Erik and I went to an exhibit at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis last weekend. It’s called “Tomte: the Gnome, the Myth, the Legend.” And, it is delightful! A tomte, short for gårdstomte, is a spirit that watches over farmsteads in Sweden. They are often depicted as tiny old men with long beards and tall, pointy, red hats, though there have been some variations on their headwear. The tomte exhibit is spread throughout the…
It started with a scratchy throat, nasal congestion, and a bit of a cough last Tuesday. Have y’all noticed during this pandemic that anytime you come down with symptoms that seem like a cold, the flu, or allergies, surely you’ve got Covid? Even though I’ve been vaccinated and boosted, with the Omicron variant running around, I figured I’d better take a test. We had a box of at-home tests, so I took one and tested…
I like books. Must be the understatement of the year. I come by my appreciation for printed books honestly. My mom is a reader, both my grandmas were readers, and one of them had a habit of giving me books as gifts. I have passed my fondness for books onto my children. All of them enjoy visiting bookstores and when we were in Portland visiting my brother years and years ago, our favorite place, the…