Wannaskan Almanac

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for October 16, 2024, the forty-second Wednesday of the year, the fourth Wednesday of fall, the third Wednesday of October, and the two-hundred-ninetieth day of the year, with seventy-six days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for October 16, 2024 Tamarack Splendor Of all the autumn flora and fauna color changes in Wannaska, few compare to the emerging brilliant gold in a stand of Larix laricina . Our only native deciduous conifer in Wannaska (or in Minnesota), its soft needles and bend easily as you run your fingers across them. Most still have a greenish tinge, but they will soon be pure golden yellow — just before the needles fall. October 16 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special : Potato Dumpling October 16 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch : Updated daily, occasionally. Earth/Moon Almanac for October 16, 2024 Sunrise: 7:46am; Sunset: 6:32pm; 2 minutes, 27 seconds less daylight today Moonrise: 6:06pm; Moonset: 6:33am, waxing gibbou

Cackla Harris And Donald Chump Two political adversaries Who belong in a dump They are both a disaster Two peas in a pod Both think we are stupid And that they are God What happened to statesmen Who cared for their peeps And watched over our freedom Like they never sleep Cackla fights to kill babies Chump bellows and blows When I see either I turns up my nose Where's Ronnie Where's Jimmy Where's Teddy Where's Timmy? I am tired of commercials I am sick of campaigning Their hate filled diatribes Are terribly draining Calgon...take me away!

 Originally published May 13, 2019... Relationships change, deepen, and explode in this first segment of Song 5: Threshing. If you’ve ever seen a threshing machine at work, you know that it has a revolving mechanism whose purpose is to separate grain from the rest of the plant. Again, as in the prior Song, a separation, literally, which also occurs in this Song. Whatever is separated must have been whole to start with, and it is that remembered wholeness that can break hearts.  The main character, the teacher, and Jani continue their paths together and apart, and near the end of this segment a new person takes the stage. Our story begins to heat up. Dialogue pervades the action. The game is afoot. Prepare for adventure over the coming weeks. Song 5: Threshing – Segment 1                                 I know what it is to walk                                     in a dark, tight space                                     in a thin, pale town                                     where ev

The old Renaissance Man was said to have everything there was to know under his belt. His belt though was around his ankles.  I'm not a has-been; I'm an A-lister emeritus.  Show me your junk drawer and I'll tell you who you are. The things we hold on to because we might need them someday become a no-go pile of stuff. And when we do actually need that thing we saved, we just go out and buy another to avoid a long rummage. In the more expensive shops, the merchant is able to peel off the “Made in China” stickers before putting their wares on display. Many people believe in an alternate reality disconnected from facts. Their steering wheel is disconnected from the front wheels, which is fine as long as they don’t get their hands on the keys.  Less than four per cent of all saints were married.  St. must stand for selibate. I’m like an affable old dog at a party, making the rounds to be petted, cleaning up scraps that fall to the ground; but let a careless guest set his hot dog

Hello and welcome to a peaceful stay-at-home Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is October 12th.  I'm thrilled to be staying home today. Sometimes being home is the adventure. On an unhurried Saturday morning, I can sleep in until 9:30. I can enjoy a strong freshly brewed coffee while listening to the 7th grader give the highlights of yesterday's swim meet hosted at the University of Minnesota in Morris. "I was just like a college student!" she relayed as she described walking across the campus. Out of all of our children, this child is the one who wants to win. As a toddler learning to play Chutes & Ladders and Candyland, she'd shout, "I'M supposed to win!" Winning has been a big deal ever since and tempering her expectations around winning has been a primary parenting objective. I braced myself for a tough season of disappointment when she decided to join the swim team. She loves to swim but had no interest in doing any pre-season tr

    I don't like to worry, so when dark clouds approach I always come up with theories to blow them away. There's plenty to worry about these days. We hear that if a certain candidate is elected it will be the end of democracy in the U.S. I say balderdash, but no one can predict the future. Maybe we are entering an age of concentration camps and gas ovens for the disloyal. That would not be nice.   I comfort myself with the thought that like will produce like: that children tend to resemble their parents and that the pendulum always swings back, though many heads may have to roll before it does. For example, Putin is like one of the czars who ruled Russia by decree. Xi Jinping is like a Chinese emperor who ruled the country by discerning the will of the people. And here at home we have the president wrestling with Congress the way the kings of England wrestled with parliament.    When the land is well governed, the people do not know who is in charge. Some Chinese sage said tha