Greetings of the season to all our dear WP friends. Wishing you all a peaceful, healthy holiday and New Year.
West Seventh Freelance
Photography, seeking, writing…and learning along the way. Want to come along?!
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Walks in the neighborhood and familiar ornaments on the tree…and the joy of Bagheera the mini panther -
We are adjusting to life without Dylan the Tabby and appreciate the hope of President-elect Biden. The virus is raging in Minnesota, however, so caution is still the rule. Bagheera is finding his way with the help of a glorious cat-cave that we got him as an early Christmas gift ❤.
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Dear WordPress furriends, we wanted you to know that our beloved Tabby cat, Dylan, died suddenly yesterday. It was discovered that a sudden onset of lethargy and change in his breathing was the result of cardiomyopathy. We will share more about this at another time. His brother, Bagheera, is searching for him and we are loving him up. The photos below are the last I took of my sweet Dylan. We love you Dylan.
Dylan late October 2020 
Dylan Saturday morning before we rushed to emergency hospital ❤💔 -
Ugh. An October snow has officially ended Fall. (Before the final garden chores could be accomplished!)
The bright spot was a quick visit from Cousin Bob’s daughter, Lisa, en route to Portland, OR. We were able to score a night at the historic, floating B&B, The Covington Inn in downtown St. Paul, MN- still pretty in the snow!
Before: a walk just a week or so ago
Now: Welcome Lisa!
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We went in search of Fall; a local junket to Lilydale and Pickle Lake, parkland adjacent to the Mississippi in St. Paul.
Kathleen 
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The only way, some days, to assuage my anger at my government….well, one trigger specifically, is to take cat pics. Breathe.
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View toward ‘Yurt Village’ Afton State Park We decided it was time to take a break from all the insanity and Afton State Park Minnesota was a perfect respite. Fall is definitely in the air!
The park is gorgeous with plenty of places to hike and birdwatch- also spend a night or two in a cabin, tent or yurt.
If apple desserts or just plain good eating crosses your mind, a quick trip down the road will suffice. Whistling Well Farm Minnesota is a perfect place to pick apples or purchase them bagged.
Whistling Well Farm 
The dessert pictured above is Apple Crumble Slab Pie from King Arthur Flour recipes.
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There are quite a variety of bees hanging out in the garden…
Bee life Of note, a few more blooms to report 🌞
A surprise late entry 
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My current research and writing project is a continuation of something started a number of years ago— transcribing letters Dad sent home to his family during WWII and capturing my own memories of summers spent in the Adirondack Mountains.
An aspect of this relates to food— snippets Dad wrote about and things I recall as favorites. These posts will carry the header— as noted above— and all the recipes will be included in their original form. Enjoy!
Blueberry Muffins
One of the traditions at North Lake (Adirondack Conservation area) was a frosty morning dip and a canoe trip to Blueberry Island to pick, of course, blueberries! These berries are the tiny, wild variety and the designated pail would be filled to the brim for pancake and muffin making.
Dad ready to pick berries, circa 1970’s 
The blueberry pail that I kept- 50 years on 
Mmmmmuffins 
A photo taken by my Dad on an early morning canoe ride
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