Minnesota Adventures

We made a detour on a visit to the Sorsensons in Minnesota. Austin, MN or, really, the SPAM Museum!

Willa and Oscar find their SPAM type at the SPAM matches.

 

Enoch’s SPAM personality is spicy!

Willa and Sir SPAM. Friends already.

Oscar getting training for a potential career.

He just needs to grow into it.

Willa at whatever size.

I think Willa and I are flashing some sort of number to text to Calvin who was at Scout Camp all summer as staff. Emma was working because she’s a bummer/adult.

Enoch’s the winner!

The celebration of SPAM is not Taran’s thing.

Parks in Minneapolis are Taran’s thing!

This is Powderhorn. Enoch & Taran had flashes of recognition but everything was new to Willa & Oscar.

Speaking of flashes of recognition, we visited the outside of our old duplex and met Paula—a fantastic friend from the neighborhood. Below is her husband’s art studio that we had to see:

The whole trip was cousins but I only got this one picture of Makayla, Will, and Elizabeth at a restaurant.

I’ll do better next time?

On the way home we stopped at Red River Falls.

All of us! 

*sigh* Taran

 

We all enjoyed the views but Willa could not be kept to the paths. She seemed to really connect.

 

In Other News… WHAT?!?

David has started teaching Chemistry because why not?

Maybe in a year he can comment on this post but it’s 7:37am on Sept 12, 2023 and he’s been up since 4:30am I just finished having a discussion with him that ended with this hopeful aspiration:

“Maybe today is the day they fire you.”

[hopeful gasp] “I’ve never been fired.”  

“I know! And then you get severance!!!”

And he’s off to work. 

 

Weekend Notes

Calvin went to DisneyWorld!

The Madison High School Band marched down Main Street this week. 

After much begging and some threats, Calvin sent us pictures.

Nana, David, Willa, Oscar, & I made signs to wave them out of the school parking lot.

My mommy made a shirt (she is SO CUTE!!!)

The Band marches. It is named “Spirit” for Spirit of Madison.

He and his friend Spencer appear to have eaten their way through the parks.

   

Calvin in Florida: Representing Madison with Martin good looks!

And in true Calvin fashion, he slept whenever and wherever he needed.

Other things happened:

Summer Reading started at the Madison Public Library. I acted as Children’s Librarian for a week and did 9 programs and oversaw 3 volunteers. Plus kept up the semblance of being the director. I loved it until Thursday. Then I was just dead tired!

   

Willa and Oscar started a running program called Sample Strong (named after a doctor who liked to run, Dr. Sample.) Willa found a 4 leaf clover in the grass.

David ran this week too. And he looked good doing it!

Black socks and short shorts (cat noise!).

Enoch had a productive week but I got this picture of him not being productive. 

Hypatia was under his knees but as soon as I thought to snap a picture, she was gone. Stinker.

  

So I got a picture of her on the steps. And late a picture of her on my nice new couch. Stinker.

I have a Hutterite friend that I made at the library. Maryanne. She’s been inviting me to visit her colony for a while. I finally had some time this weekend. I brought Willa because she’s the same age as Maryanne’s youngest. They were awkward together—she picture below—just like real teens. 

Oscar came too. He sat in the machines in one of the manufacturing shops. The colony has every thing on sight. A large kitchen for the women to make food for everyone to eat 3 meals a day in. And shops and equipment for the men who work there.

  

 

Weekend Notes May 29 - June 4

Looking at my camera roll you’d think it was a boring week. Really, there was so much happening that I didn’t have time to take the pictures. 

This was a week of fitness:

David did Jared’s favorite Memorial Day Work out “The Murph”. 

David worked so hard he bled. Either that or he burned the tip of his nose trying to take the lid off of a pot of scalding hot water with his teeth in the front yard and ripped off the scab with a too enthusiastic drop to the bottom of a push up. You decide which story is more believable.

I went out for a 9 mile WALK! But wanted a picture of my hair during the 1.5 minutes of cascading curls I get in a day.

I hadn’t meant to walk so far or for so long but I went off the gravel roads several times to see pasture and spring in South Dakota. It was so lovely and the weather kept changing so it felt like I was starting a new walk every 20 minutes. 

Later in the week I went on an in-town run and had to snap a picture of the spray paint just left for later on the street. Madison is a magical place.

Another run another day.

This is what the running the gravel roads in spring look like but this road is special because I met Meyers on it.

The library had a teen (Teen Advisory Board) sleepover on Friday.

The sleepover was in honor of one girl who had asked for one for years and years. 

She is moving this summer so I said yes and the crazy crew gave her a funeral.

 

During the “funeral” I used my phone to play sad music and laid it on the coffin.

I didn’t pay attention and let them drag it out. That must be when Charlotte Hasleton (niece/cousin/prankster) gave a hold of it and took about 200 selfies.

 

 

Apparently Willa got in on the action.

 

The teens finally dozed off around 2am. 

They were up and out at 8am and I survived the whole thing with the help of 2 parent volunteers and David. We walked to the Sundog Cafe to eat a calm and quiet breakfast.

I had to let Emma know that her scones are SO mush better.

And then, just because, I stayed for the library service project. My mommy came to help.

I had to snap a picture of our awesome sense of style!

More Emma: shes’ working on crowns with themes picked by her father:

Waterfall ideas:

Morning Star:

Well, she’s working as hard as Seppy, her cat, will allow.

Not pictured:

Enoch’s garden work.

Oscar’s watering work (for people on vacation).

Taran’s day-to-day.

And more.

Not all of it was good. Calvin left for camp and I miss him.

David got word from a grant that he didn’t get it.

But all-in-all, I’ll take it!