Wannaskan Almanac

*Originally published February 20, 2020         “Are you stuck again?” the young neighbor man joked when I called him Monday evening, because I had called him last Thursday morning for just that very reason when Chairman Joe and I found ourselves unexpectedly stationary in a ditch bank. This neighbor has some big pickups and tractors, and has offered his help in the past, should I have issues.      That morning, we were in Joe's car on 210th Avenue NE, and its intersection with 450th Street NE, in Marshall County, Minnesota, known to locals and county highway engineers as Marshall County Highway 48, three miles west of Honker Flats Greenhouse, which is, as a landmark, approximately 13 miles, west southwest, where the neighbor I called lives, as I do myself, a mile north of him.        "Hello neighbor!" the neighbor had said cheerfully, on Monday, after reading the caller ID on his phone.    ...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for March 26, 2025, the twenty-third Wednesday of the year, the first Wednesday of spring, the fourth Wednesday of March, and the eighty-fifth day of the year, with two-hundred eighty days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for March 26, 2025 Horned Lark The horned lark , Eremophila alpestris , a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere — collective noun: exultation — calls Wannaska home when it comes to breeding activities and is the only lark species native to North America, and they're moving in to position. A common very early spring migrant throughout the cultivated regions of Minnesota from February through late March, the horned lark also is an early nester — a risky business for the eggs and chicks when it comes to March and April snow storms. Horned lark vocalizations are high-pitched, lisping, tinkling, and weak. The song, given in flight as is common among larks, consists of a...

I have a long standing feud with banks.  Actually, until I had some extra money, banks never really interested me.  They were more interested in taking my interest.  However, ever since I have paid off my mortgage I no longer get good service at banks.   Today I went to the bank with 2 checks for $200 each.  I wanted them cashed, and gave them a note saying that I wanted: 1-100 20-10's 20-5's Those apostrophes were an apostasy to the bank and caused them currency confusion.  They gave me 2 hundreds, 10 tens, and 5 twenties.  I sent them back the twenties and a hundred.  I asked them this time for ten tens and twenty fives.  I got the envelope back.  Apparently they switched the hundred for twenties and the twenties for tens.   What I finally ended up with...in frustration...was: 1-100  20-10's 5-20's They were so close!  Just one denomination off!  Oh well, at least I had the right amount of money! ...

  The day before the snowshoe trek, I'd stood beside Chairman Joe at his stove in the Shedeau while he made pita bread. He flattened soft dough balls into circles, and I watched each one brown and puff up on the hot skillet.  Before Teresa, Joe, Jim, and I set out the next day, we gobbled one of these pockets, overflowing with scrambled eggs, bacon, and drippy cheese. Joe knows that mighty fortification is necessary for a snowshoe walk in Roseau, and he takes good care of his guests. Midway through the hike, a zig-zaggy bloody map on the snow forced us to stop. Deer attack , Joe declared immediately, his voice calm and direct. Teresa nodded soberly in agreement, but I gasped and looked around in disbelief. We were unwitting witnesses to an atrocity, and I was confused. "Where are all the bones?"  I begged. Despite the pale rust-red blood that had soaked into the snow, there was no trace of any animal. "Bones are booty," Joe explained, "Like doggy bags, the ...

  The Palmville Globe  Volume 1 Number 7  Man Sends Snowshoes to Rafters Joe McDonnell, 77 and a resident of Palmville Twp, Minnesota, recently put his four pairs of snowshoes up in the garage rafters. "The rafters are the only sensible place to store them," McDonnell tells the press. "You'd think snowshoes would stack nicely, like aluminum pancakes, but they don't. They sprawl all over because of the claw on the bottom. I don't want to badmouth the claw because it's what gets me up hills and stops me from falling on my face when going down hills. Each shoe can have its own spot up in the rafters." The forecast shows more snow coming. "I don't care if it snows a foot," McDonnell says. "My appetite for snowshoeing is satiated for now. Trail reopening TBA." Man Caught in Furniture Time Warp Joe McDonnell, 77 and a fit retiree, recently found himself left in the wake of changes in furniture design. "My interior designer rece...

 Hello and welcome to a slow Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is March 22nd. Hey guys! This is Antonin (WAKWIR 2.0*) and I'm doing another blog post. This blog post is special because this one is about the Kids Heart Challenge . I did this challenge two years ago. Two years ago, I think I raised about $500 to $550. This year, I hope we can get $250 together. I think it's important for people to donate to the Kids Heart Challenge for the American Heart Association because I think people should be able to get healthcare if they need it, or if something goes wrong with their heart.  So could you donate? Even as much as $2 would make a difference to the people with heart issues. And that's what the Kids Heart Challenge is all about - kids helping people with heart issues. Here's how you can donate: You can donate by clicking the green Kids Heart Challenge link above or right here: Kids Heart Challenge - Antonin's page to make a donation. You'll know it...