PJ and Mini Minis

PJ (Pepper Jack), Rachel and Drew's pup, came to stay with us for several days last week. He's such an adorable little boy and so much fun! Thinking of him as I write this brings a smile to my face. Here's some video of PJ, and to a lesser degree, Charlie—Cotton avoided PJ as much as possible and was quick to let him know of her displeasure with his antics when he'd try and get her to play with him.

Rachel and Drew spent several days up north in Lutsen where they plan to wed this fall. The last day they were there they met with a photographer who shot their engagement photos. (Photo to the right courtesy of Narrowleaf Photography.) They're planning a small wedding with a reception to follow at a later date. Exciting! 

I had really hoped to be done talking about Trump's presidency after the election but as many of us feared, he was never going to quietly go away. After this most recent news broke about Trump's phone call with the Georgia Secretary of State yesterday where he pressed him to find more votes for him and to upend the election and give him the win, I don't believe there's anything more that can be said to cause those still supporting him to see him for who/what he is: a blatantly corrupt mob boss masquerading as president. Most reasonable people understand that yes, he enlisted help from Russia in the 2016 election (regardless of what William Barr said) and that he also pressured the president of Ukraine to fabricate dirt on Biden to help him discredit the then-candidate. That's corruption. It saddens and worries me if you're unwilling or unable to see that.  

This is a blatant attack on our democracy, just as is the intention of (so far) 11 Republican Senators and at least 140 House Republicans who intend to challenge the electoral college results this coming Wednesday that gave Biden a decisive win. Our democracy is in deep trouble but you wouldn't know that if you tuned into conservative media where their concerns are about some fictitious radical leftist agenda, court-packing, and yes, Hunter Biden. It just blows my mind that this is where they take their viewers while for the most part, ignoring the pandemic or the attempted coup that's currently playing out. I'm not sure which worries me more—the attack on our democracy or so many people willing to go along with it. 

I've been working on a new series of stained glass sun-catchers; something even smaller than what I typically make. I call them 'mini minis', and so far, people seem to like them. My hope is to provide something not quite as expensive as my other offerings but with all of the detail as my other pieces—just smaller in size. I ventured out of my normal Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired style and added a heart-shaped balloon in glass. I'm pleased with how it turned out and plan to make several for my Etsy shop before Valentine's Day. The two in the photo to the left were given as gifts. You can see how they compare in size to my usual sun-catchers in this photo. 

I've been riding a fair amount and enjoying the heck out of the river bottoms trails. I do need to hit up some of the other trails in the cities, though. I'm meeting friends in the morning to ride the river trails but on Tuesday I think I'll head to the trails at Lebanon park in Eagan. 

That's all I've got.