Hastings, This-and-that and Critters Post

First few photos are from my visit to Hastings, Minnesota on Tuesday and a winter storm warning issued for later that day.

Meet one of three official kitty-greeters from one of the antique shops in Hastings.

Sweetest kitty cat ever!

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS 

and to City Daily Photo

You must remember one of my roaming Gnomes 

that wanders city streets with me.

When I arrived in Hastings, I saw folks were fixated and snapping photos of two boats on the Mississippi River, one man was using binoculars. 

Some sort of mystery was afoot, or maybe it had to do with the navigation season ending on the upper Mississippi River on this day.

I'll never know.

Strolling along Hastings Riverwalk I snapped Otto, again.

Meet Otto the River Otter on Hastings Riverwalk.

Artist is Dale Lewis

The more 'otter it is, the more 'otter otters like it.'

Healthy otters tell us we have a healthy countryside.

Autumn bliss lingered about Hastings on November 25th no less that's fantastic, but I imagine it's all covered in snow now.

Below photos are from a shop closed on Monday and Tuesday but we can still window shop. Notice the full Santa suit they have for sale? It looks quite authentic. 

Life brings simple pleasures to us every day. 

Even those made of clay and wearing purple sweaters.

"We are made to persist... that's how we find out Who We Are."

Tobias Wolff

This and That

"If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, 

nothing is all you will have gained."

Neil Gaiman

Artemis and Athena in yet another game of tug-of-war! 

"My dog doesn't worry about the meaning of life."

Charlotte Joko Beck

Have you ever been to Sam's Christmas Village and Lights in Somerset, Wisconsin? If you haven't yet, you still can from now through January 1st, 2026.

"Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference."

Mignon Mclaughlin

Bonfires. Campfires. Chit chat about this and that. 

It's therapeutic.

Below from another antique shop in Hastings.

The power of companionship. 

Said one Firefighter Nutcracker 

to the other Firefighter Nutcracker.

Stand tall. Stand Proud. Stand knowing your unbeatable

 triumph is everlasting.

This photo above was taken in Minnesota but not Hastings.

"It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change."

Queen Elizabeth II

"There's nothing more I need than, the steady heartbeat of contentment. The comfort of enough. The beauty of an ordinary life."

Thanks for visiting me today and gifting me with your comments.

Take good care of you!