Another lovely weekend! Today was spent perusing flatware, vaccuums, and accessories at Bed Bath and Beyond (thanks for the gift card Mom and Pop!) and yesterday was spent with man-go-round, Mom and Pop, sister, and two lovely nieces at the Prospect Park Garden Walk and lunch at Cupcake.
The weather for the Garden walk (my second year participating) wasn’t ideal. It was sprinkling rain and kind of chilly. However, it made it sort of special and fresh, and with the light amount of rain, it felt like… in the words of my 3 year old niece;
“I don’t even CARE if I get wet!!!”
In the spirit of the garden walk, and the fresh summer rain which helps them grow- a few of my favorite flower pics from here, there… everywhere!
(clockwise from top left) Santa Monica Farmer's Market, St. Paul, Arizona, Minneapolis(left to right) Minneapolis, San Francisco, Minneapolis(clockwise from top left) Minneapolis, St. Paul, Dinkytown, Theodore Wirth Wildflower Garden
So there you have it! What is your favorite flower? Do you have a garden yourself or just enjoy others’ hard work like I do?
And what kinds of fun summer things did you all do this weekend?
Man-go-round and I have selected True Blood to try watching, and so far its… interesting. A true testament to the love and devotion he must have to our cohabitational bliss that he’s still watching it with me (well, I guess he’s watching NHL draft action on his laptop while I watch it in the same room, but the vamp jokes are a-FLYIN’!)
So, in the interest of giving at least 14% of my attention to this ridiculous show, I’ll make this a quick photo feast for your eyes (photo snack)?
These are some of the precious metals that have been catching my eye lately! Enjoy!
And in the interest of conversation- are you into the whole “vampire” craze a la twilight, vampire diaries, true blood, etc… or is it too cheesy for you? Alternately, what do you have planned for the weekend?
Meri
This bottle cap has been on our street for about two weeks...This little guy almost looks metallic, right?Part of the bench on the dock at our cabincaught my eye in the sun today... just a foil wrappergate post cover... shiny and coppery!
Hi guys! First off, I want to shamelessly plug my new widget in the top right hand corner… care to join my site through google friend connect and make my little heart sing? I do so enjoy feeling like I haven’t lost my friends from the blog world…
In return; I promise you my soul.
Well, kind of. How about a peek into an average day as Meri? Come on you little voyeurs… enjoy the trip around the Meri-go-round!
This is a trim, people. A trim. I have so much $&%*^ hair that a trim results in this kind of carnage at the barber... I have nothing but gratitude for my magician stylist... she mangles this hair factory into something manageable. Mom, Dad- I blame you and your genes for my haircut expenses 🙂Next up... a trip to Whole Foods. I hadn't spent enough money yet (ha) so I got some favorites: grape Zevia (the best flavor), golden zucchini (ever tried one?) dark chocolate dreams peanut butter, my beloved ginger chews, a bobo oats bar (new to me!) and a few flavors of Clif Bars. I've been on a Clif Bar kick lately... only one a day though because of the obscene amount of sugar in them. If you have been a reader long enough to remember the first time I tried one and thought they were nast? Just forget that and we'll be just fine...Then I journeyed onward to the library, where I picked up some of my requests... Mark Twain Autobiography (it is enormous...), June Veg Times, and a women travel memoir. Not pictured- True Blood and Big Love, season 1 for each. We only have 7 days so I'm not sure how far we'll get on those......and since I visited the library I remembered this shot I took across the street from that library this winter. Hey Bobby D- I'm positively happy to see you on Positively 4th Street, Minneapolis...
So now that you’ve seen my errands (well, most of them, I didn’t take any photos at Walgreens…) You can see my most common errands. They consist of:
Grocery (whole foods, cub, trader joes, co-op, rainbow)+Library (any branch, but the new NE one is my fave right now!)+self indulgence (haircut, nature/garden walk, coffee, Borders) + necessity (Target when I feel like I have self control, Walgreens when I’m scared for the future of my bank account).
It’s an equation for an errand sensation! (I get itchy if I don’t make enough rhymes in a day. Please don’t stop reading…)
Have you seen Big Love or True Blood? Are either any good?
Have you ever tried Golden Zucchini?
What errands do you do?
Does your hair grow obnoxiously fast (and if so, do you know how to tame it?)
I’m just full of questions tonight… answer me up my friends!
In high school, I spent a summer helping paint huge styrofoam sheets for a replica “set” of the school to be displayed at the town’s convention center for an all-class school reunion. I grew a deep appreciation for my forerunners in the field that sweaty, hard working summer… Michelangelo… Rivera… Meri…
Okay, I’m obviously mocking myself, as I do so enjoy, but really-Â what’s a wall without a little art on it? Why leave any space unpainted? Stay awhile, and I’ll show you some I’ve seen…. Some nearly every day, some just once or twice…
Lake Street, MinneapolisVenice, CaliforniaUniversity Ave, St. PaulPrague, Czech RepublicVenice, CaliforniaNew York CitySE MinneapolisMississippi Riverfront, Minneapolis
…well, they are ALMOST all walls, I had to throw the trash can in because its cute!
Do you ever stop to really look at murals or do you just sort of glance at them as you walk or drive by? Are there any iconic murals where you live?
We’ve been getting whomped with rain this spring, and now this first day of summer. Drizzle, fog, lightning and deluge. Sprinkling, downpours, and rainbows after hailstorms.
Some days the rain is scary, accompanying dangerous storms and tornados. Some days it is mild and a good excuse for a good book or craft project.
Today, as I walked home from work, the sun lit the recently dampened world and the sight of the raindrops covering everything were too good to miss. So I caught them for you all!
Raindrops on roses…
Clinging to the gate
dewy leaves
fallen petalsWho needs one of these?
So, the question remains…
Rain: Friend or Foe? Do you guys like the rain or do you think it’s a drag? What do you do on a rainy day?
Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, and as it approaches I thought I would post a little montage to summer in the city. Yesterday my nieces carpeted the sidewalk with drawings, and it made me think of the elaborate landscapes I used to draw with my friends when we were young. Hopscotch, flowers, names, and rainbows.
Sidewalk chalk tends to have a happy, summery vibe. There’s just something about drawing with the bright colors on a sunny day that tends to keep things optimistic. I could use a dose of this after the rainy spell we’ve been having.
A little optimism for me, and for all of you!
Why, I think I will imagine “peas”! Even though clearly an adult or older child made that, I’m going with it. Whether from child or from childlike mind, I salute summer and all it may bring!
Happy Summer Solstice everyone! What are you most excited about this summer?
Happy Fathers’ Day to my dad and to all of the dads out there!
When I think of my pop, I think of many things. Fishing, golfing, and waterskiing. Traveling, grilling and carpentry. Wisdom, humor, and stories. Agates, wildflowers, pine trees and loons.
I think of the lake.
So how appropriate that I spent this weekend with my family at our cabin! As my nieces chased my dad around, asking for help building sand castles, identifying exoskeletons, and for rides in the boat, I reminisced with my sister about what things were like when we were young. We had it pretty good, and we still do! So in honor of my pop, I have a photo homage to “the lake.”
Did you guys have a good time celebrating Father’s Day? (Or a good Sunday, if you didn’t celebrate)? How do you connect with nature?
Tonight I was strolling around with man-go-round, looking for birds. Robins, sparrows, cardinals and grackles. Man-go-round said he saw a Baltimore Oriole the other day and so I had my eyes peeled.
I blogged a few days ago about how different my life used to be; how I didn’t stop to smell the roses and ran like mad to whatever the next thing was. I had a lot of fun, but I didn’t know myself very well and I didn’t spend as much time being “peaceful” as I do now, at the ripe old age of 26.
In this more calm and contemplative way I’ve been leaning, I’ve started to watch not only birds but other fragments of “birdness.”
I should admit right here that I have not gotten over my sort of irrational fear of birds. I still remember the day on the beach in San Diego where they attacked me and my best friend. I still remember the sparrows circling the tennis court in high school. And there are the godforsaken pigeons to deal with…
But I now can appreciate bird watching, and our most recent house was a gem for spotting them right out the kitchen window. So here is a gallery of birds and the aforementioned “birdness” I spoke of… you’ll see.
Venice Pier
Unique decor… Minneapolis
Minneapolis
Planter, St. Paul
San Francisco, near the Ferry Building
A little late in the year for this? Found it yesterday.
St. Paul
Backyard, Winter
St. Paul Boulevard
Vulture at Vulture Peak, Arizona
Wild turkeys, Minneapolis
So there you have it! Real birds, fake birds, decorative birds, bird paraphernalia…Â A birds eye view!
Do you like to watch birds? Ever seen a really exotic one right in the city?
Hi there! how are you all doing today? I’m somewhere between dandy and sleepytime! It’s a nice place to be…
This afternoon I was out celebrating at Bucca di Beppo with my family, and as usual it got a bit “noisy” (code for fun around my family). As my one niece climbed up my knees, legs, stomach and then hopped to the ground, my other niece started to chatter about my wardrobe. She noticed my mom’s brilliant blue toenail polish. She complimented my purple sunglasses. She told me she liked my shoes and looked at my melon colored toenails. I then noticed my sisters purple polish and my mom’s blue earrings…
You can see where this is going. As winter turns into spring and then the springtime lurches into summer, the colors explode in Minnesota. Natural beauty abounds. But I also notice the rainbows that aren’t so natural… a feast for our eyes! Here are some of the rainbows I’ve captured, to brighten your day!
And let me know- what colors are brightening your days lately?
Hello out there! I'm Meri. This blog has had a few incarnations in its day, but the latest one is my "slap happy" project. Each day I will spend at least 5 minutes focused on something that brings me happiness. A meditation, a reflection, a photo, a poem or a dance. This blog will catalog some of this journey. Please join me if the spirits move you :)
“Under the Bridge”- not just a song by RHCP…
