WannaskaWriter

  Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 11:24 AM Subject:  Re: RAVEN issue location moved    Rolling out of bed at 8:30 this morning, not starting up the computers, not checking email I stood outside in the rain repairing the temporary door on, "The Shed From Hell," I had built last fall. I saw that its cardboard door finally deteriorated into a slump of impregnated wood fibers, glue, and print, fell into itself and hung forlornly from the door frame, when I looked out the kitchen window on my way to the toilet in the basement.    Taking the initiative I jumped into the Honda, whilst I was dressed for the out of doors anyway and drove over to your house where I had been told, upon arrival home last night, that THE RAVEN copy was "… on the screen porch, next to the glass of cold milk and cookies."    Arriving at the McDs residence, the dark clouds of September descending on me in July, rain ricocheting from the basswood leaves blurring my vision, I nimbly s...

Date: Saturday, November 29, 2008 7:14 PM Subject: Re: the hairy-assed snow fairy (An unknown)       The dirt track is a never-graded minimum-maintenance township road with ruts in it from years ago, all grown over with grass. The camps co-owners say they like to keep it that way 'to keep the riff-raff out,' hoping to persuade anybody who is just out road hunting to think twice about it. It's a dead end road to be sure--especially this year after all the rain we got about harvest time. Nonetheless, one night about five weeks earlier, after I got home from work about 1:00 AM, I got a serious coded message: " THE CHEVY'S HEAVY ... OVER (click.)" " THE CHEVY'S HEAVY ... OVER (click.)"    There was this ominous silence, then a big burst of laughter -- that I recognized as Jared's, a cousin of mine from Brrmidji who said he was spending the weekend down at deer camp, about four miles away from where I lived,... and he'll have the coffee on i...

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009   Subject: Re: Did you READ NORTHERN WATCH TODAY?    Thanks for the interesting background info. A good thing for art teachers (even old retired ones like me) to read. But more important for current art teachers to be reminded of -- knowing when and how encouragement is needed so they will strive to meet each young person "where they are" in their creative life and crack open the doors of possibility for them. I do think it would be very appropriate for you to revise this a bit and send it to Trudeau. Teachers are usually taken for granted and seldom learn that their efforts have been appreciated. Annette      I was listening to Jackie this morning when I spied a little headline at the top page of Page 1 of the Northern Watch, "Artwork, Page 6: featured at Roseau Library." Here was another story about my art exhibit! I am impressed! There, my name was in print again--and this time not under the "Law Enforcement." I hope my former...

  The grocery store was packed. The county fair and rain storm (It always rains at some point during fair week.) was on and there were people in every aisle. Although I didn't have much in my cart b y the time I got to the cash registers the waiting lines were down the aisles three-carts-deep. I saw a self-checkout register, one of four, come open so I began scanning items myself rather than ending up for sure out in Malung Township someplace; I know how things can get out of hand,    Maybe it was the unusual crush of people waiting for a register, combined with the difficulty I was having separating and opening new plastic bags in the bagging area that built my anxiety. It wasn't like I wasn't familiar with the self-checkout process. I've done it many times, but I am impatient with a machine that annoyingly repeats things, like "Place your item in the bagging area, " or "Replace the item removed from the bagging area."    Granted, I...

  From: Wannaskawriter Date:   Sunday, May 6, 2007 8:22 AM Subject:   Copy of email to Wendy in Austin TX    My dearest niece in Austin. Guess I owe you a letter at long last, we don't correspond much any mo'. Such is life. I just come in from outside, so let me get on to tellin' you about it:    Le' me bang the dust from my old cow hat here, jes' got in from the range a'roundin' up all dem li'l doggies, my old ass is jes' about worn t'rough my jeans. Now I knows why cowboys walk around bowlegged an' all, their knees jes' give out on 'em, they do, stand'n in the stirrups, tryin' to ease all them stinkin' bumps out of the trail, twist'n this an' twist'n that way, tryin' ta keep your ass from beat'n the seat that's always comin up to meet an' greet ya.    The wors' t'ing about it, is your loins get all sweaty and chapt ag'in all that heavin' heated horse flesh and smooth-worn saddl...

To: Joe McD. Date: Monday, August 20, 2007 10:30 AM Subject: "Now why don't he write?"    That's a line out of, "Dances With Wolves." The ill-fated mule skinner, looking at a sun-bleached human skeleton with arrows sticking into it (versus, 'sticking out of it') is talking to "John Dunbar," and explaining that," ... some of these po' folks are never heard from again, and the people back home are wondering, "' Now why don't he write?' "     On Sunday, I went to Rydell Wildlife Management Refuge to hear a talk about NW Minnesota's Savannah-Parkland region, and Red River Ox Cart Trails, given by Nancy Sather, a naturalist and writer whom I've wanted to met for some time. I've read her work from time to time and wanted to reprint a piece or two since as it's exceptional. At the beginning of the talk she handed out excerpts from historical manuscripts by early explorers that she encouraged all of us...