First the needles, then the concealer, now my RATS??
No matter how many times I write notes to myself, when I'm flying I forget that I'm not supposed to have liquids in my carry on luggage. In some cases my idiocy is absolutely head-smacking Like the time when, on the way to the Newark Airport, I shoved a FULL container of my FAVORITE hand cream [shore] into my carry on bag.
I thought I was shoving it into my luggage to check. I cried.
At other times I'm a creature of habit - even though I've switched to powder foundation & makeup, three times I've gone through security with a brand new under-eye makeup concealer only to have it confiscated. Once I actually HAD a ziplock bag on me and tried to shove my concealer into it as I approached the scanner, but it was a gallon bag (it's supposed to be a quart) and the TSA woman was not having any of it.
... because the terrorists hate our flawless complexions.
And now - no more rats? Absolutely inhuman.
Poetry
Tonight we're having a goodbye dinner with some South Orange friends - good friends - who live around the corner from us. He's a talented graphic artist, she's a gifted poetess, and they're both PURE New Jersey!
The best part? Their older kids will be babysitting Hannah & Maxie.
The better part? Their kids are named Jack and Ruby. Seriously.
We will miss them terribly.
Poem
Hannah slipped a poem into an envelope and gave it to me last night as I was dropping off to sleep. Upon waking, I read it, and was very moved:
The growing stack of boxes in the dining room is begining to make the whole move thing real for all of us.
MNer's: any thoughts on Hastings?
I thought I was shoving it into my luggage to check. I cried.
At other times I'm a creature of habit - even though I've switched to powder foundation & makeup, three times I've gone through security with a brand new under-eye makeup concealer only to have it confiscated. Once I actually HAD a ziplock bag on me and tried to shove my concealer into it as I approached the scanner, but it was a gallon bag (it's supposed to be a quart) and the TSA woman was not having any of it.
... because the terrorists hate our flawless complexions.
Not a Problem: My knitting needles - sharp, metal, 14" long.The part of me that was happy to shuck off my shoes and re-pack my computer/ipod/cell phone as a necessary inconvenience, has hardened into a suspicious traveler who suspects - in my darkest moments - that the absurd level of security confiscation (hand lotion??) is simply training wheels for a police state. Get us used to it, and we'll not protest the next level of restriction - whatever that might be.
Prohibited by Federal Law: My concealer
And now - no more rats? Absolutely inhuman.
Poetry
Tonight we're having a goodbye dinner with some South Orange friends - good friends - who live around the corner from us. He's a talented graphic artist, she's a gifted poetess, and they're both PURE New Jersey!
The best part? Their older kids will be babysitting Hannah & Maxie.
The better part? Their kids are named Jack and Ruby. Seriously.
We will miss them terribly.
Poem
Hannah slipped a poem into an envelope and gave it to me last night as I was dropping off to sleep. Upon waking, I read it, and was very moved:
From New Jersey to Minnesota
Sighing, sighing,
soaring softly.
How great to fly
in the big blue sky.
But I am without
the wings.
And what a precious thing
wings can seem
when you are on the ground
without them.
Hannah Landy, age 10
The growing stack of boxes in the dining room is begining to make the whole move thing real for all of us.
MNer's: any thoughts on Hastings?
21 Comments:
Perhaps I'm just an overly suspicious person, but I've long suspected that the ridiculous "security" measures, along with any number of other things going on are "training wheels for a police state".
Scare most people enough, and they'll do anything you ask of them, as long as they're convinced that you'll protect them.
Rats on a plane????? ooooooooh! Love the poem - very very nice.
what a pretty, soulful poem written by a 10 year old. You can see into her heart.
wishing you a happy life in your new home.
Hastings is nice. I've had clients that live there and commute into St. Paul to work, but it is a long drive. If you're looking for small town living with ready access to the metro area, Hastings is a good choice.
What a lovely poem by Hannah! I recently flew and got to taste the new "no liquids" rule. Now, I believe in ensuring safety very much but these rules have gotten ridiculous. My flight was international so I can attest that it's not just America that is enforcing this nuttiness. What's next? I know, we'll all be forced to fly nude! Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck on your move!
It's a beautiful place but if you are looking for the peace and quiet to remain.....That corridor between stllwater and St. Paul is growing wildly...ALmost as fast as the corridor between NE Minneapolis and St. Cloud. It is really nice, though. Depends on what you are looking for in a living area.
Hastings is very nice - some kids from Hastings car pool all the way to Bloomington to my daughters' school - but roads are not always great for driving into the Twin Cites. Otherwise, I can't think of a single bad thing. Hope your travels (and travails!) come to an end soon!
I am biased as a westside of Minneapolis girl, but Hastings falls into the "is that still in the metro area?" category. (and so do St. Boni, Waconia and whatever is SW of Chaska) I believe that if St. Paul is your city of choice, its probably ok, but it might be a bit, um, remote compared to what you are used to in NJ, and what it sounds like you prefer.
Annie
I'm very impressed with the progress you've made in your packing.
It takes me a single w/o kids in a tiny place (would just about fit in your dining room!) well over a month to pack!!
Tina
Hi Annie,
It's been so long since I posted on your blog. I've just been so preoccupied with other things in life. But now I'm trying to find time to knit more again. And I'm doing a pretty good job I think... venturing into lace and stuff like that.
Anyways, can't wait for the book to come out. I heard that there was a quote from me in it! Awesome. Do you send autographed copies of the books to your test knitters?? :)
Anyways, I was also curious about this hand cream that you talked about. You get it at Restoration Hardware? Knitting really dries the hand and other lotions just keep getting the yarn sticky. is this one good?
And one last thing. Good luck with the move!!!
Hastings is a very nice small town near Mpls-St Paul, not to be considered a part of the metro area suburbs. It's conveniently located - about a half hour drive from the airport and during non-rush hour traffic you could reach either downtown Mpls or downtown St Paul in probably less than 45 minutes. It has a wonderful vineyard located a couple of miles out of town, BUT (and I capitalize this for a reason) I don't believe that there is one yarn shop in the town. I think it would seem very rural to you.
I agree with Katy & Swtrknttr. We have no trains (yet - baby light rail system) or subways. Cabs are expensive and rare so we Minnesotans drive (badly) everywhere. I grew up in St. Louis Park (now an inner ring 'burb) and live in Eden Prairie. I briefly lived in Chanhassen and I nearly died from the "remoteness" of it. My Great Gran lived in Red Wing and Hastings has always been that little town on the way to Red Wing. Charming. I do believe there is NO LYS. Definitely having it's growing pains. Is a synagogue important to you?
Construction between Hastings and downtown St. Paul is a bit... challenged at the moment due to the perpetually delayed Waconia bridge project. But downtown Hastings to important sites such as the Yarnery on Grand Avenue is only about 25 miles, a 30-40 minute trip if you can avoid rush hour traffic. As others have mentioned, Hastings is more of a small town than a suburb. I'm a little confused about the previous comment regarding the St. Paul to Stillwater corridor -- Stillwater's northeast of St. Paul and Hasting is to the southeast.
Hannah's poem is wonderful!
We flew from Germany (drove across the border) to Sweden for Christmas. We couldn't bring drinks for the children through security control. My husband had forgotten to take out a Swiss army knife from his carry-on back-pack - but that was OK, since the blade was shorter than 6 cms (2 1/2 ").
It's well known that apple juice is a far more dangerous weapon than a knife.
Hastings is very pretty, but check the latest water reports. A couple of years back (2 or 3), the water there was testing above acceptable levels for fecal matter. I'm sure that's been cleaned up by now, but I don't think I could ever drink the water there.
I have been puzzled for years about why I am still able to knit on planes (women still don't write the rules?).
Before the holidays I was knitting a scarf that required two circular needles. The woman next to me was silent for a while watching me and then finally said, "Please don't use those on me".
Sorry, that would be the WAKOTA bridge project. To apologize to the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation, here is the project website:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/wakota/
Hastings is ok, but it really is a rural, small town 1/2 hour to 2 hours away from city activities.
Annie - while you may prefer the home styles in these small communities outside Minnesota, for the most part they offer true small town life. You won't find a reform temple, heck your kids are likely to be the only Jews in class outside of the Metro area proper.
When I lived in Boston spending 1/2 hour to an hour getting home on the train wasn't too bothersome, but I know I couldn't take driving (as opposed to riding) an hour or more to work here in the Twin Cities. Those who want small town life live with the commutes - and crawls during snow, but I suspect might find long drives to things like temple, Hebrew school, museums, yarn shops, and civilization in general tiresome. OK, OK, I'm an urbanite. Though actually I live in a first ring suburb.
Regarding Hastings water: While surface water quality is a major environmental problem in Minnesota and across the world, drinking water quality is a completely different matter. The city proper has a municipal water system with water treatment and regular testing. Water from individual groundwater wells across the state vary in quality and it's up to the homeowner to test their own water if they have a private drinking well. Just one of the many reasons I much prefer urban life.
Barbara Skoglund
(I'm the combo knitter that was in your two classes at Creative Fibers last year.)
Saint Paul knitter here. I think small town living is lovely, but accessibility is hard here. Saint Paul has a strong Hasidic (totally not spelling that right) Jewish community and some nice synagogues. I've lived here all my life (went away for college) and Saint Paul has that small town feel with the big city amenities. It gets my vote every time.
I'm glad you are moving here.
It will be exciting to have a famous knitter to call our own!
We moved to Minneapolis from Cleveland, following 6 years in Miami and nearly the same in Massachusetts (Amherst and Boston). We are originally from the South, but love living here in the Twin Cities. Been to or through, actually, Hastings twice, and it appears to be a lovely little town. Very charming despite lack of LYS, however the Yarnery in St.Paul is wonderful. In addition to Needlework Unlimited and Creative Fibers in Minneapolis, I love Depth of Field and the very small, but very friendly shop, the name of which I can't remember, in Linden Hills, Minneapolis. I was initially frustrated by Minneapolis after living in other large cities, but it is a very easy city to live in with plenty to do, an especially wonderful city for families. That is true of St. Paul as well.
There are so many factors to consider in a move...Schools, transportation, peace, comfort... I have lived in Saint Paul for years, and the Highland area would probably suit you nicely. There really is a big town feel to St Paul. Roseville and Arden Hills are a little farther out, but good schools and easy access to both Mpls and StPaul, and enough parks that there are some nice recreational possibilities. A little known part Saint Paul is the Battle Creek area, with the biggest park in the Twin cities, and nice views from the bluff - also nearby is South Maplewood, with a suburban/rural feeling, not nearly as far as Hastings. Saint Paul also has Borealis, another LYS, that I really like.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home