Well, the first stage and then some is completed. I am in my new house and am working on making it a home. I have a long ways to go on that but I am making progress. I have a couch! That is not an insignificant thing--for those of you long-time readers of this blog might remember, when I lived in Findlay it took me two years to get a couch. Apparently my fear/dislike of commitment to at least inanimate objects is fading.
So people have wondered where I have landed. I am in Minneapolis of all places--far from the little house in the woods to urban, Leave it to Beaver, America. I think that is about 700 mikes and 50 years of progress away from Michigan. Of course saying Minneapolis is not all that specific so I tell people I live near 50th and France. Most people know of that location because it is a very hip and trendy neighborhood with "boutiques," not stores. Of course they all quake when I walk in the door. Can I help you, sir? The Walmart is 12 miles thataway...let me get you directions. We do have a polyester section in the far back in the tremendously out of date reduced clearance section--would you like to start there? Can you go around and come in the the back door? Please?
I do snicker a bit when I say that I live in that trendy neighborhood. I actually live about a 20 minute brisk walk away, all up-hill and against the wind and across about 4 descending economic strata from France Avenue. It is but a point of reference. Lest you think that I live in a place with empty crack vials in the stairway, I can assure that I don't think that this is the case. I can't really say for sure because I live on the sixth floor of a small apartment building and if you think I am going to walk up six flights of stairs you either are crazy or you don't know me very well.
I jest, of course. I like my neighborhood a very much. My apartment is less than 500 feet from a coffee shop--how cool is that? That is a huge improvement from my drive of 65 miles to a Starbucks. Two more coffee shops are within a mile. There are antique shops closer than the coffee shop and a store that only sells only honey is just a bit futher.. I never thought I needed a honey store, but damn it, when I think of this I think that it is a fine thing to have close by. And the aforementioned 50th and France is within walking distance in case I need to see how the other half lives There are two nearby bakeries with bread that isn't Wonder and a very good grocery store. The olive bar at this place is not just a selection of cans of medium or large black olives and some of their cheese is not in a can or wrapped in plastic by the slice. And, of course and thank heavens, there is a a good wine shop. And it is all within walking distance! It didn't hurt that I discovered that I am less than three miles from my doctor, a dentist, and the emergency room but all that is another story.
All-in-all, it has been an adventure that has gone pretty well. I am unpacking as I can and keeping up with the class I am teaching. I am going to have to seriously consider looking for work soon. My checkbook balance has shrunk all too quickly so I have to really concentrate on that.in the next few weeks. Of course, if any of you know of work for an under-employed history teacher, please let me know...
But I am OK. I made it this far with lots of help and I am looking forward to what might come my way in the next stages of this adventure. If you are in the neighborhood, let me know. My house is almost put together and of course, mi casa es tu casa,
The photos are in my neighborhood. There is a picture of my local farmers' market and my local coffee shop. Boy, is nice to be able to say those two things. My neighborhood, other than my apartment building that was built in the early 1970s, is really pretty residential. The houses really are homes where Wally and the Beav might have lived. The average price for a home in the Fulton Neighborhood, my "hood," is over $700,000. Trust me when I say that I live in the low rent part of the neighborhood. The advantage is that there are a ton of gardens nearby and they provide great flowers to photograph.
