Dog Scout today:

He is very calm. Naturally, I think he has Parvo, or worms, or something. He has a vet trip on Friday, so they’ll take blood and do what they have to do, but it’s possible he’s just a very calm dog. I expected that a puppy would be bouncing off the walls like a superball expelled from a high-velocity cannon, and it’s not as if he doesn’t do stuff - he follows me around, took three walks, goes up and down the big mountainous range of stairs. He’s just content to sit where I sit and chew and maybe nap.

Daughter came home from school, and he saw her and ran towards her tail wagging and gave her a great playful greeting, which was as Heartwarming as you imagine.

Heartwarm! Maybe he has heartwarm.

Well, we know he has that.

UPDATE: Pup is very much full of pep at 2 AM. More tomorrow. If I can raise my head and make my hands work.

Have we lost our minds? No, just some people. From the vodka’s webpage:

The inaugural product Swastika vodka, is true to its German roots. The name “Swastika” pays homage to the traditional symbol representing the wheel of time, and stands for the unity of Germany. Today the emblem evokes the nationalistic spirit of the German people.

Oh, I was just kidding about the Swastika vodka.

I saw this in the store for the first time and was . . . tired. Just tired.

The site:

The Klin Groupe’s inaugural product, Hammer + Sickle vodka, is true to its Russian roots. The name “Hammer + Sickle” pays homage to the Russian hammer symbol representing the industrial north of Russia, while the sickle represents the agricultural south. The crossed hammer and sickle stand for the unity between the north and south. Today, the emblem evokes the nationalistic spirit of modern Russia.

Oh does it now. Well, that can’t be a good thing, can it?

Apparently this was launched before Putin started to act like it would be a grand idea to get the old gang together, but they ought to take it off the market and say “hey, you know, what can we say? It was kinda kitschy a few years ago, but still commanding - gotta admit that bottle stood out. But in retrospect slapping the symbol of oppression, slavery of captive nations, and institutionalized murder suggested we hadn’t read a history book, and after looking through wikipedia - whoa Stalin, buddy, talk about Comrade Overboard there - we’re rebranding it as Kronstadt Vodka, in honor of those who rose up against the Bolsheviks. Rest assured it still has the same crisp, clean taste.”

Yes, Virginia, there is a Farmville.

I suspect this was not the original name of the store. But the sign surely dates from the renovation of the storefront.

Note the way they angled the window towards the door - a simple gesture that told everyone this store was up to date. Right next door: R. J. Martin left a beautiful little late-20s Beaux-Arts / Deco (In the most restrained version of the style) box.

Tidy, almost fastidious, and eminently civilized.

I suspect the front of this structure had a window at some time.

I have no idea what goes on in there and I don’t want to know, but a guy with a mohawk sitting in the dark spinning the cylinders and talking to a mirror wouldn’t surprise me.

Local libraries return nothing for DOWNE . . .

but DOYNE is a name of a funeral home . . kept googling, and found this from a document proposing a historical district.

A three-story brick structure probably dating from the 1890s, the Doyne Building displays Victorian Italianate details in its segmental-arched brick window heads, decorative brick corbeling, and cast metal bracketed cornice. The building's two first-floor storefront units are framed by cast metal pilasters and cornices.

And then . . .

Constructed in 1887, this building was the first mortuary in Farmville. The contrasting color of the brick provides an interesting display and represents the late 19th century use of brick building materials.

Well, there you have it. The family business is still plantin’ em deep for a third century.

The thirties blew through, and left a piece of the future on main street:

On the same street where the future asserted itself with smooth confidence, this, a ghost that's just a decade away from evaporating. Or two. Maybe three. These signs hang on with astonishing tenacity.

These are usually better when left unrestored. They seem a bit garish when they repaint them. But somtimes signs of a more recent vintage seem . . . sad. Someone's dream.

They don't always work out. But having the sign stay up and fade - this is like getting divorced and living in an apartment with your ex on the other side of the wall.

Take a stroll, starting with the factories at the end of downtown. Then turn around and head up the street.

Short work blog today, and an addition to Minneapolis Modern: a brand-new site on Southdale. Enjoy! Have a fine day.