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The One - Third Movement: Remembering - Song 13: A Mind Undarkened - Segment I

  THIRD MOVEMENT  REMEMBERING SONG THIRTEEN A MIND UNDARKENED   I   “The sea smells of sharks,” says an old woman staring from shore. “They know when you’re coming. They scent your blood   and they live to slash and scatter you red in the blue flood.”   “I have been at sea,” I say to the crone “I know the deep waves, the sharks’ hunger for bone.   Sometimes there is simply nowhere else to be   but wind-bellying the sails against the sea.”   “But you search for True North?” she asks with a squint “A place spun of dream that cannot be found   that leads you to doldrums and running aground.”   “It is true what you say.  Just now, I’ve come here as I tried to tack North   but instead, the wind on my nose   forced a long run for this broad-flung bay  against the tide as the ice-moon rose   pushing against the flow  riding the current out wide.”   We stand staring out f...
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Sunday News

  The Palmville Globe Volume 2 Number 13 Man Goes To Wrong Restaurant Joe McDonnell, 79 and a resident of Palmville Twp, Minnesota, was recently late for lunch because he went to the wrong restaurant with the same name as the right restaurant. "My wife and I were in a big city for a ceremony," he tells the press. "After the ceremony everyone was invited to a luncheon. I heard the name of the restaurant and that it was 12 miles down the freeway. My wife and I sat behind the driver and navigator.   I wondered why we stayed in the slow moving suburban traffic and didn't get on the freeway. I caught a glimpse of the navigator's smartphone and could see we were off course. I tried to say something, but they were deep in conversation and trusting their GPS. They only woke up when we pulled up at a defunct chain restaurant with the same name as our target restaurant." McDonnell and his companions eventually arrived at the restaurant about twenty minutes late. ...

Luna's Light

Hello and welcome to a special-announcement Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac by way of Prague. (Yes, that gorgeous European city.) Today is April 25th. I'm delighted to announce that my friend Kathy Magnusson has recently published her first children's book, Luna's Light. I'm so proud of Kathy, not just because she's my friend, but because this book is a result of her diligence in utilizing the Red Shoes. She has used the information, contacts, inspiration, feedback, and the simple amenity of space and time of several of my writing retreats to craft this book. It was a thrill to be her book coach/cheerleader during this time. What follows is Kathy's big book launch announcement. Save the date! In 2018, I wrote a story about a little light bulb for the public speaking club I belong to, Star of the North Toastmasters. The goal was to write an original story and tell it in 5-7 minutes.  My story was about Brenda the Light Bulb and how she thought she wasn’t g...

Local Vibe

     When searching Google Maps for a town, you’re offered a chance to explore the local vibe. AI gives a brief summary of what a place is like based on what people are saying about that place. For example, my town of Wannaska is "quiet and peaceful. The people there are friendly and family oriented. They enjoy outdoor sports". I personally know people who say there’s nothing to do there, but AI filters out negativity.     AI keeps changing the description each time I look. When I just checked, Wannaska has become "deeply" quiet  and "characterized by its lack of hubbub," which is a nice way of saying there's nothing to do there. Wait! What about the annual Potato Days Festival in August. AI admits that the Wannaska Potato Days Festival is actually in Barnesville, MN, 160 southwest of Wannaska (AI said it was southeast). According to AI, Wannaskans enjoy the vibe at the Black Cat Sports Bar. The Black Cat is half way between Barnesville and Wannaska in...