorized
Note: I normally won’t post about politics or work, but I needed to share my thoughts on this event.
To put the weekend’s tragedy in perspective, the young Giffords staffer killed, Gabe Zimmerman, had a job similar to mine and the jobs of many of my friends. This could have just as easily have happened to me. No one, regardless of their political beliefs, deserves to be faced with incivility and violence in their line of work.
I think that, without pointing any fingers and blame, we can all agree that this is a lesson that freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences. This applies to anyone, regardless of political persuasion. Everyone needs to tone down the violent rhetoric and imagery, which I’m sure is not something you’d want today’s youth to see or adopt in their lives. Civil discourse is needed at times like this. We need people calling for it from all sides.
I’m going to offer an action item for you all: consider writing a note to the local office of your US Senators and Representative thanking them and their staff for their service, regardless if you voted for them or not. These staffers serve all people in the district and/or state, so represent you as well. As someone who has received many kind notes and messages from people over the past few days, their thoughts and support have been helpful with putting recent events in perspective. If you want assistance in figuring out where to direct a message, I can help you out with that.
by Melissa | Blog Post, Uncategorized
I’ve slacked off on posting. With the holidays, family visits, and other things, writing got pushed a bit lower on my to do list.
I’m sorry. I ask for your forgiveness.
And maybe a bit of encouragement too?
I have a number of posts that are works in progress – I hope to get something out the door soon. In the meantime, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and that 2011 is off to a good start.
by Melissa | Blog Post, Cooking
This will be the first of what I’m sure will be many posts on this subject. As I mentioned in my post, “You’re allergic to what?!?!?!“, after being diagnosed with my food allergies I had to fundamentally change how I viewed food. Gone were the days of “I don’t want to eat that because I don’t like it/don’t want to”. I no longer could just eat whatever was offered to me without asking multiple questions: “Are there nuts in there?” “What did you use to make this?” “Can I get ______ as a substitue for _______?”.
Early on, before I was 100% accustomed to thinking about food in an active instead of a passive way, I would get into things I was allergic to – almonds on a cheese ball, carrots in salads, tomato based pasta sauce – and pay the price. Thankfully, I’ve gotten a lot better and haven’t had to take benedryl in a long time (*knocks on wood*).
As a part of the learning process about my new relationship with food as well as an increased interest in food and cooking, I started to read a number of books. These books made me do a lot of thinking as well as gave me inspiration to try to eat more local, in-season food, as well as seeking out grass-fed beef and other sustainable organic meat options. These choices were not only about my personal health but also about how these choices impact the greater society.
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