Show Your Love For Como Park Zoo
Posted by Rick Trethewey in Staycations At Home on April 21st, 2010
Como Park Zoo Fundraiser
Como Park Zoo in St. Paul is having a special event this weekend, April 24-25th, to help raise funds for the new Polar Bear Odyssey, a state-of-the-art polar bear habitat. There will be games and story-telling for kids, and you can get a tree seedling to celebrate Earth Day.
I’ve been a fan of Como Park Zoon since Bob Durr used to go on the Casey Jones TV shows and bring all sorts of animals. Now’s the time to help support this community resource, and have a great family staycation to kick off Spring.
The Passing of A Pet
Posted by Rick Trethewey in Staycations At Home on April 21st, 2010
Sign On Our Back Door
When my Mom passed away in 2007, I inherited the house and her cat, Cleo. Well, actually, Cleo was my Dad’s cat. She was a birthday gift from my sister in 1990, to replace their cat who had recently died. Both of my parents loved having a cat, even though my Mom was notoriously against it until they had their first cat, Courtney, who was also a birthday present for Dad from my sister. Courtney was a white-haired cat who shed prodicious amounts of fur. I dubbed her The White Tornado because you could follow her trail through the house. She was prone to getting knots in her fur and Mom would spend hours on the couch, watching TV and combing out knots. One time Mom gave Courtney a bath in the basement laundry tub that left Courtney with a permanent cowlick near the back of her spine. I always joked that she’d broken the cat. My Mom loved to tell the story about how Courtney would quickly and deliberately walk, not run, down to the basement and hide under the couch at the first clap of thunder. Mom used to call it Courtney’s “fire drill”, which was a perfect description. So when Courtney died, it was only natural for my sister to get them another cat.
Minnesota Twins Staycation Deal
Posted by Rick Trethewey in 1-Day Adventures on April 15th, 2010
Graves 601 Hotel Twins Package
The Graves 601 Hotel has two packages that include tickets to Minnesota Twins games and other nice little perks. If you’re looking for a short staycation to recover from the winter blahs, there’s nothing like getting pampered in a nice hotel and going to the ballgame in the new stadium. Click here for information. If you’re a AAA or AARP member, you might be entitled to additional discounts, but you’ll have to check that out on their website.
Save Minnesota’s BWCA!
Posted by Rick Trethewey in Entertainment and Media on April 1st, 2010
I’m old enough that it riles me when public venues like stadiums and bowl games sell their naming rights to corporations. “The Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl” and “The Papa Johns Bowl” – not to mention “Target Field” – stick in my craw. I loathe today’s media that is filled with rants from the perpetually outraged, but these places should be named for the communities they serve or revered citizens. While the name “Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome” hardly falls trippingly from the tongue, it is entirely appropriate that such a fixture be named for a revered folically-challenged citizen who served so well. So today’s news really set me off.
Faux news is reporting that the Ely city council has sold the naming rights to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to Minnesota-based International Dairy Queen. The Berkshire Hathaway company intends to rename it the International Dairy Queen Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or IDQBWCAW for short. This is just another hijacking of public property for commercial gain and must be stopped before the damage is done. So, write, call, or Email Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet and make sure he knows that this time he’s gone too far.
Minneapolis Home and Garden Show
Posted by Rick Trethewey in 1-Day Adventures on February 22nd, 2010
Mpls. Home and Garden Show
The Minneapolis Home and Garden Show starts this week. It runs from February 24th through the 28th at The Minneapolis Convention Center at 1301 2nd Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis.
As usual, there will be special appearances by home improvement celebrities and, of course, miles of exhibitors eager to show you how to renovate and repair your house. And there’s nothing like a little gardening for those post-winter blahs. Maybe this is the year you finally start that vegetable garden, or plant a new tree in the yard. My garden needs some major demolition this Spring. I’m tired of people walking by my house, pointing and laughing at the remnants of plants from years gone by.
I love these shows because there’s always so much handy tips for the novice homeowner like me to learn.