Sauk Centre Journal Blog

Bad Check, Bad Idea; and Soo Bahk Do

2012-01-22T19:46:00.002-06:00

Sunday, January 22, 2012. As I've said before, Minnesota doesn't have a climate so much as it has weather. So far this month, we've had sub-zero temperatures, a high around 55 degrees, clear skies, dull gray overcast, and several varieties of precipitation.

Interesting as all that is, it doesn't photograph well, so I dug through the archives and found this set of photos from about two years ago (January 20, 2010):

Fog and frost: on just about everything. January 15, 2010.

Frost. Lots of really delicate frost. January 15, 2010.

Around 11:00 a.m., clearing. Not much wind, happily. January 15, 2010.

County Road 17, near the Sauk River. January 15, 2010.

Someone tried passing a bad check at the Palmer House: which was very imprudent, since the person was already wanted for several serious felonies. The police came, made an arrest, and life went on. This week's Sauk Centre Herald has more about that: also high school guidance counselor Bryce Zieman's resignation; and other news.

My wife is practicing for her black belt in Soo Bahk Do. It's actually a midnight-blue belt, but that takes longer to say. She's with the local Soo Bahk Do group this evening, along with my son and #3 daughter: and, I gather, some of the younger students who are testing for their white belts. I think I got that straight.

Half Way Through January

2012-01-15T20:12:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 15, 2012. I noticed a new-to-me business in Sauk Centre this week: TecDesk, 'computer specialists,' in one of the storefronts near the river. They've got a snappy sign over the door, but I don't know much more about them. Yet.

TecDesk, on the north side of downtown. January 10, 2012.

I missed a band concert at the Sauk Centre High School: thanks to something I'll call the flu. Or maybe some other sort of bug. My third-oldest daughter recorded the part where my son has a part - wonderful stuff, this new technology.

We've had the usual sort of Minnesota weather: bright blue skies, snow, then a little more snow, some of which melted today.

What, Winter's Over?

2012-01-08T21:41:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 8, 2012. Minnesota winters aren't boring. Last weekend we had gray skies, snow on the ground, and plausibly cool temperatures. This weekend it was blue skies and weather that had my son outside in his shirtsleeves. Granted, he's a teenager: but it really was spring-like out there.

I haven't gotten out much this week: partly because I've got a nine-to-five job again, with Spiral Light Candle. It's the shortest commute I've ever had for a 'paycheck' job: about a dozen feet from the kitchen to my desk.

Today is Epiphany Sunday, tomorrow's the last of the 12 days of Christmas, and I took photos at Our Lady of Angels church:

Sunday at Our Lady of Angels church: crèche, poinsettias, and Christmas lights. January 8, 2012.

That's not a bowl of mints: it's chalk, and I forgot to pick up a piece. Oh, well. January 8, 2012.

The chalk in that bowl is for a sort of household blessing/prayer. I forgot to pick up a piece this morning. Frustrating, a bit. Maybe I'll remember, next year.

Happy New Year, 2012!

2012-01-01T21:15:00.001-06:00

Sunday, January 1, 2012. Happy New Year! We finally got snow, on Friday. This weekend, we got wind to go with it. Now it's starting to feel like winter.

Snow: not all that much, but enough to make a believable winter scene. And require shoveling. December 30, 2011.

This may be the last of this season's Christmas photos. Or maybe I'll find more to show.

These folks decided to use their front steps as a stage for a manger scene. I like the effect: and they apparently don't mind having to use another door. December 22, 2011.

'Cool' lights on Sauk Centre's east side. December 22, 2011.

Our Lady of Angels church and rectory. December 31, 2011.

Tomorrow's the start of another work-week, today's the start of another year, and I don't have much else to say: profound or otherwise.

Christmas, 2011: Lights, Trees, and All That

2011-12-25T23:13:00.002-06:00

Sunday, December 25, 2011. Merry Christmas! My weekend was quiet, compared to the family get-together last weekend.

Maybe I've mentioned this before. Main Street Theatre still has its art deco marquee and lights: but displays current features on the new digital/electronic signs on the south part of the theater complex. I like that combination of old and new. 'Older' and 'newish,' anyway.

Main Street Theatre marquees: old and new. December 20, 2011.

Eyes on Main: lit up for Christmas. December 20, 2011.

I've got another set of 'Christmas lights' photos to show. My household hasn't done 'outside' holiday decorating for a few years, although I suppose the Christmas tree might count. We've got it near a window. A fair number of other folks around town put on quite a show: which I enjoy thoroughly.

Manger scene, conical helix Christmas trees: and there's more around the corner of this house. December 22, 2011.

One of Sauk Centre's more brightly-lit neighborhoods. December 22, 2011.

This house isn't all that large: but wow, do they have lots of lights. December 22, 2011.

I've got more photos, but they'll wait until another day. The software I've been using to get pictures ready for the Web finally gave up, and I'm learning to use something newer. I'll let you decide whether that's an excuse for not having more photos ready: or an explanation.

Either way, Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, Happy New Year, whatever. One more thing: This is the sixth year in a row that the Christmas tree at Our Lady of Angels church hasn't fallen over.

My take on 'the true meaning of Christmas' is in one of my blogs, A Catholic Citizen in America:

"...A Savior has been Born for You Who is Messiah and Lord..."
(December 25, 2011)
"Why I Don't Go Ballistic Over Xmas"
(December 23, 2010)
"Three Things That Go By the Name of Christmas"
(December 24, 2009)

One Week Before Christmas

2011-12-18T18:09:00.001-06:00

Sunday, December 18, 2011. Like I said in one of my
blogs: "Christmas is a time for frenzied purchases, family gatherings, and frazzled nerves. Sometimes family gatherings lead to frazzled nerves, and that's another topic." I suspect that we may hear more about the lunatic end of the holiday experience. My 'family gathering' for the season happened yesterday, and was fun. I hope yours is, or are, too.

Santa, maybe taking off - or landing - with a jet pack? Hats off to the folks who put that up, for a different angle on Christmas lights. December 7, 2011.

Holiday garlands over Main Street. The Original Main Street, that is. December 9, 2011.

Some lights in the yard, lights outlining the roof: and you've got your Christmas decorations. The outside ones, anyway. December 7, 2011.

My family has the 'permanent' Christmas tree set up in the living room, there's a largish real tree in Our Lady of the Angels church, and we've got just one week left before Christmas day. I (finally) remembered to get something for my wife: which I wrapped in a rubber band. Maybe I can get #3 daughter to help me do something a little nicer than that.

A Misplaced "For Sale" Sign, Christmas Lights, and Poinsettias

2011-12-11T21:51:00.001-06:00

Sunday, December 11, 2011. Before getting into the usual Christmas-season photos, a sort of update on my house:

It's not for sale
We're having a larger garage built

I can see why folks may have gotten the idea that the big yellow house at South Ash and 9th was for sale:

The real estate agent didn't put the sign there. December 6, 2011.

That 'for sale' sign at South Ash and 9th is probably a prank. We live a few blocks from the school, right on the route quite a few kids walk on their way to and from classes. December 6, 2011.

It's about two weeks before Christmas, so stores have a lot of red and green in their displays. Marc'ette Floral, at Main and South 6th, and Hidden Treasure, downtown, also have a new kind of candle.

My son-in-law invented these 'candles that burn in a circle' earlier this year, and this is the first holiday season that stores have had them. I've been working for his company, Spiral Light Candle, off and on, for about a month now.

Marc'ette Floral, on south Main and 6th, has poinsettias, cards, home decorations: and Spiral Light Candles. December 9, 2011.

Hidden Treasure, downtown, has those 'candles with a twist,' too. And a whole lot of nice gift and decoration stuff. December 9, 2011.

Spiral Light Candle has a video on YouTube that shows how the candles work: "Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle."
(One minute, 31 seconds)

Just one more bit of blatant self-promotion, and I'll get to more photos from Sauk Centre.

I've been writing about my experiences with Spiral Light Candle in two of my blogs:

"Lemming Tracks: Candles, Reports, Meetings, and a Busy Lemming"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 7, 2011)
"Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions"
Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind (December 3, 2011)

I like the Christmas season for quite a few reasons: but it's the decorations that seem to make the best photo subjects:

Downtown Sauk Centre: lighted garlands over the street, and Main Street Theatre's signs. December 7, 2011.

P's and Q's Computing, on south Main, puts on quite a show each year. December 6, 2011.

Here's P's and Q's at night. Some of the lights go on and off: it's too slow to call 'flashing.' December 7, 2011.

Yet more P's and Q's, this time on their north side. The display is a little different each year. December 7, 2011.

One more photo, and I'm done for the week:

Marc'ette Floral, again: It's poinsettia season in their south room. December 9, 2011.

I thought of writing something about poinsettias, how the Aztecs called them cuetlaxochitl, who first mentioned them in Europe, that the red things are called bracts, and more of that sort of thing. But somebody beat me to it:

"The Poinsettia Pages"
University of Illinois Extension

The U. of I. folks did a nice job with that website: including a history of the poinsettia; and how to care for your potted plant, provided that it's a poinsettia.

Shopping Days Left Before Christmas, Sensible Advice, and Candles

2011-12-04T21:04:00.002-06:00

Sunday, December 4, 2011. Depending on how you calculate it, there are 20 or 21 shopping days left until Christmas.

There's a little snow on the ground here in Sauk Centre. Not much, though. I saw a few snowflakes come down today. But not many.

Even so, the air is nippy enough to make it 'feel like' we're on the pre-Christmas countdown.

I haven't been out much this week, so if you're looking for what's been happening in Sauk Centre, I'd suggest checking out the Sauk Centre Herald, our weekly newspaper. They do news, not the sort of thing I write: and that's another topic. There's a good piece of advice in the Sauk Herald, from Wednesday this week: "Residents reminded to lock up." Between high-value stuff that folks are likely to have in their vehicles, and holiday craziness, it's a good reminder.

I had time to grill burgers at noon Saturday and Sunday, and 'took Sunday off.' Otherwise, I've been spending a lot of my time doing some work for my son-in-law. He's been planning what Spiral Light Candle ("a candle with a twist:" spirallightcandle.com) will be doing next year. He's invented a new twist - literally - on candles, and I think they're great. The last I heard, Hidden Treasure and Marc'ette Floral are carrying them.

'Perfect gift,' and all that.

Okay, now that I've got that blatant self-promotion out of the way: I'll try to have something to show next week. With folks getting their outdoor Christmas decorations, that shouldn't be too hard.

Early Christmas Lights

2011-11-29T11:43:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, November 29, 2011. Here's what I said I planned to get done, back on Sunday:

Remember that picture I took, on Saturday, November 19? Here's what it looked like by the next Thursday. November 24, 2011.

This is the picture I was talking about: Saturday's snowfall. November 19, 2011.

Twas Thanksgiving eve, and we view on the lawn
Eight reindeer, a sleigh, plus a tree and a fawn:
All spangled with lights colored blue, green and red,
And picture of Santa Claus hung on the shed.

Nope. I don't think that's going to outshine Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas."

Christmas yard decorations start showing up before Thanksgiving, though. Which is a good idea, here in Minnesota. Quite a few folks got theirs out before the snow fell.

It's the night before Thanksgiving: time for the first Christmas lights. November 23, 2011.

Christmas lights at the corner of South Ash and 9th. November 23, 2011.

I like the way neighborhoods light up, this time of year. November 23, 2011.

The 'Sauk Centre Gills' visited #2 daughter & son-in-law for Thanksgiving, and I'm just about recovered from that trip. I hope you had a fine Thanksgiving, and will see you Sunday.

Thanksgiving Weekend's Over: Next, Christmas

2011-11-27T23:59:00.001-06:00

Sunday, November 27, 2011. I had a good Thanksgiving Day weekend, spent with my family at #2 daughter & son-in-law's place. I got home with the rest of the 'Sauk Centre Gills' last night.

Some folks have their Christmas displays up and lit, which is a sort of Thanksgiving tradition in this area.

We've had snow, quite a bit of it melted, we've had more snow: all of which is about par for the course here in Minnesota. There's more to say and show, but it's late and I need my sleep.

My plan is to get more done, sometime tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:54:00.007-06:00

Thursday, November 24, 2011. Happy Thanksgiving!

I used that picture yesterday, in another blog:

"Lemming Tracks: Thanksgiving, Cartoons, and a Look at the Lemming"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 23, 2011)

First Winter Weather; 50-Vehicle Pile-Up on I-94; Nobody Hurt

2011-11-20T23:26:00.001-06:00

Sunday, November 20, 2011. Sounds like some folks weren't quite ready for winter driving:

"Saturday's wintry weather is wreaking havoc on some of Minnesota's major roads.

"The Minnesota State Patrol said westbound Interstate 94 near St. Cloud closed Saturday afternoon due to several crashes. The closure spread from St. Cloud to Albany and Freeport. The interstate was closed around 3 p.m. and reopened at 4 p.m. ..."
(I-94 Reopened Near St. Cloud: State Patrol," CBS Minnesota (November 19, 2011))

I heard that about 50 vehicles were involved in the Albany-to-Freeport pile-up. Definitely not good. That CBS Minnesota article has more about yesterday's weather and traffic, and says we had 200 crashes in the state yesterday. The good news is that apparently nobody got seriously hurt: or killed.

Remember that photo I showed, last week? The one that showed a little bit of snow from a Thursday-morning shower?

Snow on the ground, Thursday morning: not much; and gone by the end of the day. November 10, 2011.

We've got a lot more than that, now. This isn't official, but I'm pretty sure Sauk Centre got four inches by the time the snow stopped.

Green grass, and folks already have Christmas decorations out? Maybe they heard the weather forecast. November 18, 2011.

An inflatable turkey. There's a joke about low-calorie holiday eating somewhere here: but I can't quite find it. November 18, 2011.

I spent as much of Saturday inside as I could. Which is saying something, since I generally am out grilling burgers around noon on weekends. It wasn't entirely the weather: I'm not a 40-year-old kid any more, and decided to be sensible.

Cat. Window. Snow outside. "Tranquil" - that's the word I wanted. November 19, 2011.

Mid-afternoon in the back yard. It's Minnesota, so we might be using that table again by next Thursday. November 19, 2011.

Walmart parking lot, Saturday afternoon. Between plows and wind, there wasn't all that much snow to deal with. November 19, 2011.

Today was a beautiful wintry day: bright blue sky, sparkling snow, the works. If the five-day forecast is even close to accurate, that's going to change pretty soon. Which is no surprise. It's like you've heard before: In Minnesota, we don't have climate. We have weather.

Synchronizing Sirens in Sauk Centre

2011-11-16T15:28:00.000-06:00

Sauk Centre's emergency sirens go off at 1:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Sometimes they're off by a minute or so: but it's a highly predictable event.

Today's Wednesday, but it's the third Wednesday in November. Which is why I wondered why I'd been hearing the emergency sirens, off and on, through the day.

Another series of wails went up a few minutes ago, and my curiosity got the better of me. I called City Hall and asked 'what's with the sirens?'

There's a perfectly reasonable explanation. They're "synchronizing the sirens," going around town and setting them off: one at a time. I'm not sure why they need to be synchronized, and why that's how it's done: but it seems like a reasonable explanation.

On the other hand, this sort of thing could accidentally train folks to ignore the sirens. On the other-other hand, we're a pretty smart bunch of folks: I figured out that the weather didn't look threatening; and my neighbors probably did, too.

Related posts:

"Sauk Centre Storm July 10: No Power, No Internet, No Injuries"
(July 12, 2011)
"Lightning Strike and an Emergency Siren"
(August 13, 2010)
"Tornado Warning and Sinclair Lewis Days"
(July 14, 2010)
"Accident Near Wal-Mart, Sirens, and Snow in May"
(May 5, 2010)

Not Much Snow, Charlie Company, and Grilling

2011-11-13T23:04:00.000-06:00

Sunday, November 13, 2011. Looks like Friday the 13th falls on a Sunday this month.

Charlie Company is still deployed, I read in the Sauk Centre Herald that the public school is making some sort of change in its lunch schedule, and we got snow on Thursday.

Snow on the ground, Thursday morning: not much; and gone by the end of the day. November 10, 2011.

It wasn't much snow, and it had melted by the end of the afternoon. Or maybe evaporated. Whatever, it was gone. But, for one brief moment: we had snow on the ground! Sort of.

Some sort of bug has been making the rounds. I've heard that some folks got 'strep,' which doesn't sound like much fun at all.

Apart from that, and the sort of thing you can read in the Sauk Herald, I don't have much to report. Except that I was out, grilling burgers, again this weekend. I'm refining my technique, and didn't convert either Saturday or Sunday's batch into briquettes.

Autumn's Here, and Daylight Saving Time Strikes Again

2011-11-06T21:34:00.005-06:00

Sunday, November 6, 2011. It's that time of year, when pumpkins that didn't get converted into Jack 'o lanterns find their way into Thanksgiving displays. Or, this morning at Our Lady of Angels church, are pressed into service as makeshift doorstops.

The dock's been hauled ashore at the Sauk Lake public landing, down by the campground. Odds are pretty good that we're still a long way from having ice on the lake, but this is central Minnesota: and it doesn't hurt to be careful.

Autumn scene at Sauk Centre's public landing. November 4, 2011.

Folks who go in for yard decorations are probably concentrating on Thanksgiving Day themes at the moment, but as usual some folks are also getting their Christmas lights up now, before it snows.

First Christmas lights: First I've seen, anyway. They look better at night, of course. November 4, 2011.

This is the weekend when we're treated to jet lag, thanks to the 'spring forward/fall back' daylight saving time. Which I think may have been a slightly-sensible notion back in 1918. Today, not so much. I wrote about candle wax, Congress, and electric power, about a year ago, in one of my blogs. ("Ben Franklin and Daylight Saving Time: Even Homer Nods," posted in Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 7, 2010))

As a sort of joke, I came up with a proposal for 'improving' daylight saving time a few years ago. Happily, Congress hasn't enacted a single one of these ideas: each one as sensible as the system we have, I think. Here's what I wrote, back in 2008:

Daylight Saving Time: A Modest Proposal
Posted in Apathetic Lemming of the North (October 26, 2008)

Set clocks back 12 hours during August
- Keeping people quiet during the day could save enormous amounts of energy that would otherwise be wasted on air conditioning in stores and offices
Set clocks back ten hours and forty minutes at noon on
April 15
- This 10:40 time shift would
  - Remind those who wait until the last minute to file tax returns of the date
  - Give them more than a full business-day's-worth of additional time to get their forms in
- Ten hours and forty minutes is a large time shift, so clocks should be set forward one hour and twenty minutes at 2:00 a.m.
  - For eight days
    - April 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15
  - To minimize psychological stress
- Although this stress-relieving measure might not save significant amounts of energy, the psychological effects could make a significant difference in quality of life
Finally, replace the evening of December 31 with
Substance Abuse and Drug Interaction Study Time
- Instead of over-indulging during New Year's Eve parties, citizens would be encouraged to learn about
  - Substance abuse
  - Dangers of mixing prescription drugs and alcohol
- This should
  - Reduce deaths in drunk-driving accidents
  - Alleviate the need for expensive security measures in places like New York's Times Square
  - Promote sober, healthy lifestyles among the general public

On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't joke about this sort of thing. With an election coming up, someone might run on a 'more silly rules about time keeping' platform - and win.

Day Before Halloween, 2011, With Rain

2011-10-30T19:44:00.002-05:00

Sunday, October 30, 2011. Tomorrow is Halloween, so 'happy Halloween,' a day early. My wife and #3 daughter have been cutting wicks for the Spiral Light Candle company. That's #2 daughter and my son-in-law's outfit. Aside from that, it's been a quiet couple of weeks in this household. I've had some sort of bug, and my wife's getting over something she ate. She's missed Soo Bahk Do Thursday of this week, and today.

Making long strands of wick into shorter strands. October 28, 2011.

Enough about me and this family.

Our Lady of Angels church had our annual polka Mass: Larry's Concertina Band from Rochester, Minnesota, did the music this year. I enjoy those polka Masses: but suppose they're not for everybody.

Larry's Concertina Band at Our Lady of Angels polka Mass. October 30, 2011.

Rain. We've been having rain. Not a whole lot on any given day, but we've been having rain. Damp, cool, wet, rain. I grilled burgers this noon, anyway.

October's not-so-bright, not-so-blue weather. October 30, 2011.

I haven't gotten out much recently, so here's a selection of photos from recent Halloweens:

Whoops. That's getting ahead of the season. December 21, 2008.

If that person's standing straight, the house is leaning. The top Jack 'o lantern looks a little worried. October 31, 2008.

I like this one: He's looking at the world from a new angle. October 31, 2008.

I get the impression that group on the right's having a heated debate. November 4, 2009.

Those are expressions you don't see every day. November 4, 2009.

Some of the costumes were downright cute: like this butterfly. October 31, 2010.

Here's my contribution to Halloween spookiness.

See you again, next week!

October's Dim Gray Weather

2011-10-23T23:48:00.001-05:00

Sunday, October 23, 2011. Last Sunday was one of those wonderful October days. Today was another sort of October day: roofed over by gray ribs of cloud, dampened by drizzle, all a chilly reminder that summer is over.

I've had my flu shot for the season, at Coborn's pharmacy. There were only four pages of paperwork to fill out: and the injection itself was an anticlimax. I barely felt it. Not that I'm complaining.

Next week we'll be having a polka Mass at Our Lady of the Angels church. I'm looking forward to that: but then, I don't mind loud music.

'October's Bright Blue Weather,' and Checking the Furnace

2011-10-16T23:53:00.002-05:00

Sunday, October 16, 2011. Today was another one of those "October's bright blue weather" days, pretty much like yesterday. A bit windy, seasonally brisk, and very blue sky.

Some trees, like the one at your left, seem to be going straight from green leaves to bare branches this year. October 15, 2011.

Autumn weather is pretty, and I appreciate that. It's also a sort of 'heads-up' that winter's coming: and that it's time for the usual seasonal routines.

We've had a technician come out and check out the furnace, so we should be good for the winter. At least, there aren't any obvious maintenance issues.

My wife put plastic sheeting over the window by my desk yesterday. #1 daughter's cat, who was here for the weekend - #1 daughter that is, accompanied by cat - was fascinated by what my wife was doing.

I've heard that Diversicom, a regional communications company, has changed hands: but didn't have time to learn details.

Gray Days, Wind Turbine, and Charlie Company

2011-10-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

Sunday, October 9, 2011. The last few days have been the sort of typical Minnesota autumn days that tourism promoters probably don't like to emphasize: gray sky, wet pavement, the sort of day that makes being inside a treat. I like both the picture-postcard days and the other sort, myself. There's something to be said for contrast.

Sun hidden by a roof of cloud. October 9, 2011.

Wet streets, damp sidewalk: Our Lady of Angels church. October 9, 2011.

We're nowhere near having ice on the lakes. Not thick enough for ice fishing, anyway. Looks like someone's getting ready, anyway. At least, I'm assuming that the possibly-unique red trailer I saw is someone's ice house.

Part of a semi, refitted for ice fishing? October 9, 2011.

I've been watching a wind turbine going up in the industrial park on the west side of town. Today's the first day I noticed it in operation.

Wind power in Sauk Centre. Either that, or the biggest pinwheel in this part of Minnesota. October 9, 2011.

A closer look at the new-style windmill. October 9, 2011.

Charlie Company's been deployed, again, for a while now. The 1st State Bank sign has some good advice, I think.

"Remember Charlie Company?" Works for me. October 9, 2011.

Tomorrow's Columbus Day: which means that the banks and Post Office will be closed. I don't expect many stores or offices will be closed, though. And that'sanother subject.

Beautiful Bright Blue Skies, Estate Tax SNAFU, New Gospel Book

2011-10-02T23:52:00.003-05:00

Sunday, October 2, 2011. We've had those typical Minnesota autumn days: crisp air, clear skies, ridiculously cheerful sunlight.

Blue sky, trees turning color: a picture-postcard autumn day. September 27, 2011.

We've also had those typical Minnesota autumn days: chilling air, grim skies, not a ray of sunlight under the gray roof of clouds.

Ungers: stock liquidation sale in progress. September 27, 2011.

Unger Furniture, downtown, has been running radio ads this week: they're selling the entire inventory, to pay estate taxes.

On a happier note, Our Lady of Angels church has a new Gospel Book.

New/replacement Gospel Book at Our Lady of the Angels church. October 2, 2011.

Dr. Mayer, the dentist - and I hope I've spelled the name right - donated the new book, in memory of his wife, done in the same style as the one that got stolen. It's good to have one again.

I turned 60 on Friday, and am still enjoying these balloons. October 1, 2011.

I've been distracted this weekend: for a happy reason. I turned 60 on Friday, and celebrated the event with my family.

Not Quite Autumn, Online Health Records

2011-09-25T23:51:00.000-05:00

Sunday, September 25, 2011. I was out, as usual, grilling burgers after church today. It's been one of those picture-postcard days, except the autumn colors haven't quite come yet.

Clear sky, sunshine, trees not quite showing autumn colors yet. September 25, 2011.

Hey! This is cool: The Sauk Centre Herald says that CentraCare Clinic - Sauk Centre (www.centracare.com/clinics/sauk_centre.html) (that used to be Lakeview Medical Clinic) has medical records available on their website. You're supposed to be able to access yours and your children's, to get information like immunization records and medical history. I haven't tried it yet.

Or, rather, I haven't filled out the paperwork: which the article tells me I could do over at Lakeview, or at www.centracare.com. The CentraCare Clinic - Sauk Centre's "Online Health Information" menu gets visitors to a sort of newsletter with general information.

Three P.M. Rush Hour, Autumnal Weather, and Yet More Storm Photos

2011-09-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

Sunday, September 18, 2011. The weekday afternoon rush out of school is part of my life again. Or, rather, part of my life's backdrop. That time of day, I'm generally at my desk, occasionally glancing out the window to see what the horn honking or tire screeching is about.

For some reason, there isn't so much of a concentrated stream of traffic going toward the school each morning.

That July 10 storm left quite an impression on Sauk Centre: figuratively and literally. I still see the occasional tilted stump. For the most part, though, folks here have cleared debris, patched sidewalks, and gotten back to life's routines.

Since I haven't been out much this week, and still have quite a few photos of storm damage: Today's entry is mostly pictures from July.

The AmericInn sign post and frame, near Main and the Interstate, weathered the storm fine. The sign, not so much: it's the tattered banner clinging to the frame. July 20, 2011.

Our birdbath works just fine, and looks a bit like the old-fashioned concrete sort: but it's a plastic shell. I put quite a lot of sand in the post, to make it stable, and let gravity and a friction fit take care of the bowl. The birdbath's bowl flew away during the July storm.

I looked around the yard, and the front yards of the neighbors, but didn't spot it. Given what I'd seen the storm do elsewhere, I figured that lightweight plastic bowl was somewhere in northwestern Stearns County. Or southern Todd.

As I recall, a bit over a week later, the birdbath bowl showed up on our yard, near the street. Someone must have spotted it at their place, worked out where it came from, and returned the thing.

Thanks!

Birdbath bowl's back. July 20, 2011.

More photos, from late July, 2011:

The little Marian shrine's pretty much undamaged. The debris is mostly pieces of trees that were cut into manageable lengths. July 25, 2011.

Jitters Java put a rather showy branch in their sign, sort of like a table's centerpiece. This photo shows what it looked like, shortly before they took it out. The branch, I mean. The sign's still there. July 25, 2011.

Gopher Prairie Motel's sign shows why it's a good idea to stay under cover during this sort of storm. July 25, 2011.

Today's been a seasonally-appropriate gray, rainy, cool autumn day. I stayed inside as much as possible. I never did see the charm in taking strolls in the rain. Maybe because my glasses tended to fog up.

September 11, 2011: Drought in Texas, Clear Skies in Minnesota, Life Goes On

2011-09-11T22:47:00.006-05:00

Sunday, September 11, 2011. School has started, so the regular mid-afternoon rush down South 9th to Ash is part of the daily schedule again. We've been having picture-postcard weather, which is great for taking photos: not necessarily good news for crops. Still, it could be worse: Folks in Texas are not having a good year.

U.S. Drought Monitor. (map adapted from The Drought Monitor, National Drought Mitigation Center, Lincoln, Nebraska, used w/o permission) Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

Folks took care of the worst of that July 10th storm's cleanup as soon as the wind and rain let up, or the day after. I've seen tarps over a few roofs: good enough, I trust, to get the homeowners through winter, giving them time to work out finances for a more permanent patch.

Jitters Java, downtown, is one of the business with storm-stressed signage. They've got a pretty good temporary fix set up: a sort of easel at the bottom of the sign's apparently-undamaged mast.

Jitters Java sign: 'some assembly required.. September 9, 2011.

Our Lady of Angels' Gospel Book hasn't been replaced. I don't know how long that'll take. The things can't be cheap: but of all the useless things to steal - - - who's going to buy the thing intact? The book's gold cover is real: but the gold was a thin layer of anodized gold, no more than a few microns thick. I doubt it'd be worth the trouble, trying to scrape the metal off.

Oh, well: we're getting by okay. This morning I learned that for the time being the church will be unlocked during weekday mornings and afternoons: nice for folks who'd been in the habit of stopping in.

Today's the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack. New York City's put on an event for the occasion. We're not New York City: Our observances have been more along the lines of flags at half-staff.

Our Lady of Angels, Labor Day Sunday. September 4, 2011.

That's what I've got for this week. See you next Sunday!

(Unofficial) Last Day of Summer, Theft from Church

2011-09-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

Sunday, September 4, 2011. This is going to a short entry. I've had a big week: but not much of it had to do with Sauk Centre.

We're in the middle of Labor Day Weekend, the unofficial end of summer. It's been one of those nearly-perfect days: not particularly hot, and clearish skies. Except when it rained.

Our Lady of Angels, Labor Day Sunday. September 4, 2011.

There was something missing this morning at Our Lady of Angels church. Someone stole the Gospel Book, and the votive candle money. The loose-change-plus-bills in the candle boxes doesn't hurt all that much. The Gospel Book? I'll miss that. (More, in "Loving Our Neighbors: Even the One Who Stole the Gospel Book," A Catholic Citizen in America (September 4, 2011))

Now we have to start locking the church when it's not in use. This is the second time something's been stolen. Disappointing.

The good news is that nobody got hurt.

Beautiful Weather, Not Much to Report, More July 2011 Storm Photos

2011-08-28T23:41:00.001-05:00

Sunday, August 28, 2011. I've been a little distracted this week: a lot, actually. The Sauk Centre Gills have been helping my son-in-law and #2 daughter at the Spiral Light Candle company. They've got a website up, SpiralLightCandle.com, with a video showing how the self filling candle works.

Now that I've gotten that shameless plug out of the way, a few words about the beautiful weather we've had, Sauk Centre School's open house this Tuesday, and 'day after' photos from that storm we had back in July. Like this set:

Sinclair Lewis Park, down by the lake, lost quite a few trees during that storm in July. July 11, 2011.

What's remarkable is that the gazebo and the 'umbrella fountain' came through in one piece. And that nobody was hurt or killed. July 11, 2011.

That tree took part of the sidewalk with it. This was in Sinclair Lewis Park, but the tree-and-sidewalk situation was pretty common around town. July 11, 2011.

It takes a lot of force to snap a tree like that. July 11, 2011.

That's it for today. I've been up to North Dakota for the weekend: a sort of family visit plus working with candles. I'm glad we went, glad we're back, and in need of sleep. Good night.

Telephone Cramming Links, Summer Clouds, and Enjoying Summer

2011-08-22T00:37:00.001-05:00

Sunday, August 21, 2011. The Sauk Centre Herald is running a story about a scam that's costing us about $2,000,000,000 dollars. That's nationally: The Chicago Sun-Times published an editorial about cramming, and why Congress should let the FCC get the new rules they want. (Chicago Sun-Times (August 3, 2011))

Basically, cramming is a company getting your telephone service provider to add a little to your bill. Cramming companies often work through a middleman, and keep their bogus charges low enough to avoid getting noticed. That's the idea, anyway: checking your monthly bill for charges you didn't authorize is a good idea.

Here's more about telephone cramming:

FCC
- "Cramming - Unauthorized, Misleading, or Deceptive Charges Placed on Your Telephone Bill"
  Fact sheet
Office of the Attorney General, Minnesota, Lori Swanson
- "Attorney General Swanson Sues Telephone Bill 'Crammer'"
  Press Release (January 7, 2011)
- "Your Legal Rights: Don't Get 'Crammed'--Avoid Unwanted Charges on Your Phone Bill"
  Fact sheet

Enough of the 'public service announcement.'

Once again, I've got photos to show off.

Much depends on what a person decides to notice. There's an empty sidewalk, a lawn with some bare ground: but look closer - - -. August 21, 2011.

- - - There's also a set of cheerful sunflowers in bloom. August 21, 2011.

This morning at Our Lady of Angels church. Just
one word: Aww. August 21, 2011.

Summer clouds south of the Sauk Centre School. August 21, 2011.

I see that Sauk Centre Public School's
open house is August 30: a week from Tuesday. Classes start September 6 - and the first two-day vacation is October 20 and 21. Why there's a vacation there I
didn't see.

I plan to get out and enjoy summer while it's still here. Maybe next week will have more days like today. Or, maybe not.

Mid-August: What a Beautiful Day!

2011-08-14T23:47:00.002-05:00

Sunday, August 14, 2011. I've heard that 'a picture is worth a thousand words.' I hope you feel that way, since that's just about all I've got today. I got back last week from that trade show in Pennsylvania, and am still a bit tired. Odd - thirty years ago, I could do this sort of thing with scarcely any noticeable effect. (Links to posts I wrote while there: "Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show")

Anyway, here are those pictures.

There's something I wanted to get done tonight - what was it? Photos. Right.

Those 'stop for pedestrian' signs are out again. I suppose it could have something to do with school starting soon. August 14, 2011.

MCCL rummage sale at the fairground. The sign at the main gate, actually. August 14, 2011.

The Stearns County fairground is pretty quiet now. Look carefully, and you'll see two midway rides, packed up but still parked on the grass. August 14, 2011.

It's been one of those beautiful summer days - complete with fleecy clouds. I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy it.

Sinclair Lewis Days Photos (Finally), and Philadelphia

2011-07-29T19:34:00.000-05:00

Friday, July 29, 2011. I generally add something to the Sauk Centre Journal on Sunday. That's not going to happen this week, since I plan to be on my way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday. The plan is for me to help my son-in-law and #2 daughter at a trade show there. ("Trade Show in Pennsylvania, Ecclesiastes, Software, and Schedules," A Catholic Citizen in America (July 26, 2011))

If all goes well, I'll be back somewhere in the second week of August. So there won't be anything new here next weekend, either. After that: I hope to be back to a more normal schedule. Also getting some rest, but that shouldn't affect the S. C. Journal.

There's something I wanted to get done tonight - what was it? Photos. Right.

Folks get ready for the parade, often starting Friday morning. July 15, 2011.

Sinclair Lewis Days Parade went along its old route, past my house, this year: Minnesota's government shutdown made closing Highway 71/Main Street impossible. July 15, 2011.

Coborn's grocerymobile, or whatever it's called, is one of my favorite parts of the parade. July 15, 2011.

Sauk Centre's fireworks are for Sinclair Lewis Days. I've yet to see the show from lakeside. Still, the corner of South 9th and Ash gives a pretty good view. July 15, 2011.

More fireworks, obviously. July 15, 2011.

Sinclair Lewis Days, downtown. I hope the weather is better next year. No storm would be nice. July 16, 2011.

That's it for now. I've got a bit of preparation - and a good night's sleep - yet to do. See you August 14, or thereabouts, I trust.

Sinclair Lewis Days Parade, and Storm Photos

2011-07-17T23:21:00.004-05:00

Sunday, July 17, 2011. Another storm is coming as I'm writing this, about 10:40 p.m. - but the Sinclair Lewis Days parade did not get rained out. There was even a (comparatively) refreshing breeze now and then. Since the Minnesota government shutdown made it impossible to close Highway 71, the parade went along it's old route, more or less - right past my house.

That made it possible for me to get much of it recorded on YouTube, via my webcam. (Small Town America: Minnesota) The videos are at Apathetic Lemming of the North on YouTube. Or, rather, all but one is. I'm hoping that it's caught in a buffer, somewhere, and will eventually show up.

About last Sunday's storm. My house was without power for about 21 hours - with telephone, television, and Internet connections coming back a few hours after that. The Sauk Centre Herald has done a good job of covering the storm, and the cleanup. I'll be back, with more photos, as I get them ready.

Somehow, between the storm and the heat, I've been a little off my game this week.

Green clouds, part of a tree in the street, and lots of wind. July 10, 2011.

Candles, and a battery-powered radio. That was about it for amenities Sunday night and Monday. July 10, 2011.

Nobody hurt. Not one, that I've heard of. Remarkable, under the circumstances. July 11, 2011.

These trees were on South 9th, near Ash. July 11, 2011.

Cherry-pickers - lots of activity around town. July 11, 2011.

I don't know if a city crew got that tree trimmed, or if it was someone in the neighborhood. From what I've heard, it wasn't State of Minnesota employees who dragged debris off Highway 71/Main. July 11, 2011.

South Main - folks had been cutting downed trees into manageable chunks. July 11, 2011.

Same thing, another angle. July 11, 2011.

South Main - this light pole had been snapped off. July 11, 2011.

Yes: That's a house, under the tree. July 11, 2011.

Curb damage. July 11, 2011.

Nobody hurt - remarkable. There'd been more to that tree, before I got there with a camera. July 11, 2011.

Quite a few folks were working with front-end loaders. July 11, 2011.

More of the same. July 11, 2011.

That truck had been taller, Sunday afternoon. July 11, 2011.

Repair crew's truck. July 11, 2011.

And news media. July 11, 2011.

I've got more - including quite a few photos of pickups hauling greenery. But this is enough for tonight.

Sauk Centre Storm July 10: No Power, No Internet, No Injuries

2011-07-12T09:46:00.003-05:00

Tuesday, July 12, 2011. A bit after 8:00 p.m., Sunday evening, the lights went out at my house, here in Sauk Centre. That would have been about 8:15 p.m., according to a KARE article. Power was back about 5:20 p.m. - more or less - so we were without power for only about 21 hours.

Folks east of Ash Street had power restored many hours earlier - which is just as well, since that's where Coborn's is. I was there, buying 40 pounds of ice, yesterday - and my wife was back for more, later in the day. Refrigerators and freezers have good insulation these days - but not that good.

Storm, straight line winds rip Sauk Centre (KARE)

Warning Sirens Silenced by Storm in Sauk Centre (KSTP)

A KSTP Television truck was in Sauk Centre yesterday afternoon. KARE may have had a team here, too - they've got two pretty good photos.

So do I, but they were in my camera until power was back, Sunday night: and I had some catching up to do, from those 21 power-free hours.

I'd have written something about this, and gotten it online, yesterday evening - but this house didn't get a data connection (telephone, television and Internet) until somewhere between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. last night: at which point my #2 daughter and son-in-law phoned in, and I did catching up with him until my brain turned to tapioca. At which point I got some needed sleep.

Sauk Centre's missing hundreds of trees, and there's a fair amount of property damage - but as far as I've heard and read there were zero injuries and zero deaths. That's incredibly good news, considering how many trees came down on houses or vehicles.

Those photos I took? I've got them in my computer now - but each takes a little fixing before it's ready to put online, so it'll be later today - at the earliest - before I get those out. I've got a little video, too - but that'll have to wait, too.

Sorry about the delay, getting this written - but things have been a little, ah, interesting here.

Still, as we say in Minnesota: It could be worse.

Independence Day, 2011

2011-07-04T01:35:00.001-05:00

Monday, July 4, 2011.

Crisis Drill, Utility Work, and Independency Day

2011-07-03T11:55:00.018-05:00

Sunday, July 3, 2011. This week started out with lots of sirens going by my home. Sauk Centre's emergency responders had a sort of crisis drill at the athletic field, behind the high school. I didn't time it, but I think they were there for the better part of an hour: starting around 6:00 p.m. or so.

I'll say this - from a distance it looked real. June
27, 2011.

Ambulances were ferrying 'injured' folks out - not as fast as you see in the movies, but this is a (simulated) real-world situation. June 27, 2011.

No, it's not a picnic. June 27, 2011.

Then, on Thursday, a crew came out and pulled up a utility pole on South 9th near Ash. Last week they took out a tree, now a pole: Sooner or later they'll run out of things to pull out or cut down.

Neatly done - one utility pole, pulled up, swung over, and stowed on the truck. June 30, 2011.

Tomorrow's another day. Specifically, it's Independence Day. The Fourth of July. I hope you have a good one.

Now I know what that inflatable flag reminded me of - one of those air mattresses I've seen at beaches. July 3, 2011.

My plans for Independence Day are pretty simple: wake up, and see what happens after that. Have a safe and happy Fourth!

Candles That aren't Candles; Candles With a New Twist, and a '50s Diner

2011-06-26T23:56:00.002-05:00

Sunday, June 26, 2011. Our neighbors, more-or-less across the street north, had a tree removed on Friday. It was one of those that had 'character.' Or wasn't all that healthy. Depends on your point of view. Anyway, South 9th was closed off for part of the morning, and a crew made fairly short work of the towering-but-scraggly thing.

Not as spectacular as making one cut at the base,
and hoping for the best - but a whole lot safer. June 24, 2011.

I finally went to the new Sauk Hop Diner on Main Street - near the corner of Sinclair Lewis Avenue and Main. "The Original Main Street," as it says on the signs. The Sauk Herald did a pretty good article on the Sauk Hop and Golden Star
onJanuary 18, 2011. There isn't much connection between the two places: except that they're not quite across from each other on Main, and fairly new. The Sauk Hop opened in February, and I missed it. Oh, well - better late than never?

The Golden Star, by the way, has a sign in the window saying that they have no connection with the previous owners. Can't say that I blame them for pointing that out, under the circumstances. I wrote about the Golden Star, on June 12, 2011.

Where was I? Main street, eateries, Sauk Hop. Right.

"Sauk Hop?" "Shear Paradise?" Folks are having fun with business names. I like it. June 24, 2011.

Definitely '50s theme inside. Good coffee, too. I haven't had a meal there yet. June 24, 2011.

Quite a bit of the shed we pulled down last weekend is in a dumpster now - and there's still debris left over, so we'll be going back for seconds. My son-in-law and #2 daughter helped cut some of the larger pieces down to size. He's developed a self-filling candle. It's called the Spiral Light Candle - I'm not going to try describing it. There's a time-lapse video of an early version that shows how these things work.

"Spiral Self Filling Candle"

anoasisproduction, YouTube, (March 15, 2011)
video, 0:42

I've reduced the video's size, to fit this page - follow the link, and you should see the original at YouTube.

If you think I'm proud of my son-in-law's new spin on candles: you're right. They're available in a few states now, including Minnesota. Provided you go to Marc'ette Floral, on Main and South 6th, or Hidden Treasure downtown. I wrote about Hidden Treasure last year, December 2, 2010, and was back last Friday.

Those large candles in the center are the Spiral Light ones. Hidden Treasure has another new wrinkle in candles, too. June 24, 2011.

Those three candles are - not candles. C batteries run a little LED that flickers a whole lot like a 'real' candle. Another technology that I hadn't seen before. June 24, 2011.

There's more - but it's late, and I need to call it a day.

Father's Day - Or - "I Thought ... I Could Just Push It Over"

2011-06-19T23:31:00.003-05:00

Sunday, June 19, 2011. Father's Day. Some plans I had this week got rained out: and then there was that tornado watch Friday night - and part of Saturday morning. Not much happened, happily, apart from some serious lightning, thunder, and rain. Can't say I'm disappointed at that.

This weekend, some of my in-laws came over to help my wife take down an old shed in the back yard. It's been useful for storage, but also is where my wife wants a garden. I think that's it.

Anyway, it's been leaning over for the quarter-century or so we've been here, and we figured it would be a simple matter of applying pressure, and making sure nobody was in the way when it went down. Here's how the project went, starting about 11:15 Saturday morning:

The job looked simple enough: pull down one old shed. June 18, 2011.

One end of a chain to a 4x4, the other looped around a stud on the back wall. One steady pull, and the whole thing should go down. June 18, 2011.

If you look carefully, you'll see the two strips of siding that came off: although they're partly hidden by the lilac. June 18, 2011.

It was around this point that my wife said, "I thought you said I could just push it over."

I gather that the chain had cut right through one of the studs. Result: one cut stud, about two feet pulled off one strip of siding, and another yard of siding gone from the strip below that.

Now we're getting serious: that chain's secured to a corner post - - -

- - - and the shed's still standing. June 18, 2011.

South wall gone, plus half the east wall and most of the west one. And - yes, the shed is still standing. June 18, 2011.

Here we go again, cutting through more supports. June 18, 2011.

Pulling another corner post out - and not much else moved. June 18, 2011.

Not long after this, there wasn't much left holding up the roof. And, finally, the shed finally was down. Pretty much. June 18, 2011.

The shed finally went down about 35 minutes after the first two strips of siding came off. The next step is hauling it away, a few pieces at a time.

The other big deal for me also has more to do with the Gill household than Sauk Centre as a whole. The freezer we bought a quarter-century back, more or less, stopped working today. (Father's Day - and the Freezer Gave Up, Through One Dad's Eye (June 19, 2011))

I've got checking out the new eatery at Sinclair Lewis and Main high on my 'to do' list for next week - we'll see how that comes out.

Hummingbird Feeder, a Look at Downtown, and Golden Star's Open

2011-06-12T20:09:00.003-05:00

Sunday, June 12, 2011. I got around to putting the hummingbird feeder up today: a bit late, but we had a cool spring this year.

I was downtown, yesterday afternoon, mostly to take few photos. ("The Original") Main Street doesn't look all that different than it did last year - apart from a new eatery at the corner of Sinclair Lewis and Main. There are changes, though. Heartland Gallery offers a laser engraving service now - I didn't ask when they started doing that.

Heartland Gallery's new(ish) service. June 11, 2011.

Main Street ("The Original") west side. June 11, 2011.

Across the street, Gold 'N More has a going-out-of-business sale. They've been a downtown feature for quite a few years. I'm sorry to see the gifts-and-stuff store close. I've mentioned Gold 'N More before: April 3, 2004, November 14, 2003, October 16, 2003, October 5, 2003, September 19, 2003.

On a happier note, Sauk Centre has a Chinese restaurant again: Golden Star: "Take Out or Dine In," as the sign says. I understand the place has new owners as well as a new name.

This is at least the third Chinese (or Chinese/Mexican) restaurant at that location. Watching their efforts has been an interesting ride, so far. I've written about that on June 22, May 16, and April 4, 2008. There was another Chinese restaurant in the same location: June 24, 2007. More recently, I've mentioned Andy's Wok in the Sauk Centre Journal Blog:

"Chinese Restaurant: New Owner Coming"
(January 12, 2011)
"Moonrise, Freezing Rain, and a Chinese Restaurant"
(November 21, 2010)
"Andy's Wok License Revoked, Buildings in Transition"
(September 1, 2010)
"Andy's Wok in the News, and the Stearns County Fair"
(August 1, 2010)
"Beautiful Weather, Trouble at Andy's Wok, Fireworks"
(June 30, 2010)

I don't generally keep track of one business like that - but the Chinese restaurants have been a colorful part of downtown Sauk Centre, and I'd like to see this one succeed.

Gold 'N More: They've been around for a while. June 11, 2011.

Golden Star: New owners, I understand, and new name. June 11, 2011.

Golden Star's heads-up to my parish. June 12, 2011.

So far, the new owners seem to be a great deal more on-the-ball than previous ones: at least as when it comes to letting folks know that their Golden Star is open and ready for business.

It's a beautiful evening: There's still time to sit outside and enjoy it, which is what I'm going to do now.

Summer, Finally: Also Lilacs, Whirling Seeds, and a Portable Fire Pit

2011-06-05T21:32:00.001-05:00

Sunday, June 5, 2011. Weather and the calendar are finally on the same page. It feels like summer, and has for several days.

Lilacs: I like the way they look. I understand the odor isn't everybody's favorite. Still - they're pretty. May 28, 2011.

This belongs with last week's post - 'better late than never?' Our Lady of Angels church, Memorial weekend's Sunday. May 29, 2011.

Maple (I think) seed - fun to watch. June 5, 2011.

I'm no expert, but I think that's a maple seed. They're ripe - and fun to watch as they whirl through the air. I ran into an interesting article and video about the science behind the seeds. Dandelions have been in bloom, too - colorful, and it's fun to blow seeds off the ripe heads. I think so, anyway. The things are also weeds, since they grow like, well: weeds.

Wildflower, or weed - depends partly on where they are. June 5, 2011.

A sort of raised fire pit. June 5, 2011.

My wife and #3 daughter went to a Soo Bahk Do tournament in St. Cloud today, so I walked to church this morning. On the way back, I noticed something I don't remember seeing before: a sort of raised fire pit that somebody's obviously been using to have a sort of 'sitting around the campfire' experience in their front yard. Neat!

Finally, Amy Poepping & Family, and Nick Lahr have made a music CD, Perfect Love. I understand it was recorded on Wednesday of this week - and isn't out yet. Proceeds will go to St. Paul's Church - the next parish over from Our Lady of Angles, where I go. That's an interesting variation on the usual 'bake sale' fundraiser.

Tornado Watch, Storms Coming, Wilmar NOAA Station Down

2011-05-30T22:56:00.004-05:00

I'm staying up later than usual tonight. There's a tornado warning on for this area until 2:00 a.m.

Folks in the Willmar area, about 45 miles south of here, seem to be missing a NOAA Weather Radio station. I read this a few minutes ago, online:

"Statement as of 9:34 PM CDT on May 30, 2011

"... The Willmar NOAA Weather Radio station is not transmitting...

"A local citizen alerted the National Weather Service of possible problems earlier this evening. After confirmation that information was being sent to the radio... but was not distributed from the transmitter... mndot sent a technician to the site to evaluate the problem. The technician suspects that the tower was struck by lightning as several components have melted. Parts will be ordered on Tuesday but it may take several days for the transmitter to be fixed.

"Those individuals that use the Willmar transmitter as their primary transmitter are encouraged to try the St cloud transmitter... the Olivia transmitter... the Appleton transmitter or the Kensington transmitter as alternates to receive weather and warning information. Another option is to refer to the NWS Twin Cities web Page at www.Crh.NOAA.Gov/mpx
(Sauk Centre weather, Wunderground.com)

Here's what radar for this area looked like at 10:44 p.m., about 10 minutes ago:

Trees here in Sauk Centre are thrashing around a bit, but the storm hasn't quite arrived yet.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

2011-05-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

Sunday, May 29, 2011. It's the midpoint of Memorial Day weekend. I'm taking it easy this weekend, in sharp contrast to the folks in Charlie Company. Here's an excerpt from the Sauk Centre Herald's website:

"The community of Sauk Centre said goodbye, for the next 12 months anyway, to the 131 soldiers in Charlie Company on Wednesday, May 25, at the VictriVillage Campus as the unit prepares for their 12-month mission in Kuwait.

" 'We will deploy to write the final chapter of the Iraq war,' said Lieutenant Colonel Brian Melton, commander of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor (1-194 CAB). He addressed the friends and family who gathered to support the troops that afternoon...."
(Sauk Centre Herald (Friday, May 27, 2011))

There's quite a lot more at the Herald website (saukherald.com) about Charlie Company, and their sendoff. Including photos.

Our Lady of the Angels church had a special collection for tornado relief this weekend. Weather around here has been, thankfully, much less interesting.

I plan to be back, before next Sunday, with a photo or two: but we'll see what actually happens.

Mostly Photos, and a Bank Clock That's Not There

2011-05-22T23:19:00.003-05:00

Sunday, May 22, 2011. I'm mostly doing 'catch up' today, with some photos that could have gone with earlier entries - but didn't.

Most yard sale items go for a whole lot less than this. May 15, 2011.

Blue sky. Sunshine. Lilac flower that aren't quite out yet. May 15, 2011.

Just before the last season's last high school band concert. May 16, 2011.

These are the 'band concert' photos I mentioned last week. The auditorium wasn't 'standing room only,' but there weren't many empty seats, either.

Sauk Centre High school band concert. May 16, 2011.

Photos of a band concert miss something important, of course: the music. May 16, 2011.

My #1 daughter and I went to the afternoon showing of Thor at Mainstreet Theatre today. Good movie, by the way: in my opinion. Crossing the corner of Sinclair Lewis Avenue and Main, I noticed that the First National Bank clock looked odd.

First National Bank clock: or, rather, where the clock has been. May 22, 2011.

Taking a closer look, I noticed - there was no clock in the bank sign. No wonder it looked different. Why the clock isn't there, I don't know. As I said last month, I gotta get out more.

Another Beautiful Day: Or, Not Much to Say

2011-05-16T21:52:00.002-05:00

Monday, May 16, 2011. Another beautiful day. I've been distracted by the clear blue sky, and a few tasks around the house.

Then, this evening, I went to the last band concert of the school year. I might even have a photo or two for Sunday's entry. Or, not. We'll see how that turns out. Folks filled the auditorium, someone at the back was making a video of the concert, and they were out of programs by the time I arrived. I enjoyed the music, anyway.

Besides: It's not all that easy to read in the dark.

What a Beautiful Day!

2011-05-15T22:56:00.001-05:00

Sunday, May 15, 2011. What a beautiful day! Blue sky, mild temperatures, and too early in the season for mosquitoes. Neighbors across the street had a yard sale this weekend, folks farther down the street have a boat for sale.

I grilled burgers around noon, and relaxed for the rest of the day.

I'll get around to writing something tomorrow.

That's the plan, anyway.

Mother's Day, 2011

2011-05-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday, May 8, 2011. Mother's Day. The week before this one, we had the usual 'Minnesota sampler' variety of weather: dreary rain, relentlessly cheerful skies, and just about everything between.

Thursday afternoon rain, last week. April 27, 2011.

Friday afternoon lilac bud, last week. by. April 28, 2011.

Right - I almost forgot the blooming trees and all that. Springtime in Minnesota. Which is the time of year when the local Knights of Columbus council does our annual 'Tootsie Roll drive,' for places like Camphill Village. I don't know the latest 'correct' term for folks who have (developmental disabilities???).

Which didn't keep me from putting in time at Coborn's, a week ago last Friday. Some of the other fellows handed out Tootsie Rolls at Mass in several churches around here, that weekend. (A tip of the hat to Coborn's in Sauk Centre, for letting us stand there.)

Charity fundraiser at Coborn's: the K. of C. 'Tootsie Roll drive.' April 29, 2011.

Today had it all: gray skies with dreary rain; and bright blue cheerfulness.

Before Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. May 8, 2011.

During Mass at Our Lady of the Angels church. May 8, 2011.

We said a series of prayers for mothers this morning at Our Lady of the Angels church. Since one of my daughters and son-in-law were here for the weekend, I got my first look at Gerard's meeting hall, behind the restaurant. I'd known it was there - but hadn't realized how large it was.

Gerard's meeting room, Mother's Day. May 8, 2011.

There's more - there always seems to be more - but it's getting late, and this will do for this week.

Earthquake in Alexandria, Just Down the Road

2011-05-01T22:55:00.000-05:00

Sunday, May 1, 2011. Divine Mercy Sunday. A few snowflakes were coming down this morning when the family went to church this morning. As I've said before, springtime in Minnesota is - different.

My oldest daughter came to visit this weekend, arriving Friday afternoon. As usual, she brought her cat, Twitches, with her. Twitches earned her name - and was even more 'twitchy' and nervous Friday afternoon.

Probably for good reason: #1 daughter told me that she'd heard the early-morning earthquake in Alexandria that morning.

Normally, I'd be writing more about Sauk Centre: but this week I'm concentrating on excerpts from the news about that earthquake:

"Earthquake Hits Alexandria, MN; Very Unlikely in Duluth"
Jacob Kittilstad & photojournalist Jeff Ernewein, FOX 21 News (Duluth, Minnesota) (April 29, 2011)

"Early Friday morning in Alexandria, Minnesota, neighbors had a shakey awakening.

"An earthquake rattled part of the city causing no injuries but leaving some Minnesotans wondering if it could happen anywhere else.

" 'I have never heard of an earthquake happening in the Midwest,' one Duluth woman said leaving the grocery store.

" 'Yeah, it would be weird.'

"But, at 2:30 a.m. it happened the U.S. Geological Survey said. The magnitude reading was a 2.5 in Alexandria where worried phone calls poured into authorities...."
"Minor quake shakes western Minnesota"
U.S. News, UPI (April 29. 2011)

"A minor earthquake rattled western Minnesota early Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

"The quake measured 2.5 on the Richter scale, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The epicenter appeared to be on the edge of the town of Alexandria, near the airport.

"John Bellini, a geophysicist with the survey, said about 20 people reported feeling the quake. There were no reports of damage...."
"Earthquakes happened in region in 1975, 1993"
Echo Press (Alexandria, Minnesota) (April 29, 2011)

"Keith Brugger, a Professor of Geology at the University of Minnesota, Morris, said he hadn't yet reviewed any information regarding Friday's quake, but added that it probably was an event on the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone.

"West Central Minnesota sits on a 'suture,' or boundary, of the GLTZ. About 2.5 billion years ago, rocks of the Minnesota River Valley, which are 3.5 billion years old, collided with the slightly younger volcanic mass represented by granites and 'greenstones,' Brugger said.

" 'That event happened so long ago and we're still living with its legacy,' Brugger said.

"The greenstones were volcanic island arcs -- such as Japan and the Philippines -- that previously collided and contributed to the formation of North America, Brugger stated...."
"Magnitude 2.5 Earthquake Strikes Near Alexandria, Minn."
myFOX9.com (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) (April 29, 2011)

"A rare earthquake struck western Minnesota early Friday, rattling ceiling tiles and prompting a few curious callers to phone 911 but going largely unnoticed by most of the sleeping public, authorities said.

"The quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said was magnitude-2.5, struck at 2:20 a.m. and was felt mostly in the Alexandria area.

"Sgt. Tom Egan of the Douglas County sheriff's office said staff at the county's 911 center felt it and took 25 to 30 calls from the public, mostly from people who were just curious. By contrast, he said, county dispatchers typically get hundreds of calls during severe thunderstorms.

"Callers reported some noise and minor movement, including "ceiling tiles bouncing just a touch," Egan said. But he said nobody reported any damage or anyone hurt. Relatively few people in the largely rural area would have been awake at the time, he said.

"He said the department was referring callers to the USGS web site for further information.

"Minnesota gets a 'feelable' earthquake every five to 10 years on average, though that can vary a lot -- and more often than not, they're in west-central Minnesota, said Val Chandler, a geophysicist with the Minnesota Geological Survey...."

Easter, 2011; and School Budget Decisions

2011-04-24T22:21:00.002-05:00

Sunday, April 24, 2011. Easter Sunday. It's been one of those spring days that live up to the season's 'flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la' reputation: clear blue sky, not all that cool, and enough breeze to keep smoke out of my eyes when I grilled burgers this noon.

Palm Sunday in Our Lady of the Angels church. With - what else? - palms. April 17, 2011.

There's been more greenery in Our Lady of the Angels church, where I go, than any other season - except for Christmas. Palm Sunday's the most spectacular, in its own way, with those palm - leaves? fronds? whatever you call those shrub-size things.

Easter Sunday in Our Lady of the Angels Church: Not so much green, but a whole lot of lilies. April 24, 2011.

This week's Sauk Centre Herald's front page story was "Sauk Centre school board hears more public input on budget cut proposals." I gather that, one way or another, there isn't going to be as much money available for the public school: and none of the options are particularly fun. Aside from state and national economics, I gather that there just aren't as many students in the schools as there were a few years ago.

One of the cost-cutting ideas is to cut some administrative positions. My opinion is that I'm glad I'm not the one having to make the hard decisions. One set of folks or another is going to be displeased, no matter what, I suspect.

Also in the online Herald is a short piece about Main Street Gallery - a new business. I haven't been out for, well, a few weeks: so that's news to me.

Now that it's warming up, I gotta get out more.

April Showers: Minnesota Style

2011-04-17T23:12:00.001-05:00

Sunday, April 17, 2011. I see I missed last week's entry. Sorry about that. Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week - and snow is off the ground. Again.

I'm not complaining: in a way, we're getting spring twice this year. The first week of April was bright, cheery, warm - and saw the street sweeper roaring by, giving the pavement a good scrub and rinse.

A sign of spring in Sauk Centre: the street sweeper roaring by. April 6, 2011.

Then, this week, we got our April showers. Snow showers: rain, frozen stuff, and finally snow.

April showers - Minnesota style. April 16, 2011.

I like living in Minnesota, where our weather isn't the same familiar routine, year after year.

Not Quite a Foot of Snow, and Why I'm Distracted

2011-04-03T23:12:00.001-05:00

Sunday, April 3, 2011. I see in the Sauk Center Herald that we got around eight or 10 inches of snow this week. It looks like more, but that probably has to do with drifting.

The snow won't be around for long. Probably. This is Minnesota, after all: we had no snow in March last year, quite a bit this year, and there was that April 5-April 7, 2008 storm. ("Very Heavy Snow of April 5 - April 7, 2008" (Minnesota Climatology Working Group, State Climatology Office - DNR Division of Ecological and Water Resources University of Minnesota)) Whatever else can be said about Minnesota's climate: it's not boring.

I took some photos of drifts outside my back door that didn't make it into last week's entry. Those are in the Sauk Centre Journal's blog: " 'Spring is Here!' - More Photos," Sauk Centre Journal Blog (March 27, 2011).

That's all for today. I've been a bit distracted: #2 daughter and my son-in-law had a lively time yesterday afternoon, when a car caught fire in their garage.(" 'It was Only a Small Fire'," Through One Dad's Eye (April 2, 2011)) They're okay, and so - thanks to quick thinking, cool heads, and a logging chain - is the house. Still, I've been a bit distracted. Which I wrote before.

Time to stop for the day: goodnight, all!

"Spring is here!" - More Photos

2011-03-27T20:07:00.001-05:00

I had some photos left over at the end of today's post, and thought you might enjoy seeing them:

Minnesota: Spring is drifting in? March 23, 2011.

More springtime, Minnesota style. March 23, 2011.

I couldn't decide which angle was best. March 25, 2011.

It a way, this is my favorite of the set, but you can't see the lawn chair snowman very well. March 25, 2011.

And here's where I cut off the top of the chimney. March 25, 2011.

Back where I started. March 25, 2011.

It was fun, watching people react to that trio as they passed the house. March 25, 2011.

"Spring is here!"

2011-03-27T19:57:00.004-05:00

Sunday, March 27, 2011. Oops. I didn't make an entry last week. Sorry about that! I plan to remember that flu shot, next winter.

Wednesday was a fine day: provided you could stay inside. Wind blew the snow into artistically-sculpted drifts. The snow itself was warm and wet enough to be a tad resistant to anyone trying to shovel it, though. Still, it looked nice.

Ah, to be in Minnesota in the spring. March 23, 2011.

It may have been there for some time, but I noticed a ding in the First State Bank's doorway trim on Friday. How it got there is a good question. Someone going too fast, coming in to park, maybe?

Ding in the First State Bank doorway trim. March 25, 2011.

My wife and #3 daughter got inspired on Friday, and celebrated spring with a snowman trio. One of which is in a lawn chair.

"Spring is here!" That's the spirit! March 25, 2011.

You may find a photo of that in Tuesday's Sauk Centre Herald. We'll see how that goes.

More photos.

Snow's Fallen, Steve Ray's in Sauk Centre, and St. Patrick's Day is Thursday

2011-03-13T23:31:00.001-05:00

Sunday, March 13, 2011. St. Patrick's Day is coming up this week, and last night we went through the 'spring forward' part of Daylight Saving Time. Which Ben Franklin apparently thought would be a great way to save on candle wax:

"Ben Franklin and Daylight Saving Time: Even Homer Nods"
Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 7, 2010)

I experienced something like 'jet lag' this afternoon, but went to the Steve Ray Lenten kickoff this evening. That's not what it's called, though. "Lenten Parish Mission 'Contemplating the Passion & What Christ Has Done for Us' " is what's on one of the fliers.

Sauk Centre High School auditorium this evening, a few minutes before Steve Ray got started. March 13, 2011.

There's something about the Stations of the Cross tomorrow at 3:00 in the afternoon, at Our Lady of the Angels, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 4:00 to 7:00, and something about St. John the apostle from 7:00 to 9:00. It's going to be a different sort of Monday for me.

I've been sharing a cold, or something, with some of the family last week: and am duly grateful that it cleared up by the weekend. For me, anyway. Let's see, what else? We had a winter weather advisory Friday night and Saturday morning, which left an inch or so of heavy, wet snow on the ground.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Good night, and see you again - probably next Sunday.

Burning Last Easter's Palms

2011-03-06T22:50:00.002-06:00

Sunday, March 6, 2011. Ash Wednesday comes next week, the beginning of Lent. We get ashes for that day from last year's Easter palms: and today was the day the palms were burned. Our Lady of the Angels church has been using a wire-mesh burner for a few years now: a big improvement over what we had before.

This year the weather cooperated, with just enough breeze to blow smoke - reliably - in one direction. Last year's 35-mile-an-hour winds, I'm told, made burning the palms something of a track-and-field event: what with chasing down wind-blown palm bits.

Some of last year's palms reduced to ash, loading more in. March 6, 2011.

Those bits on the ground got gathered and burned a few minutes after I took this picture. March 6, 2011.

We got re-introduced to Scrip today, again at Our Lady of the Angels. I've written about it before. (February 17, 2008) Quite a few businesses in town have agreed to pay a percentage of what's bought with a Scrip card to Holy Family School. Sounds like a good idea.

Really brightly-colored poster, illustrating how Scrip works: at Our Lady of the Angels church. The kids at far right had been singing. March 6, 2011.

We've had quite a bit of snow this winter: more came down today. It's picturesque, and easier on the lungs than open winters where wind-blown dust turns the sky a tannish brown.

On the other hand, all that snow can be an inconvenience. Or worse. The roof of Wagner Hardware, over in Glenwood, collapsed back on February 1, if I'm getting the date right. 4:00 p.m., according to the Pope County Press. They've got an article about the collapse that starts with:

"It's a miracle of God that Dave (Guindon) and Sam (Martin) weren't skewered by broken wood timbers," said Garrett Wagner, who owns and operates Wagner Hardware in Glenwood.

"There were five Wagner Hardware employees in the building when the west side of the store's roof came crashing down at about 4 p.m. last Tuesday...."
(Tim Douglass, pctribune.com (February
7, 2011))

The Wagner Hardware roof collapse reminded me of when the Pamida store roof caved in, quite a few years ago now. Nobody hurt then, either. I've heard that Wagner plans to rebuild, starting this summer.

Like I said, we got more snow today: a nice, gentle, steady snowfall throughout most of the day. Nice to look at, from inside: and enough to keep me away from the grill. I've been out grilling burgers in much worse: but I'm getting over some sort of bug, and decided to be smart. Actually, my wife pointed out the prudent choice.

Finally, Our Lady of the Angels' Lenten Parish Mission with Steve Ray: starts a week from today, March 13th. The Sunday thing starts 6:45 p.m. at the Sauk Centre High School auditorium, I understand - then there's another session Monday at Our Lady of the Angels Church. I wrote about the mission and Steve Ray last week. Well, I mentioned it anyway.

Charlie Company Being Deployed

2011-02-27T22:49:00.001-06:00

Sunday, February 27, 2011. I took advantage of today's warmer weather - comparatively warmer, that it - and grilled burgers this noon. What with one thing and another, it's been a while since I've done that.

The big deal that I know about at the moment is Our Lady of the Angels' Lenten Parish Mission with Steve Ray: that's March 13th and 14th, a Sunday and Monday. The Sunday thing is at the Sauk Centre High School auditorium. I'll probably be writing more about that: but not just now.

I am determined to get a flu shot next season: I didn't this year, and that may be part of why I've been sincerely off my feed for so long.

I see in the paper that Charlie Company will be deployed (again) May 27. They tell about Beyond the Yellow Ribbon - a program that encourages folks in the community to help families of deployed soldiers. 'They' being the Sauk Herald, that is.
Then there's Snow Week Royalty at Sauk Centre public schools: Maren Greenwaldt and Dillon Dean.

It's late, and I'm determined to get a good night's sleep: so, goodnight!

Winter Storm, and an Open Door

2011-02-21T16:53:00.000-06:00

Monday, February 21, 2011. I still 'only know what's in the papers.' Mostly the Sauk Centre Herald, plus a few major news websites. The 'cattle rustlers' I mentioned, back in December, are in the news again. Like I said then, I think it's great when young people show initiative and try to start a business. But stealing cattle isn't a smart way to start a dairy operation. By all that's sane, how did they expect to account for those calves?

Moving along.

One of the things I like - a lot - about living here is that quite a few folks care about something besides money. Don't get me wrong: I don't think there's anything wrong with money. For one thing, it helps pay the heating bill. What brought that to mind was something else in the paper.

Looks like some of the state legislators want to have Minnesota liquor stores open on Sunday. In a way, I can see their point: There's a little tax revenue going to other states in border cities. Then there's the owner of Westside Liquor, here in Sauk Centre. Darin Thompson says he doesn't want to be open Sunday. He said "It's the one day our staff can spend time with their families" in a February 15 Herald article.

Like I said, I like living here. A lot.

Maybe not having to go outside today helped.

The phone rang this morning - maybe around 6:00 - letting us know that the Sauk Centre schools weren't opening today. Smart move, considering how much snow was coming down. It was a pretty sight, and not much of a problem for traffic. Here in town: thanks in large part to the street crews coming by with plows at intervals.

I found a report of snowfall amounts, and put some of the information on the Sauk Centre Journal Blog.

Yesterday, around 5:00 p.m., one of my kids noticed that a neighbor's front door was open. With nobody in sight. That got my attention: mid-February during a central Minnesota storm is no time to let the front door stay open. A little later the door was closed again.

Does checking back on that open door make me a nosy neighbor? Maybe. But if the door of our house stays open for no apparent reason: I hope our neighbors are just as "nosy."

As I've said before: Living in a small town doesn't give a person much "privacy." Not if "privacy" is taken to mean living among folks who don't know you, and don't care what happens to you. Again: I like living here. A lot.

February 20-21 Winter Storm: Lots of Snow in Minnesota

2011-02-21T16:36:00.000-06:00

We had quite a storm, yesterday evening and today. I'll be discussing it a little later, but right now - here's an excerpt from a weather report.

Generally, I like to link to resources, and just have a summary here. Since not all websites do a good job of keeping their data: I'm taking an excerpt from wunderground.com's report on snowfall amounts.

That cryptic "St County time" thing almost certainly refers to Stearns County, Minnesota.

Looks like Alexandria, about 20 miles up the road, got 6 inches. Since Albany, in the other direction and on the way to St. Cloud from here, got 8 inches and St. Cloud got 6.2, 7.1, 6.2, and 5.9 inches - depending on when and where the snow was measured - I'd say that we got less than a foot of snow here in Sauk Centre.

Or maybe more than a foot. It looks a bit deeper in spots here - but snow drifts, and we've had some wind.

Anyway, here's part of that report:

"Warnings for Stearns, Minnesota : Weather Underground"
wunderground.com (February 21, 2011)

Snowfall totals from the February 20th-21st storm system...

Snow reports listed by amount

inches location St County time
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
19.00 Madison MN Lac Qui Parle 0936 am
17.00 NW Eden Prairie MN Hennepin 1030 PM
16.70 Bloomington MN Hennepin 0203 PM
16.30 SSW Montevideo MN Chippewa 0700 am
16.00 Bloomington MN Hennepin 0713 am
15.00 3 SSW Burnsville MN Dakota 0845 am
15.00 Springfield MN Brown 0840 am
14.00 Menomonie WI Dunn 1210 PM
14.00 Menomonie WI Dunn 1101 am
14.00 Woodbury MN Washington 0800 am
13.50 Maplewood MN Ramsey 1210 PM
13.30 Menomonie WI Dunn 0729 am
13.30 St Paul MN Ramsey 0610 am
Highland Park area of St Paul
13.00 Granite Falls MN Chippewa 1013 am
13.00 Richfield MN Hennepin 1000 am
12.90 3 WNW Rice MN Stearns 0700 am
12.70 Edina MN Hennepin 0203 PM
12.50 Minneapolis MN Hennepin 1210 PM - measured at Minneapolis international Airport.
12.50 ENE St Paul MN Ramsey 0530 am
12.40 Roberts WI St. Croix 0800 am
12.30 5 SW St Paul MN Ramsey 0845 am
12.30 Minneapolis MN Hennepin 0600 am - storm total measured at the Minneapolis/St Paul international Airport.
12.00 Inver Grove Heights MN Dakota 0803 am
12.00 Lake Elmo MN Washington 0800 am
12.00 3 N Bloomer WI Chippewa 0730 am
12.00 Baldwin WI St. Croix 0700 am
12.00 Credit River MN Scott 0553 am
11.70 Chanhassen MN Carver 1210 PM - measured at National Weather Service office.
11.60 Jordan MN Scott 0710 am
11.50 2 W Prior Lake MN Scott 0800 am
11.50 Milroy MN Redwood 0700 am
11.20 Chanhassen MN Carver 0600 am - storm total measured at the NWS office.
11.00 Morgan MN Redwood 0702 am
11.00 Red Wing MN Goodhue 0701 am
10.60 Minnetonka MN Hennepin 0803 am
10.50 Woodbury MN Washington 0805 am
10.50 Elk Mound WI Dunn 0600 am
10.30 Coon Rapids MN Anoka 0529 am
10.20 Minnetonka MN Hennepin 0539 am
10.00 Madelia MN Watonwan 1245 PM
10.00 Brownton MN McLeod 1210 PM
10.00 Comfrey MN Brown 1210 PM
10.00 Mankato MN Blue Earth 1013 am
10.00 NW Gilman MN Benton 0828 am
10.00 Redwood Falls MN Redwood 0805 am
10.00 Isanti MN Isanti 0626 am
10.00 Hastings MN Dakota 0600 am
10.00 Osceola WI Polk 0600 am
9.70 Waconia MN Carver 0803 am
9.70 North Mankato MN Nicollet 0700 am
9.60 Blaine MN Anoka 1100 am
9.00 Hutchinson MN McLeod 1145 am
9.00 Glenwood MN Pope 0815 am
9.00 Barron WI Barron 0728 am
9.00 3 ENE Montgomery MN Rice 0700 am
9.00 Lonsdale MN Rice 0600 am
8.60 New Hope MN Hennepin 0658 am
8.60 7 S Hillman MN Morrison 0653 am
8.60 9 NNE Bird Island MN Renville 0630 am
8.50 Rush City MN Chisago 0815 am
8.10 Bowlus MN Morrison 0829 am
8.00 Clayton WI Polk 1101 am
8.00 3 se New Ulm MN Brown 0800 am
8.00 Owatonna MN Steele 0800 am
8.00 2 S St Francis MN Anoka 0731 am
8.00 Durand WI Pepin 0730 am
8.00 Milaca MN Mille Lacs 0730 am
8.00 Rice Lake WI Barron 0725 am
8.00 Faribault MN Rice 0700 am
8.00 Albany MN Stearns 0700 am
8.00 Sauk Rapids MN Benton 0613 am
8.00 Andover MN Anoka 0600 am
8.00 Litchfield MN Meeker 0600 am
8.00 Carlos MN Douglas 0552 am
7.60 Rice MN Benton 0700 am
7.50 Monticello MN Wright 1100 am
7.50 1 NNW Cold Spring MN Stearns 0600 am
7.50 Forest Lake MN Washington 0554 am
7.20 Jim Falls WI Chippewa 0610 am
7.10 St cloud MN Stearns 1210 PM - measured at the prison.
7.10 Stanley WI Chippewa 0936 am
7.00 Rockford MN Hennepin 0203 PM - water equivalent 0.65 inches.
6.50 Cambridge MN Isanti 0743 am
6.50 Little Falls MN Morrison 0600 am
6.20 St cloud MN Stearns 0530 am
6.00 Onamia MN Mille Lacs 1117 am
6.00 North Branch MN Chisago 0936 am - 0.46 inches of liquid.
6.00 13 N Alexandria MN Douglas 0936 am - occurred in Leaf Valley.
6.00 3 WSW Princeton MN Sherburne 0630 am
6.00 Red Wing MN Goodhue 0600 am
5.90 St cloud MN Stearns 0600 am
5.80 E Owatonna MN Steele 0630 am
4.00 Kimball MN Stearns 0600 am
3.50 Long Prairie MN Todd 0600 am
2.00 Fairmont MN Martin 0700 am

Winter Storm, Schools Closed Today

2011-02-21T08:34:00.001-06:00

The telephone rang at some unearthly hour of the morning today. Happily, my wife collected her wits faster than I did - didn't take much - and picked up the receiver.

It was a recorded message. School's out today.

Right now, around 8:25 a.m., big fluffy flakes are falling. Lots of them. Sometimes they're getting blown around, sometimes not. Here in town the driving's not so bad: thanks in large part to the plows that have been going by at intervals since the storm started.

And, despite looking like a picture postcard, this is a "winter storm." According to Wunderground.com, there's 5.9 more inches of snow in St. Cloud (as of 6:00 a.m.), about eight inches in Albany (7:00 a.m.), and four in Kimball (6:00 a.m. again).

And a record's been set, although not in Minnesota: "... Record daily maximum snowfall set at Eau Claire WI...

a record snowfall of 9.5 inches was set at Eau Claire WI yesterday.
This breaks the old record of 5.5 inches set in 1937."
(Wunderground.com)

I'm impressed: The Sauk Centre schools didn't even pull the kids in, possibly to get a 'day of school' on the books. That's smart, in my opinion. Also common-sense safety.

And now, a plug for my webcam, streaming video of Sauk Centre at the corner of Ash and South 9th, displayed at Small Town America: Minnesota.

About yesterday's entry? I didn't get it written. I'm hoping to do so today.

Lovely Spring-Like Weather, and an Explosion on a Pig Farm

2011-02-13T22:25:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 13, 2011. It's been a beautiful weekend: apart from
an energetic wind that's whooshing by at intervals. There's a wind advisory out, according to wunderground.com: we're supposed to have winds "sustained between 25 and 35 mph with gusts around 50 mph" until about six in the morning.

It felt like spring when I was at Mass this morning. Above freezing by several degrees, and it's mid-February.

I've had the flu - or something very much like that. Whatever it is, it seems to be popular. The nursing home, I hear, is asking folks to stay away: and if they come, to be really careful.

It's like the fellow said: 'I only know what's in the papers.' Specifically, the Sauk Centre Herald. Hog farming is an important part of the economy around here - like the farms Paul Fiedler owns.

The good news is that it doesn't look like anybody got hurt.

The bad news is that one of Mr. Fiedler's maintenance buildings exploded - some pieces hit a quarter mile away. Between that, and the fire that came after, around 4,800 hogs had to be moved in a hurry.

One more thing: Tomorrow's Valentine's Day. I got something for my wife: but don't be too impressed. One of my daughters picked it out for me.

Sauk Centre Herald and Dr. Freese

2011-01-23T23:50:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 23, 2011. It's above zero this evening, which is practically tropical compared to the last few days.

Talking with someone at the Sauk Centre herald today, I learned that the Herald owns the Melrose Beacon now. A little more checking, and I found the article I'd missed:

"Sauk Centre partners purchase Beacon, Enterprise"
Dave Simpkins, Sauk Centre Herald (December 28, 2010)

Actually, it's Star Publications of Sauk Centre that bought the Stearns Morrison Enterprise and Melrose Beacon from American Community Newspapers II, ACN, of Plano, Texas. Star Publications of Sauk Centre is what happened, I gather, when the Sauk Centre Herald and Dairy Star merged: and Carol Moorman has gone from being the Herald feature editor to the editor of the Beacon. If you want more, you'll have to check out that article.

I don't want to seem too cocky, but Sauk Centre's doing okay when it comes to its local newspaper. Then there's Main Street Theatre, downtown. I think they're at a half-dozen screens now, with 3D projection equipment for at least one of them.

Not bad for a town of about 4,000.

Dr. Freese has a new diagnostic gadget at Eyes on Main now: a two-laser scanner that gave him a pretty good look inside my eyes - and records the images for future reference. It doesn't replace the older up-close inspection, but that visual record could be really good to have, in case I do develop some sort of eye issue later.

Apart from the industrial-strength prescriptions I use now to see past about 18 inches, that is.

There's more, but it's getting late and I've got a few chores to get finished.

Glittering Snow, Soo Bahk Do Tournament

2011-01-17T01:47:00.001-06:00

Sunday, January 16, 2011. Sauk Centre's snow cover has been getting touched up fairly often, so we've still got a sparkling-white blanket. It's the light, fluffy variety, happily, so I didn't have much trouble yesterday, clearing a space to stand on while grilling burgers yesterday.

Grill outside in winter? Sure: Why not?. January 15, 2011.

I spent most of today in St. Cloud, taking pictures at the Soo Bahk Do tournament there. And giving my wife and #3 daughter a ride there and back. They were with the Sauk Centre Soo Bahk Do class.

Folks from Sauk Centre's Soo Bahk Do class doing a
group form. January 16, 2011.

That photo is of folks from Sauk Centre doing a group form, or pre-determined sequence of motions.

Chinese Restaurant: New Owner Coming

2011-01-12T23:56:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, January 12, 2011. There seems to be some sort of bug going around Sauk Centre: which would explain the way I've been feeling lately. Fr. Statz, at Our Lady of the Angels, has had it, and now it's Fr. Todd's turn, at St. Paul's. For want of a better word, I've been calling it the flu.

Looks like we'll have another Chinese restaurant in town. There's a sign in the window, saying:

"Coming Soon
Chinese Restaurant
NEW OWNER"

Andy's Wok & Andy's Taco, downtown. January 11, 2011.

Opening with new owners, the sign says. January 11, 2011.

I've written about Andy's Wok in the Sauk Centre Journal Blog, where these posts are repeated:

"Moonrise, Freezing Rain, and a Chinese Restaurant"
(November 21, 2010)
"Andy's Wok License Revoked, Buildings in Transition"
(September 1, 2010)
"Andy's Wok in the News, and the Stearns County Fair"
(August 1, 2010)
"Beautiful Weather, Trouble at Andy's Wok, Fireworks"
(June 30, 2010)

There's more, here on the Brendan's Island website: June 22 and May 16, April 4, 2008. There was another Chinese restaurant in the same location: June 24, 2007.

As I recall, Andy's Wok had its share of customers: I hope the same folks are ready to welcome the new Chinese eatery.

Accident

2011-01-10T18:32:00.000-06:00

Around 6:00 p.m. we heard what we thought was a car door being slammed very hard. Later I saw two police cars parked, with flashers on; and two other cars also parked rather close to each other in the intersection here at Ash and South 9th. An ambulance showed up - out of an abundance of caution, I hope, and a wrecker. The ambulance is gone now, at 6:30 p.m., and the wrecker is in the process of loading one of the cars onto its bed. The other drove off earlier.

I sincerely hope nobody was badly hurt.

Last Sunday in Christmas: Next Stop, Valentine's Day

2011-01-09T23:33:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 9, 2011. Cold, over a foot of snow on the ground, and more in the forecast. I don't mind a bit. This is a lot better than an open winter. Besides, the snow's quite photogenic.

My household's settling back into a normal routine after the holidays. Twitches, #1 daughter's kitten, was here for an extended visit - #1 daughter, too, of course.

Twitches the kitten, and wrapping paper. January 3, 2011.

And that gave me an excuse to put a photo of a kitten under wrapping paper in this entry.

Like many other houses in town, we've got an assortment of icicles hanging from the eaves. They're not doing the roof any particular good: but they are picturesque. One, by our kitchen window, had melted near its base until the icicle was hanging by a very long, narrow, strand.

Icicle hanging by a thread-thin bit of ice. January 3, 2011.

The city crews have been keeping streets clear, for which I'm duly grateful. I drove around the southwest part of Sauk Centre this week, something I haven't done for a while.

There's nothing quite like a moose head over the door. January 6, 2011.

Ding Dong Cafe: a Sauk Centre Landmark. January 6, 2011.

We wound up the Christmas season at Our Lady of the Angels church today: which brings me more-or-less up to date.

Last Sunday in the Christmas season, Our Lady of the Angels church. January 9, 2011.

If I don't have something to write Wednesday, I'll see you in a week.

Good Grief! It's Sunday Already

2011-01-02T22:48:00.003-06:00

Sunday, January 2, 2011. Happy New Year!

It will take me a while to get used to writing "2011," but judging from previous experience, I'll get the hang of it. I see that I missed Wednesday's entry: and from the looks of it, will nearly miss today's, too. The holiday season struck with unusual severity this year, and I haven't been as organized as I'd like to be.
That's my story, and I sticking with it.

As to how Sauk Centre is doing? The street crews have been taking snow off and putting sand on the streets, there's what looks like a new sign going up at the professional building at South 4th and Main, and there's no doubt about it: we had a white Christmas.

Sunday: The Day After Christmas

2010-12-26T23:54:00.002-06:00

Sunday, December 26, 2010. Today isn't Christmas. That was yesterday. That profound observation is my follow-up on the last sentence in Wednesday's entry: "Christmas is this Sunday!"

It's been that sort of a week. The Christmas Eve service at Our Lady of the Angels church was a little unusual this year: the music included a drum, in Gaudete. Folks from Kenya had given our parish the drum, when they visited here earlier this year: and this was our first opportunity to use it. (More, including photos, in "Watches, Time, and Ugali," A Catholic Citizen in America (September 20, 2010))

Marian garden at Our Lady of the Angels church. December 26, 2010.

I've had a good Christmas weekend, and hope you did, too.

2010-12-22T23:08:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, December 22, 2010. It's almost Christmas. The Sauk Centre Herald online edition has photos of kids singing Christmas songs, there's enough snow on the ground to last until New Year's: and tomorrow's forecast says we're likely to get more.

It's the time of year when folks either pack up and travel to see family, or stay put and let family come to them. I'm making the transition to the latter category. Our #2 daughter, her husband and dog came visiting over the weekend.

I'm still recovering.

We had a great time: but I'm still recovering.

Also in the Herald this week: a nice article about my father-in-law, L. N. Kaas and his new violin repair business.

I was out this afternoon, running some errands and taking photos. I'd show them, but getting them out of the camera and ready to present takes software that's currently on my old computer. Which at this time is a set of bulky door stoppers in the attic. I plan to get my son to put it in working order tomorrow. My son-in-law gave me a new (and improved) computer for Christmas. Wow.

Okay, so I didn't have photos for Sunday, and today. At this rate, it'll be next year before you see them. Which, right now, isn't all that far off. Good grief! Christmas is this Sunday!

Winter Storm, School's Out: at About 1:20 p.m

2010-12-20T13:29:00.001-06:00

The Sauk Centre public schools got the word out at about 1:20 this afternoon: now that the kids are in town, they're closing schools early.

#2 daughter and her husband knew about the winter storm, as of late yesterday, kept an eye on it, and decided to lay over here another 36 hours. As of yesterday, early evening, the warning was effective starting 6:00 a.m. today and running 24 hours.

Anyway: The weather isn't all that bad here at the corner of South 9th and Ash, but I'm glad me and mine don't have to go out today.

The announcement came just in time to keep my son from leaving, for band: an activity he's involved with at the school.

Now, a bit of self-promotion. A window on a Sauk Centre south side neighborhood:

Small Town America: Minnesota
- Sauk Centre, Minnesota, near the corner of Ash Street and South 9th.

One Week Until Christmas

2010-12-20T03:55:00.001-06:00

Sunday, December 19, 2010. I thought I'd be getting out to take a photo of the Gopher Prairie Motel's '1,000 lights' Christmas tree by today. (December 16, 2010) Instead, we've had family visiting, I got sick (nothing serious, and I'm keeping it that way), and: well, it just didn't happen. The Sauk Centre Herald has an article on the Gopher Prairie's tree in this week's paper, "Oh, Christmas tree." I plan to be back with a more complete report by Wednesday.

But then, I planned to get photos of that tree: and you see how that turned out.

Winter, Christmas, Small Town America, and News

2010-12-16T15:21:00.007-06:00

Thursday, December 16, 2010. Tis the season for inflatable snowmen, wreathes on the light poles, and two "Happy Holiday" signs over Main. Also snow,crystal-blue skies, and not-so-clear skies.

Inflatables abound in Sauk Centre's first computer service's yard. December 13, 2010.

Advent is counting down, too, toward Christmas.

Monday: A beautiful, crystal-clear winter's day. December 13, 2010.

Tuesday: also a winter's day. Our Lady of the Angels' not-so-new-anymore heated sidewalks really help, this time of year. December 14, 2010.

This week's Sauk Centre Herald front page reminded me of reasons why I love living here. It's not that this example of small town America is some perfect little care-free haven, where improbably cheerful folks live just the way it was in the 'good old days.'

I remember 'the good old days,' by the way: and they weren't. Which isn't quite another topic.

Sauk Centre Herald: This week's paper, and a recent issue.

The top headline this week is about wind turbines, a wind farm that's planned for this area, and concerns that a couple of folks have about it. It's not the aesthetics of the wind turbines that bothers them: They've heard that the blades make infrasound. That's another invisible thing that may hurt people. Or, not.My guess is that we've got more trouble with the 60-cycle hum generated by the power grid: but I'm not terribly concerned about that, either.

For what it's worth, the National Institutes of Health posted some interestingpapers on infrasound:

Responses of the ear to low frequency sounds, infrasound and wind turbines
Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri (June 16, 2010)
Scientist Challenges the Conventional Wisdom That What You Can’t Hear Won't Hurt You
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, commenting on the June 16, 2010 article)

How much of the concern - and worry - about infrasound is legitimate, and how much is somebody finding a new way to get research grants, I don't know.

It's possible that there is a real problem.

On the other hand, I remember when everything caused cancer. During those particular 'good old days,' we were also warned that some carcinogens caused heart attacks. These dire threats were discussed - quite seriously - in newspapers and magazines, and worked their way into college textbooks.

Some of that, ah, concern was based on reality. Some - well, we've moved on to other terrifying threats.

I don't doubt that some folks won't like living near wind turbines: some of them because they really do feel funny when the things are turning. The abstract of that June, 2010, publication mentions "abnormal states in which the ear becomes hypersensitive to infrasound," and very carefully suggests that some folks might have problems with low-frequency sound from wind turbines. Maybe.

As for "infrasound" as such? It's just a five-dollar word for sound that's so low-pitched that we can't hear it. I'm a little disinclined to be worried about sounds I can't hear: since the same abstract points out that we're bombarded
with infrasound each time our heart beats, when we breath, and when we cough.

Still, it shouldn't hurt for the Missouri university folks to dig a little deeper into how our ears work.

Then there's the front-page article about a Christmas tree with 1,000 lights - but I gotta leave something for Sunday.

A Nice, Quiet Winter Storm

2010-12-13T00:31:00.000-06:00

Sunday, December 12, 2010. Compared to what happened in Minneapolis today, we've had an uneventful weekend here in Sauk Centre. I collected some news about the storm in one of my blogs - "Dome's Down: Next Stop, East Coast." Including a video of the Metrodome collapse. Happily, nobody got hurt.

Most of the snow is south of us. My family was still affected, though, indirectly: a Soo Bahk Do tournament in St. Cloud was canceled. Many folks were coming up from the Twin Cities: and would probably have themselves dug out by Monday.

That meant that I had the family van available this afternoon: so #1 daughter and I went to see Tangled at Main Street Theatre. Good show, by the way, in my opinion.

Snow and wind - and my wife's good sense - encouraged me to not grill burgers yesterday, but I was out today for that weekend routine. Beautiful weather: clear blue sky, sparkling fresh snow. Invigorating chill in the air.
We have a wind chill advisory tonight.

Sunday morning in Sauk Centre, at the corner of Ash and South 9th. December 12, 2010.

We really didn't get all that much snow. December 12, 2010.

'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.' December 12, 2010.

Part of that wind chill advisory struck me as funny. After telling that the wind chill factor would be between 15 and 35 below zero, it gave this nugget of wisdom for folks out taking a stroll: "...make sure you wear a hat and gloves."

Snow, Holiday Decorations, and - Cattle Rustlers?!

2010-12-08T23:57:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, December 8, 2010. Christmas is advancing relentlessly. No: That's not quite the way I should put it. We've got about two and a half weeks before Christmas, which can be expressed as a countdown of shopping days, or Advent reflections.

A little frost on the trees, a little snow coming down. December 8, 2010.

I haven't gone into The Wax Pot, in the professional building on Main and South 4th, but it might be a new business. Or maybe I just missed the sign until this week: that's happened before. Anyway, I gather that The Wax Pot specializes in 'waxing' - a process which makes me glad that I'm a man, and expected to have hairy hands.

The Wax Pot: nifty name. December 7, 2010.

Sauk Centre's streets are spiffed up for the holidays: Garlands over the streets, (strings of) lights on the (street) lights. I'll want to get out after dark with a camera before it all goes back into storage.

Garlands over Main, downtown - with a touch of snow. December 7, 2010.

Then there's the lead story in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Normally, I think it's fine when young people display initiative and an entrepreneurial spirit. Like the young men who wanted to run their own dairy operation. Or, rather, like someone else: who would have had the good sense to buy or borrow the cattle. Not steal them.

Cattle Rustlers. Really. December 7, 2010.

Good news: The animals apparently are okay - and back with their owners.

Bad news: Those kids are facing very serious criminal charges.

Good news: We don't hang rustlers from the nearest tree.

Bad news: Felony theft is not a minor offense. The teens are looking at maybe 10 years in jail and a $20,000 fine - with another fine for possession of stolen property.

What, if anything, were they thinking?! Cattle, even young ones, are big, bulky animals: and don't just pop up out of the ground. How they thought they could explain 17 calves in a barn is beyond me.

At least they didn't steal from their neighbors and assume nobody would notice: the calves were stolen in Douglas, Todd and Stearns Counties, the older of the kids, 19, is from around Rothsay, the other, 16, is from Barnesville.

Snow, Christmas, and All That

2010-12-05T22:41:00.004-06:00

Sunday, December 5, 2010. Christmas is a little under three weeks away, and my household got our 'Christmas letter' out. No bragging on my part: all I did was print labels and the letters, then drop them off in the box near Coborn's.

The other day, I said I had some photos that showed, beyond a reasonable doubt, that it really is winter. Here they are.

Snow, clear blue sky, ploughed and lightly sanded streets: Yep, it's winter all right. December 1, 2010.

Bright sun, sharp shadows on the snow - and Christmas decorations in the yard. December 1, 2010.

We had a little snow coming down this afternoon - but that didn't keep me from grilling burgers yesterday and today. A little shoveling was required, of course: but like I said, it's winter.

Grilling burgers: It's a four-season thing here. December 4, 2010.

I read in the Sauk Centre Herald that the Sauk Centre police department has a new digital video camera now: a big improvement, since the two old VHS cameras "were old and not functioning properly."

O'Reilly Auto Parts, Hidden Treasure, and 3D Movies

2010-12-02T12:55:00.003-06:00

Thursday, December 2, 2010. O'Reilly Auto Parts is open. They've got signs up - but Monday, around noon, when I took that picture, the lights inside told the story. That was one dim day.

O'Reilly Auto Parts: around noon. Monday was a dim day. November 29, 2010.

There's been a little shuffling around on Main, downtown. Hidden Treasure Christian Books and Gifts isn't sharing a storefront with Heartland Gallery any more. They've got their own place, where Cobblestone Court's been.

Look closely: That's a Hidden Treasure now. December 1, 2010.
From the looks of it, Heartland Gallery, next to the expanded Main Street Theatre, has a lot more elbow room now. Tangled is one of the movies playing there now, by the way. At the movie theater, not Heartland, of course. And yes: It's in 3D. They've been using the new 3D projectors since February 5, 2009.

That's where Hidden Treasure was: sharing space with Heartland Gallery. December 1, 2010.

On my way in to see what the Hidden Treasure folks had done with their new location, I saw an announcement for a scholarship benefit.

Christmas Concert Benefit: Carol Pelkey scholarship for a class of 2011 Sauk Centre High School senior. Next Sunday, the 12th, at 1:00 p.m. at Our Lady of the Angels church. December 1, 2010.

Okay-back to Hidden Treasure. They're using pretty much the same setup that Cobblestone Court did, and are in full Christmas shopping mode now. They moved in October 29.

Hidden Treasure, inside. Lots of Christmas stuff. December 1, 2010.

Lots and lots of stuff. December 1, 2010.

I got a little carried away, taking photos in there. The store is actually two storefronts, connected by a wide doorway/checkout counter. The two photos here are on the north side, where you come in. The 'book' part of the "Books and Gifts" is on the south side, along with a whole lot of other stuff that's not terribly functional - but very nice to look at. Which is sort of function, too, I guess.

Today's Post: Coming Tomorrow?

2010-12-01T23:57:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, December 1, 2010. There's snow on the ground. It looks like winter, and I've got photos to prove it. Time got away from me today, though, so I plan to be back with today's entry - tomorrow. By noon, I hope. Thanks for your patience.

The End of Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T02:31:00.002-06:00

Sunday, November 28, 2010. It's Advent Sunday. Also the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend.

Sunset over Sauk Centre's south side. November 28, 2010.

I've been spending the last few days, having a good time with my family, which involved driving to North Dakota and back. I hope your long weekend was as pleasant as mine was. Wednesday, I should be back to writing about what I've noticed in Sauk Centre.

Happy Thanksgiving! And a Little Dark Humor

2010-11-25T14:30:00.003-06:00

Thursday, November 25, 2010. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you're having a better time than these two turkeys:

'I'm Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving'

2010-11-24T23:01:00.004-06:00

Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Like the song says, "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." And it's the day before Thanksgiving. The generic "Happy Holiday" sign is up over Highway 71/Main/"The Original Main Street, and there's a little snow on the ground.

Monday morning. Snow: covering the sidewalks, but getting lost between blades of grass. November 22, 2010.

Monday and today were dim days, the sort of thing that a Chamber of Commerce often doesn't tend to emphasize when discussing the virtues of their town.

That house next to St. Paul's on Sinclair Lewis Avenue: It's not there any more. November 22, 2010.

We didn't get the sleet and ice pellets that one forecast talked about. Can't say that I'm sorry about that. As it was, we've got a decent little coat of snow. While the snow was doing its decorating, around noon, it was dark enough for headlights to make sense.

Noon today. 2 of three vehicles have their headlights on. Seen through a decently-insulated window, it was a pleasant scene. November 24, 2010.

A closer look at the same photo. It's within a few minutes of noon - the mail truck and car have their headlights on. The SUV? I'm not sure what was happening there. November 24, 2010.

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving. I see in the news that Apple and Cider, two turkeys, were pardoned by the president.

That's been a light side of leadership that's been traditional since - well, actually it seems to go back to the Kennedy administration. Or Reagan. Depends on how you define the 'pardon.' (Snopes.com). You may have read something different in the papers. Can't say I'm surprised about that.

Back in 2005, by the way, the two famous turkeys - Snowball and Blizzard - were from Melrose. At least, that's what I read.

Moonrise, Freezing Rain, and a Chinese Restaurant

2010-11-21T23:55:00.000-06:00

Sunday, November 21, 2010. Friday's moonrise was a bit more showy than most, with a distinct halo around the moon.

Moonrise: There's a reason it looks so big. November 19, 2010.

There was a distinct ring toward the outside of the halo - that doesn't show in this photo. Oh, well. November 19, 2010.

There's been more going on than that.

I've heard that O'Reilly's Auto Parts was offered the old Fitness Guru building, but decided that they wanted to build their own store. That location at South 12th and Fairlane Drive is about as good as it gets in that part of town, so I can see their point.

We may be getting a new Chinese restaurant: run by an entirely different outfit than the folks who had Andy's Wok downtown. I'll be keeping an eye on the old Fitness Guru place - that's where I heard the new restaurant might be going.

Don't take these predictions of mine all that seriously: My information is of the 'some guy said he heard' variety.

(I've written about Sauk Centre's first Chinese restaurants a few times, over the years: June 22, 2008, May 16, 2008, April 4, 2008, June 24, 2007 for starters.)

Which brings me up to this morning. Last night's freezing rain had left somewhere between a sixteenth and and eighth of an inch of ice on #3 daughter's car. We usually take the van, but it's in for repairs. I wrote about that in my personal blog.

Freezing rain left a nice, even coat of ice on the windshield. November 21, 2010.

That was more than just 'frost' or a film of ice. The black thing is one of the windshield wipers. November 21, 2010.

Street crews have been out, sanding intersections, so getting to work tomorrow morning shouldn't be too challenging. Anyway, folks who have lived here for more than a year should be used to this sort of thing by now.

Wind Turbine's Coming to Town

2010-11-17T23:12:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, November 17, 2010. I see in the Sauk Centre Herald that an outfit called Talk, Inc., will be building a wind turbine in the industrial park - to provide power for their plant, with the excess sold to Missouri River Energy. The tower's going to change the skyline on that side of town. The article said it'll be 120 feet tall with 24 foot blades. When something's that tall, the FAA says it has to have a red light on it. Should be an impressive sight.

The paper also tells about a teenager who got shot in the leg while hunting deer. Not the way I'd like to get my name in the news. Good news: He's expected to recover.

Helical 'Christmas trees,' a cartoony inflated turkey and scarecrow, landing lights along the sidewalk, and a Nativity scene: the holidays are upon us. November 17, 2010.

I took that photo around noon. This hasn't been the brightest of days. At least now, with temperatures staying below freezing, we don't have mosquitoes.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2010-11-14T22:30:00.001-06:00

Sunday, November 14, 2010. We got our first taste of winter yesterday - or pretty near the first. Enough snow came down to fill in gaps in the grass. The temperature's starting to be plausibly wintry, too. Well, late-autumn-y, anyway.

Neighbors getting their yard decorations ready for Thanksgiving - and Christmas. November 11, 2010.

My family and I have what I suppose is a cold: the sort of thing where you don't feel sick, but you're not exactly well, either. I haven't done a scientific survey, but it's probably something that's 'going around.'

Snow, but not much, came yesterday and last night. November 14, 2010.

Quite a few households have Thanksgiving decorations up. And, in some cases, Christmas displays, too. We could have an open winter: I hope not, but it could happen. Folks who are serious about their holiday things generally seem to assume that we'll have snow, and in decent quantity: so they get the bulky items out early, while the walking is easy. Besides, this way they've got a good chance of having a nice, smooth layer of snow around the reindeer, sleighs, and
crèches.

O'Reilly Auto Parts Progress, and a Gray Day

2010-11-10T23:55:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, November 10, 2010. A few days of "October's bright blue weather" seem to have been delayed in transit, and arrived in early November. Today wasn't one of them.

About 20 minutes after 1:00 in the afternoon: and folks are driving with their headlights on. November 10, 2010.

O'Reilly Auto Parts is getting closer to being ready. A crew was inside today, working on the interior.

O'Reilly Auto Parts, at Fairlane Drive and South 12th. I took this picture at about 2:30 in the afternoon today. November 10, 2010.

This was a dim afternoon: and it finally started raining. I'm looking forward to nicer weather. Fewer clouds, anyway.

Very Safe School Bus Drivers

2010-11-07T23:51:00.003-06:00

Sunday, November 7, 2010. Halloween's over: and after almost a quarter-century of living here, I still haven't seen the inside of "Monster Manor," in the fairgrounds across from Coborn's.

The midterm election's over, too: for which I'm duly grateful. The political ads for the state and national races - - - Well, it's over, and we've got a breather before the next one. I read in the Sauk Centre Herald that we had a pretty good turnout: 68% of the registered voters, ten points higher than the state average. I've suspected that we're a tad more likely to give a rip about what happens in our community: but I'll admit to a bias.

I love it here.

Take the front page headlines of this week's paper, for example. The first thing I saw was that Sauk Centre school bus drivers were "recognized for the superior procedures" after a surprise inspection. It's nice to live in a town where good news on the front page isn't a rarity.

Also in this week's Herald: Walt Junkin has played taps at military funerals here for 54 years. There's a pretty good write-up in the paper. And in the online edition. Something I didn't know: The VFW and American Legion posts here have a mechanical bugler.

Band Concert: Late on Account of Election

2010-11-04T22:43:00.001-05:00

Thursday, November 4, 2010. I said I'd have a little more about that band concert. Mostly, two photos:

About six minutes before 8:00 p.m., in the high school auditorium. November 2, 2010.

About 11 minutes after 8:00 p.m.: there's a reason this concert started later than they usually do. November 2, 2010.

The high school bands, grades seven through 12, had their first concert of the year this Tuesday, November 2. Which was also the day of the American midterm election. The concert started later than such things usually do, we were told, because one of the rules was that they couldn't start until after the polls closed.

As to why the concert couldn't have been scheduled on another day? I've no idea. Maybe that was the only time the auditorium was available.

Anyway: I enjoyed the concert - and the 'thank you' to admin and janitors at the end. 'Behind the scenes' folks don't get recognition all that often.

Sirens and a Band Concert

2010-11-03T23:34:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, November 3, 2010. The emergency sirens went off today, at 1:00 p.m., right on schedule. I don't know whether to call that a tradition, a routine, or what. In practical terms, it's a good idea to test a system like that periodically: so maybe I should call it 'routine maintenance.'

Then there was last night's band concert at the high school. I'll get back to that
tomorrow.

Halloween, 2010: Jack 'O Lanterns and a Butterfly

2010-10-31T22:47:00.004-05:00

Sunday, October 31, 2010. I no longer have much of a cold. Instead, both ears are so plugged that I can barely hear. At least it's a change of pace.

One more thing: It's Halloween. Which meant trick-or-treaters coming to the door, and a little temporary redecorating of the entry.

The family got a little creative this year. That blond wig on the plastic Jack 'o lanterns is a new touch, I think. October 31, 2010.

Clear skies made for near-ideal conditions. The young trick-or-treaters and their folks started showing up around 6:00. At least, that's when I noticed them. October 31, 2010.

Some of the costumes were downright cute: like this butterfly. October 31, 2010.

One family had quite a variety of costumes for their kids: including a sort of horse - with four legs - for one of the little girls. Maybe it was a unicorn. I didn't get a very close look.

By nightfall, almost all of the younger kids have made their rounds, and returned home. October 31, 2010.

That last photo, with the glowing set: grinning pumpkins, a purple spider on the roof, and someone with a greenish complexion, is the work of our across-the-corner neighbors.

The O'Reilly Auto Parts store looks like it's just about ready to open: but I mentioned that on Wednesday.

October's Dim Gray Weather

2010-10-27T23:54:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, October 27, 2010. October's bright blue weather turned gray
this week.

Sinclair Lewis Park, by the public landing. It's mid-afternoon: one of those shadowless days. October 25, 2010.

Same place, pretty near the same time: turns out there are shadows, if you look closely. October 25, 2010.

The O'Reily Auto Parts store has their name on the front now.

The new auto parts store: now with sign. October 25, 2010.

As for me, I've still got a cold. The same one. I suppose there's something to be said for consistency: but I'll be glad when it's done.

I just about forgot about yesterday's wind. Quite a few folks here in central Minnesota lost power for a while. And St. Cloud set a new record for rainfall in a single day. I wrote about that, with some photos, in my personal blog. ("Wintry Weather and a Balky Furnace," Through One Dad's Eye (October 27, 2010))

Chamber of Commerce, Museum, School, and Decisions

2010-10-24T22:46:00.003-05:00

Sunday, October 24, 2010. Another week, and it's Halloween. Then the midterm elections. I'm looking forward to the trick-or-treaters. At the rate things are going, I may be done with this cold (or whatever it is) by then. Or, maybe not.

There's good news, maybe, at the top of this week's Sauk Centre Herald front page. The article calls it a "former school building:" I still think of it as the IBAA building, but that's years ago. It's empty now. (September 1, 2010)

Looks like one of the options for what to do with the place is to have the Chamber of Commerce and the Sinclair Lewis' Interpretive Center move in there. Sounds reasonable to me: it's a decent location for the Interpretive Center and the Chamber, it seems, and has enough floor space for the museum.

Seems simple enough, from my point of view - particularly since I have nothing to do with ownership and working out financial arrangements. Besides having enough room inside, the old IBAA building has a good-size parking lot in back.

This weekend I'm in the position of the fellow who said, 'all I know is what I read in the paper.' The Herald had a good write-up of Gianna Jessen and the 1,300 or so folks she spoke to Wednesday before last. Also how the Miller family deals with Celiac Disease - from my own family's experience, I know it's interesting, trying to find gluten-free food.

I'd probably feel better if I hadn't grilled burgers in the rain today. That wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done - but I like grilling.

Construction Work, Wind, and O'Reily Auto Parts

2010-10-20T23:54:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, October 20, 2010. We're approaching that holiday marathon: Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years - followed by January and February, two months that could use a holiday to break the mid-winter routines. Maybe it's just as well that we've got a couple months to recover in, though.

Monday evening: It looked like a cover was being drawn across the sky. October 18, 2010.

I'm still negotiating with a cold. I want it out of my body, it isn't ready to move.

Sunset, seen from the Coborns parking lot. October 19, 2010.

A weather report on the radio today called this a 'breezy' day. With gusts to around 40 miles an hour. That's a noticeable "breeze."

"Breeze" south of the McDonalds in Sauk Centre. October 20, 2010.

A tip of the hat to sabrinabeans, who said that the new place at South 12th and Fairlane Drive would most likely be an O'Reilly Auto Parts store. (September 26, 2010) They've got a sign up now, letting folks know what's coming. And it looks like they may be hiring.

The corner of South 12th and Fairlane Drive: O'Reilly Auto Parts. "Coming Soon," that is. October 20, 2010.

There's road work - or maybe bridge work - being done where County Road 186 goes over Interstate 94, southeast of town. I didn't get close enough to see which. Or, rather, it was hard to tell from underneath: I noticed activity there while driving back from Melrose on the Interstate.

Upgrade at the sewage treatment plant? October 20, 2010.

Something's happening at the sewage treatment plant, too. That's probably the
upgrade they were discussing at City Hall last October. (It's mentioned on pages 42 and 43 of the PDF file.) As my father used to say, "things take time."

October's Bright Blue Weather, a Fire and Fall Photos

2010-10-17T23:21:00.002-05:00

Sunday, October 15, 2010. I'm still looking forward to a clear head, and added a clear throat to the list. Still, it could be worse.

October's bright blue weather turned dull gray today. I'd probably see it a pearly skies without this cold. But enough about me.

Sinclair Lewis Avenue, looking east from Holy Family School. October 12, 2010.

A fire at Centre Square Apartments, a week ago Friday, was top-of-the-front page news in this week's Sauk Centre Herald. That fire was one of four calls the Sauk Centre Fire Department responded to that day. Bad news: folks living there had to get out and stay out. Good news: they could go back in around 1 a.m.: and there's more in the paper.

As a rule, I don't mind publicity. On the other hand, the Sauk Centre Herald's online edition reports that a fellow was caught running naked down Main Street, around where it crosses the Interstate. To top it off, he got belligerent with the police. That's not a reason I'd like to have, for getting my name in the news.

A sign of autumn in Sauk Centre: the Elgin Crosswind street sweeper. October 14, 2010.

On a happier note, I've been hearing the roar of Sauk Centre's street sweeper going past. I took that photo next to my Small Town America:
Minnesota webcam. Now that I've got that shameless plug out of the way, I'm
out of material. For now. I'll be back Wednesday.

What a Beautiful Day For a Cold

2010-10-13T23:56:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, October 13, 2010. October's "bright blue weather" is still around, and the temperature is down to what we're used to this time of year. I heard that the Metro had a record high temperature a few days ago.

Whatever's being built down at the corner of Fairlane Drive and South 12th doesn't look all that different now, than it did a week ago. I suppose most of the progress is happening inside.

Here's what that construction at Fairland Drive and South 12th looked like last week. October 6, 2010.

And, here's what it looked like yesterday. October 12, 2010.

I was out yesterday, and noticed some work being done on the Central Minnesota Credit Union's sign. Around here, we have more trees than we do multistory signs: so it's natural that the outfit that's working on the sign is a tree service from Freeport.

Cutting Edge Tree Service: I like that name. October 12, 2010.

I picked up a cold somewhere along the line, complete with stuffed head, sore throat, and a wandering sense of balance. It's economical, in a way: I get most of the effects of inebriation, without the cost of a six-pack. I'm looking forward to a clear head.

Polka Mass!

2010-10-10T23:56:00.000-05:00

Sunday, October 10, 2010. We had a polka Mass at Our Lady of the Angels church today. I enjoy those: particularly since we've been getting polka bands who aren't diffident about belting out the umpahs.

There's nothing that says "polka Mass" quite like having a tuba next to the piano. October 10, 2010.

We didn't quite have dancing in the aisles afterward. October 10, 2010.

This time it was Adam and the Jolly Jammers providing the music. They're a group based in St. Augusta, Minnesota. Pretty good, in my opinion: but I'll admit I'm no polka expert.

Other than that, October has been progressing, some trees are almost bare while others don't seem to have gotten the memo about autumn being here, and I've been a bit distracted.

My desk is next to the kitchen, you see: and there's been a lot of work going on there. Which has been a little distracting. I wrote about that on Friday, in my personal blog. The good news is that the job is moving along - and, I located the washer, dryer, and stove. (Saturday) Pretty soon they'll be back where they belong. I hope.

Autumn Colors, and Centre Floral: Which Also Sells Flowers

2010-10-06T23:46:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, October 6, 2010. This can't last: the perfect temperatures, blue skies, mosquito-discouraging breezes. But it sure is nice while 'October's bright blue weather' is around. I've got yet more pictures of trees. Also something I found downtown.

Autumn - and other - colors. October 5, 2010.

This is why it's tricky, getting photos of Minnesota's autumn colors: the trees take turns, turning color. October 6, 2010.

More color on Sauk Centre's south side. October 6, 2010.

One of my favorite streets, this time of year. October 6, 2010.

I'd noticed the "Sweet Stop Candies" sign in the window of Centre Floral's south storefront a week or so ago. Today I went in to see what they had.

"Sweet Stop Candy Shop:" big sign, big display. October 6, 2010.

I'm told there was more candy during the summer - and will be when they re-stock. October 6, 2010.

This is still Centre Floral - and yes, they've got flowers, too. October 6, 2010.

Lamps, accessories, and a lot of stuff. Also flowers. October 6, 2010.

I'd been in Centre Floral before, so I knew they occupied two storefronts downtown. They've got quite a selection of stuff: parts of the store looked like a home furnishings place - there's that store-in-the-store with (mostly novelty) candy - and yes, about halfway back they've got fresh flowers.

Yes, Centre Floral has flowers, too. October 6, 2010.

They have a good-size selection of Halloween-related stuff. There's better word than "stuff:" "decorations," maybe?

I got a bit carried away with the camera in the store.

Looking past the flowers and novelty candy, into Centre Floral's south storefront. October 6, 2010.

"Spooky," "Wicked?" I know we've got 'truth in packaging' rules now, but - - - Oh, right. Halloween. And yes: this is Centre F., too. October 6, 2010.

Not a bad idea: that display packs a whole lot of wall into a small area. October 6, 2010.

Clocks?!. October 6, 2010.

Centre Floral's got display rooms upstairs, too: but I'm calling it quits for the day.

'October's Bright Blue Weather' - Sometimes

2010-10-03T23:58:00.002-05:00

Sunday, October 3, 2010. October's been living up to its reputation for beautiful clear blue days so far. For the most part.

I took some photos of the Chamber of Commerce / Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center site from some different angles this week. Partly because the area looked good and was displaying some autumn color: partly to get some "before" photos. It looks like there'll be commercial development there in - a few years, probably.

Mowed yard between the Chamber of Commerce/Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center and Interstate 94. September 24, 2010.

Pretty much the same scene, just more of it. September 27, 2010.

The Interpretive Center, from the southwest. September 27, 2010.

Finally, the C. of C. & Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center's parking lot. September 27, 2010.

The trees in Sauk Centre - and central Minnesota generally - seem to be individualists. Those photos you see of New England autumn landscapes, where square miles of hills are covered with brightly-colored trees? Around here, I've seen trees with bare leaves, full autumn color, and green leaves - on the same tree at the same time.

The northwest corner of the Stearns County Fairgrounds, near Lake Wobegon Trail. The nearby trees: it's summer there. The more distant ones? There, it's autumn. September 27, 2010.

Here's another look at those 'autumn' trees. This set, on South Ash by the Lake Wobegon Trail, put on a pretty good show most years. Including this one. September 27, 2010.

Here at the corner of South Ash and 9th, it's pretty definitely autumn. September 27, 2010.

I said that October had delivered it's signature "bright blue weather" - for the most part. Today was up to spec. Friday? Not so much.

"October's bright blue weather?!" The building at south 12th and Fairlane Drive is taking shape. October 1, 010.

That skeleton is hanging from the basketball hoop by a hangman's noose: right next to the cheerful pumpkins. And yes, there's something purple on the roof. An inflatable spider. October 3, 2010.

We're coming up on a sort of holiday marathon: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I'm looking forward to seeing what the folks in town who make a point of dressing up their yards do this year.

Autumn Colors, Continued

2010-09-30T14:19:00.002-05:00

Thursday, September 30, 2010. Here are some of those photos:

Lake Wobegon Trail, east of Sauk Centre. September 24, 2010.

Pretty much the same scene, just more of it. September 24, 2010.

And in the distance: turkey barns. September 24, 2010.

Light, shade, grass a fence, and an SUV. September 24, 2010.

There's more where those came from. Whether that's a promise or a warning depends on what you think of autumn scenes. I like this time of year - as you've probably already guessed.

I.O.U. Photos

2010-09-29T23:51:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, September 29, 2010. Trust me: I've got some nice photos to show. But not quite yet. Tomorrow, by mid-afternoon. I hope. Thanks for your patience.

Fall Colors, St. Michael's Hospital, and Maybe O'Reilly Auto Parts

2010-09-26T23:22:00.005-05:00

Sunday, September 26, 2010. If you read the Sauk Centre Herald, you've learned that St. Michael's has signed a letter of intent, getting the ball rolling on a possible partnership. I gather the arrangements are intended to keep a medical facility here in Sauk Centre. With, I trust, some degree of local control.

It's definitely fall now. I'll be taking my hummingbird feeder in soon: it's been out there, on the off chance that a straggler might need refueling. Besides, I've been a little distracted this last week: water on two floors of the house. (More in
Through One Dad's Eye.)

Some trees have - let's call it "subtle" colors. September 24, 2010.

Some seem in a rush to get leaf-shedding over with, others have barely begun. September 24, 2010.

On railroad Avenue, looking southeast: Lake Wobegon Trail's a half-block over, on the left. September 24, 2010.

There's a peak to the autumn colors here: and my guess is that we're not at it yet. September 24, 2010.

Then there are fiery displays like this. September 24, 2010.

It's not all bright colors in the fall. September 24, 2010.

This is one of my favorite views in Sauk Centre: down Grove Lake Street, looking toward St. Paul's church. September 24, 2010.

I learned that the construction by South 12th and Fairlane Drive is probably going to be an O'Reilly Auto Parts store. A tip of the hat to sabrinabeans, who left a comment on a post in the Sauk Centre Journal Blog.

Last Day of Summer/First Day of Autumn (Almost)

2010-09-23T00:22:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, September 22, 2010. Hummingbirds, if they had any sense, will have evacuated central Minnesota by now. I haven't seen any at my feeder this week: and the ones I saw before that seemed to be pulling their heads down between their shoulders. Or where their shoulders would be. I'm keeping my 'eye on the street' webcam going, though: There's still a bit to see at Ash and South 9th.

Whatever's being built at Fairlane Drive and South 12th is taking shape. There are a few posts above ground level now. September 22, 2010.

Same place, different angle. September 22, 2010.

Today - tonight, actually - is the autumn equinox, so summer is more-or-less officially over and autumn begun. Some of the trees around town jumped the gun and started turning early.

Let's not call that "overcast." It's a day with indirect lighting. September 22, 2010.

South Ash Street: This tree puts on a pretty good show, most years. I caught it just past peak, I think. September 22, 2010.

Closer to downtown: An early adapter, I suppose you could call that yellow tree. September 22, 2010.

There are a few autumnal trees near the end of Sinclair Lewis Avenue: but mostly I was getting a picture of the clouds. September 22, 2010.

Back on South Ash. September 22, 2010.

I went out this afternoon to get a few photos - and get a look at the sky. We'd been promised heavy rain: which seems to be going well to our south. Can't say that I'm disappointed.

Fairlane Drive, looking toward the Central Minnesota Federal Credit Union building. Around mid-afternoon, it looked like we really would get rain. Turned out to be a no-show, though. September 22, 2010.

I've been a big distracted this week - since really early Friday morning, actually, when a pipe burst in the laundry room. Things could have been a lot worse. I've been writing about what's been happening in my personal blog.

Burst Pipe in the Laundry Room: Amazingly Distracting

2010-09-19T23:58:00.004-05:00

Sunday, September 19, 2010. As I realize that I won't have time or energy to finish today's entry, I am reminded of a none-too-amusing story.

It's not as well known as, say, the Great Chicago Fire, but quite a bit of Fargo North Dakota burned to the ground in The Fire of 1893. There was a brisk wind that day, which didn't help.

The start of the fire was a sort of good news - bad news situation. Good news: there was a fire department building close to where the fire started. Bad news: the truck was out, sprinkling the streets. That was just as well, in a way, since the building the truck was housed in caught fire rather promptly.

All of which may not seem to have much to do with Sauk Centre, Minnesota, here at the beginning of the 21st century.

Actually, it doesn't.

The pipe that burst in my laundry room in the wee hours of Friday morning didn't start a fire. I stayed up all night to make sure of that: a sensible action, I think, since water was drizzling into the basement in the vicinity of our main circuit breaker pane. I trust that piece of technology - but only so far.

I posted an update on my personal situation this morning in my personal blog, and will update that sooner or later.

I've got photos and observations to share: but between Friday's all-nighter and dealing with the aftermath, I haven't got them ready.

Sorry about that. Unless there's some more unexpected excitement, I expect to be caught up at least by my regular Wednesday entry.

Clear Skies, Pouring Concrete, Dreary Rain, Blowing Insulation

2010-09-16T10:54:00.005-05:00

Thursday, September 16, 2010. Our part of central Minnesota has been enjoying - or experiencing - 'typical' autumn weather this week. Starting with Monday: the sky, almost cloudless; the temperatures, nearly perfect; the wind, just enough to discourage mosquitoes.

Construction site on South 12th and Fairlane Drive. September 13, 2010.

Whatever's being built on the south side, on 12th Street South and Fairlane drive, has a floor now. The construction crew was pouring it on Monday. That extension arm with a hose in it, sending concrete out to where it's wanted, is a big improvement over the fill-a-wheel-barrow-and-trundle-it 'good old days.'.

Several blocks north, on Ash Street, Our Lady of the Angels Church was getting some maintenance work done: the sort of thing that isn't all that exciting, and won't get noticed. Unless it isn't done.

Bell tower maintenance at Our Lady of the Angels church. September 13, 2010.

Great view: but he's got a job to do. September 13, 2010.

Back at Coborn's, still Monday afternoon: a beautiful, wonderful, delightful autumn day. The sort of day that chambers of commerce write about, and that you see on postcards.

Monday afternoon, outside Coborn's, about 3:30: 'typical' autumn weather. September 13, 2010.

Those are 'fall mums,' if my memory serves. And, like I said, Monday was one of those wonderful, delightful autumn days. Yesterday, not so much.

Construction site around 4:00: too wet to work. September 15, 2010.

The restoration project at our neighbor's place, across the street north, is proceeding. They had insulation blown in on Wednesday. It was sort-of-raining at the time.

Insulation going in, around noon. September 15, 2010.

Later in the day, there wasn't any question about it. We had rain. Not hard enough to be interesting, or get us in the news: just enough to get a person wet, walking from a parking spot into a building.

The parking lot for Coborn's and Ace Hardware, about 4:00 in the afternoon. September 15, 2010.

So far, today, the streets are dry and street lighting is off. But this is Minnesota, so the weather will probably change.

Faces of Autumn; Candy Downtown

2010-09-12T23:56:00.001-05:00

Sunday, September 12, 2010. It felt like early autumn today: perfect temperature, just enough wind to discourage mosquitoes, not a cloud in the sky.

Friday's weather was like early autumn, too: another aspect of the season.

Gray sky, gray lake, someone out in a boat on Sauk Lake. September 10, 2010.

That's one thing I like about Minnesota: Our weather isn't boring.

There's something new on the west side of Main ("The Original Main Street" on the signs). I'm not sure if "Sweet Stop Candy Shop" is a separate business: That's something to find out this week.

Something new on Main: a candy shop. September 10, 2010.

Main Street Theatre's new secondary entrance: Now with digital sign. And yes, the car has its headlights on: about an hour after noon. September 10, 2010.

And school has started, so there's a torrent of teens and elementary students going past my house, weekday afternoons around 3:00. My 'eye on the street' webcam's live feed of that, and the less exciting hours of the day, are at Small Town America: Minnesota. Technical issues and the innate perversity of inanimate objects permitting, of course.

What a Beautiful Day!

2010-09-08T23:21:00.004-05:00

Wednesday, September 8, 2010. It's been a nearly-perfect day: nearly-clear skies, a bit of a breeze, and a high around 67.

My neighbors across the street, north, have a crew at work repairing and restoring what was damaged in Friday's fire.

The restoration crew was blowing something out of the neighbor's house this morning. Maybe insulation. September 8, 2010.

Restoration work at Ash and South 9th: Even with one of the men spraying the dumpster, some of the dust got away from them. September 8, 2010.

I've turned my 'Small Town America: Minnesota' webcam to face the restoration work, and plan to keep it that way until the neighbors get caught up to where they were before the fire.

Meanwhile, down by South 12th, whatever's being built is moving toward completion. This afternoon they were digging at the west end of the site.

Excavating for - something - at the west end of the construction site on South 12th. September 8, 2010.

I'm trying to decide whether to ask around and find out what's being planned for that Fairlane Drive & South 12th construction: or have the fun of being surprised when its finished.

Labor Day Traffic, New Construction and a Fire Next Door

2010-09-05T23:58:00.004-05:00

Sunday, September 5, 2010. Labor Day weekend is about half over now. I experienced a little of the early Labor Day traffic on Friday: more about that later.

The old joke about Minnesota's four seasons - fall, winter, spring, and road work - applies to streets, too. Given a choice, the only time you'd want to try digging up a street around here is when water isn't frozen, about to be frozen, or melting. I don't know what was going on, a block east of Marc'ette Place flower shop, on South Pine last Thursday: aside from the obvious. A crew was digging out the top few yards of pavement and soil.

Street work. September 2, 2010.

Foundations for whatever's being built on South 12th, south of Ace Hardware, are taking shape. I doubt they'll be done with construction before winter: but I've been wrong before.

New construction on the south side: 12th and Fairland Drive. September 3, 2010.

I spent Friday morning and the first part of the afternoon in St. Cloud. My guess is that on the way back I was sharing the Interstate with folks getting an early start on Labor Day weekend. They were sensible drivers for the most part: but I'll gladly stay off the roads this weekend.

The few who want to drive above the speed limit, don't realize that slower traffic goes in the right lane, or otherwise depart from the path of wisdom, make driving in moderately heavy traffic a trifle more exciting than I like.

On my way home, turning north on Ash, I saw flashing lights ahead. As I got to the Fairground's main entrance, I could see at least one fire truck near South 9th and Ash. Getting closer, it looked like most of the Sauk Centre Police and Fire departments were parked outside my place.

That isn't the most calming sight.

Fire trucks, police cars: It could have been worse. September 3, 2010.

Still closer, and I could see that whatever was going on was - apparently - on the north side of my house. Turns out, that yard was being used as a sort of utility area by the fire crew.

Our neighbors across the street north did not have a good day on Friday. I haven't learned just what happened, aside from a fire somewhere inside. Nobody was hurt, as far as I know: but whatever it was had at least two trucks from the fire department out here.

The fire crew was wrapping things up by the time I got home. September 3, 2010.

He's not trying to strangle the fire hose. They're getting water out before going back to the station. September 3, 2010.

Putting out a fire: there's a lot of people and equipment involved. September 3, 2010.

Aside from that, it's been a fairly quiet weekend here.

Andy's Wok License Revoked, Buildings in Transition

2010-09-01T21:10:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, September 1, 2010. I read in yesterday's Sauk Centre Herald that the Stearns County Board of Adjustment revoked the license for Andy's Wok, downtown. That's not good news: but after all the warnings, it would have been prudent to clean the place up. I'm going to miss that place. (August 1, 2010, June 30, 2010)

Movers took a house right past my place Thursday morning: and I missed it! I've heard that they took the place that had been built on school property, on the back parking lot, around 7:00 a.m. or so - and even then had to ask some folks to move their cars.

The place is on south 2nd now, with a fine view of the lake: and a lot of work going on inside.

Delivered: one house, some assembly required. August 30, 2010.

Here's the same place, from the back/north side, looking across Lake Wobegon Trail. August 30, 2010.

A building on south Main is going through a transition again. Years back, it was the Independent Community Bankers Association (IBAA) building.

Since then it's been the West Central Education District building, used for Early Childhood/Family Education classes and later the BEACON program. (I didn't remember all that: I got the names from this week's Sauk Herald.) The program(s) aren't necessarily ending - The folks are moving to "the district building on State Road." The move is a way to economize, I gather.

The building will be left empty and then sold, or maybe something else. Whatever decision is made, I'm glad I don't have to be the one making it.