Waffling

A month or so ago, after 17 years of faithful service, our waffle maker died. At the time, the research I felt was necessary to adequately replace it (Wait! Was that a character developing detail? YOU be the judge.) seemed a little too time consuming, but recently I found the time, and so we have a brand new Belgian waffler.

Coincidently, just the other day I had the chance to taste the famous savory waffle at the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis. Described as a quinoa & kale waffle, pineapple chutney, rosemary butter, bacon, sunny-side-up egg, feta, and powdered sugar, with maple sugar on the side, it had a lot going on, but I left the restaurant inspired to make interesting waffles!

This morning I made good on that vow and cranked out a few vegan kale waffles. Served with strawberries and maple syrup, they were pretty yummy, but rather tame. Next up? I'm not sure, maybe a turnip-blueberry, or a sweet potato, kale, and pecan, or perhaps a carrot-beet with raisins.

Whatever it is, though? It will definitely be topped with a sweet and salty lavender butter, just because I already made that!

Companion Ticket

The gate area was crowded by the time we made it through security and down the concourse. "Folks," they were saying from the counter, "this flight is full. Anyone who would like to check your carry on bag, please see us up here at the podium."

I scanned my fellow passengers to see if anyone would react, but most of them seemed quite confident that there would be room for their suitcase, at least.  I continued to be a little skeptical of the guy with the huge hard-sided cello case next to him. Even when he picked it up and slipped his arms through straps that turned it into a nifty backpack, I still could not imagine how it was going to fit into any overhead bin I have ever seen.

I needn't have worried, because as we filed down the aisle to our seats we passed him just as he was securely seatbelting his instrument into the next seat. I'm still not sure why the cello got the window, though!

TMI

Another day, another fun activity on our visit to my mom in the Twin Cities. This morning we headed over to the Bachman's Spring Idea House, a self-guided designer showcase home all gussied up in the latest decorator trends. Visiting the place as it is completely transformed three times a year is a local tradition, but to us out-of-towners it was a novel experience.

And it could have been a little overwhelming, but fortunately for me, they handed out brochures as we entered which gave an overview of the history of the house as well as a spotlight list of the notable features in each room, which turned the whole experience into a Where's Waldo of home decoration. Mantle covered in faux ceiling tin? Right there! Galvanized wall bucket as toilet paper holder? I see it! Salvaged wood used as valance? There it is!

In every room I searched for the items they mentioned on the list, and as I found them I not only noticed other things, but I also began to make thematic connections between materials, colors, and other choices the designers had made.

Having a tool to help me organize and make sense of all that information made a huge difference. As a teacher, I design such resources all the time, but today I got to see how valuable they really are!

Natural Rivalry

We spent the afternoon cheering on the Minnesota women's basketball team in their quest to defeat South Dakota University and advance to the third round of the WNIT tournament. The team started strong and even built up a thirteen point lead in the first quarter, but when SDU switched from a zone to man-to-man it slowed them down.

Not long after, South Dakota began overloading the Minnesota zone defense and hitting all sorts of three pointers from the weak side. It was a nail-biter; only two points separated the teams at the half and it as tied in the first minute of the third quarter. After that, though, Minnesota let it slip away, down by 16 at the worst but never closer than five.

It was an amazing high-scoring game, 89-101, and we left the Barn disappointed but still thrilled to see so much exciting offense from the women on both teams. In the end, I realized that by mascot alone, the conclusion wasn't that surprising:

Doesn't the coyote (pronounced ki-ote, of course) usually get the best of the gopher (no matter how golden)?

The Name Game

I read a few weeks ago about a couple who were expecting their fourth child. Everyone wanted to know what they had decided to name her, because the other three were named after presidents Grant, Madison, and McKinley.

Sure, it was the Washington Post, and such interest may seem like just another inside-the-Beltway trivial pursuit, but the article stuck with me. For instance, there have been five doubles: Adams, Harrison, Johnson, Roosevelt, and Bush, so with the three names they've already used, that narrows their options to 36.

And while it seems like there are a lot of no-starter names, it's really kind of amazing how many could actually be possibilities. Heck, it's amazing how many kids I've actually known with those names! (I'm talking to you Tyler, Harrison, Carter, Kennedy, Taylor, Clinton, Jefferson, Lincoln, Jackson, and Pierce!)

Think about it, though, such speculation provides a whole new lens through which to view the current election. Baby Sanders? Maybe. Clinton? Sure. Trump? Not so likely, but I already know a Cruz.

Could I be on to something? I guess only time will tell!

Highly Unusual

It's hard to know what to think when you walk into the theater and there's a cheerleader with a gong on stage.

Fortunately?

There were only 84 minutes until spring break.

Sixth Grade Rising

Today was the day when rising 6th graders, 5th grade kids who will be at our school next year, came for a little visit. They got lunch, a tour, an orientation video, and tiny performances from the band, orchestra, chorus, drama production, and cheerleaders. I'm not sure why we do it, but it's a tradition that predates my 23 year tenure.

In general, it's a fun if somewhat disruptive, activity, and it's great to see our current sixth graders squiring their younger peers about the building and overhearing them as they impart the crucial particulars of our school. The tour always takes place during lunch, and so often I and the colleagues I dine with are featured in their narrative. "That's Ms. S," they say, "she teaches English on the Dolphins."

With that I wave with a little more empathy than usual for animals in the zoo. "See you next year!" I say brightly and then fade back quietly into the blur of their somewhat overwhelming day.