Minnesota – Page 2 – Musings of a Musician's Wife

Having grown up in rural Minnesota my dad taught several rough and tough tricks. One such trick was how to build a strong fire. I’ve been up at my parent’s place for a couple of weeks now so that means I’ve been soaking up all the fire time I can get. Every day I station myself and my computer by the fire with my mom and we happily work the day away. On the days my dad doesn’t prep a fire for us, which is rare, I take on the task and have been happy with the result.

How to Build a Good ‘Ol Minnesotan Fire

find some fallen wood and chop it so it’s about 2′ long
set your base with two medium-sized logs
set your next layer with two small-sized logs
set your next layer with a row of large sticks and a little bit of kindling (twigs and sticks)
top it off with a large log
stuff paper and paper goods between the two medium sized logs
light some of the paper and it should take off from there

Congratulations, you’ve built your first Hagberg fire!

It’s funny that I title this “Minnesota Road Trip” because Josh and I take this trip all the time. But hey, why not make the trip sound like an adventure?

Despite my protests Josh and I were scheduled leave after he got home from a dragster race with KLOVE on Sunday… at 6pm. I knew this meant driving in mostly darkness and that I am no longer a young whipper-snapper full of excitement when the words “late night” pass through my ear canals. With the assurances that I wouldn’t have to drive a minute if I didn’t feel up to it, I consented.

Three and half hours into the trip, that’s about halfway, Josh couldn’t push on so I dropped my work and took the wheel for the rest of the trip.

Our radio busted within the first couple hours of the trip so I put in some headphones and plugged myself into my iPhone to jam to some sufficient awakening music. After a couple hours my posture became increasingly droopy and my eyelids were having trouble withstanding their own weight. I was pondering pulling over for a late night nap when I saw a sign:

“Hudson 10 miles
St. Paul 31 miles”

With those lovely numbers in sight I had a burst of a second wind and got us through the cities. The next glitch in the trip was a momentary brain lapse that led us a mile off course. I was pretty unfazed though and kept my spirits up until the next set back. We were on 55 and it was 2 am and there were signs for a mandatory detour. To my dismay this detour took us a good 5 – 7 miles off course and I was fuming. All of a sudden I was bursting with a sort of rage at Josh for not holding up his end of the deal (after all, I wanted to leave in the morning) and for possibly being responsible for breaking the radio, at myself for causing the first detour, and at the immediate vicinity for existing in a way that took me off course and later into the night. Of course I take it all out on Josh though. I sometimes wonder if I will ever manage to point my anger in the right direction or, better yet, get rid of any unrighteous anger altogether.

We are here now in Buffalo, Minnesota. We relaxed yesterday away and are doing the same this morning before an evening of friends and family.