Wannaskan Almanac

Have you ever been truly alone? Chapter 10: A World Reborn The seagull's song was the spark that ignited the world. From the western coast of Canada, the melody of the turning spread like wildfire, carried on the winds and the currents, sung by creatures of every shape and size. The whales took the song deep into the ocean's abyssal plains, their voices resonating through the cold, dark depths, reaching places untouched by sunlight and human pollution. Dolphins danced in the waves, their songs echoing across the surface, a symphony of renewal that cleansed the waters and stirred the ancient memories of the sea. The great sea turtles, ancient mariners who had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, carried the song to the farthest corners of the ocean. They sang it in the coral reefs, vibrant ecosystems teeming with life, and the reefs began to heal, their colors returning, their delicate structures rebuilding. They sang it in the vast kelp forests, underwater cathedrals t...

Originally published March 23, 2020... The second city adventure continues. Our main character suddenly feels caught up in the life of others, in particular, the woman in black. With some hesitation, the scruffy and somewhat smelly MC accepts the invitation to accompany her to a funeral where a man is to be burned with his boat. Although dipping a toe into this community, the objective of getting to the sea remains. So, the protagonist is “among them, not of them.” This segment focuses on death and reactions to it. The MC is still young and coming face-to-face with death is somewhat of a surprise. Although this segment is about half the length of the usual, it is packed with serious matters; even Argose is low-key. The interaction between the MC and Ratcliff continues briefly at this point, and will pick up again in a later segment.   “I can’t eat yet, but I will go with you             that is if you won’t be embarrassed by me.” “You can stay off to t...

  The Palmville Globe Volume 1 Number 35 Man Creates New Pancake Flavor  Joe McDonnell, 78 and residing in Palmville Twp, Minnesota, recently created a new pancake flavor. “I was assisting in making turkey gravy recently for the annual church dinner. The woman who had made the gravy for fifty years had retired and four of us younger workers were attempting to recreate her technique for making gravy for five hundred. A step must have been missed because large clumps of flour floated to the top of the cauldron. As I watched our tallest worker strain the clumps out I suggested the clumps could be fried as pancakes. Another worker commented that turkey flavored pancakes sounded delicious.” In a follow-up email McDonnell admitted the comment may have been meant sarcastically. “I’m ok with that,” he says. “I can stand the heat.” Man Awakes from Longterm Nightmare  Joe McDonnell, 78 and a DIY fan, recently discovered he had been worried about something that wasn’t a problem. “Be...

Hello and welcome to a sunny Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is September 27th, and aren't we lucky to get such a gorgeous fall day on the last Saturday of the month? This last weekend in September is the first weekend since 2021 that I'm not hosting a Red Shoes writing retreat in Wannaska. It's also the first fall in which I got to attend a retreat for my own purposes for an entire week. This adventure took me to Wild Rice Retreat just outside of Bayfield, Wisconsin. The purpose was serious - to create my 2026 work plan - and the experience was rejuvenating, restorative, energizing, and fun. Let's start with the nature. I'm well-versed in the rocky cliffs and crannies of the North Shore, but this South Shore experience of Lake Superior was entirely new. (Check out the view below from my walk along the Brownstone Trail.) It felt both similar and different. Fall is in the air with pleasant 60-degree temps and a show of bright red and yellow leaves amid...

   Before destroying a village in Vietnam, US troops evacuated its citizens. As the helicopter rose above the jungle, the peasants asked what that big body of water was. It was the Pacific Ocean. Though the ocean was only five miles from their home, they had never even been aware of it, let alone visited it. I wonder why I can’t be more like those peasants.     Maybe Americans have restless genes. Our ancestors left their villages to come here. Once established here, they told stories about the old home place. I was curious to see how much I had in common with the  place my grandparents had come from. Not very much it seems. I’m an American now and that’s just fine.     When I looked over my Irish grandparent’s birth certificates, I was surprised to see them listed as citizens of the United Kingdom. I shouldn’t have been surprised because they were born before Ireland gained its independence from Britain in 1922.     We may hav...

   Ula was sittin' there mindin' his own business when the land-line phone rings and he notices it's Sven. "Oh, oh, trouble," he thinks, not wanting to know. So, of course, not thinking, he naturally answers the phone. "Hullo." he sez. "Hi,' Sven sez. "I've lost the keys to your car."      "You're screwed,' Ula sez. "We don't be havin' have a spare key for that car. Where are you then?"      "Deer River, where I spent the night you know, instead of driving in a blizzard,' Sven explained quietly. "Remember I called you guys about 12:30 AM? There's about five inches of snow over here."    "And you lost these keys ... how? ' Ula implored, all the while knowing it's one of those computerized fancy keys that not just anybody can make and wondered where can Sven could go to get another--without the original.       Ula Googled 'Saturn Dealers,' knowing they do...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for September 24, 2025, the fifteenth Wednesday of the year, the first Wednesday of fall, the fourth Wednesday of September, and the two-hundred sixty-seventh day of the year, with eighty-nine days remaining.   Wannaska Phenology Update for September 24, 2025 Sphinx Moth Sphingidae (not to be confused with Sphindidae ) are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. Northern pine sphinx ( Lapara bombycoides ), Blinded sphinx ( Paonias excaecata ), and Galium sphinx ( Hyles gallii ) are common to Wannaska, but you have to be out when it's dark to appreciate them. These moderate- to large-sized moths fly with agility and sustained can hover like hummingbirds, for which they are sometimes mistaken. The sphinx moth is multivoltine, capable of producing several generations a year if weather, whether permitting. September 24 Fickle Pickle ...