Wannaskan Almanac

 Isn’t this great!? If you read last week’s post on 24 August, you know that I put forth an invitation (See A below) to write one or more “instapoems” (See B below for “rules”)for publication on this very blog on Monday(s) in the near future. Little did I know that an appetite for the form existed prior to my post last week. And you, wonderful readers, opened the floodgates. Well, maybe not “flood gates,” but not a slow trickle either.  Permit me to shout out a big “thank you” for our first two instapoets for their courage, for their inspiration, for their skill, and for their willingness to go forth where no poets (at least in Wannaska) have gone before! Engage! Let’s see what’s out there! Today, I present 4 of the poems that were submitted early on; in fact, one writer sent 3 the very day the invitation was issued. First up is one by our very own WannaskaWriter. The poem is enigmatic and explicit simultaneously. Note how WW follows the guidelines (again, see B below) with th...

An obese sedan is the SUV The shape of the nation drives its popularity Reading a book is like following a map through new territory. Watching TV is like using GPS. Glutton for punishment or glutton for fun. Which end of the spectrum do you shade towards? At breakfast each day I confront good and evil. I wish I could separate them like bacon and eggs, but they're more like a bowl of oatmeal. Try to stay on love's broad path. It's also the straight and narrow way to heaven. Cheap wine will do the same job as the hundred dollar stuff. With a gasp and a wince to boot. Chairman Joe

Welcome back everyone to another blog and today, on this lovely but sad Saturday. Today is August 29th. Now, you may be wondering: “Why are you sad? You have no reason to be sad.” Well, it's sad, because today, my very bushy, long, experimental hair is getting cut. Now this is both a good and bad thing. Why? Well, see, I like having it long, because I don't like haircuts. But the trade off is that if it gets too long it gets annoying. Since I’m running in cross country again, having long hair is a curse. See the reason why is because when you are running, your hair usually bobs up and down, and in my case it's over three inches long so it reaches into my eyes. So when it bobs up and down, my sweat-filled hair constantly gets in my eyes, and makes my eyes hurt. This can be easily fixed by having some kind of headband, but it usually falls off or makes my head feel tight. Now it wasn't just me that wanted my hair cut. A couple of my friends also agreed that I should have ...

My friend Alex gave me his 1994 Ford Ranger when he and his wife Nancy moved into a condo south of Minneapolis. The Ranger is a compact pickup truck, blue-green in color. It was built at the old Ford Plant in St. Paul. Alex bought the truck new at a dealership just north of Saint Paul and had a topper installed. He used the truck to go back and forth to work, and over 26 years racked up 144,000 miles. Alex took meticulous care of the truck inside and out and always kept it in his garage. It never left the Metro area. After he retired, he used the truck to haul his trash to the dump, but when he and Nancy moved to the condo, they had free trash pickup. He asked me if I wanted the truck. Always on the lookout for a bargain, I said yes, even though I didn't need another truck. I knew our middle son, Joe, could make use of the truck, so Teresa and I made plans to drive it to Marshfield, Massachusetts where Joe lives. We knew a cross country trip was fraught with danger. There wa...

                                                 Black Bears and Skunk Butts     Yesterday I took a walk in the woods with my 10 year old grandson Ozaawaa. We were walking a long trail north of our house that leads to a jackpine that has two bowling balls named “George and Peggy,” as companions.       After quietly discussing their current health, we walked single-file to a trail camera I had on a tree nearby, to remove its memory chip and put in a new one. Trail cameras record, all day and all night, what moves about the woods, and that camera’s location has proven to be the best I’ve ever found for one.        Walking down through a high-grassed swale where water flows during ...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac for Word-Wednesday, August 26, 2020, the 35th Wednesday of the year, the tenth Wednesday of summer, and the 239th day of the year, with 127 days remaining. Wannaska Nature Update for August 26, 2020 The blueberry season has ended, and the bears have begun to scout compost piles. Nordhem Lunch: Closed. Word-Wednesday August 26, 2020 Summer Recipe Bubbles - The BIG Ones 24 ounces dish soap 1 tablespoon J-Lube, (veterinarian supplyhttps://www.jorvet.com/product/j-lube/) mix thoroughly in 3 gallons of water 2 sticks Cut length of rope to personal taste. Tie rope to end of each stick in triangle. Dip rope in bubble water. Lift and walk backwards into wind Earth/Moon Almanac for August 26, 2020 Sunrise: 6:32am; Sunset: 8:16pm; 3 minutes, 24 seconds less daylight today Moonrise: 4:03pm; Moonset: 12:33am, tomorrow; waxing gibbous Wannaska Spin Speed: 792 mph Temperature Almanac for August 26, 2020            ...

 What is believed to be the oldest domesticated vegetable?  If you guessed peppers, you would be right!  It is believed that peppers were grown in Peru and Mexico over 6000 years ago!  Chili pepper seeds from that era have been found, as well as pepper residue on cooking utensils.  Apparently the ancient Peruvians struggled to wash dishes effectively! Ancient Peruvian pot, possibly inundated with pepper residue Columbus brought peppers back to Europe in 1493.  I could just imagine him handing his kids "something sweet" and then watching them sweat as they chowed down on a juicy jalapeno.  Up until then Europeans only knew of the white and black peppers that we still use at our tables today.   Ebony and ivory peppercorns, together in perfect harmony Brightly colored peppers can make any garden look more beautiful.  Well, maybe not a beer garden.  The average vegetable garden will look more appealing with a variety of peppers.  T...

Wouldn’t it be delicious if every person who wished to write poetry was able to do so – not with great labor, sweat, and agony, but rather with ease, joy, and a sense of accomplishment – a poem that is good enough” to share with others? Well, there is a method for doing just that: Instapoetry, and it leads to Instapoems. Below, I offer two Instapoems written by famous poets, and three that I wrote to give you the idea. I’ve also provided a description of the form and a few “rules.” INVITATION : The honor of your presence is requested. You are invited to write one or more Instapoems. If you RSVP that you accept the invitation, please send your Instapoem(s) to catherineastenzel@gmail.com  Indicate whether or not you approve of having your work included in a Monday post. “Rules” follow this invitation. After “Rules,” please find Instapoem examples to get you started.  RULES:*  Feel free to ignore some or all of the guidance that follows. maximum 25 lines in a font size you c...

What others put off till tomorrow, the bicrastinator puts off till the day after tomorrow. The waiter knows the liquor bill will be modest when the diner orders water with the wine. The farmer appreciates the thanks of the people, What he craves though is the benevolence of his banker. Chaos is hateful and disorienting to the spirit. But it's like the fog. Once dispersed, the orderly countryside reemerges, Be sure to fund a personal slush fund for minor expenses. Pinching pennies will make you crazy. Prison is an equal opportunity hell. White privilege gets you nowhere there. Chairman Joe

Hello and welcome to a rainy Saturday (or, so says the forecast) here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is August 22nd. School is on the brain. With the oldest packing up and heading out on her post-secondary adventure tomorrow, the Second Oldest and WAKWIR beginning high school cross country practice, and my own mental reminders to buy shoes, glasses, and the final bits of school supplies, how can I not think about it? While folding laundry one morning, it occurred to me that I learned quite a few things this summer. Ruminating further over washing dishes, I created the following list for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy! Things I Learned This Summer I don't understand my teenagers' sense of humor. Kids insist that Reddit is "really bad" and won't go into specifics. Personally, I have found it very useful. My son can fix the cellphone my husband broke. The Honey browser extension is pretty slick. (Yes, my kid set it up.) Czech language! I have a 74-day streak on Duoli...

How worried should I be about driving from Northwest Minnesota to Boston, then flying home? Teresa and I feel healthy, but we're both in the over age sixty at-risk group. New case numbers and deaths had stabilized in the Midwest and the Northeast. But there were warnings the virus would spike again as Fall approached. Wouldn't it be prudent to stay home and wait this thing out? Yes it would. But the call of the old New England home and of family outweighed prudence. On July 25, with our masks, our gloves and our alcohol hand wash, we decided to take our chances. We had not seen our three boys or our four grandchildren in a year. Also, my parents house had been sold and there would be a family gathering on August 1, to celebrate the place that had witnessed so many good times in all our lives. We spent the first night with our friends Alex and Nancy in Apple Valley south of Minneapolis. Alex and Nancy had downsized to a condo and Alex wanted to send his 1994 Ford Ranger p...