Wannaskan Almanac

  Originally published May 6, 2019... What is it that draws people together? Pulls them apart? Can the initial attraction of any relationship last? What cause it to continue or terminate? At this point in our narrative, we are not going to know for sure when it comes to our three characters (to date) – the protagonist, Jani, and the teacher. One might cheer for the teacher, or contrarily, hope that Jani’s way will influence the situations at hand. Regardless, what has been a modest, youthful narrative suddenly blossoms into adventurous shenanigans. . . . Or are the exploits more than that? See for yourself. Song 4 – Segment 4 of “Separation” I call out and Jani strides to meet me. “I’m surprised you waited for me, Jani.” “Oh, there was nothing else to do right now.”             (Fortunately, seeing Jani stand there                         stanches my tears – dried deep behind my eyes   ...

  If by chance you should end up cheek by jowl with your favorite celebrity and get to see their humanity, your relation to them would be as toilet paper is to the human.  If I awake during a dream, the emotion can last all morning while the details fade away quickly.  Some note their dreams in a journal. I let them pile up like unread emails.  The bad cop and the good cop must work together. The bad cop on his own will be shot in the back; the good cop, in the front.  Both sides fear that if their opponent wins, they’ll be swept into concentration camps.  And will these camps be on the Chinese model: for reeducation, or on the German.  Assuming benignity on his part, is Time God’s way of gaslighting us so we’ll gradually surrender to his will? You may be old but as long as you respond to texts promptly, you won’t be forgotten.  Eventually the doctor will say you’re too old for surgery and will proscribe the counselor to help you learn to live wit...

Hello and welcome to a gorgeous fall Saturday here at the Wannaska Almanac. Today is September 28th. I'm a terrible Christmas card writer. This is not low self-esteem talking. I really am. Before Shutterfly, people wrote Christmas letters - lengthy, joyful summations (sometimes tinseled with sorrow and loss) of all the year's happenings. Despite a little grimace and internal shriek of E gads , I don't have time to read this! ,   I'd settle in and read it anyway, if anything to honor the Herculean feat of lovingly and meticulously cramming a year's worth of living into a cleverly formatted, single-spaced, 10-point Times New Roman, double-sided 8 1/2 x11" paper trimmed with holly and berries. More often than not, I'd feel inspired to write my only family saga only to end up scribbling, "Warm thoughts and happy hugs for a New Year to you and yours," on December 30th while my family watches Mysteries of the Abandoned on the Science Channel. Some year...

    Each season has different expectations and will determine what we do with our guests. More people are taking advantage of our offer to come stay with us in our guesthouse, the Shêdeau. The Shêdeau is only 137 feet away from the main house which is good if our guests need a cup of sugar, but it's self-contained enough that they never have to see us unless they want to.   Each visit comes with an invitation for pizza in the big house. Sometimes two. We tell our guests about the points of interest in the area: the state park to the east, the stores and walking trails in Roseau town 15 miles to the north, or they can just hang out in the Shêdeau and read that book they've been meaning to read (Wi-Fi comes dropping slow there).   The season will determine the activities during a visit. By June we know what kind of mosquito infestation we'll have. In a dry year it's not a problem. This year was bad for bugs in June and July and we cautioned potential guests. May, June,...

The sky was opaque, not blue nor cloudy; one of those days that would maybe pass without due consideration but for the fact Jackie’s son, John, and I were on an adventure. The neighbors had given us permission to cross their land, east of Mikinaak Creek, to access our land there that we wanted to visit, that without a bridge, is an inconvenient long hard hike. So it was that John was driving my toy-factory 4-wheeler and I was driving my pickup across their mile-long stubble field.    Flocks of migrating Canadian geese were spread out east to west across the huge field. Hundreds took to the air at sight of our vehicles. Some remained standing, looking attentive, as others settled back down just a short distance away, to see what threat we imposed passing by, their tremulous ‘hronking’ calls reverberating all around us in pandemonium.   Heading north-northwesterly, through the flat land of chest-high grass and standing timber toward a section-line post that we usually ...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for September 25, 2024, the thirty-ninth Wednesday of the year, the first Wednesday of fall, the fourth Wednesday of September, and the two-hundred-sixty-ninth day of the year, with ninety-seven days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for September 25, 2024 Why Did the Woolly Bear Cross the Road? It's that time of year. Banded woolly bears are the larval caterpillar form of Pyrrharctia isabella, also known as Isabella tiger moth, and they can be found on Wannaskan roads heading to the other side. Woolly bears at the end of summer overwinter underneath leaf litter and pupate in spring. Some oldtimers say that the width of a woolly bear’s brown and black bands predict how severe a winter might be. In reality, the width of the bands is determined by the caterpillar’s age. The older the caterpillar, the wider the reddish-brown band around its midsection. The good folks of Vermilion, Ohio apparently have little to do this time o...