My day started, in essence, by my going downtown in Minneapolis to meet up with Christopher at lunchtime so the two of us could check out the annual Flower Show at Macy's. The first one of these I went to was with Christopher a few years ago, back when it was in the 8th floor auditorium space. And although we went the past couple of years (and introduced Libby to it, as well), the past couple years it was spread around on the "shopping" floors. Happily, this year the show is back on the 8th floor and gorgeous. The theme is "Dream in Color" and after you pass the pink flamingo topiary, you wind through 7 distinct garden areas. My favorite? The Italian garden, which is in shades of yellows and golds. Much less fussy than the French garden, more friendly than the Japanese garden, more appealing than the Russian garden. I'd suspect everyone who goes will have an opinion on this, and I'm open to debates. (I'd post a link to it, but the Macy's website doesn't have photos... It runs for about 10 days, but I'd go soon so you get the best blooms.)
My next travel through time took me to the A-1 Lock and Key in St. Paul. Christopher and I have been looking for a key for our sideboard, and this place was recommended. While I was waiting for a new key to be cut (this was not a "drop it in and let the machine do it" deal like for car keys - they had to do it all by hand with a grinder. It took about 10 minutes to cut one key. wow), I stood and looked around at all of the paraphernalia on the walls. Apparently this store has been around for 30 years, and the walls are covered with locks and door strike plates and metal detectors. And, well, a whole lot of random signage - including banners crediting them for being a sponsor of the yearly Shrine Circus visit to St. Paul. I highly recommend the place for your lock and key needs - and for the trip back to a better time than the Home Depot key department can give you.
Finally, once I was home, I had the chance to sit down with a tape of last week's series finale of "ER." I fully admit that I haven't watched the show for a couple of seasons, but there was something about the fact that the show was ending that made me want to watch it. I'm glad I did. They did an amazing job of tying the past to the present, and reminding me why I enjoyed the show when I used to watch it. In fact, they played the final episode as if it were both an end and a new beginning. I fully admit that I teared up a couple of times mid-show, but as the credits rolled, I was okay with it.
And, at the same time, I found myself okay with being in the present.
No comments:
Post a Comment