Monday, March 16, 2026
I saw a Kickstarter for an end table that makes pictures automatically with a marble in sand. I thought Keith would like it. I told Benjamin to order it for me so it would be super-secret. Delivery time was a mystery, but hopefully it would come for Christmas.
It didn’t. They actually said it wouldn’t, I had just missed that part. No matter – April birthday was on the horizon. We got email updates all along the journey. They were so interesting! Tariffs screwed things up majorly. Finding materials and construction locations had to be changed. I felt so bad for them. Then there was testing, and making it quieter, and all sorts of stuff. I had long given up caring when it would arrive, but I was looking forward to it. When they wanted address confirmation, we kept it next door (I started the process before we moved). I figured why mess with a change when it would be more likely the neighbors would be home whenever it arrived.
And they were! It arrived shortly after we left for North Carolina. I was going to wait until that April birthday rolled around again, but I thought of it today while Benjin was here and couldn’t wait.
Surprise, Keith! Happy two birthdays, a father’s day, and two Christmases! He set it up very quickly and it made us a picture of an otter (Keith’s choice). It took about 2.5 hours to level the sand and make the picture. It is really relaxing to just watch it – but also fun to go and come back to a bunch being done. It came with a little bag of powdery sand. It did NOT look like enough to cover the area. I was sure we would need to order more. Wrong. It actually seemed like too much once it was in the table. Weird.
Alexander made it home with no problem about 4:00. Needing to keep the interstate population balanced, Benjamin headed home about 5:00.
This evening we went to pick up my MN resistance hat. The Norwegian nisselue pattern hat was worn in WWII to oppose the Nazis. Minnesotans started knitting and wearing them during the ICE occupation. Our niece Savannah knit several as a fundraiser to help those effected by ICE and I was delighted to support the worthy cause.
Savannah and Samantha (and their daughter) moved to a new home (to them) on Milwaukee Ave. It is part of an historic several blocks that have the houses facing each other with no street between them. Cars access parking lots behind the houses.
Their house is wonderful. Such charm! Such hominess! I absolutely loved it and I hadn’t even been upstairs yet. I don’t even know how to explain how cool their daughter’s room is. Former owners opened up the ceiling to the roof, then put in two sky lights and a loft with a ladder. The whole room is so tall – she has a lofted bed with stairs. I can’t describe it, but I want to live in it!!!!!!
