Wannaskan Almanac

On this day in 1848 my friend Karl Marx and I, Friedrich Engels, clinked our steins together in an obscure London pub that catered to German ex-pats. "Well, Karl," I said, "I doubt if this Communist Manifesto we just published will make us any money, but it's just what the doctor ordered to fix the world." "Ja, ja," said Karl. "The world's ready to blow up, and we've figured out why and what to do about it." Indeed, within the next few months, the French would get rid of their king for the third time and revolutions or rebellions would erupt in another fifty countries in Europe. That sounds like a lot of countries, but you must remember that Italy and especially Germany were made up of many independent states in those days. In these revolutions, the common people attempted to get rid of corrupt monarchies and establish democracies and liberal governments. The monarchies formed alliances to keep themselves in power and were m...

                               Inevitably      “Are you stuck again?” the young neighbor man joked when I called him Monday evening, because I had called him last Thursday morning for just that very reason when Chairman Joe and I found ourselves unexpectedly stationary, in a ditch bank. This neighbor has some big pickups and tractors, and has offered his help in the past, should I have issues.      That morning, we were in Joe's car on 210th Avenue NE, and its intersection with 450th Street NE, in Marshall County, Minnesota, known to locals and county highway engineers as Marshall County Highway 48, three miles west of Honker Flats Greenhouse, which is, as a landmark, approximately 13 miles, west southwest, where the neighbor I called lives as I do myself, a mile north of him.     ...

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac for Word-Wednesday, February 19, 2020, the 8th Wednesday of the year,  the 50th day of the year, with 316 days remaining, but only 42 days until April 1st. Nordhem Lunch: Hot Turkey Plate Earth/Moon Almanac for February 19, 2020 Sunrise: 7:26am; Sunset: 5:50pm; 3 minutes, 27 seconds more daylight today Moonrise: 5:24am; Moonset: 1:44pm, waning crescent Temperature Almanac for February 19, 2020                 Average           Record          Today High             23                   50                  4 Low         ...

It is my anniversary today.  My wife and I have been married for for 26 years and 2 months.  This works out to 314 months of wedded bliss.  It has been 9558 days since we exchanged vows.  We have had 13,763,520 minutes since that time to choose to love each other.  We have done pretty well at that.  With God's help I pray that I will always be a man that respects and loves her with all my heart. Mushy huh?  Well...deal with it. February 18 is the 49th day of 2020.  There are only 11 days left until leap day...that magical day that fixes all the discrepancies in our calendars. This is the 8th Tuesday of 2020, so if you are like many people in our great country you will be having your 8th Taco Tuesday celebration tonight.   Tacos fall into two main categories.  They are authentic Mexican Tacos and Fake American Tacos.  They are pictured below.  See if you can figure out which is which. Both have their own un...

Today comes another segment of The One from “City Secundus.” But wait a few moments while I quickly introduce a poem I just had to share before February is over. Tomas Transtromer (1931- 2015) was Swedish and his poem below is about February . As we can all imagine the Swedes are among those who live and even thrive in winter. Not unlike Minnesotans. You may want to compare Mr. Transtromer’s descriptions with our own Minnesota winters. This poet began writing verse while still in high school and published his first book at twenty-three years old. For many years, he divided his time between writing, translating, and serving as a psychologist for juvenile offenders. In 1990, a stroke left him unable to speak; however, he continued to write and publish poetry. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2011. Face to Face                            ...

Give your loved one what you do best: The poet a poem; the comic a jest. The jeweler a gem; the writer a book. I like best sweet rolls from my lover the cook. If ever I'm condemned to hell, I'll bring my guardian angel with me to the sentencing: character witness. The main reason not to procrastinate is so your future self will thank you for taking care of business now. Trouble is, future me is oblivious of all I do for him, the bum. If you're  going to make up stuff for your bio, don't say you were in 'Nam if you weren't there. Or that you studied dentistry at Yale. Say instead that you've been to a hundred Stones concerts. That's impressive. And untraceable. Will you divide the rest of your life into days weeks and months? Or will you go uncalendered. We revel in the love of family and friends. Too much reveling though and the love begins to toughen. Chairman Joe

Welcome to a HAPPY NEW YEAR of David’s blog post writing! That's right, viewers, it’s me, for the WHOLE day! For the first time in 2020! Today is Saturday, February 15th. Have you ever noticed that the P.S. of a letter, or e-mail means Post Script? And from what I have learned in school, post means “after.” Which basically means that AFTER my 2020 North Dakota Lego League State Competition, I am writing a blog post about it. So, you might be like, wait - what’s a 2020 North Dakota Lego League State Competition? Well, if you haven't read my Lego League posts before, I would suggest you go back and try to find the right post where I talk about last year's Lego League competition. If you have been reading my posts from the start, you will know what I am talking about. But, if you don't feel like going through your search history, and you know that somehow, I will explain it, you’re in luck! Here’s a link that explains what Lego Lego is. Click me, I'm a link!!!! W...