Hoot.

Recent purchases from the Mall of St. Paul sale. Owls. Letter holder to control paper mess on my table and a pot, just because. Succulents at Bachman's were 50% so I picked up a few, including this fuzzy one.

Indoor greenery,

Well, the trees have all turned. There are quite a few in my neighborhood that are holding onto their leaves for dear life, but they'll be gone soon. I've come to terms with the fact that winter is coming.

So, to cope, I made this tree wire wrap piece. It took a few hours, and I made it on a whim this past weekend. I've seen a lot of these trees on Etsy and stuff, and I wanted one. So, I used some cheap wire and beads I already had, and I think it turned out really well! After I finished, I went back on Etsy and looked at some other versions and saw some really intense designs I'd like to try sometime when I have more energy for planning. This one was more of a relaxing project.




Another relaxing project: brewing more beer. The EPA we made a few weeks ago was ready for the keg and CO2 on Saturday, so we got supplies for the next batch and whipped that up so that by the time this one is gone, the next one will be ready. We got to drink a few beers from the first keg yesterday, and I was thrilled (and sort of surprised!) with how well it turned out. I guess I did a pretty good job pouring and stirring and stuff. Good thing I have a beer-brewing expert to guide the process. Mmmm.... hops.

First snow

Morning after the first snow. Kitties and a porch.

I need some groceries

I eat an obscene amount of grilled cheese and tomato soup. So, today when I realized I'd run out of my absolute favorite tomato soup, I had a dilemma: eat a cheese and bread sandwich, or try something new.

So, I sauteed a Granny Smith apple with cinnamon on my stove (no time to bake before class), threw it on my grilled cheese, and fried some potatoes on the side. Mmmm! It was awesome. I'd like to try it with better cheese sometime, but this time was standard American singles (I'm a sucker 'em). And perhaps better bread too.

Autumn leaves

Enjoyed a weekend of late fall colors and weather. Beautiful afternoon at Lakewood.

Later, dinner at Pad Thai. I will concede that they have the least creative Thai restaurant name, but the food never fails me. Tried the Thai Green Curry Pasta: spicy, with coconut milk, carrots and broccoli. So basic, yet delicious, and perfect portion for two to split. Probably a new favorite dish.

Tried a recently-opened bar on Nicollet- Pat's Tap. Skee-Ball! Free that night, because several of the machines were acting funny, but normally 25 cents/games. Not too crowded for a Saturday night, plus, a good patio and a friendly neighborhood cat who checked out the scene a couple times.

Then, to top off the weekend: beer brewing! Definitely nice to have two people through the process to manage the stirring, pouring, measuring, lifting, and well, for company over a few hours.




EPA. Should be ready in a few weeks- I can't wait to try it.

Meet my family:

When I started this blog, I had every intention of blogging about my kitties a bunch, but so far haven't really done any, so, here they are:



Dexter, taken a few days ago.




Jack, taken almost four years ago when he was still a little guy.



So cats, this is my promise to you: I will blog about you and the cute things you do, like when you lay next to me all day in bed when I'm not feeling well. I love you guys.

The leaves are falling.

So, I went to a show on Friday night. Dawes and Blitzen Trapper did a co-headlining show, with Belle Brigade opening. It was sold out, but I had a good spot for the beginning of the show. By the time Dawes came on I had to use the bathroom, and lost my spot for the rest of the night. I took a lot of pictures, but most didn't turn out. Everyone around me had nice cameras or iPhones and they got really incredible pictures. It made me determined to get a newer camera or phone soon. I like to document, but with the current $50 camera I have now, it's impossible to get good pictures unless I'm outside on a sunny day- which means no quality pictures of any indoor shows I'm at this winter.

Here's what I got the other night:



That's it. That's the best I could do, and I took a lot of pictures. Oh well. The show was great.

Made butternut squash ravioli the other night. It did not turn out. Generally, I have pretty good luck cooking, but this did not work out. We started with 17 raviolis made with squash, ricotta, parmigiano, and wonton wrappers, but the first batch of 5 we boiled burst open while boiling, except for one. So, we decided to bake the rest with the maple cream sauce from the recipe. It just wasn't good, way too sweet for a meal, it was like eating rich, not very good desert. Oh well, you can't win em all. I'll let the professionals make my ravioli from now on. And not with a sweet sauce, maybe some garlic cream sauce and asparagus. Mmmm... now that sounds good.

Another show last night, Lotus: good and dance-y. I like a good show to dance at. Especially when it's on a Sunday night and there's space to move around instead of being shoulder to shoulder the entire time.

Caroline. Nah nah nah, Caroline.

And this:



Caroline Smith, a goddess. Her New Year's Eve show with Dawes is potentially sold out, but an extra night was added, so hopefully I can see her again soon. Also, was just at Dawes/ Blitzen Trapper tonight, blog to follow soon.

PhotoSho!

My dear old friend posted something recently that was just wonderful:



From her new adventure in Australia. Apparently the hippies transcend oceanic divides.


Go here for her great blog about life, Australia, music, etc.

And here's us, years ago: