Angie Gustafson

I am a librarian.  Currently I work for a system with nine library branches as a substitute librarian.  What I love about being a substitute is that I get to work at every branch and get to know everyone throughout the system.  I get to observe the differences and similarities between the branches and become…

The above photo is from a drive I took around Lake Pepin this week with our dog, Daphne. This is the first week that Aubrey has been doing distance learning.  Some days have gone better than others for her, but for the most part she has established a routine of looking over her assignments by…

This week felt like a new level of stay-at-home bliss.  We rarely consulted the daily schedules, but we found ourselves naturally transitioning from creative projects to time outdoors to relaxing activities.  Next week Aubrey’s school will start sending her distance learning assignments, so we might need to reinstate some version of the schedule to make…

Six days in and this is what I am observing about myself. There are moments and hours when I feel really, really low.  Not from any particular fear or thought or occurrence, but more the gradual result of isolation and weighty thoughts over time. There are other moments and days when I feel really, really…

The sun is shining today but the air is chilly.  Yesterday was very cloudy and rainy, but I managed to get short walk in with some neighbors before it started to rain.  We spread ourselves out across the road as we walked, observing social distancing recommendations.  We talked about what has happened, what might happen,…

Today is the first full day of Aubrey and I staying home in response to the current pandemic. The last week has been a time of alertness, awareness, and preparation.  A time for collecting supplies- primarily food and entertainment.  A time for listening to the news and allowing each new level of altered reality to…

It’s weeding season!  Which it will be pretty much all summer long and kind of into fall.  My burgeoning affection for weeding that was sparked last year is growing into a fully developed passion.  I just love traipsing out to the garden with my trowel in hand, plopping my bottom down in the dirt and…