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NOTEWORTHY
SIP
Cinnamon and ginger liqueur offer seasonal kicks to warm cocktails.
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HOT GIN TODDY • 1 1/2 oz. J. Carver Premium gin • 3/4 oz. lemon juice, fresh • 1 tsp. sugar • 2 oz. hot water • Cinnamon stick, garnish
In a wine goblet, brandy snifter or glass mug, add gin, lemon juice and sugar. Add the hot water, and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
THE WINTER COCKTAIL • 2 oz. Loon Man rum • 1/2 oz. lime juice • 1 tsp. sugar • 1 tsp. ginger liqueur (or ginger brandy) • 1 tsp. pimento dram • 2 dashes aromatic bitters (Angostura)
In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, juice, sugar and liqueurs, and fill with ice. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Add dashes of bitters on top.
—Contributed by Bill Princeton of Princeton’s Liquors
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Grow Utilize ferns to improve your health.
Help purify your home’s air with a wide variety of ferns that emit high contents of oxygen, creating cleaner air to breathe. Ferns also have qualities that will naturally mitigate your home’s exposure to toxins, and some studies show that ferns can even improve your sleep.
The Boston and Kimberly Queen ferns are two of the most common household ferns that are easy to care for once a watering schedule has been established.
For something a bit more exotic try:
The Maidenhair fern offers very light, delicate foliage and prefers to stay moist, requiring a bit more maintenance than other ferns and will show signs of stress very easily.
The Crispy Wave or Bird’s Nest and Curly ferns offer neon green foliage color with a solid leaf. Their care is much like the Boston fern, but like the Maidenhair fern, prefers its soil to stay moist, with more forgiveness.
The Rabbit-foot fern is also manageable in care and produces spores that are light in color and fuzzy to touch, looking much like a rabbit’s foot, hence the name. —Contributed by Art in the community is important, as it brings together people from diff erent walks of life to share a common goal of art appreciation—be it through painting, music, words and more. It is all around us, in homes, shopping malls, medical offi ces, workplaces and more. Even the food on your plate can be considered an art piece. Everything around you was, in fact, designed by someone else.
But is art important? I argue that art is important to our health, well-being and education. It can inspire us, push us and lead us toward new skill sets. Have you ever been to an art gallery and really looked at a painting? I mean, really looked, by standing at diff erent distances and angles and taking Christina Timm, Lynde Greenhouse and
Bird’s nest fern
Create
Why do we need art?
Nursery in what the artist was trying to convey? Doing that exercise inspires me to create, either visually or verbally.
Listening to music is proven to be benefi cial to health. It has been shown to relieve stress, lower blood pressure levels and increase serotonin and endorphin levels in the blood, whilst decreasing cortisone. Studies have shown that listening to music can help students attain higher scores in standardized tests, as it relaxes the brain.
So, the answer to my initial question is—yes. Art accessibility is vital to a community’s overall health and wellbeing.—Contributed by Lise Spence-Parsons, president of the Maple Grove Arts Cente
Organize
The decluttering journey begins with a single step.
It goes without saying that the best way to begin organizing is to fi rst eliminate clutter, making the process much more manageable and even saving money on organizing supplies.
Sources of clutter are everywhere—paperwork, knickknacks, memorabilia, kitchen gadgets and clothing. Starting the decluttering process can be daunting because of the sheer volume of the items in question or the thought that we might eventually use or need the items under review.
Remember—reducing clutter isn’t as intimidating as it seems if you just keep it simple. Consider tackling one room at a time, spending only 30 minutes per day working on the process. In the room in which you’re working, have boxes labeled Donate, Sell, Recycle and Trash. Stick with asking yourself, “Keep, or don’t keep?” versus over-analyzing and spending too much time making a decision on an item. Be sure to take the fi lled boxes to donation sites, consignment stores or recycling centers as soon as they are fi lled, ideally, keeping as much out of the landfi ll as possible.
The process of letting go will become easier, and you will fi nd yourself working through spaces with more effi ciency and decisiveness. Give yourself kudos for taking on the challenge. Now, look forward to the next stage, which is creating an organized space. —Contributed by Kira Vanderlan, Zestful Design, a home and business decluttering, organization and interior design company with a focus on mindfulness. zestfuldesign.com
Read
Library o ers travel guidance.
Travel sites might off er deals, but can they help with travel decisions? Preparations, precautions and reading beforehand can enhance travel safety.
Visit Hennepin County Library’s website (hclib.org) to search magazine and newspaper articles for tips about travel during the pandemic and beyond.
The library’s catalog has the top travel guidebooks, including well-known guidebooks like Frommer’s or Fodor’s (Did you know there’s a Frommer’s EasyGuide series?) or specialty guidebooks, like Bradt’s, for the “unusual” destination.
The library also has specifi c travel guidebooks for planning road, air or bike trips. Access Rough Guides, Insight Guides or Blue Guides, or librarians can help fi nd the best guidebook for your trip. —Contributed by Rose Ryan, Hennepin County Library–Maple Grove
ShopTalk
New tenants o er fresh takes on retail, work and social amenities.
The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes is or soon will be home to four new businesses, which represent a varied off ering of goods and services.
CoHAUS hopes to open early this year next to American Eagle Outfi tters. The membership-based space focuses on co-working, meeting/event spaces and social networking. With various levels of membership, CoHAUS off ers members 24/7 access, protected WiFi, access to a fully stocked bar, complimentary food and beverage off erings, private storage and more.
Cycle Gear was to arrive at the end of the year between Williams-Sonoma and White House|Black Market. It provides motorcyclists with gear, parts and accessories. Team members come from diverse riding backgrounds. cyclegear.com
Face Foundrié opened its doors last November across from Leela & Lavender. This membership-driven express spa specializes in micro treatments that give clients a customizable beauty experience. facefoundrié.com
Xfi nity Store opened last September next Williams-Sonoma and provides customers an opportunity to explore, learn and interact directly with the latest Xfi nity products and services. xfi nity.com —Contributed by Katie Welch Len
Keeping seniors safe. At home.
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MapleGrove-424.ComfortKeepers.com
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Proudly serving
Maple Grove and the surrounding communities
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DOING GOOD | DEPARTMENTS
COZY CUTIE Local program helps newborns retain body heat.
Purls of Wisdom
Knitting volunteers are honored with the Trailblazer Award.
BY AVA DIAZ
PHOTO BY CHRIS
EMEOTT
RECOGNIZED FOR ITS DEDICATION and commitment to spreading joy throughout the Maple Grove Hospital, The Knitting Grandmas and Friends program received the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota annual Trailblazer Award.
Since the opening of the hospital in 2009, The Knitting Grandmas and Friends have handcrafted more than 45,000 one-of-a-kind hats for newborns in the facility. Using yarn supplied by the hospital’s volunteer fund, 65 group members work diligently to make a minimum of three hats a week each to keep up with the demand. Individually wrapped with a note from the knitter and a description of the program, these hats are truly customized with love.
The group is filled with experienced knitters, some of which are blue ribbon winners at the Minnesota State Fair. Sheila Enestvedt, a knitter since she was 5-yearsold and a member since February 2010, says that the members share a common bond.
Before the pandemic, the group would meet weekly at
BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF MINNESOTA trailblazer.bluecrossmn.com Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota @BlueCrossMN
MAPLE GROVE HOSPITAL 9875 Hospital Drive; 763.581.1000 Maple Grove Hospital @MapleGroveHosp
Maple Grove Community Center to knit and crochet. Now, Knitting Grandmas regularly hosts a drop-off event in the parking lot, where individuals can exchange finished hats for new yarn.
THE TRAILBLAZER AWARD Encouraging communities to reach their full potential, Blue Cross works to transform the face of healthcare through three purpose areas: a provider (clinics or health systems), a foundation (education and community-based organizations) and a center for prevention (access to healthcare coverage).
As a part of recognizing the varying types of care, the Trailblazer Award sheds light on innovation across the state, ranging from large-scale, multi-year initiatives to specific smaller community needs. Since 2016, Blue Cross has awarded over 34 organizations across Minnesota for their dedication to making a healthy difference in their communities.
“This award is a testament to [the awardees] commitment to doing their part to bring about community change and do things that promote mental, physical and social wellbeing,” says Scott Keefer, vice president of public affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. “These programs and these trailblazers show us what unites us as people and as Minnesotans.”
Nominated by people engaged with Blue Cross partners externally, the organization is 2.8 million people strong (all 50 states and on four continents) and is home to more than 3,000 associates, who are geared toward spotting and celebrating innovation, Keefer says. MG EXPERIENCE THE 1-HOUR FULL-BODY WORKOUT THAT GIVES YOU MORE. More motivation. More results. And a more vibrant life. We use heart rate-based training that burns calories longer and produces results from the inside out. There’s technology to track your progress. And every workout is led by certified coaches that tailor your workout to your fitness level. BOOK A FREE WORKOUT* AT ORANGETHEORY.COM
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