The rock snake on the Paul Bunyan Trail in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota continues to grow!
My favorite is the hotdog!
Showing posts with label Minnesota things to do. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota things to do. Show all posts
local hardware store finds - pickled vegetables
If you're from the Midwest, you might be familiar with Fleet Farm and Menards. I see them as between Home Depot/Lowe's and an Ace Hardware in both size and assortment. While they all have a selection of household supplies, wood, tools, etc., Fleet Farm caters more to a farming customer and Menards maybe to a typical homeowner that just wants the lowest price and doesn't need a wide selection to choose from.
I, myself, head to Fleet Farm when I want snacks. They have an insanely large area with bulk bags of Fleet Farm brand snacks, including caramel nut clusters, sesame stix, trail mix, and chocolate covered pretzels and nuts. I find myself there most often in the Fall when I have a craving for candy corn. When one of my sisters comes we always stop in to see what clothing finds they have. We typically walk away with something Carhartt. And, on one visit, I scored a pair of $2 grey sweat pants that are about five sizes too large, yet are my absolute favorite pair of cozy bottoms to wear around the house!
I am one of the typical homeowners I mentioned that head to Menards to get the cheapest price from a tailored assortment of products. If I want anything on trend such as a lighting fixture or a new door that comes anywhere close to this era, then I might head elsewhere. But for everything else Menards is great. There are two categories of things I pick up from Menards that aren't typical hardware fare -- dog toys and Watkins spices and extracts. The dog toys are an ever-changing assortment piled into a pallet sized cardboard bin in the center of an aisle near the pet section. The toys are just a few dollars and are more durable than any other brand I've paid four times as much for. They also have an in-aisle display of Watkins products at great prices. I often pick up a large bottle of vanilla extract.
My neighbor mentioned loving some of the jarred pickled items from Menards. So I scouted those out on my most recent visit. I am IN LOVE! There are fourteen different kinds from the Old World brand, including pickled tomatoes, garlic pickles, beet and leek salad, traditional Polish salad, traditional German salad, traditional Greek salad, sauerkraut with carrot, green tomato salad, diced baby beets, marinated peppers, pickled red cabbage, pickled mushrooms, red cabbage with apples, and sweet cucumber salad. I haven't opened all of them yet, but the pickled mushrooms was the first I tried and it certainly is unique and fun! That particular one does have sulfites, but since I limit those in general I would probably buy them again regardless. I've also tried the pickled tomatoes and beet and leek salad and I enjoyed those as well.
While shopping this section of the store, I noticed a number of other products I want to grab next time. Preserved Harvest is a brand that has mostly pickles and jams, but also spiced peaches, vanilla peaches, pears, sweet pickled garlic, and pickled dilly corn. Marcella Gourmet also has unique items, including pickled snap peas, green tomato relish, corn relish, red sweet pepper relish, as well as jams, pasta sauces, and pesto sauces. Leone's is another great one with pickled asparagus, spicy pickled carrots, spicy pickled green beans, muffuletta, and various pickles and olives.
Do you have any favorites from Fleet Farm or Menards? Or, do you have your own local chain of hardware stores that has great finds like these? Let me know in the comments.
finding broadway in a small town: Into The Woods
You don't need to book a flight to New York or drive down to the Twin Cities to experience world-class musical theatre. As it turns out, incredible art is thriving right here in our own backyard.
I attended opening night of Stephen Sondheim's classical musical Into The Woods at the Pequot Lakes High School Theatre, put on by the Greater Lakes Area Performing Arts (GLAPA). To say I was blown away is an understatement — the production was highly entertaining, and the local actors brought an unbelievable amount of talent to the stage!
Growing up, we went to many plays and musicals at Central Lakes College Performing Arts Center in Brainerd each Summer. I had no idea until my mom heard about the Into The Woods musical that I had access to the arts in my small town of Pequot Lakes as well.
If you missed opening night, don't worry! There are still plenty of opportunities to catch this magical fairy-tale mashup. GLAPA has a six-performance run scheduled, giving you ample time to grab tickets:
Evening shows (7 pm): July 17, 18, 24, and 25
Matinee shoes (2pm): July 19 and 26
Location: Pequot Lakes High School Auditorium, 30805 Olson Street, Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
where mining in the boundary waters stand now, and how to stop it
This post happens to coincide with Earth Day, yet the action and outrage for what I will describe here is not limited to one day.
Even if you don't call Minnesota home, you are likely familiar with the fight that has been ongoing over whether to allow mining near the boundary waters because this area in Northeast Minnesota bordering Canada is the most visited wilderness area in the entire United States. 675,000 public comments were submitted to the Forest Service in 2022, 95% of which favored protecting the boundary waters area from sulfide-ore copper mining. Yet, just a few days ago on April 16th 2026, the Senate went against the desire of the people by passing House Joint Resolution 140 (previously passing the House as well on January 21st, 2026).
Mining is not new to Minnesota, the state has a long history of iron ore mining. In fact, we're the number one producer of iron ore in the entire country, my paternal great-parents even running a boarding house, general store, and post office for miners in the area. Yet, sulfide mining has never been done in Minnesota before. Sulfide mining is generally considered one of the most toxic industries since it creates a runoff of sulfuric acid (basically battery acid) that makes the land and water surrounding the mine unlivable, and this acid also seeps into watersheds downstream, further expanding the damages reach. A study from March 2025, analyzed eight mines in Idaho, Washington, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Alaska to show that even with today's regulations they are "consistently polluting rivers, lakes, and groundwater." This is truly sad in any area of the country, and especially so in a place still so pristine such as the boundary waters where you can literally drink the water without filtering. "In addition to acidifying the lakes and rivers, the sulfuric acid leaches out heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and other toxins. This type of mining is so toxic that there HAS NEVER BEEN A SULFIDE MINE THAT HAS NOT CONTAMINATED SURROUNDING WATER SOURCES." As if this irreparable ecological damage wasn't bad enough, if this sulfide mining is allowed to happen, it would also severely impact the recreation in the area, which contributes more than $19M annually and creates over 300 jobs, destroy the future for all of the fisherman and hunters who enjoy this area, and violate treaties protecting the hunting, fishing, and gathering rights of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, along with two other bands, all of whom were denied being part of the conversation.
I've been near the boundary waters and found it other worldly and serene. In fact, all of the pictures included in this post are ones I took on that trip to Grand Marais, Minnesota in the Summer of 2024, one of the towns near the entry point of the boundary waters area, sitting on Lake Superior where the downstream flow of contaminated water will head. My mom backpacked into the boundary waters in 2006, which she frequently mentions as being a life changing experience. And, my grandpa actually worked in the area in 1933, at age 23, for the Civilian Conservation Corps reforesting this heavy logged area during the Great Depression, an effort by President Roosevelt to put unemployed men to work (later the BWCA Wilderness Act passed by Congress in 1978 ended logging and snowmobiling use in the area, and restricted mining).
But, even if you don't have a connection, or haven't visited the area, these mines may already be affecting natural land near you (as noted in the study of eight mines in other parts of the US). And, if this administration is successful in using The Congressional Review Act to overturn regulations years beyond the 60 days the act allows, it could have dire impacts for other efforts this administration, or others with their same ideologies, will try in the future. While this is a huge setback, there are things we can still do. Litigation will be pursued, questioning the legality of what Congress did in. Minnesota leadership could deny state permits and/or pass state law to override this federal overreach. The impacted Native American tribes could push back. And, as a last line of defense, Minnesota residents would likely step in, akin to how we stood up for our state in January of February of this year.
To assist with the cost of legal efforts in the first, and most ideal, next line of defense against this mining, please consider donating to any of the organizations below. I have no affiliation with them, nor do I get anything if you do donate. I just wanted to personally share should you want to make your voice heard. Contacting representatives in Minnesota, even if you're out of state, will also be super important as the second line of defense will require state laws and permits to deny the mining company its move forward. And, of course, continuing to vote in leadership who is can actually show they have integrity and aren't just in a bunch of people's pockets.
Environmental Defense Fund - donate by tonight, April 22nd 2026, to triple the impact of your donation as it will be matched by two longtime EDF donors!
Friends of the Boundary Waters
Backcountry Hunters & Angler's Campfire Society
Mining in the boundary waters is just one of many environmental projects that this administration is set on creating detrimental damage with, oftentimes having ties to a monetary benefit/influence. The 2025 budget cancelled 350 environmental protection agency grants (as well as cancelled or paused any program with the keywords "equity" or "climate" from the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Agriculture, and the Interior, no matter whether closer inspection would show these programs had nothing to do with equity or climate in the way the administrations broad search intended), closed the offices of environmental justice, pulled data used by the public and many organizations for environmental mapping, paying a French company $1B in our taxpayer money to NOT build wind farms (so our money is literally being thrown away to stop a project this administration doesn't like), given the rubber stamp to pollute our air, and so much more.
Just like mining in the boundary waters, these decisions are not a done deal. If you'd like to support initiatives that are fighting against these larger environmental rollbacks, please consider looking into the below organizations...
Environmental Integrity Project
Environmental Protection Network
Natural Resources Defense Council
The ACLU is doing fantastic work fighting against other injustices as well.
If you're on the fence wondering whether your donation, protest, boycott, social media post, etc. will even make a difference, I find the 3.5% rule an interesting concept to think more about - every action, even those that are small, combine together into a larger movement and also get people thinking about taking additional steps that are more impactful than their initial step of marching in protest. In the years to come, I anticipate the actions taken by Minnesotans in the early months of 2026 will also be studied as an effective method of resistance as well.
love for Minnesota
Minnesota has gotten a lot of attention and ❤️ lately. Here's a glimpse into the beautiful life here. Seasons other than Winter truthfully are very short. Yet, Minnesotans take advantage of every day of the year. Even in the depths of Winter, people look forward to ice fishing, cross country skiing, and honestly just watching the snow fall. Negative forty degree windchill days will still have full attendance at an ice bocce tournament , golf on a frozen lake, or around a cozy table of a restaurant. Bundled up to be sure, but they are there and loving it all the same! Spring and Fall last just weeks it feels. But, those crisp mornings are some of the best of the year. The two months that is Summer is spent almost entirely at the lake, but taking advantage of farmers markets and hitting up our many county and state fairs are close behind.
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