Wannaskan Almanac

Hello and welcome to a sweetheart Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is February 14th. Happy Valentine's Day! Here's the Lego League recap from the 5th Grader: Today, we will be talking about my last thoughts about this season of Lego League, since we didn't make it to Worlds. Last weekend, we arrived at the C'mon Inn for Lego League State Championship. Yes, we are champions. But, sadly, we didn't make it to Worlds. Instead, we got second place for the Innovation Project. We also got participation awards, which were medals, so they made you feel special. But anyway, when we got to the C'mon Inn, we were greeted by the following: Five hot tubs, a taco bar, an amazing Lego League team, and fish. Yes, real, living fish. We saw fish because they were swimming in an artificial river in the center of the hotel.  I woke up really early, and one of the staff members let me feed the fish. So, that was a fun experience. (My mom said they were koi fish.) And one...

     Before we went to England I read a book of English history, but I only got up to the Tudors before we left home. The Tudors (1509-1603) were a very interesting group, consisting of three kings and two queens. We think our own politics are rough and tumble, but back then looking at the king (or queen) the wrong way could get you beheaded.   The willingness to use the ax was understandable. If you were the king or queen of England, someone was always trying to kill you and take your place. You kept an army of spies and informers, and struck first. The advantage of being a royal was you could make your killings look legal.    Whenever I hear anything about the Tudors I perk up. I feel like I know them. Today for example, is the anniversary in 1542 of the beheading of Henry VIII's fifth wife Catherine Howard, for adultery. She was actually beheaded for treason. If the queen got pregnant by someone else, the whole royal succession was thrown into doubt. ...

      As evening comes on in the north woods, perspective diminishes. spruce trees and alder bushes slip back into the shadows as the poplar , and paper birch reassert their towering primordial presence all around.    "In the gloaming ." traces back to the Old English glōm , meaning “ twilight ,” which shares an ancestor with the Old English glōwan , meaning “to glow.” In the early 1800s, English speakers looked to Scotland and borrowed the now-archaic verb gloam , meaning “to become dusk” or “to grow dark.” And aye, it has, from the shadows up.

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for February 11, 2026, the sixth Wednesday of the year, the eighth Wednesday of winter, the second Wednesday of February, and the forty-second day of the year, with three-hundred twenty-three days remaining. Brought to you by Bead Gypsy Studio’s 20% off leather bracelets Happy Valentine’s Day Sale , where you can register to WIN A GIFT BASKET: 101 Main Avenue North, downtown Roseau. Wannaska Phenology Update for February 11, 2026 The American marten, Martes americana , waabizheshi in Anishinaabe, is also known as the American pine marten. They're a species of North American mammal, and a member of the family Mustelidae , but in Wannaska is sometimes referred to as simply the pine marten. The name "pine marten" is derived from the common name of the distinct Eurasian species, Martes martes . Martes americana favor's conifer forests in Wannaska and is otherwise  found throughout Canada, Alaska, and parts of the nor...

I was reading through an article on MSN the other day (I know...first mistake!) and decided to leave a comment, or more precisely, respond to a comment.  The original poster was on one side of an issue, and ended by saying that doing "X" wasn't smart.  My response was that not doing "X" wasn't smart.  MSN decided that my comment was harassment and said that my comment had been removed for that reason.  I found that quite amusing.  So I posted another comment.  In this one I said that I agreed with everything in the article.  That was all I said.  It was rejected for harassment again.  This tickled me to no end!   I am aware that it AI that decides whether a comment is in violation of their community standards.  And I am also aware that MSN doesn't really like to receive comments that lean to the right a little.  Not sure what the huge problem with the above comment was though.  Maybe being too agreeable?  Who can say!...

Every so often, Chairman Joe mentions his Bottle Run trips to Thief River Falls. I admire his environmental consciousness, and I smile when he describes the biscuit-and-gravy breakfasts he eats there with Steve, Joe, or whoever happens to be his latest partner in crime. Deep down, though, I cringe. When it comes to recyclable glassware, I have a complicated relationship. When I was little, I always loved the Zarex bottles—the clear ones with the inviting jug handle. One gracious pour of fruit syrup into a simple glass of water could transform a sweaty summer day. Another favorite was the Ovaltine jar. The cardboard carton of Nesquik—powdery and overly sweet—tried, but failed, to cure my aversion to milk. Because, in those days, children were required to drink it, my mother finally took a risk and bought the more expensive chocolate Ovaltine instead. The squat, brown jar that held those crunchy, malted granules delivered the heft of security, saving me—day after day—from standoffs over ...