What to do when it is -31 outside......

No words necessary.

Flowchart

I think that this flowchart is very appropriate for the evening I am having....

In other news, my house has gotten very clean, the laundry is done and I have sort of learned how to juggle...

:)

The Doctor

In case you hadn't heard, there is this show on BBC called "Doctor Who".  It has been around for a little over 50 years now and I think it's absolutely brilliant! 

Its about a time lord who travels through time and space saving people, planets, and the like.......

....but it is so much more than just that.

I know that there are a lot of crazy fans out there and some people might think me one of them......who know maybe I am. But I like to think that I am not obsessed with the actors or the writing, but the lessons this show tries to teach. 

For instance:

Books are the most powerful weapons in the world.

You are never too old for a Christmas list. 

Some of the loneliest people in the world are also the kindest. 

It's good to be a bit silly:

All of these:

Who you are matters the most:

This world is wildly beautiful:

I think it is hard to fine lessons like these in our entertainment today. Things that remind us to be smart, kind, to work hard, and that we can over come our faults.  We all need a little bit of the Doctor in our lives.  

First Snow

We had our first big snow of the season today.  People were bundled up from head to toe, cars were sliding around and kids were jubilantly building snowmen.  But my favorite scene of the day was a young man standing in the middle of what is a grassy area covered in snow.  The white fluff covered his feet and a few inches above his ankles.  His friends who were having a snowball fight near by were calling to him, but he seemed oblivious.  

He had been studying his feet, but suddenly he looked up with a giant smile on his face and proclaimed in a thick accent........... 

“I LOVE SNOW!!” 

He then started kicking the stuff up and jumping around in it like a big kid, all the while shouting “I LOVE SNOW! I LOVE SNOW! I LOVE SNOW!”

….Oh, I do love people!

Backpacks and fire

Our hike along superior trail was a huge success!  I love how much Minnesota looks like the south.  Granted it does not get as consistently hot here, but there are forests galore and wonderful humidity.  70 and 80 degrees made for perfect hiking weather and we had some beautiful views along the trail.  

I am quite sad that I am unable to upload some of the videos of our hiking shenanigans.  Lets just say that it involved an ax, a dead tree that wasn't quite out of reach, and fire.  

The only hiccup in the hike came when I took my pack off at one point.  My shoulder had started stinging, but I did not think much of it.  The only problem was that the stinging persisted and kept getting worse as more air got to that area of my skin.  Come to find out I had a pretty good little back pack burn.  That teaches me to let the straps rest on bare skin for too long.  Luckily I was a bit obsessive about injury safety and had two first aid kits along with us.  

Mount Trudae.....the peak we hiked to on our second day. 

After the hike was over we limped our way to the car and drove to lake Superior.  It was COLD!!!  But it felt wonderful on sore muscles.  And now I can say that I have been to the biggest lake in the US.  It really did look like an ocean.  It had a beautiful marina and seemed like it stretched on forever.  

Yep....

......yep, that is how hot it is up stairs in our apartment right now.  Oh did I mention that it is ten o'clock at night.  :) And yet  I still love summer. 

Our Garden's First Harvest

Apart from some tasty green beans, our marigolds are going crazy this year!!  I am loving the fact that we can have fresh flowers in our house now!  And just as an FYI, marigolds are great plants when it comes to pest control!  They fight off nematodes, a nasty parasitic pest that can stunt the growth on lots of veggies and fruits...including tomatoes.  Did I mention we have six tomato plants in our garden?  Hence the marigolds.  Learn more HERE. 

But besides all of that, their flowers are down right lovely!