• Blog

    T Tuesday: Pillsbury Castle edition

    Last Friday Mr. G surprised me with tickets to tour the Pillsbury Castle. I had mentioned it in passing earlier that week but hadn’t expected to be doing the tour just a few days later.

    I’m not sure about all over the USA but here in the mid-west Pillsbury is synonymous with baking. And this house was that man’s castle.  The flour milling industry was one of the largest factors in Minneapolis becoming so successful during the industrial revolution.

    This remodel/restoration was not a historical recreation. A couple purchased the home and is planning to move into it later this summer. The tour was more of a designer showcase once we got there. It was cool anyway.

    This was my favorite painting in the home. I love impressionist style, but this had a modern flair that spoke to me.

    The same room had a large niche/alcove/inset…not exactly sure how to classify it… but I was amazed by these crystals.

    This old mirror gave a fun reflection at the end of our tour. I’d like to think it was an original mirror from the home but I really have no clue.

    Back in the day this was a very wealthy neighborhood. These days it’s a very weird mix of old mansions turned into apartments or businesses and homes being restored or neglected. Just a couple blocks from there was a homeless encampment. It’s so odd to me that there is such disparity within a few block radius. Maybe I’m just too used to my safe suburban bubble.

    Speaking of the suburban bubble… back at home I captured a photo of my handsome Marvin enjoying his supervised outside time.

    While outside I took a few blooms from my neighbors daylilies. Don’t worry…I’m not a thief. She texts me to come get them before the deer eat them. Since there were very few I upcycled a tequila bottle into a vase.

    Errands and housework are on my agenda…yay fun stuff…

    What are you doing today?

  • Blog

    Long overdue life update

    Grab a beverage and get a comfortable chair. It’s been a long time since I have posted…soon you will know why.

    A bit of back story first that may explain some of the gaps in my posts…

    A bit over a year ago I began a journey of trying to figure out what was up with my left eye. It had been getting a but squinty for about a year but I hadn’t given much thought to it. Then the upper lid near my eyebrow began to swell slightly. I saw so many doctors, had scans, x-rays, was given medicines to try…no luck. It just kept getting worse.

    The day after my last post I finally saw the right specialist who ordered the right tests. I was scheduled for a surgical biopsy of a mass in my orbit. Two days later…on our 29th wedding anniversary…I got the news that it was Lymphoma.

    I was passed along to oncology. More tests happened then I was told that it was a very slow growing type of lymphoma. This was a relief since I knew I had this for at least two years now looking back at photos.

    We made the decision not to share the news with the kids just yet. Mini-me was away at college then was heading to Scotland to study aboard for three weeks.

    I started daily radiation treatments the day after she left. I had 15 in all.

    We had a family meeting and told the kids what was happening after she returned. The next day I had a follow-up with my oncologist. He said he has no reason to believe that the radiation wasn’t successful since the kind I had is extremely well treated with radiation. Obviously there are still tests ahead for me but I am very optimistic.

    I am dealing with some side effects of the treatments such as very dry eye and some redness. All in all very minimal compared to the sheet of possible side effects I was given.

    Obviously this is the readers digest version of the tale but whew…that was a lot.

    So besides medical stuff…its summer here in Minnesota. The time that makes up for the other 8 months of the year. I’ve been getting out and walking most mornings.


    With the exception of the ones ruined by the Canadian wildfire smoke. I had to cut that morning real short.

    We finally had the decking and rails replaced on our deck. It was long overdue. Its so pretty!! I’ll be staining it this fall after the mill glaze wears off the cedar.

    Marvin is enjoying it almost as much as I am.

    My gardens are different this year as I didn’t know how I’d be feeling and also didn’t want pots sitting on the new naked wood on the deck. I just have flowers and herbs in the deck box garden.

    And 6 potted tomatoes in the shed garden. I put down cardboard so I wouldn’t have to fight the never ending battle with weeds. It’s not the prettiest but it sure is easy.

    One evening after a very hot day followed by a wind storm I found this Mourning Cloak butterfly struggling on the deck. He was so beautiful. I’m not sure if he made it or not…I’d like to imagine that he did.

    I have been sewing, making journal covers and other puttering around but nothing substantial to share. Mainly been concentrating on my mental and physical health. Honestly throughout this whole ordeal I haven’t felt bad. A little more tired and an irritated eye but I am not going to complain one bit.

    I have to wait 3 months for follow-up diagnostics. So until then I am going with my oncologists word of it should be all gone.

  • Around home - Blog - Crafts - Creativity - Kitchen - Outdoors

    T Tuesday: another two weeks edition

    It appears that this is how things may be for a while…slow to update…such is life these days. Time keeps ticking away and I’m finding less and less time to be creative. So many fall projects to tackle before its too late.

    I’m scrounging for canning lids as I keep getting more green beans. What do you think of my carrots? LOL  I had to pull them up because the squirrels were trying to do it for me.

    I also have a couple other canning projects I’d like to try but I either need more regular lids or more wide mouth jars…neither of which I can find anywhere.

    I did can some bloody Mary mix and somewhat appropriate sized containers.  It is a homemade, never be able to reproduce since I didn’t measure anything, type of mix. Hopefully its not the best ever. (Please excuse the poor photography and chaotic pantry.)

    School is going well. We all seem to be finding a rhythm…although I really should not have said that since I’m likely jinxing myself.

    One crafty thing that I actually completed during the past week was this paper garland. Our resource room is tiny…white cinder block walls with 6 doors but no windows…I can’t even make that up. It was originally a storage space of band instruments almost half a century ago.

    I really want to dress it up a bit without spending money since we certainly don’t have a budget. I’m hoping that between the 4 of us that current use the space throughout the day, we can make it a like happier. Brighter. A place the kids actually want to come for extra help without being distracted or over-stimulated.

    Last week, (I think…it’s a blur) we had some really interesting sunrise and sunsets. A high veil of smoke gave the sky a sort of post-apocalyptic look.

    I’ve been suffering with a sore hip or sciatica this past week. Its so frustrating! Hurts to do anything for any length of time. Whether its sitting, standing, walking or laying…it all hurts. I’m sure it came about from my abrupt change in activity when I returned to work. I’d been used to walking 2-3 miles most mornings then puttering around the house and garden. Being barefoot on soft surfaces. Nothing like life now. More sitting, hard floors, shoes, standing, leaning over. When I spell it all out like that, it makes complete sense but it doesn’t make the pain any less.

    I did get out for a walk Sunday morning. The trees are so beautiful. There was a slight crisp in the air. I love this time of year. Jeans and hoodies…my perfect outfit.

    I’ve made a few more masks as well. I decided when this is all over I’m going to cut apart all the masks I’ve made and make a COVID quilt.

    I have done a bit of art journaling as well….this is a current WIP. Of course this was what I should have been doing…but since I cleaned up my space it just had to be done.

    As many of you know my art space is in the laundry/utility room. My crafty chaos tends to overflow my actual space and I end up putting things on the washer and drier.

    But look…they are clean. Unfortunately there is a really lame reason for my sudden cleanup. The rubber gasket that keeps the water from leaking out the door of my front load washer ripped. Mr. G ordered a new gasket but the washing machine has to be taken half apart of replace the it. While waiting for that part Mr. G came across a video showing a potential hack to “rebuild the gasket with roofing sealant. We are giving it a go since…if it fails…we are right back where we started. I’ll update you next week as it takes a couple days of cure time.

    I’m so thankful that he is able to tackle these projects. In the meantime, I had to clean and make a trip to the laundromat.

    It’s certainly not perfect but trust me…much better. I tend to end up creating in a one foot square space. So dumb but I can’t seem to break myself of the habit.

    This is also madness. All of the scrap papers I had laying about. Ok truth be told…half of this was in the bin to start but seriously. I have a problem.

    What are you doing today?