I usually only see birds and squirrels under my bird feeders. These two "squirrels" must have fattened up really well over the summer. ;)
#MNastodon

the final :100awoo: of 2025! #MNastodon

So we have these wonderful faucets that are frost proof. The handle is outside but the valve it turns is recessed further into the wall where it can enjoy being inside the heat envelope of the house.

However, the valve must be turned off and a hose full of water (now ice) should not be connected to it while winter sets in.

At least I can get make it into #Homeassistant project by rigging up monitoring...

#MNastodon #mn #WellShit

Sunshine today. Bicycled what I could of the Root River Trail and the city's cleared Creekside trail and picked up some books and DVDs at the Rushford Public Library.

#Rushford #RushfordMN #Minnesota #MNastodon #snow ##MNwx
#RootRiverTrail #CreeksideTrail #RushfordPublicLibrary #PublicLibrary #z_lib #Library

This morning's below-freezing fog created hoar frost on the trees. 🤩

I had to grab this photo of that delicate white against the bright blue sky before the sun melts it all...
#MNastodon

My Ukrainian-American perspective on Star Tribune Column about Washington Monument (link to the column below)

I read the column about the George Washington statue and wanted to offer a perspective from outside the dominant American narratives. I can’t speak from the Native American or Black experience, because those are not my identities. But I am a Ukrainian Minnesotan who grew up in a country that had just liberated from russian communists occupation in 90s

Even after independence, my city was still filled with monuments to colonial politicians, writers and public figures. Not people from our culture, not the ones who shaped our identity, but the representatives of the empire that suppressed it. Growing up with those symbols everywhere wasn’t neutral. It quietly shaped how I saw myself - less valuable, secondary, like our own history somehow didn’t deserve the pedestal. It took years to understand how deeply that kind of symbolic landscape can work on you

Now I live on land that was taken from Native nations. I live in a state where I can walk into a bookstore and buy books in almost any European language, yet probably not find a single book in Ojibwe or Dakota. I can watch films on Netflix and Apple TV in English, French, Spanish, and even sometimes Ukrainian, but I have never seen any of the Native languages. Yes, we rename lakes and streets, and yes, some of our elected officials acknowledge whose land this is, at least ceremonially. But does any of this actually allow Native cultures to flourish? Or are we mostly performing gestures of justice so we can feel better about ourselves?

I understand that Washington is a complicated historical figure. We can’t judge the history through today’s moral framework. And as an immigrant, I’m here because the ideals in the Declaration of Independence still matter. I want to believe that this country can be built on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - not on fearmongering, not on selective amnesia, not on whatever passes for patriotism in the Trump era

But with all that in mind, I’m not convinced that reinstalling the Washington statue today will communicate our allegiance to those liberal values. Symbols don’t exist in a vacuum. The question isn’t whether Washington deserves a place in history. He does. The question is whether bringing back this particular statue, at this particular moment, will be understood as a reaffirmation of democratic principles or as yet another refusal to grapple with the harm that certain symbols still cause

And perhaps more importantly, does the absence of the statue actually prevent Minnesotans from living according to the best parts of Washington’s legacy? I’m not sure it does

#Minnesota #Minneapolis #MNastodon

Link to a Star Tribune column: https://www.startribune.com/george-washington-statue-washburn-fair-oaks-park/601478951

Lovely snow here in NW Minnesota-- but alas, not enough to XC ski. Soon? It's not in the forecast, but I am hoping. Bemidji is lovely this time of year.

#xcskiing #MNastodon

Ski goggles, wool base clothing, electric warming socks, Pogies on the handlebars, and studded tires on my backup bike, Donna, my Giant Sedona, enabled me to go 4.35K today. The 20cm of snow on the Root River Trail that haven't been plowed stopped me from going any farther. The city's Creekside trail had been cleared, though.

#Rushford #RushfordMN #Minnesota #MNastodon #snow #BikeTooter #MNwx #RootRiverTrail #RootRiverTrail #CreeksideTrail #FrostBike #frostpendeln

This week, compete in a LEGO-building contest, learn about the science of forests, and get into the holiday spirit with a plethora of #Minnesota events including the #StarTrek #Klingon fan production of It's an Honorable Life. #MNastodon
https://twincitiesgeek.com/2025/11/this-week-in-geek-12-1-2025-12-7-2025/

20.3cm of ❄️ snow ❄️ in Rushford. Minnesota.

#MNastodon #Rushford #RushfordMN #Minnesota #MNwx #Snow

@MarkBrigham @bikenite @ascentale @dr2chase This looks great #MNastodon

Snow.

5cm at 08:00

Still lightly snowing.

Approaching 10cm.

And supposed to keep going until tomorrow morning.

#Rushford #RushfordMN #Minnesota #MNastodon

Another fantastic night on the town...even with --no, especially with the sneakiness involved :P
#MNastodon #minneapolis #HellsKitchen #mnorchestra

Oh, Vancouver Goldeneyes' head coach was the St Cloud State head coach from 2022-2025! Brian Idalski.
#hizzackySeason #PWHL #MNastodon

Oh! Number 19 on the NY Sirens is from Rogers, MN! I lived in that town for almost 4 years...
#hizzackySeason #PWHL #MNastodon

Current status
#MNastodon

@ascentale @bikenite Need to go through the complete alignment and check for my Pinion C.12 on the Priority after this last season. Guess I really should move it into the basement so I' don't freeze trying to get it done. #MNastodon #bikenite

@ascentale @DemonHusky @bikenite Not the best bike parking, but boy if I'm riding northward from home I hit up Wengs https://www.mywengskitchen.com/ Best take out around. I only do this biking, it's not hot when I get home if I'm driving. Locally, Little Joy coffee https://groundwire.coffee/pages/little-joy #bikenite #MNastodon

Our annual guide to Black Friday and Small Business Saturday at #Minnesota's indie bookstores is here! It's time to start making your weekend plans. #MNastodon https://twincitiesgeek.com/2025/11/the-mn-bookstore-guide-to-black-friday-and-small-business-saturday-2025/