Barefoot and Determined

Honestly, this child is going to destroy me.

The strength. The stubbornness. The problem solving. The free will. The joy-seeking. The determination. The independence. It's all going to make her an AMAZING adult, but HOOBOY DOES IT PILE TOGETHER TO EQUAL A FORCE OF A CHILD.

That kid up there is a tiny pink speck in that photo because she was like, "I'm going over here. I don't much care where you're going." It's not an unusual thing. Every time we go for a hike, she runs off in her own direction and there are endless battles. That particular battle ended with me shoving her into a stream and telling her to "Splash away the whining" because ZOMG SHE CAN WHINE. If she isn't getting her way, she is going to torture you into giving you her way.

Except, hi, hello, apple. Tree. There is a reason the kid is the way she is and I fully accept that responsibility. Karma is a bitch, after all. That means Mila can try all she wants to torture me, but I can return the favor and then some. Alas, "Splash away the whining."

Splashing wildly led to water getting inside her rain boots. Mila can't deal with wet feet, which is fascinating since she will happily rip her shoes off to walk in every last puddle on this planet. But the whining was DONE OR ELSE, so Mila's solution was to take off her rain boots and socks and walk barefoot through the forest.

Yes, really. She even walked across gravel barefoot, never once saying a word about how much it hurt because she knew I'd lose my mind if she did.

That kid is definitely making her own path. She's doing it barefoot, but she's doing it.

Minnesota Nice

I've mentioned a time or 262,098,238 that I grew up in North Dakota. I lived in the "big city" of Minot, which is about 100 miles from Canada, and much further from Minnesota. And yet, I am wildly familiar with the concept of "Minnesota Nice."

If you've been fortunate enough to avoid Minnesota Nice, let me just tell you about it. The best example I have is a Minnesota Traffic Jam - it's a direct result of Minnesota Nice. It happens when multiple cars arrive at a 4-way stop at the same time. Everybody sits at that intersection for-freakin-ever because, "Oh! You go first!" "No, you go first!" "Please, go first!"

Minnesotans can argue about who should go first for HOURS.

The kicker is that if someone breaks the code and does go ahead and go, everybody else will judge the hell out of them. They'll smile while they do it, but in their head they're thinking, "You selfish SOB." Minnesota Nice dictates that you be as polite as possible when others are watching and failure to be polite is cause for persecution.

Minnesota Nice is all about the passive-aggressiveness. You gotta look good, but not for the right reasons.

The concept of Minnesota Nice has been on my mind lately because OMG, IT'S NOT A MINNESOTA THING. Over the past year, I've come to learn that all these people who I thought were nice are actually just putting on airs. They want to appear to be nice, but it's all for show. "I found your garbage can lid! I left it in your driveway!" is followed by hosting a party with tons of unmasked people from all over town.

What's that? Hosting a party isn't a terrible thing to do in a pandemic? YES, IT IS. It's been clear from Day One that we're all safer if we all keep our distance. Wearing masks says you care about your community. Shutting down gatherings means you're willing to put what your community needs ahead of what you want. You'll sacrifice and mean it.

Alas, there's all these people who have and continue to put what they want above all. They keep on smiling and holding the door for you in public like a good little Minnesotan, but they would absolutely kick you in the face if it meant that they could continue to live life exactly the way they want to live it. They post all over Facebook about all of the sacrifices they've made during the pandemic, but they're posting it while sitting in the middle of a crowded restaurant. They're supporting the economy, dontchaknow!

So much Minnesota Nice.

Still Not Food

Was this photo taken today or in March 2009?

TRICK QUESTION. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL.

Well, I suppose you could tell because I remodeled the fireplace this year and that tile is no longer a thing in my house, but the Peeps topiary? IT LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME.

Peeps hot glued to some Styrofoam outlasted ceramic tile. True story.

We are at -LITERALLY- twelve years since I made those topiaries and they haven't aged a day. I have had to hot glue a couple of them back to the Styrofoam because the glue gave out before the so-called marshmallows, but still. No bugs. No stickiness. No color changing. Nothing. They are in perfect condition.

So, as I say every year, you go right ahead and eat some Peeps. I'll be over here hot gluing them to stuff instead.