This Week's Shameless Budgeteer Plug: Mary Plaster, Hartley Park, book reviews and Mike Ciresi

If you missed Storyhill's sparkling performance at UMD last night, do me a favor and kick yourself. But, just to show there's no hard feelings, I've decided to share some excellent reading material with you ... no, no; thank you:

"Jim Henson's Puppets Never Got This Involved" -- Spirit Mountain artist Mary Plaster is a fascinating lady, and you won't be disappointed by her work -- whether it's the Dancing Icons or trusty ol' Green Man, her larger-than-life papier-mache puppets are guaranteed to dazzle.

"Book Reviews: The North Shore's State Parks and Some Funny-Lookin' 'Pig Boats'" - Reviewed (nay, enjoyed) this week: Ron Morton and Steve Morse's “Gooseberry Falls to Grand Portage: A Walking Guide to the Hiking Trails in Minnesota’s North Shore State Parks” and Neel R. Zoss’ “McDougall’s Great Lakes Whalebacks."

"Discover Duluth: Hartley Park, Vol. I" -- Yes, it's true: I dropped the hate and learned to love the vast expanse that is Hartley. (Don't get sick of it, though, because coming at you in a couple weeks is this installment's sequel!)

I also helped out with "Minneapolis Lawyer Mike Ciresi Discusses His Bid for U.S. Senate" ... first Franken, then Ciresi? I feel like such a professional journalist. LOL

p.s. As an added bonus, the standalone photo "The Awesome Power of Miller Creek" -- taken at Lincoln Park during the Monday flood warning in Duluth -- is also floating around the Budgeteer's corner of cyberspace. (Hint: It looks a lot like this week's "poster.")