Wannaskan Almanac

Welcome to International Squib Day, celebrated on the Sunday closest to New Year's Day.  Squibs, proverbs, and epigrams have been pouring in from all over the world. From Russia: If you're afraid of wolves, don't go into the forest. From Spain: By the street of by and by, we arrive at the house of never. Sweden: There's no such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothes. Israel: Everyone complains about a lack of money, but no one complains about a lack of brains. Canada: Canadians are more polite when they're being rude than Americans are when they're being friendly.  That last one sounds a little rude. Here's a few squibs  about  squibs from my own noggin: The best squibs are a form of call and response. Can I get an Amen! Squibs shuffle the world's stacked deck. Cure for writer's block: keep writing. Cure for squibber's block: keep thinking. The great temptation for the squib writer is to pontificate on matters he knows nothing about. A squib mu...

Hello and welcome to the LAST SATURDAY of 2023 here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is December 30th. We've spent this last week skiing in Whitefish, Montana. Here's a quick wish from our family to yours for an adventurous and blessed 2024. Stay tuned for a full recap next Saturday in the new year. Love your people and make it a great Saturday  

    If you were transported to England in your sleep, you’d quickly catch on that you were in England once you woke up and got out on the street (after putting on some clothes). Same thing for Italy or France or Spain. But borders keep shifting over the centuries, even as recently as the collapse of the Soviet Union thirty years ago. That's when East and West Germany merged and Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia split into several new countries.    The Roman Empire had eliminated many borders under its one umbrella, but when that collapsed, things became fluid, with Germans and Celts grabbing what they could. Much of Britain had been under Roman control, but when Rome pulled out, the Angles and the Saxons from across the channel took over. They had to contend with the Vikings and by the time the Anglo-Saxons got the Vikings settled down, the Normans, who were Vikings in French clothes invaded and took over.    The Norman leader became William I of England. But h...

        The last in a series of Wannaskan Almanac Thursday posts December 14-28, 2023 about the importance of hockey in the Wannaska, Minnesota community. These stories were originally published in Volume 9 Issue 4 of THE RAVEN: Northwest Minnesota's Original Art, History & Humor Journal, by Palmville Press & Publishing, Inc., (1994-2018).  “California grape juice! Arizona cactus! We can beat Malung Without much practice!”   The 1967 Wannaska cheerleading squad. On the days of the game, these girls lead the whole school in a Pep-Fest. From left: Linda Hess, Patricia Carlson, Diane Palm, Gloria Barber, Barb Bergstrom, Pam Rygh.       Donna Rose is a legend in her own time. Daughter of Milford and Esther Olson, wife of Larry Rose and co-proprietor of Nelson’s Cafe in Roseau, Donna is a former Wannaska cheerleader and seen as the go-to person for everything ‘cheerful’ about Wannaska cheerleading. Joe and Steve intervi...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for December 27, 2023, the fifty-third and final Wednesday of the year, the first Wednesday of winter, and the three-hundred sixty-first day of the year, with four days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for December 27, 2023 There primary species of beaver in Wannaska is the North American beaver, the other Minnesota species being Castor canadensis , and the Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber . The second-largest living rodents, after capybaras, our neighbors living in Mikinaak Crick remain active chewers in the winter months. December 27 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special : Potato Dumpling December 27 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch : Updated daily by 11:00am, usually. Earth/Moon Almanac for December 27, 2023 Sunrise: 8:17am; Sunset: 4:33pm;  32 seconds more daylight today Moonrise: 4:45pm; Moonset: 9:25am, waning gibbous, 99% illuminated. Temperature Almanac for December 27, 2023         ...

Happy Birthday!  To everyone...like me...who has a birthday on the day after Christmas!  By now you have probably been stiffed with your Christmas/Birthday present.  That leftovers for your birthday celebration is good though, huh!  Maybe I sound bitter but better bitter than badder and balder! It's a two'fer I turn 56 years old today.  I decided to look at all the famous things people did when they were 56 years old.  Unfortunately, this is what I found. Perhaps you have read that book, "What to Expect When You are Expecting".  Well, this is what to expect when you turn 56, according to some wise @#$#% on the internet.   With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density, weakening them and making them more susceptible to fracture. You might even become a bit shorter. Muscles generally lose strength, endurance and flexibility — factors that can affect your coordination, stability and balance.   Doesn't that sound fun?  Hopeful...

Thursday 21 December 10:27 p.m. If you are reading this post on the appointed day – Monday, 25 December, I hope you have alternate activities to enjoy, and that you are indeed enjoying them. But then, maybe you revel reading Wannaskan Almanac posts – just the thing after an over-stuffing meal has made its way into the center of your G.I. tract. If you are reading this post sometime after 25 December, however, you missed a different holi/holy day. Last week on 21 December you most likely ignored a less-celebrated day, some say also key on the calendar but less so than the 25th. That other day was Thursday 21 December at 10:27 p.m. Hurrah for the Winter Solstice 2023! Before and to some extent after the original 25 December, Winter Solstice was a big deal. A significant number of people still treat it as particularly special. And one need not be Wiccan or a tiny deity to partake in the celebration. The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The northern...

  Improvements to AI mean that when you call for help you'll have to go through additional steps before reaching the human who can solve your problem. When life gives you rotten apples Do not make apple juice To do the Lord’s work I need a deadline God won’t state the hour Only hints Lord? That's fine Give the skinflint hidden costs They better please the blighter The charge that bites him in the butt Just makes him pinch his penny tighter My pillaging rage I keep in a cage He’ll get out when I gauge  He’s reached feeble old age  I always get my way  When in my comfort zone I never can get in there though It's always out on loan  The saving remnant is often the bad apple that spoiled the bunch initially.  Art can distract from, but not excuse, a life misspent. As a judgement on the value of art, money has its own agenda. We become less interesting when we quit our job at retirement. But a series of ailments will make us chattable again.  -Merry Christm...