Spring and Grönsakskaka

The weather across the US these past few months has been the strangest I’ve ever experienced in my life. Here in Minnesota, since late February, we’ve oscillated between well below freezing and spring-like temperatures. Sometimes it feels a bit like we’re experiencing three seasons in one week.

Usually the heaviest of winter coats are moved to storage by mid-March but not this year. I’ve said it before—living through the incredibly harsh Minnesota winters makes you appreciate spring so deeply that words can barely describe it.

Looking at the ten day forecast, it appears spring has finally arrived here in the upper midwest for good. I took a three mile walk through the woods yesterday and was treated to the glorious sight and fragrance of crab apple trees in full bloom.

I thought this picture did a good job of encapsulating the renewal of the spring season—a sapling growing under the shelter of its ancestor, a hollowed out tree stump.

Speaking of Spring…

I’ve found this incredible app called iNaturalist and have been using it quite a bit lately during my daily walks through the woods. The app allows you to upload photos of flora and fauna and then it tells you exactly what species it is and lots of facts about them. I’ve learned a tremendous amount about how ecologically diverse this area we live in is since uploading photos into the app. This would be especially fun for children and a good way to get them interested in and connected with nature.

This app is like catnip for the insatiably curious. Strangely, my life feels more complete after learning there's actually a bird called the Brown Creeper.

Grönsakskaka

Although I can’t speak the language, grönsakskaka must mean “freaking delicious” in Swedish. The next time you’re in an IKEA do yourself a huge favor and pick up a box of these in the frozen foods section. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. If you are, I might be a little disappointed in you. : )

These little potato cakes have a way of making you feel as if the clouds are parting and legions of angels are singing. I wouldn't be surprised if quite few Swedes survive winter with their sanity intact solely because of grönsakskaka.

They Don’t Make Things Like They Used To

I bought this pair of Altra running shoes a little less than a year ago for the Four Days Marches event in The Netherlands.

It ended up being a touch of kismet that I wasn’t able to attend the event this year because my feet would have been shredded. Look at the state of these shoes! I’ve never seen an athletic shoe disintegrate quite to the extent of these and this is only from walks on an indoor treadmill.

These weren’t what I would consider cheap shoes either. At the risk of sounding like a geezer—they don’t make things like they used to. I have a fresh pair of New Balance shoes out for delivery today. We’ll see if they hold up any better.

All for now. Thanks so much for reading.