Care For Place Fellowship
Kate Tovsen Kate Tovsen

Care For Place Fellowship

I’m a more than a little late to announce this since it’s already come and gone, but I was a 2023 Care for Place fellow with Upstream MN. Upstream “nurtures Minnesotans’ love for our shared places and cultivates greater trust, connection and stewardship” and is all about bridging the political divide to rally behind what unites us: a deep love for our wonderful state.

Read More
It’s nice that we want the same things
Jared Tovsen Jared Tovsen

It’s nice that we want the same things

The funny thing about the way we are going about getting up into the northern reaches of Minnesota is that to merely purchase a home and move would be far too easy, and almost seems like cheating to us. In fact, this cartoon hangs on our refrigerator and sums up our relationship to life (and to one another).

Read More
The language of winter and what we can learn from Indigenous peoples
Kate Tovsen Kate Tovsen

The language of winter and what we can learn from Indigenous peoples

I consider myself to be lucky, as a resident of the fine state of Minnesota, to experience all four seasons as we are taught them in school -- winter, spring, summer, and fall. But what about all of those magical in-between times, where it’s not quite x season, but still not y season?

Read More
Life (and future business) update — we are moving!
Kate Tovsen Kate Tovsen

Life (and future business) update — we are moving!

We have contentedly, if rather slowly, been making progress on the “Headwaters” land in Finland. That said, we were more than a little overly optimistic about our timeline on the outset of this endeavor. Despite having a great little life and no real complaints, I can’t help but be a little impatient as an impending move north teases us.

Read More
Snow day caravan
Kate Tovsen Kate Tovsen

Snow day caravan

We just had a blizzard. (In February? In Minnesota?! What??! That’s unheard of…) We’d just bought a proper skijoring harness and Jared was eager to try out this caravan: Heidi hiking in the front, Jared skiing in the middle, and Charlotte just taking it all in in the back.

Read More
First snow
Kate Tovsen Kate Tovsen

First snow

It’s 9:30 a.m. The first snow of the year. It suspends in the air, like snowglobe snow but without the ground accumulation, artificial or otherwise. Though the baby and I are both nursing colds, it felt good to get out in the crisp, fresh air. (Thank goodness for the dog needing her morning walk or I might’ve tricked myself into staying bundled up inside.)

Read More