Author Archives: Katrina

About Katrina

I've got two hands on the sunshine.

State Fair Eatin’ List 2018

Opening day of the fair was glorious this year, although we were missing Jim which was tragic. As professionals, Kate, Kelsey, Courtney, and I persevered. Here’s what we consumed:

maple cream cold brew
mini donuts
footlong
sweet corn
jerky
samples in the Grandstand
shrimp avocado boat
smoked ice cream
cheese curds
chocolate chip cookie beer
fried Snickers
sweet greek puffs
1919 root beer
chocolate frozen banana
turducken sausage
dill pickle beer
fried green tomatoes
honey cream soda float
honey lemonade
pb&j sausage
a First Kiss apple, newly bred at the U of MN
frozen apple cider
honey candy
reuben bites
tater kegs
horchata
general tso tacos
chocolate shake
deep fried turkey sandwich
chocolate milk
chocolate truffles
sangria beer
more coffee
sliders
twisted potato
sweet martha’s cookies

On Friday I returned, this time with Darren and a couple of his friends that are visiting from out of town. It was rainy, which was just fine until the downpour started. Once your shoes are soaked through, walking around the fair is just too unpleasant. That morning’s fair fare:

mini donuts
coffee
jalapeno cheese curds
corn
more grandstand samples
sweet martha’s
root beer
Chan’s chicken on a stick
another First Kiss apple
more honey lemonade
tipsy pie
aligator
fried Reeces
chili cheese ribbon fries

Darren forgot our tickets at home that day, which meant a potential third trip that definitely happened. I ended up going back with the aforementioned visiting friends yesterday (Friday), and we more than made up for the previous rainout.

footlong
mini donuts
coffee, always
corn fritters
bucket o’ cheese curds
cinna-mini donuts
rainbow cloud roll
chicken-on-a-stick
lemonade
pronto pup
dairy building ice cream
cider
sangria beer
deep fried Twinkie
bucket of saltwater taffy to take home

Yikes. I need a salad, stat.

hey, I went on vacation

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Last week I finally ventured out to the Pacific Northwest. I’d been wanting to head out ever since Brenna moved there, and my only regret is that I waited so long.

I left MSP at 6:45 the morning of Sunday the 17th, landing at SeaTac at 8:45 thanks to the magic of air travel and time zones. Brenna and her boyfriend, Taylor, picked me up and after a quick stop for snacks, we headed out for a day-long road trip. Starting in Tacoma, we headed north and eventually hit Hwy 101 to drive the Olympic Peninsula Loop.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKKWjLB34U/?taken-by=trinalobax

We made two stops: one at Second Beach, where we hiked about a mile (uphill both ways!) through the forest and ended up at the ocean.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKK3j6BR2b/?taken-by=trinalobax

The second stop was at Hoh Rainforest, which involved another one mile hike, through the Hall of Mosses.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKLKLPhliT/?taken-by=trinalobax

(if these aren’t showing up as slideshows, click though!)

We pulled over at Ruby Beach, which was stunning, and then finished the trip with a stop at the bar. Of course!

By the time I got to bed I had been up for over 24 hours. Not on purpose! It was worth it for the adventure. It also means I slept in on Monday morning, so Monday was Tacoma day. Aside from getting the impulse tattoo (which is actually on my left shoulder), I spent most of the day walking around, popping into coffee shops and various little stores. Brenna lives in the north end of Tacoma, which is a sweet little neighborhood in walking distance to a lot of cool shops, a cute park, and not too far from the waterfront at the bottom of a big ol’ hill. So, yeah, I walked around, stopped for a couple snacks, went to the Museum of Glass, and hiked back up hill in time for dinner and the bar. Vacation!

Tuesday I woke up at an obscene time and couldn’t get back to sleep. Once the sun came up I headed out and took the commuter train into Seattle. I got there a little before 9am, so I had a couple hours (for coffee, obvs) before all the touristy stuff opened and it got busy. I checked out the Curiosity Shop and was the first person on the Great Wheel when it opened. After wandering across downtown, I hopped on the monorail to the Space Needle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOnWGWBriF/?taken-by=trinalobax

I walked back down through Pike Place, picked up a souvenir for Darren, and got on the first train back to Tacoma. I was tired! I stopped by a grocery store and picked myself up a little picnic to enjoy in Wright Park. Later, we went back to Hank’s for drinks and pizza.

My flight out on Wednesday didn’t leave until about 5:30, but after a late breakfast and one more souvenir shop, I was ready to head out. I took the bus to the airport (so this trip involved travel via car, plane, train, light rail, monorail, and bus), kicked it there for a while, stuffed my face with Qdoba, and about 45 minutes before departure discovered that Delta had assigned me a premium seat. Score. I watched Lady Bird on the flight, had second dinner, and landed at MSP at 10:45.

What a delightful adventure. It was so great to spend time with Brenna (who is an excellent host), and also do some solo exploring. I need to take more of these mini-trips.

updates in list form

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Wow, have I been a blog slacker. Let’s talk about things! I’ve done some stuff and never got around to posting about it. Here goes…

House stuff:

I painted the guest room grey (Magnetic Grey) & white like a year ago, and it’s been furnished. I still haven’t take pictures. Mehhhh.
I painted the accent wall on the back porch/sunroom the same color.
Painted the upstairs bathroom the same grey as the half-bath (Pencil Sketch)
Changed out the kitchen cabinet knobs for these ones from Amazon
Added some more indoor plants (referencing my Winter To-Do List). Current tally:
- spider plant & snake plant in the dining room
- snake plant in the entry – it’s currently growing a little baby
- snake plant & pothos in the bedroom
- air plants in the kitchen
Replaced the living room rug with a larger, heavier, more neutral one. Of course I can’t find it on Target’s website. I love the old one and moved it to the basement; it just isn’t sturdy enough for such a high traffic area.
We’re getting gutters soon, finally. It was supposed to happen this past fall, but weather did not permit.
We have big plans for the back yard this summer:
- new steps
- remove paver patio and replace it with a low deck-style one, probably
- create path from patio to back gate
- add a small storage shed where garden 3 used to be
I planted daffodils along the edge of the south garden (6) in the fall, and I noticed this morning that they’ve started emerging. I hope they don’t freeze.

Dogs:

Maddie:
- completed her basic obedience class in December.
- She’s 14 months old now and is fully in her adolescent phase, but we’ve seen plenty of improvement from the puppy stage. Thank god.
- She got tall.
- She can climb over our fence, so I take her out in our fully fenced yard on a leash. Cool.
- loves the dog park
Enli:
- good meatball
- mostly gets along with Maddie as long as they’re both in the same mood
- She’s 8 years old and has hip issues, but gets a hemp supplement that has been helping a lot.
- also loves the park

Misc:

I randomly started digging into my genealogy, pretty much just using whatever info I can find for free. It’s fun! Here’s what I’ve found so far:

Dad’s side:
I can’t find shit on the Johnstons beyond my great-grandma’s parents. But on grandma’s side, her mom’s family (my great-great-great-great grandparents & most of their kids) came over from Germany in 1840. Grandma’s dad’s family lived mostly in New York for a very long time, but I finally traced them back to Holland and France (looks like they came to the US from France in the 1600s). The earliest record I can find is from the 1530s.

Mom’s side:
My great-great-great grandfather on grandpa’s mom’s side was born in Switzerland. Grandma’s maternal great-great grandparents came over from Ireland in 1849. I’m having trouble finding anything beyond that, but it’s a pretty good start.

Uhhhh, okay. I think that’s it? Have I been doing anything else with my life? No, because winter is terrible so I’ve been hibernating. Hopefully now that we have fun stuff planned I’ll have interesting things to write about. We’ll see!

2017 in Review

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Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn’t make any.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

A few friends did, indeed, have babies.

Did anyone close to you die?

No.

What countries did you visit?

Wisconsin. Ha.

What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?

A democratic congress and a different president.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

My gardens!

What was your biggest failure?

We failed to get some house projects done before winter.

What was the best thing you bought?

Maybe the hammock.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Nazi punchers.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I will give you one guess.

Where did most of your money go?

House stuff.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Gardens! My rose bushes in particular.

What song will always remind you of 2017?

I really don’t think there is one this year…

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

Same, probably.

Thinner or fatter?

Probably about the same.

Richer or poorer?

Richer!

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Sleeping in.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Yelling at Madeline, but she didn’t give me much choice.

How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day with Darren’s. Per usual.

Did you fall in love in 2017?

With Maddie, even though she’s still an asshole sometimes.

How many one-night stands?

I should delete this question.

What was your favorite TV program?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No?

What was the best book you read?

HRC’s What Happened.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

This year I decided I like Ed Sheeran.

What did you want and get?

A Roku? hahaha

What did you want and not get?

Impeachment.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Hmmm, probably Lion. Thanks, Netflix. it’s been two years since I saw a movie in theatres.

What did you do on your birthday?

Took the day off and hung out with Darren.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?

Elastic waistbands for life!

What kept you sane?

Reading books.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

my dude Barack.

What political issue stirred you the most?

lol, what didn’t?

Who did you miss?

Barack Obama.

Who was the best new person you met?

I didn’t meet many new people this year and none of them stand out, so…

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017:

2017 was a year of getting by, and trying to find peace in chaos. We did it, I think, so hey-o.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…”

the fair so nice, we hit it up twice

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Good ol’ Jim mailed me two of the tickets he had pre-purchased and left at home last week, so Darren and I made a quick morning jaunt back to the fair this morning. We stopped in the Grandstand as soon as it opened and I bought a thing of JD’s Salsa, you guys. You know what I’m talking about. Salsa samples. Now available at my house.

Here’ what we nommed today:

Sweet corn blueberry eclair (this was sold out when we tried to get it last week, and I’m glad we went back because it was am-AH-zing)
maple cream nitro cold press for me (I tried to go back for more, but liiiine), raspberry frappe for D
corn on the cob
jalepeno cheese curds x2
pickle on a stick
cheese on a stick (it’s wrapped in cornbread and deep fried. uh, yum)
german root beer float
deep fried peanut butter cups
funnel cake (Darren wanted this, then had one bite and decided he wasn’t into it. That shit was six bucks so I brought it home)

Also, we found a little shop called Rock Garden that sells cute garden decor, with tons of fairy garden stuff. We’re both nerdily into the idea of making a tiered fairy garden (this is why we’re married) to put in one of our actual gardens, and Darren bought a cool little door to get it started.

Not bad for a Sunday morning.

State Fair Eatin’ List 2017

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Yesterday was Fair Day, one of the best days of the year. They added a giant ferris wheel this year, and you know we went up in that sucker. Mostly, as always, we ate. We tried a lot of the new foods this year, too…

cinnamon rolls with milk/coffee
mini donuts
foot long hot dog
tons of samples in the Grandstand
jerky
mobster caviar
big fat bacon
deep fried avocado
pizzarito
fried green tomatoes
beergarita
tipsy pies x3
beer flight
smoked gouda nachos
mini sconuts
honey puffs
bacon-up pup
in the Dairy Building: chocolate cone, strawberry rhubarb sundae, pie in the sky sundae, chocolate malt
cotton candy
memphis totchos
giant soft pretzel
churros
bowl o’ dough
lobster roll
crab cakes
bacon fluffernutter
chocolate popover with peanut butter
cream puffs
Swt
Sweet Martha’s cookies
giant turkey sandwich
all you can drink milk
1919 root beer

quick garden update and a little devil

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When I last left off, two months ago, I had what I thought was a pretty solid plan for our gardens. For the most part that’s still the case, with two big changes: one, I have eliminated garden 3. Last year Enli completely flattened it, and she and the new puppy did so again already this year.

So yeah, we got a puppy. Darren had been wanting one for at least a year, and I finally caved. Her name is Madeline, she’s almost six months old, and I’m ready for her to get older, calmer, and house-trained, because puppy shenanigans and this major change in our routine is destroying me. No more puppies in future. She’s lucky she’s cute.

why yes, she does look very much like her big sister.

Anyway! Garden three is gone, I’m trying to replace it with grass. Once that grows in, at some point we’re going to purchase a small storage shed. Then we can quit keeping outdoor stuff on the back porch, and we can move the lawn mower so Darren doesn’t have to haul it up and down the steps to the garage all the time.

Meanwhile, big change number two is that garden 6 has been thoroughly constructed, instead of waiting until next year. It’s been filled with more plants from Paula (plus my rose bush, which has grown quite a bit!). Over all, Operation Whimsical Yard is progressing quite well.

the gardens are happening

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Every decent-weather weekend for the past couple months, I’ve been getting our flower beds back in shape. It has been a slow, but very satisfying process. Here’s a zero-skills map of our gardens:

hahaha, thanks Google.

Beds one and two are on either side of our front stoop. Three is the one beneath the kitchen window that I dug out. Four is on the east side if the yard, and five is down the steps next to our tiny driveway. Six is a future foundation bed that I’m going to slowly start building.

After the snow melted, beds one and two were in reasonable shape. I pulled out all the dead weed stalks and trimmed off the dried hydrangeas. There were bald spots on either side of the steps, so I planted lilies in each of them (courtesy of my coworker Paula).

Last fall I totally dug out bed three. On a random nice day in March, I raked it and tossed a bunch of pollinator seeds down. Those are growing in nicely, along with some ferns that survived my fall massacre. I moved the ferns to the back of the bed. On Sunday I added some ground-cover sedum, also from Paula; we’ll see if that takes root.

On the same nice March day, I raked out bed four and then proceeded to ignore it until this weekend. It was completely full of grass among the plants. Instead of digging out all the grass, I cut up a bunch of yard waste bags and laid them out, covering the grass while strategically arranging the paper around the plants. Big thanks to the internet for this tip! It suggested several layers of newspaper, but why track down that much newspaper when the bags are so cheap and biodegradable (and similar in thickness to 5 layers of newspaper)? Once the whole garden was papered, I watered it and then put down mulch. It looks so much better!

Bed five got raked out in April, and I pulled out the weeds a couple weeks ago. It got mulched this weekend, too, and I put up a little border fence (although I don’t love it and will probably replace it with something sturdier) to hopefully help keep trash out. Alleys are gross. Alleys in North Mpls are somehow extra gross.

I picked up a baby Knock Out rose bush on Sunday and planted it in what will be the eastern side of bed six. I also planted two irises along the wall there. I’m going to do the same trick with paper bags to get rid of the grass, which means those three plants are probably all that will go down this year.

At some point in the future, we’re going to build a couple small raised beds for veggies. Those beds will go near the fence-line on the north side of the yard.

Slowly but surely achieving #yardgoals, you guys.