Many businesses are closed today as part of a protest against ICE. Stay home if you can.
Friday fun
The worlds largest puck
It is Friday, and Fridays are for fun. It seems that downtown Saint Paul now has a special tourist attraction. The world’s largest hockey puck.
The puck would scare the bravest goalie.
The building behind the puck is the best that downtown has to offer, an amazing public library. I visit often during the warmer months when I can walk or bike to the library rather than driving and spending half an hour looking for a place to park a few blocks away. The parking meters that surround the building are usually hooded and can not be used. The puck doesn’t take up a parking space, but the whole street is closed because of it.
They would never close the street in front of the Saint Paul hotel or the street in front of the Ordway or 6th street because of the buses and the Landmark Center. Last summer, walking or biking was the only way to get to the library due to all of the road work and closed streets. The librarians looked sad and bored.
I love the central library and wish that the city would make it more accessible.
Bracing for bad news . . . .
It is Friday, and Fridays are for fun. We just got our proposed property tax notice. Our proposed taxes are 38 cents lower for 2026 than what we paid in 2025. Apparently, our home has decreased in value. I think the county overvalued it last year.
I expect property taxes to increase every year. I am not sure what to do with the extra 38 cents. Maybe someone made a mistake. I’ll wait until we get a bill before investing any more time in thinking about that 38 cents.
In my own backyard
It is Friday, and Fridays are for fun. I have really enjoyed gardening this year. We have had to stay home more than usual due to my husband’s illness. This weekend I’ll be finishing up a little landscaping project and planting some bulbs. There really is no place like home.
You might be bad at driving
It is Friday, and Fridays are for fun. Apparently, it is possible to be so bad at driving that people in the cars behind you will cry. They even have a bumper sticker for that.
- Friday fun
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The Library is still fun
It is Friday, and Fridays are for fun. I have always been a fan of the Saint Paul Public Library. Ever since childhood, it has been a favorite place, especially in the summer. In my early teens, I used to hop on a city bus with my bestie, and we would go to the library, check out some books, and read in the park (Rice Park) before heading back home for an evening of reading.
I decided to relive my childhood earlier this week with a visit to the library. I checked out several books and brought them to the park, and read for a while. I can spend hours in the library. It is hard to leave.
