Wannaskan Almanac

John J. Hovorka A Backwoods Wilderness Filosopher
by Steven Reynolds
John J. Hovorka was born in Canby, Minnesota in 1911 to Thomas V. Hovorka, of New Prague, Minnesota, and Christine (Balata), of Rice Lake, Minnesota, joining his three-year older brother Thomas (Tom) J. Hovorka. In 1918, Christina gave birth to John and Tom’s youngest brother, Bonnament, in Canby, on July 14, 1918 and died six days later, on July 20, 1918. Against his father’s wishes, one of his mother’s five sisters took Bonnament to raise as her own, leaving ‘T.V.’ to raise John and Tom by himself.
According to the Roseau County Heritage Book, Bonnament wrote:  “What drew T.V. Hovorka to [Palmville] is not known, other than perhaps low-cost land, and that his older brother Vendelin Hovorka proceeded him. We do know that T.V. and Vendelin disagreed on T.V.’s choice of the type of land and much banter sparked their visits. Either a lack of cash-cropping soil or preference for the animals, caused T.V. to primarily raise s…

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac for Word-Wednesday, for August 21, 2019, the 34th Wednesday of the year,  the 233rd day of the year, with 132 days remaining.


Nordhem Lunch: Sloppy Joe


Earth/Moon Almanac for August 21, 2019
Sunrise: 8:05am; Sunset: 5:06pm; 2 minutes, 37 seconds more daylight today
Moonrise: 8:35pm; Moonset: 9:50am, waxing gibbous


Temperature Almanac for August 21, 2019
                Average           Record          Today
High             76                   91                68
Low              53                  30                46




August 21 Local News Headline
Disbarred Gatzke Lawyer Finds New Work as Sue Chef

August 21 Celebrations from National Day Calendar National Brazilian Blowout DayNational Spumoni DayNational Senior Citizens DayCongressional Startup Day International Left Handers Day

August 21 Riddle and Pun
Where would Voldemort go if he played the trumpet?*


August 21 Notable Historic Events, Literary or Otherwise, from On This Day 1911 Mona Lisa stolen fro…

Now that was fo' net tick!
Today is August 20.  This is the 232nd day of 2019.  That is 1624 days in dog days.  Which leads me to my first cartoon.
On this day in history: AD 14  Agrippa Postumus was executed by his guards.  This was done under suspicious circumstances, which would likely be verified by a posthumous autopsy.   AD 1083  Canonization of the first King of Hungary, Saint Stephen.  Before he came to Hungary he was known as Jojo.  That is because you aren't yourself when you are in Hungary. AD 1519 General Wang Yangming defeated Zhu Chenhao which ended the Prince of Ning rebellion against the Ming Zhengde Emperor.  Gee that was a lot of G's.  
Holidays on August 20 include: Lemonade Day...for when life gives you lemons. National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day...because plain old pecan pie is too blah. National Radio Day...Celebrate quickly before all the DJ's are replaced by AI. World Mosquito Day...Seriously?  Some sick person came up with that!

Today's top fi…

Every time a new player appears on the stage of a story, curiosity and speculation rise up, as is true in actual human relationships. In the case of the next part of this narrative, we have an unusual character, indeed. Just as we attempt to unravel new people in our lives, so are we tempted to predict the actions and temperaments of fictional characters. In a reciprocal manner, the actual speech and actions of a new person inform one of his/her actual profile. And so, it goes: back and forth; to and fro – the familiar patterns we may expect mirrored in reverse those components that do not fit the mold. The expected. The unexpected. The familiar. The strange. Comfort mixed with distress. The new character introduced in this segment provides material for all these conflicting aspects.

I turn slowly in the direction he stares, stunned, because watching near the hut skulks a creature standing upright who may be human although it could just as well have sprung uncut from the earth – all hair …

You can't please everyone, so stick with the people who find you pleasing. And even they will sometimes have their doubts.

When I was a kid, I'd rather read than eat. Now that my mind is bloated, that burger looks mighty good.

Every few centuries, Jesus drives the moneylenders out of the temple. It's no wonder the young people don't come to church. We're still cleaning up the mess from his last visit.

Advice for the aged: When a little voice tells you to stop acting like an old fool, tell that little voice to shut the fook up.

To be an amiable guest at a wedding, bring an optimistic spirit, your dancing shoes, and a stack of ones for the tip jar on the bar.

New arrival: "Does Heaven have a strip mall?" St. Peter: "Yes. Just this side of Hell."

@jmcdonnell123

Welcome back, readers, to another WAKWIR session, and this week we will talk about my EPIC journey to Laketrails. There are six sessions at Laketrails, the first three which my sister Tereza, attended as a camper worker. I went to the fifth session, or the middle school session (again).


So it all started on a bus. Yeah, that sounds a little weird, but literally, it all starts on a bus. I got into my mom's car and drove to the bus stop. So after a lot of having forced “goodbye” and “have fun!” moments, I finally got on the bus and was driven to Young's Bay Resort at the Northwest Angle (Cool place by the way). In groups of six, we were then whisked away in boats to Oak Point, where Laketrails Base Camp is (which is on Oak Island).
When we got there we played games and had dinner, and then went to the opening campfire (the first major event of Laketrails). The next day, we had breakfast, played games, then went to stations that tell you what you will do when you are on your can…