New Twins Stadium

Here is a picture (from my cell phone, it's a little blurry) of the new Twins stadium under construction, from my 34th floor window of the City Center - awesome! It should be ready in time for Opening Day 2010! I get excited every time I look at it, and cannot wait for it to be finished.

It's Green!

After Cliff and Angela left on Sunday morning, I went out for breakfast at Cafe 28. It looked like it was going to rain afterwards, so I didn't go on my usual walk around Lake Harriet, as I didn't want to get caught half-way around the lake in a downpour! On my way home from breakfast, I stopped off at the hardware store to get some paint and a brush for my Adirondack chair, and spent the afternoon painting it. It's now ready for me to enjoy it on my day off on Monday, reading a good book in it while smoking a fine cigar!

Adirondack

I spent Sunday afternoon putting together my new Adirondack chair. Unfortunately, I don't have a screwdriver bit for my power drill, so I had to do it by hand with my trusty screwdriver. Ouch, two blisters! Here is the chair in it's different stages of completion. Now all that is left is to buy some stain and a brush, get it stained, and enjoy a cup of coffee in my new chair in the great outdoors (my backyard)!

A Brisk Morning

My Sunday morning routine started out just like all the others did, but this morning's was a bit cooler than expected. The Cafe Zumbro had their outdoor patio open, so I thought it would be nice to enjoy my breakfast outdoors. Well, the warm sunshine hadn't quite reached that side of the building yet, so myself and a few other hearty souls were shivering while we dined this morning! At least the coffee was warm and plentiful!

My morning walk around Lake Harriet also started out rather chilly. There was a strong, cool breeze blowing, which aided those who were on the lake partaking in some sort of a sailboat race, but made for a brisk walk/run for the rest of us. About half way around the lake the breeze subsided, and the rest of my walk was glorious! The cool morning didn't keep me indoors, and it didn't stop many others from enjoying their Sunday morning as well.

On my way home, I stopped off at Settergren's Hardware store on Penn and bought myself an Adirondack chair. It still needs to be put together and probably either stained or painted, but that's a glimpse into my next blog post. I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Mother's Day

This year, in honor of my Mother, I planted some flowers for her in my yard. It's hard to believe that she has been gone now for almost 13 years. Growing up, I can remember my Mom planting her garden each Spring, and tending to it throughout the year. To this day, I still think of her whenever I see certain kinds of flowers.

To those women who have greatly influenced and shaped their children's lives, I wish you a happy day! I am a product of my Mother's love, and I am grateful for that.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
- Elizabeth Stone

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."
- Abraham Lincoln

Time

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of time; partly because I have too much time on my hands these days, and partly because of the death of my cousin (too young/before his time).

According to Wikipedia, time is a basic component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects. Another way to look at time - in physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single construct called the spacetime continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space being three-dimensional and time playing the role of the fourth dimension.

It seems that we are constantly being bombarded with demands on our time; ranging from work schedules, to kid's events, from personal desires, to perceived worldly pursuits. When do we finally stand up and take accountability for what we fill our days with? When do we realize that there is a finite amount of time that we have on this planet, and make the most of that precious commodity?

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
- Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

A New Experience

I went to enjoy my regular Sunday morning breakfast at Cafe Zumbro, but was stunned to find out that I had a 45 minute wait to get a table - people must have read my blog reviews and swarmed to my favorite restaurant! So, I wandered down a few blocks to Cafe Twenty Eight, and enjoyed their brunch offerings. Cafe Twenty Eight is in a former fire station, with the old fire pole still in the lobby area. The food was pretty good, but I didn't quite like the experience as much as I would have at Cafe Zumbro, but oh well! Afterwards, I went for a walk around Lake Harriet, and enjoyed the warm sun and strong breeze - I think spring is finally here!

Monty

Well, I got the phone call this morning that I had been dreading. My aunt Susan called to say that my cousin Monty died last night (Friday). She said that she and my uncle Gale were there, and that he passed away peacefully. His memorial service is being planned, but won't be for another week or so. Please keep my aunt and uncle in your prayers.

Sorry for the grainy, old black and white picture, but it's from 1975; when my cousin (on the left) was 6 years old, I was 3 years old (in the middle), and my brother (on the right) was 7 years old.