Wannaskan Almanac

    Although by 8 a.m. yesterday morning, temperatures had warmed up to a balmy -22 below from -24 below at 6 a.m., I wanted to warm my car up before I had to drive to my tax appointment at 9:00, twenty-two miles away. Irrationally, I drove the '98 Subaru that had been having sporadic over-heating problems. It had been diagnosed having a head gasket leak or cracked head, two weeks earlier. The word, 'sporadic,' meant just that, that it didn't overheat every trip. I had driven it this past Tuesday--without issue-- to Roseau and back, a round trip of about 40 miles with no problems. So, given the extra time I allowed to my destination, I decided to drive it but be aware of the severe cold outdoors, and the severe heat indoors, maybe showing up on its temperature gauge.     I knew I could deal with both problems with a little preparation, the easiest being was to dress for it from the beginning, i.e., insulated long underwear & warm socks and a stocking c...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for February 19, 2025, the eighteenth Wednesday of the year, the ninth Wednesday of winter, the third Wednesday of February, and the fiftieth day of the year, with three-hundred fifteen remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for February 19, 2025 Mephitis mephitis in Words The word skunk dates from the 1630s, squunck , adapted from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Abenaki) seganku , from Proto-Algonquian šeka:kwa , from šek - "to urinate" + - a:kw "fox". Skunk has historic use as an insult, attested from 1841. In The Jesuit Relations , also known as Relations des Jésuites de la Nouvelle-France , which chronicles of the Jesuit missions in New France, characterize the skunk like this: The other is a low animal, about the size of a little dog or cat. I mention it here, not on account of its excellence, but to make of it a symbol of sin. I have seen three or four of them. It has black fur, qu...

And now a list of failed Valentine's Day greetings.  Enjoy! Roses are red, violets are...uh, let me see...violet? Purple is what you'd have thought I bet. Violets are not blue How do I love thee...let me count the ways... 1-2-3-4.  4 ways.   4 your a jolly good stop sign Ah, my true love You are tall and slender I will drink you up And go on a bender So many beers...so little time My love is like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June So I proudly wrote I love you in my blood On this dollar store mylar balloon Signed in Blood! She walks in beauty, like the night  In Skechers latest shoe And all that’s best of dark and bright From out her lips they spew Thus mellowed to that tender light She vomits, dang this cursed flu. Ah, my beautiful Puke a Hontis Mr. Hot Coco crosses of Valentine's Day on his list of holidays to ruin.  4 to go.  Stay tuned!

Originally published September 09, 2019... So, we have come to the last segment of Song 7. You may be surprised at what happens in this part of the story. You may be appalled – even offended. We have another section in italics within the segment below. You may want to figure out what is happening within it because the content is different than the italicized pieces before. In some ways, this italicized insert is a key to the meaning of the events in this part of the narrative. Another development in this segment is a drastic change between the protagonist and Hart. Each of them makes a drastic decision. Whose decision is right”? Wrong? Keep an eye out for how this comes to pass, and whether the finale could have ended up differently. The first swallow goes down burning and shoots             smoky geysers exploding in my head My eyes twitch wildly as warm blood rushes              radiates to every finger and toe “Drink up...

 Volume 1, Issue 2 Man Visits Winter Comfort Station                                                                                   Joe McDonnell, a 77 year old resident of Palmville TWP, Minnesota, recently visited an outhouse in the extensive forests east of his home. "What separates us from our hunter-gatherer forebears is the private bathroom," McDonnell, 77, tells reporters. McDonnell, who has a personal interest in anthropology, says, "About 12,000 years ago our ancestors decided to settle down and immediately realized a bathroom would be necessary. The early outdoor bathroom has since been supplanted by the indoor flush toilet, though some hardy souls continue to use the outhouse." There has been a spell of subzero weather lately so McDonnell recently visited some F...

Hello and welcome to a post-Sweetheart Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is February 15th. Believe it or not, folks, there's an Episode 5 to Sick: Season 1 , the reality blog post that just keeps on giving. Who - you might be wondering -  who could possibly   be the afflicted one this week? Here's a clue: You know how in Days Of Lives Stefano is behind the bad-guy plot, and the audience can see it a mile away but Marlena is unsuspecting and genuinely surprised all the way up to the moment she gets abducted even though John Black/Roman Brady warns her repeatedly? Well, I'm Marlena, and the bad guy this week is gastroenteritis. It's hard to know who the culprit was. It could have been the cold, very crappy coffee with Bailey's. Or the few bites of the rich Italian cream cake. Or the few bites of chicken nachos - all of which I consumed (in that order) at book club on Monday night. In the nearly 19 years of book club, I have had one similar incident when we...