Wannaskan Almanac

Hello and welcome to a wet Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is August 15th. This past week, the Youngest celebrated his golden birthday. I remember my golden birthday. I was 7 years old. I had 2 parties: one with my immediate family and then one at my aunt and uncle's farm. Now that I think about it, maybe they just had a party-party and I thought it was for me because it was my golden birthday, because when you're a kid, golden birthdays are a very big deal.  I have a photograph of my dad and me at the extended family party. My dad looms large, with lumberjack arms and a deep tan from summers spent working outside on his myriad engines. Maybe he'd built a garage that summer, or had repaired a roof. In any case, when I look at that photo, to me he looks like a live version of the phrase "strapping young man," at age 34 and despite smoking- let's just say - 4 packs of Marlboros a day. And in the photo, this brown (relatively healthy), strong man is...

     After a Russian MiG fighter pilot defected to the US during the Cold War, he was taken on a tour of an American supermarket. The Russian, having grown up in a world of scarcity and shortages, thought the store had been staged for his benefit. No, he was told, this is how it is here. You made the right choice landing your plane here.    I appreciate the abundance and variety of foods available even in a remote place like Roseau. I am grateful to the farmers, truck drivers and the efficient bureaucrats who make it all possible. Now that I've said that, I'm going to whine about the checkout process. Some of the cashiers are great. You can have a true human interaction with them. But many are too busy chatting with the adjacent cashier to see me as more than a credit card. "Tap it again, dear."    So I was delighted when our store installed self-checkout stations. There was a learning curve at first, but there was a staff person to make things right. ...

Date: 2008 7:11 PM Subject:   Re: Dear Annette. Great library show! It was a nice time all in all.     I got a copy of Regional Ramblings from Chuck and as we looked through it, him thumbing the pages all the way to the index in the back, he asked,"Are you in here?"  and I said, "I'm not sure, let's look..."      "Nope, guess not," I said quickly reading the alphabetical listing. "Why not?" he quipped. "Miss another, deadline? ... "    "Ooo, that guy, Annette... He's a wit, I tell you... a wit, but I suppose that's why the guy is the librarian. I mean, how many librarians do you know, aren't total wits? Bet you can't name many."    "Ennaways, in answer to your suggestion, I'll do a show next spring at the library--yeah, it's time I do something around town that way. I'd really like to do an exhibit of varied mediums. I'll begin putting something together. You say, Chuck has some f...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for August 12, 2026, the thirty-second Wednesday of the year, the eighth Wednesday of summer, the second Wednesday of August, and the two-hundred twenty-fourth day of the year, with one-hundred forty-one days remaining. Brought to you by Bead Gypsy Studio & Scandinavian Shoppe , featuring CRAZY DAYS IN AUGUST, with Ekelund Linens, Bonnie’s Bags, and Select Stained Glass; 101 Main Avenue North, Roseau. Wannaska Phenology Update for August 12, 2026 Chanterelles Cantharellus cibarius — waazhashkwedo in Anishinaabe — has successfully used its puhpowee [/puh-POH-wee/ n., the force which causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight] to shine its sunny, peppery cap in Wannaskaland. Chanterelles are found in Eurasia, North America and Africa, typically growing in forested areas. In January 2024, the California golden chanterelle became the official mushroom of that state. Though records of chanterelles being eaten date back to...

Fish stories.  Evn the most avid and experiencd fisherman seems presdisposed toward the act of exaggeration.  Even in this world of exessive camera use on phones the fine art of fish tales is still active.  One might say that due to social media fish stories have grown their audience.   I do have to say that I am not much for exaggerating the size of my monster walleyes that I catch.  I am quite sure that several that have made it right up to the boat...just out of reach of my net...were easily Minnesota...if not world...records.  But even though I am positive I have only been a few inches away from landing the world's largest walleyes, I don't brag about it.  I don't even share about it...not on social media or even in a blog. What you are about to read is true.  These aren't fish stories.  They are stories about fish.  I am sorry if they seem a little bit fishy.  I blame years of anglers over estimating their fishing experien...

Summer is  hydrangeas. White, lime green, pink, blue - Massachusetts hosts them all. Last year the fellow who helps us out in the yard butchered the hydrangea bushes that flank our cottage door. Cut them down to a nub. You might have heard me the day I noticed.  Now it’s mid-summer. No blatant announcements from the sun. It’s still hot here in the Northeast, but I am picking up seasonal subtext. July’s double-dip cone has dripped down onto our arms. And, if summer is the year's tall glass of refreshment, it’s mid-August - that hairline crack in time where the light starts leaking out.  Still I’m having fun. The other day Jim and I went bike riding. This was a big deal for me. I had broken my ankle a few years ago after falling off my bike, and I’ve been late getting back in the saddle. Because a steep gravelly incline had caused my fatal fall, we headed for the flat, smooth, wide asphalt of the nearby Cape Cod Canal. Anyone who rides the canal knows the fierce headwinds. ...