beauty this day

finding beauty in each day

[beautythisday]

Day 46 • July 16, 2017. Fountains provide a real sense of #peace. #beautythisday #fountain #sculpture #gardens #beaty

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Day 44 • July 14, 2017. I love poppies! The delicate, crepe-papery petals. The wobbly, curvy stem. And here, the "dipped in white paint" border. So summery and cheery. #beautythisday #poppies #flowers #flowerpower #flowersofinstagram #summer

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Day 44 • July 14, 2017. Shadow. #beautythisday #shadows #city #1990

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Day 43 • July 13, 2017. If you get a chance to attend a performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, jump at it. Those gentlemen put on one fantastic show in St. Paul, Minnesota, tonight. #beautythisday #jazz #preservationhall #jazzband #music #concert #tuba

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Day 42 • July 12, 2017. Work in progress. #beautythisday #flowers #flowerpower #blackeyedsusan #nature #summer

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Day 41 • July 11, 2017. Everyone's just lookin' for love. #beautythisday #graffiti #murals #love #art #minneapolis

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Day 40 • July 10, 2017. "Mostly Happy" by Mary Bergherr. From the artist: "Whimsy with a touch of cynicism. Pretty, yet crude. Trained versus unschooled. Adult content executed in the uninhibited manner of a child. 'Serious' paintings with the ability to make the viewer chuckle. These are a few of my favorite things. Contrasts and duality get my blood flowing. / Not everything is pretty. Not everything is beautiful. What is beauty? It's the six million dollar question. It's what I try to answer in my work. I am a woman living in a society where beauty is skin deep. Painting is my way of fighting back. If something looks too perfect, I get in and change it." (at Bloomington Center For The Arts, Inez Greenburg Gallery)

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Day 39 • July 9, 2017. Pansy faces. Once you notice it, you can't not see it!

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Day 38 • July 8, 2017. What's more idyllic than this? It was a perfectly beautiful day on this blueberry farm in Wisconsin.

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Day 21 • June 21, 2017

On this day, to mark the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, this just may be the perfect dessert. Local strawberries, picked with my very own hands two days ago, served three ways: 

Straight up, sliced

Pureed, blended with sour cream and cream, then churned into ice cream

Fresh bits macerated in Grand Marnier and stirred into said ice cream

The taste and texture of these red jewels are magnificent, so far superior to grocery-store berries, and well worth the pick-your-own effort. The only downside? Their lifespan is so fleeting. 

Catch ‘em while you can.

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Day 19 • June 19, 2017 The beautiful and peaceful St. Croix River, forming the Minnesota–Wisconsin border, at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park.

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Day 18 • June 18, 2017

Clafoutis. The word alone makes me smile. It’s French and therefore fun to say. Plus, it was a favorite treat of Julia Child’s. Enough said.

There are lots more reasons to love clafoutis: 

It couldn’t be simpler to make. Whip all the ingredients together in a blend, pour into a prepared pan, drop in the fruit—et voilà! Ready to bake.

It’s low on sugar and low on flour, two ingredients we’re all trying to consume less of, right? A batch has only 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 flour for six to eight servings.

It’s highly adaptable. Use whatever fruit you want. The traditional French version uses cherries (with the pits because they add flavor), but it’s also great with berries, applies, and even, as I did today, rhubarb.

It’s unique. This is not cake. It’s not pie. It’s not pudding. The closest comparison is flan—soft and eggy and slightly custardy. Also known as delicious.

So the next time you want an effortless, tasty dessert, just channel Julia.

[beautythisday]

Day 17 • June 17, 2017

Today there was dancing at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. And singing, and wreath-crafting (and -wearing), and general frivolity-making. Gathered around the Midsommarstång (Midsummer-pole), revelers celebrated the beginning of summer. P.S. There was also Swedish strawberry cake—must not forget the strawberry cake.

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Day 16 • June 16, 2017

Chula was here. And Lulu, Bella, Luci, Mais, and Willow. This Dog Wall of Fame is a charming feature at the open-air City House in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the time I was there today, no pooches were making use of it, but surely, on a beautiful day like this, with sun streaming in, there’d be some takers soon.

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Day 15 • June 15, 2017

A wild prairie rose, batting its lashes.  A June flower with a season too fleeting Delicate petals evoking the past. The symbol of a home state; a child’s memories. We’ll enjoy your beauty while you’re here And look forward to seeing you again in a year.

[beautythisday]

Day 14 • June 14, 2017

The front of a waterfall seems to get all the attention. But the action’s at the top, where energy is building, churning, and calm is turning to furious.

These are the waters of Minnehaha Creek about to tumble over and become Minnehaha Falls. Imagine the roar. 

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Day 13 • June 13, 2017

‘Tis the season. Can’t you just smell them?