Yesterday, I got the nicest surprise in my snail mail. My friend Zannah Martin’s new book Song of Sarai arrived. I’ve known Zannah for many years and she’s worked on one variation or another of this story for the entire time I’ve known her, allowing me the pleasure of seeing many of those drafts. That the […]
Author: Kathleen Cassen Mickelson
I am a Minnesota-based writer who is also an editor, parent, cook, dog owner, photographer, gardener, idealist, and traveler. Find me on Twitter @kcmickelson, on Instagram @kcmickelson, and on my blog, One Minnesota Writer, at http://www.oneminnesotawriter.com.
Spring? Yes, Please.
Spring is unfolding and I’m feeling better than I’ve felt in weeks. Turns out I had a sinus infection and didn’t realize it until last week when I had such bad vertigo I couldn’t move. Plugged ears, full sinuses, ensuing dizziness – not the stuff that encourages creativity. In fact, all I could do was […]
Thinking About the Next Phase
At last, things are warming up out there. Rain has arrived, wonderful bone-chilling snow-diminishing March rain. Never mind that everything outside is a mess. This rain makes me hopeful, happy, in the mood to write and cook and have conversations, ready to think about what lies ahead instead of sinking into late-winter doldrums. In fact, […]
The Writing Life: Staying Healthy Means Getting Out of the Chair and Eating Real Food
Even though the snow on the deck of our house is still up to my knees, I’m sensing a shift in the light, the breath of a new season. Winter is waning, no matter what the depth of the snow may be. Along with the shifting light and that promise of change, I’ve been thinking […]
A Special Winter Happiness List
Okay, I admit it – even I am over winter at the moment. What finally pushed me over the edge was having my keys locked in my car in Minneapolis on Saturday night. Anyone out there have a Honda HRV with an auto-lock feature? Yup, it bested me. I unlocked my car to get my […]
When You’re Stuck in Mid-Winter
I think I have mid-winter brain. Never mind that I like winter most of the time. I am still susceptible to hunkering down so much I get lazy and sluggish. My energy has almost disappeared. It’s work to put on coat and boots and go anywhere. Tuesday was a good example. An enormous full moon […]
Odds, Ends, and Collaborations
Yesterday, I spent a lot of time shoveling thanks to a finicky snowblower and the latest round of several inches of new snow. Seems the Twin Cities got most of its annual snowfall over the past 10 days. And there were other tasks to be done, conversations to be had, and somewhere around 5 p.m. […]
Winter Images
I’ve been thinking about how long it’s been since I took my camera somewhere and just played. Played with light and shadow and little moments. And, since this week is not one in which I can go off and do just that, I’ve been looking at photos I’ve taken of this time of year, winter […]
Hygge as Practiced in Minnesota
Hygge: it’s been everywhere the past few years. Around here, coffeehouses and restaurants are ranked according to how well they offer up hygge, and anything cozy (socks, tea, blankets, pajamas, stew recipes) gets placed in the hygge category. But today, as the temperatures here in Minnesota are seriously below zero (it is -17 as I […]
One Minnesota Winter Morning Brings Out the Best in Me
January in Minnesota has plenty to make me happy. Yes, this does make me a weirdo among many. But just yesterday I found myself thinking what a great thing days with temps well below freezing and a little fresh snow are. Days when our neighborhood owls call to each other in dim early morning light […]
