Wannaskan Almanac

In my last blog post , I was talking about that we were going to Montana. But, no. Instead, the Montana train kept getting canceled. So, instead, we went to Grand Marais to ski at Lutsen. The first time I went skiing, I broke my leg. So, this is how it happened: I fell two times. The first time, I fell on purpose because I wasn't ready yet. My brother Luke helped me up. The second time, I was going like super fast. I fell. When I fell, my ski flipped to the side. And then I was in major pain. My brother Luke at least got me all the way to the side.  He called my mom. She wouldn't answer. He called my dad. He didn't answer. He called my sister Tereza. She answered. We told her what happened. She told my mom right away. The rest of my whole family went up on the chairlift and met me where I was just laying to the side. Then my mom took off her skis and sat down next to me and felt my leg. It was hurting a lot. Then my dad went down the mountain and got the ski patrol.  A pers...

     When the self-proclaimed holy man Rasputin died on this day in 1916, many in Russia felt the same sense of relief that Americans felt when the Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989.  Rasputin was dug up from his grave and cremated by his enemies, while Khomeni was knocked out of his coffin by his inconsolable followers during his funeral procession. Things did not improve thereafter in either Russia or Iran.   I have come to realize the death of one person does not cure underlying problems in a nation. Rasputin's activities preceded but did not cause the Russian Revolution. The revolution would have happened without Rasputin but this peasant from the Siberian boondocks was very much tangled up in the process.   Grigory Rasputin was born in a tiny village 1,400 miles east of Moscow.  The village was forest and farm country, a lot like Roseau County.  He got married, had children, and other than that, we don't know what he did till the age of 28, whe...

  Another year of snowblowing     Marion lives one mile south of us across a field, however, to get there I have to drive a half mile down our road, then turn south at the schoolhouse for one mile, then turn back east a half mile, and turn south down her road and across a rickety bridge over the creek to her yard about a half mile away. My tractor doesn’t have a cab or windshield on it, so I have to bundle up against the elements.     I used to have what was called 'a heat-houser,’ but that was several years ago. It worked fine, but they’re much more expensive to replace now; another couple layers of clothes are comparatively less expensive. https://www.tractorpartsasap.com/tractor-heater-cab-universal-large-side-entry-122976.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuOX2sfeF_AIVLf_jBx2XwgaxEAQYASABEgIQ6fD_BwE     I do this because Marion and Jerry took me under wing in 1983, immediately after my truck accident when I rolled my 1972 Land Cruiser on the cou...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for December 28, 2022, the fifty-second Wednesday of the year, the second Wednesday of winter, and the 262nd day of the year, with 3 days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for December 28, 2022 The snowshoe hare or Lepus americanus , also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is the most common Wannaskan rabbit — "varying" because in changes color twice a year, and "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures. The snowshoe hare is also distinguishable by the black tufts of fur on the edge of its ears, which are shorter than the ears of most other hares. Snowshoe hares are most active at night, and they do not hibernate. A major predator of the snowshoe hare is the Canada lynx. Historical records of animals caught by fur hunters over ...

Can you believe that this edition wraps up 5 years of writing in the almanac for Mr. Hot Coco?!?!  Wow.  This is right around the 260th blog that I have written.  I would like to thank all of the readers who have made this possible.  I have tried to keep it light and humorous, but I have also tried to write a blog or two about things on my mind.  Sure I have written things that some people have found offensive.  I would like to thank the lawyers for the Almanac who have managed to settle all but three of our lawsuits out of court.   Who would have thought that a slurred, drunken "whatever" agreed to at a New Year's party on the shores of the Roseau River would have led to such wit and wisdom.  How long can it go on?  Who knows.  As a middle school teacher I am sure that purgatory lasts forever, as will the drivel that Mr. Hot Coco writes.   As a shameless self promoter, I would like to offer the following items for sale....

TIMES UNKNOWN: PAST, FUTURE, PRESENT  Life is like a gift box all tied up with a pretty satin bow and a small card designating you as the recipient. But what’s inside? If you peeked before the giver wrapped it, you know (maybe, you assume); but if you didn’t peek, the gift inside will be a surprise. Our lives are mostly like the “unpeeked” box. Sometimes we know, or think we do. Other times, things remain unknown, or do they? Auld Lange Syne. As we approach the end of 2022 and make ready to cross the last day of December, we take the opportunity to examine the nature of known and the unknown and the relationships among the old year – new year – years yet to arrive – the three times that most philosophies agree exist.  But not Buddhism.  The Buddha refused to say whether time had a beginning or an end – so much for New Year’s Eve celebrations. The reason he gave was that such questions did not tend toward edification. In other words, there’s no percentage in trying to answ...

  The Christmas season used to be more about the return of the sun than the coming of the Son. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Christmas was once a nice little year end holiday till it got Saints Nickled and Dimed. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Our fanciful theories are like blow up Santas. Very jolly, till truth comes like a stiletto, leaving them flat on the lawn, fodder for history’s dustbin. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>...

Hello and welcome to a Christmas Eve Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is December 24th. Everyone's excited today, as we work together to prepare for our Christmas feast. If you've known our family for a while, or have been a steady reader of the Wannaska Almanac, you already know that our Christmas traditions look a little bit different than those of the Wannaskan natives. The two major ones include the Christmas decorating and the dinner. Per Czech tradition, we decorate today, on Christmas Eve. Now, I know that just the thought of decorating on the eve of Christmas is enough to put organizers and party planners into cardiac arrest, but I've gotten used to it. Today is a big blitz, bustling kind of day, filled with cheer and charge. Just now, my husband is scurrying around the kitchen vacuuming corners with his favorite handheld vacuum. Admittedly there can arise a scattered snow shower or two of shouting, but I've learned to be like Elsa and let it go. Ex...

    I keep hearing that our democracy is on the verge of collapse. That's silly. It's like young people saying Social Security won't be around when they retire. Or like hunters saying the government wants to take their guns away so they won't be able to defend themselves when the government comes to take their guns away.   The American people are far too feisty to tolerate anyone dictating to them. Other peoples may have their czars and all powerful emperors. We just have our fantasies and ever changing foibles. We also have the example of the barons at Runnymeade forcing King John of England to sign the Magna Carta. The document was mostly to protect the rights of the barons and not those of the common people, but it was a precedent for future centuries to limit the damage of a power-drunk ruler.   George Washington, had he been addicted to power, could have been King of America after the Revolution. Instead, he resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the C...

      Ula was arrested one night while walking bare naked down the streets of Roseau, Minnesoter. The policeman, who was a good friend of Ula's said, "Ula, vat in da vorld are you doin'? Vere are your clothes? Yer nekked."    "Yah, I know eh," said Ula. "You see, I vas over to Sven's for 'is birthday party. Dere vas 'bout 28 of us, men and vemmen."      "Is dat right?" his policeman friend said.     "Yah, anyvay dat Sven says "'Everybody get into da bedroom!"'      "So vee all go into da bedroom vere den Sven yells, "'Everybody git nekked!,"       "Vell, vee all got undressed, eh."       "Den Sven yells, "'Everybody go to town!"     "Oh, my!" exclaimed the policeman.     "Yah," Ula says. "I guess I'm the first one here." "Everybody git nekked!"

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for December 21, 2022, the fifty-first Wednesday of the year, the first Wednesday of winter, and the 355th day of the year, with 10 days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for December 21, 2022 Solstice Shadow On the summer solstice, the angle of sunlight falling on the surface of our state capital is 68.5 degrees. On the winter solstice, that angle is reduced to 21.5 degrees. If you have no other reason to be outside today, go out to see your longest shadow for 2022, and say hello to winter at 3:47pm. Getty Images December 21 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special : Potato Dumpling December 21 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch : Updated daily by 11:00am, usually. Earth/Moon Almanac for December 21, 2022 Sunrise: 8:15am; Sunset: 4:29pm; 0 minutes, 0 seconds less or more daylight today Moonrise: 6:20am; Moonset: 2:43pm, waning crescent, 4% illuminated. Temperature Almanac for December 21, 2022        ...