More Snow, and Holiday Humor

Sunday, November 29, 2015. It's the first Sunday of Advent, and I haven't taken any pictures this week. I did, however, to a holiday-themed picture for Apathetic Lemming of the North, one of my blogs.



The first winter storm of the season should be here Monday and Tuesday. Mywebcam will give you a look at Sauk Centre, near the corner of Ash and South 9th: assuming there aren't technical issues, of course.

The three Catholic parishes around here, St. Alexius, Our Lady of the Angels, and St. Paul's, did something new this year: 'stewardship fliers' for each household, letting us check off or fill in what we could do for the parish and community.

More than 20% of the households in each parish turned in fliers: more than 32% in St. Alexius. That's a remarkably good response, I think.

Neighbors east and northwest of us had their Christmas yard displays out, and lit, by the end of this weekend. Those will look nice, with the coming snowfall.

First Snow and Radar Speed Sign

Sunday, November 22, 2015. Thanksgiving nearly snuck up on me again this year. It's coming next week. Some folks have their Christmas yard decorations out already: including our neighbors across the corner, northwest of us.

I didn't get a photo of their display, yet, but did catch results of the season's first snowfall. The image is what my webcam showed at 10:40 a.m. last Thursday.


A week before Thanksgiving: our first snow. (October 19, 2015)


A radar speed sign on South Ash Street. (November 22, 2015)

I went out this afternoon to get a photo of the first radar speed sign I've seen here on Ash Street.

It faced southbound traffic, I'm not sure exactly why it's there: apart from the obvious reminder of the speed limit, and what I see as a convenient opportunity to check my speedometer. It's spot-on accurate, by the way.

Feeling Better — not Good, but Better

Sunday, November 9, 2014. I've still got "nothing serious." My immune system finally kicked in Thursday: fever, chills, the works. That's good news, since now maybe I'll be done with the bug: whatever it is.

I've heard that something like this has been going around town. I like to feel like part of the community - but could have done without this. Oh, well: as my Norwegian forebears might have said, "it could be worse;" and, now that I think about it, has been worse.

One of the advantages to logging the six-decades-plus that I have, is the opportunity to develop perspective. Enough of the philosophizing.

Thanksgiving is coming up, And - more importantly for me - Advent and Christmas. I'm looking forward to seeing more holiday decorations, when I get out and about again.

Ready for Autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving

Sunday, October 19, 2014. Some trees are ready for winter. Their leaves have turned color and fallen. Late starters, like on the corner across from my home, are pretty near their peak.


South Ash Street. October 19, 2014.

Some folks have their Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations out. I haven't spotted any Christmas displays yet, though. The yearly chow mein supper ended with a bit left over. The church is selling what's left at a few dollars a quart. Next week, if I'm reading the calendar right, we've got the polka Mass: and now I'm done.

Thanksgiving: Another Turkey's-Eye View

Related posts:

• "Happy Thanksgiving!"
  (November 24, 2011)
• "Happy Thanksgiving! And a Little Dark Humor"
  (November 25, 2010)

Snow, Seasons, and a Sunset

Sunday, November 24, 2013. We're almost halfway through the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas triathlon of holidays. We've had the usual Minnesota weather: warm, cold, clear, overcast, and a little snow. The snow didn't last, but it probably won't be the last of the season. It wasn't the first, either, come to think of it.


It was starting to look like winter on Thursday. November 21, 2013.


These folks started putting out Christmas decorations early. November 21, 2013.


Saturday was a cold day, with bright blue sky. November 23, 2013.


Neighbors putting up Christmas lights. November 23, 2013.


Sunset. November 24, 2013.

That's all I've got this week. See you next Sunday.

End of Thanksgiving Day Weekend, Start of Christmas Season

Sunday, November 25, 2012. I've had a good Thanksgiving Day weekend. #2 daughter and son-in-law came down from North Dakota. Snow arrived this week: just enough to say 'winter is coming.' Some of my neighbors lit up their Christmas displays Friday evening, which is customary around here.


Sauk Centre this afternoon, seen through my webcam. November 25, 2012.


Christmas is coming: one of Sauk Centre's more thoroughly-decorated yards. November 25, 2012.

I posted two more images from my Small Town America: Central Minnesota webcam yesterday:

• Wind, Snow, and Pictures From My Webcam
  Sauk Centre Journal Blog (November 24, 2012)

The Our Lady of the Angels, St. Paul's, and St. Alexius parishes will be doing a special collection for folks affected by Hurricane Sandy. That happens next week.

Transitions, Thanksgiving, and Picture-Postcard Weather

Sunday, November 18, 2012. Thanksgiving is four days away. It's not "early," since the fourth Thursday in November is the usual date. On the other hand, this year November started on a Thursday: so Thanksgiving is a whole lot earlier in the month than I expected.

All of which has nothing to do with today's picture-postcard weather.


Sauk Centre downtown this afternoon. November 18, 2012.

I saw Wreck-It Ralph at Main Street Theatre today, with #1 daughter. That was time well-spent: particularly since it gave me an opportunity to use my camera.


A new(ish) store near the river. November 18, 2012.

A new (to me) store near the river is called Taste of Heaven. I gather that it isn't a '60s shop, and sells retro toys and candy. Maybe that should be 'retro toys, and candy.' I'm not sure that there's much of a market for retro candy.

Which reminds me: Hostess Twinkies, and all the other Hostess products, made the transition from current events to history this week. Some folks must take snack food very seriously, since the Twinkies Wikipedia page had to have its editing disabled: "due to vandalism."

Finally, I see that the Sauk Centre Historical Society is 25 years old. The Sauk Centre Herald has an article about them. (November 14, 2012)

Early Christmas Lights

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

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!

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

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.

Autumn's Here, and Daylight Saving Time Strikes Again

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.

The End of Thanksgiving Weekend

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

Thursday, November 25, 2010. Happy Thanksgiving!

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

'I'm Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving'

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.

Wind Turbine's Coming to Town

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

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.

Thanksgiving Weekend, and Here Come the Christmas Lights

Sunday, November 29, 2009. It's definitely the Christmas season. 'Jingle bell' music is in the stores, and helical LED Christmas trees are alight in yards. Along with some more traditional decorations, of course. Around here, Thanksgiving is the unofficial start of the Christmas lights season: a number of households lit up right on time, Thanksgiving evening. As far as I know, it isn't an organized thing: it's just the way we do things.


"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." November 27, 2009.

And, in the church I go to, Advent has started.


The star's up in Our Lady of the Angels church. November 28, 2009.



Lights in the Marian garden by Our Lady of the Angels church. November 28, 2009.

I know: Our Lady of the Angels isn't the only church in town. But, it's the only one I've been near since Wednesday.

Which reminds me: Thanksgiving's come and gone. The four-day weekend is winding up as I write this. Folks who traveled to family gatherings are, I hope, safely home by now.

I spent the weekend at home, mostly enjoying having our oldest daughter home for the weekend. It's nice, being at the age where family comes to see me and my wife.

Happy Thanksgiving! And, Here Comes Christmas

My neighbors across the street, northwest of us, have their Christmas lights on: As I'm pretty sure quite a few other households do, since this is Thanksgiving Day.

You can get a glimpse of one corner of their display on my webcam: "Small Town America: Minnesota."