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Sunday, April 27, 2008. The school
referendum passed, by quite a margin this week. The Ash Street
Project starts next week.
Signs were getting set up Thursday. At this end,
the sign near Ash and south 12th was the first to get set up. April 24, 2008.
A crew from Sauk Centre Public Utilities was
here ten days ago, getting an idea of where the sewer line for our house went.
Sauk Centre Public Utilities: More of the people
who keep things going. April 17, 2008.
When they were done, the Minnesotan phrase, "it could be worse" pretty well summed up the situation.
The line apparently was laid before sewer service extended beyond 9th Street.
The thing heads north, then northwest: under two trees and a bush we were hoping
to save.
I'm pretty sure people on Ash are having similar
experiences.
One of my webcams,
"Small Town America: Central Minnesota"
gives a pretty good view of the corner of Ash Street and South 9th.
I think the crew was testing out some new
equipment. Their sensor wands made some very odd sounds. April 17, 2008.
"Minnesota doesn't have a climate: It has
weather." Our spring showers closed Interstate Highway 94 from Osakis to Fargo
for a while, yesterday.
Minnesota: Whatever else you may say about our
weather, "boring" it isn't. April 26, 2008.
I heard someone say that wooly mammoths would be
heading into our region next week, but I think he was kidding.
A hummingbird feeder. Set out just a little early. April
26, 2008.
Yesterday's snow is something I'm glad I didn't
have to drive through, but it was just about ideal for snowballs or snowmen. I
made a small snowman, about nine or ten inches tall, while grilling lunch
yesterday.
Not much of a conversationalist, but few snowmen
are. April 26, 2008.
There's already quite a bit of spring-green grass
showing through the snow. Maybe we'll get a reasonable facsimile of summer, yet.
Wednesday, April 24, 2008. This has been a
beautiful, warm, sunny day. There are more colored marks and little flags on and
around Ash Street, a reminder of what's coming after school lets out for the
summer. And, there's more about the school referendum vote in the Sauk Centre
Herald. Including a passionate letter to the editor or two.
I also read that a sort of committee of 10th, 11th,
and 12th graders from the school painted a mural on a wall of the bus garage. I
haven't seen it - the mural, that is - but I'll try to get a photo.
This is a very short entry, I see. What can I say?
I've been distracted. That will change, like everything else in this mutable
cosmos.
Sunday, April 20, 2008. What with one thing
and another (Through One Dad's Eye
gives a little detail), I'm at the end of Sunday, and still don't have any
photos ready.
Ash Street South has more marks painted on it now:
I think there's a very good chance that they'll get this project started shortly
after school ends in May.
Deacon Kaas helped celebrate Mass at Our Lady of
the Angels church this Sunday - with a walker. He explained that his knee had
gotten twisted again, and a muscle was spasming. Doesn't sound pleasant, but
he's getting around pretty well.
I'm pretty sure that isn't all that happened, but
it's all I can think of at the moment.
If I think of more, tomorrow, I'll be back.
If not, I'll be back Wednesday: whether I've got
anything to say, or not.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008. You may have
expected some photos to go with this entry.
So did I.
Maybe later.
Meanwhile, I got a call from somebody with Sauk
Centre utilities. The other day, they had a crew out here with a crawler and a
camera, getting up close and personal with the sewer. Turns out, the sewer
arrangement for this house is a little odd. Their best guess is that after in
goes out the west side of the house, it heads north to ninth, then on into the
Ash street sewer.
They want to do a little work, which will get done
tomorrow morning, to give them a better picture of what's going on down there.
It involves putting a sort of tape in our sewage pipe, and having a crew outside
play 'find the signal.' Should be interesting.
I also learned that they'll probably doing some
core sampling at the south end of this block. That's my phrase, not what I was
told. It seems that there may be granite down there. One of our neighbors is not
going to be happy about that.
With this Ash Street Project coming, I really feel
sympathy for people on Ash who have put special effort into fixing up their
front yards.
Being a relatively small town doesn't deprive Sauk
Centre of experiencing today's problems. There's drug and gang information
meeting coming up Tuesday, April 22, 7 p.m. at the Sauk Centre High School
Auditorium.. The Sauk Herald has more
information about it.
I suppose, as a responsible homeowner, I ought to
go.
Sunday, April 13, 2008. Deacon Kaas is back,
after one of his carpal tunnel procedures. And, we still have snow on the
ground. Lots of it.
I thought it would be fun to lead off with a few
photos from this week.
About 10:20 Thursday morning. Quite a nice day. So
far. April 10, 2008.
About 5:10 Thursday afternoon. Not the best time
for a stroll. April 10, 2008.
About 10:30 Friday morning. Minnesota: we don't
have a climate, we have weather. April 11, 2008.
It was actually rather warm on Friday morning April
11, 2008.
Sunday morning icicles. April 13, 2008.
"Oh, the flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la!" April
13, 2008.
Almost-ideal snowman-making conditions. April 13, 2008.
A lovely couple. April 13, 2008.
Week before last's Sauk Centre Herald had an
article on a family we know: the Lauers: "Quite
a Feat!" The eight Lauers each have earned a black belt in Soo Bahk Do. My
wife and the two kids who are still at home practice Soo Bahk Do regularly. It's
a very good discipline: As Master Westbrock put it, "It's a lot more than just
the breaking of a board."
One family, eight black belts. That weird
corkscrew above "feat!" is a high-efficiency
light bulb. April 13, 2008.
I'd hoped to pick where I'd left off, some years
ago, this month. Maybe in March.
This week's Herald has quite a bit about a school
referendum that we'll be voting on soon.
Good grief! I forgot about the wooden golfing bear!
That bruin will have to wait. It's late. If I'm going to get any work done
tomorrow, I've got to knock off now and get some sleep.
Happy Monday!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008. Last week, I
noticed fresh tar in some cracks in the streets. Looks like the street
department wasn't wasting any time, once things warmed up.
Getting ready to tar the streets. Painting
the town black? April 4, 2008.
I got out for a few minutes today, and enjoyed the
spring weather. Good thing, too, since there's a winter weather advisory,
starting about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, and running until Saturday morning. We
could get half a foot of snow or more.
Snow from northern Minnesota, knocked off a truck
here. April 7, 2008.
Then again, we might not. The last time there was
snow forecast, it went north of us.
Another change in town that I missed: There's a new
eatery (or at any rate, a new name) below The Palms Motel: Bourbon Street
Restaurant and Lounge ("Taste of New Orleans"). New Orleans? In Sauk Centre,
Minnesota? Works for me.
Bourbon Street: A bit of New Orleans. In Sauk
Centre?! April 9, 2008.
Taste of New Orleans. With Classic Country
Karaoke. Yes, this is definitely Sauk Centre. And, sounds like fun. April 9, 2008.
There's more to show, including a wooden golfing
bear: but this is it for now.
Monday, April 7, 2008. I've crossed out the
major-league goofs in the last two entries (Friday's and Sunday's). I thought of
deleting them, but the idea didn't sit well. my explanation (excuse?) is that I
still haven't quite caught up on sleep. Besides, there was quite a news blitz on
the MLK topic, Friday.
On more important matters: we had a light coat of
snow this morning, almost enough to fill in the spaces between blades of grass.
All of it - as far as I could tell - was gone by sunset.
As long as I'm here, a word about my
webcam on Sauk
Centre's south side. It's at the corner of Ash and 9th Street South: and
give a fine view of some of the Ash Street Project's work.
Sunday, April 6, 2008. It's Martin Luther
King Day (0bserved) tomorrow: which means no mail delivery, and pretty good odds
of flags being on the downtown light poles. I was a little surprised, when the
flags weren't up already, on Friday afternoon.
It's been a wet weekend. The snow we expected went
north of us, which I don't mind. It's starting to look like spring and/or
summer, apart from the occasional shaded snowdrifts.
Deacon Kaas's carpal tunnel surgery will have to
wait. The knee replacement he got was working fine, until he twisted it. Or, at
any rate, it got twisted. He's getting around with a walker and will power.
We're waiting to learn more.
There's been a really bad bug going around for the
last month or so. I haven't seen anything about it the news - and haven't looked
very hard. I doubt that it's the sort of thing that's easy to pin down. Whatever
it is, it acts like a cold, with some lower g.i. tract unpleasantness.
Mostly, it's been more of an annoyance than
anything: but it sounds like one family in the area got hit very hard. A young
couple's infant had what appeared to be a cold. They did everything right, took
the kid to a doctor, the whole nine yards: and a little after that, their child
was dead. That hurts.
The street sweeper has been roaring up and down Ash
Street, cleaning up the winter's grit. Even with the construction that's coming,
I suppose that makes sense. It'll be dusty enough this summer, without traffic
redistributing the winter's accumulation first.
The Ash Street Project is still bearing down on us.
I understand the need for repair and maintenance. That doesn't mean I'm going to
like the mess in what's left of the front yard this summer: and having to find
other ways of getting the van out.
The Sauk Herald did a good job of reporting, in
week-before-last's paper (March 25, 2008): but may have left an inaccurate impression. The
headline read, "Ash street residents oppose sidewalk decision,"
and the first sentence was: "Two Ash Street residents opposed the council's decision to put a sidewalk on the west side of Ash Street as part of the 2008 reconstruction project."
Accurate, as far as it goes. But I know it's not
the whole story. There are at least three Ash Street residence who oppose the
council's decision about a west side sidewalk. I'm not convinced that it's the
best decision: but I didn't put my signature on the petition.
I put a copy of that petition, and my reasons for
not signing it, in the
March 14, 2008,
entry.
Friday, April 4, 2008. Martin Luther King
Day, the 40th anniversary of his assassination, is today, but it's officially
next Monday. I was downtown this afternoon, around 3:00, and didn't see any
flags up. The city crews generally have them up by now. I suppose that the
upcoming Ash Street Project - and practical matters like plugging cracks in the
streets with tar - have kept them busy.
Which reminds me: I have something to say about the
Ash Street thing. It'll have to wait until Sunday, though. I'm still waking up
from night-before-last's all-nighter with my tax records. (A little more about
that at "Thursday:
Beautiful Day with Ducks.")
Funny, I used to rebound from things like that
faster, back in the seventies.
There's been a change downtown, and I missed when
it happened. It's not as big a change as the one back in 2003, when "all
star PIZZA" closed and The Grand Buffet
Chinese Restaurant opened at the pizzeria's location. The Chinese restaurant's
telephone number is still the same as it's been since then, but now it's called
"Lucky Bamboo Chinese Restaurant."
Same location, new name. I wish I could read
Chinese. April 3, 2008.
The weather has been changing, too. We had snow
Monday, beautifully clear weather for part of the day after, more snow, and now
today was a balmy sixty-something with blue skies and warm sun. I understand
that there's snow coming tomorrow.
All the times I've heard Minnesota's weather
described, "boring" was never mentioned.
Ah, the flowers of Spring. Minnesota style. April
1, 2008.
Next day: the flowers have some company. I
half-expect salt to be pouring from a bottle in the girl's arms. April 2, 2008.
Ah, spring! That rapturous season when a duck's
fancy turns to another duck. I saw a pair obliviously waddling along a street
near downtown today.
Granted, it was a lovely day for a stroll, and the
traffic was light, but that was a bird-brained place to take a constitutional.
"I love you, I love you, I love you
And where you go I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow..." April 4, 2008.
Let's see: taxes; Lucky Bamboo; flowers and
snow; daft ducks. I seem to have covered everything. Apart from that Ash Street
business. But, that'll wait.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008. Snow on Monday, a
beautifully clear day yesterday, a little more snow today. So far, this week has
been "typical" Minnesota spring weather. All we're missing is a thunderstorm, a
blizzard, and sixty-degree weather.
I have until tomorrow morning, to get my 2007 tax
information together, so the rest of today's entry will have to wait until
tomorrow.
Sunday, March 30, 2008. Mercy Sunday. Quite
a few years ago, my wife and I got married here in Sauk Centre, the day before
Mercy Sunday. The next day, Sauk Centre was dedicated to The Divine Mercy: quite
possibly the first town to be dedicated that way.
Anyway, winter is melting. We call the process
"spring." I've started wearing a medium-weight jacket when I go outside, and the
snowmen are starting to show their age. Grass is green, brown, grayish-brown,
and everything in between. These photos will give a better idea of what it's
like: It's the old 'picture worth a thousand words' thing.
Snowmen of spring: the last stand. March 30, 2008.
Minnesota: Easter bunny banner, winter snow. March
30, 2008.
Springtime, Minnesota style.
March 30, 2008.
This is the only known practical way to get spring
flowers in Minnesota, with any reliability: Set out "permanent" flowers.
March 30, 2008.
That's all for now, until next time, when there
will be more.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008. Alco is closing
its Sauk Centre store. 'Store Closing Sale' signs are in the window. It's a
rather somber sight. I thought they had a good operation there, and I'll be
sorry to see it go. And, I sympathize with the folks who will be looking for
work now.
The Alco closing is the one change lately in Sauk
Centre businesses that I think might have happened because Wal-Mart moved into
town. Alco is a discount department store, like Wal-Mart, and I suspect that the
businesses were too similar - and that Sauk Centre isn't big enough for two,
yet.
I'm sorry to see Alco go March 24, 2008.
First National Bank is now Minnesota National Bank
and Agency. March 24, 2008.
On a brighter or at least different, note, First
National Bank isn't in Sauk Centre any more: Despite what it says on that
old-fashioned clock. As of last Saturday (March 22), First National Bank of Sauk
Centre and Lake Country State Bank merged.
Now they're Minnesota National Bank. The 'new'
bank started operations on Monday. Their
FAQ says that
they're working with pretty much the same people in the same jobs: for which I'm
glad.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008. It's been a busy
week for me, so far. (More about that at
Through
One Dad's Eye.)
"I'm dreaming of a white Easter" might have been
the theme for the Maundy Thursday - Easter Sunday period. We had a Christmassy
covering of snow.
Beautiful weather: for Christmas! March 22, 2008.
Sauk Centre Floral had the right attitude, I
think. March 22, 2008.
Easter Mass, Our Lady of the Angels.
March 23, 2008.
Easter Mass at Our Lady of the Angels church.
March 23, 2008.
There's more: I'll get to that tomorrow night, I
trust.
Monday, March 24, 2008. I did it again. I've run out of day, and still have
tasks left over. Sunday's entry is going to bump into Wednesday's, at this rate.
Sunday, March 23, 2008. I did it again. It's actually Monday, when I'm
writing this, and the photos, and what I have to write, aren't ready. I haven't
exactly been wasting my time (Through One Dad's Eye
tells what I've been up to), but it didn't get the Sauk Centre Journal done.
However, I intend to get working at it again, after
a few hours sleep.
Thursday, March 20, 2008. It's Maundy Thursday, so this family went to Mass
at Our Lady of the Angels Church today, along with quite a few other people.
Easter, at least the greeting-card variety, is
supposed to be bright, blue, warm weather. It's been warm, above freezing at any
rate, but the sky has been either overcast, or really overcast.
Maybe that's why there aren't as many Easter
displays out this year. At least, I haven't noticed them. There are some,
though.
These went up right after the St. Pat's Leprechaun
disappeared. Quick work! March 20, 2008.
That's a nice touch: and those ostrich-size Easter
Eggs make the basket visible from the street. March 20, 2008.
And, of course, the traditional Easter Bunny.
March 20, 2008.
I won't be back until Sunday night, so: Happy
Easter!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008.
Actually, it's Thursday already. I didn't get
yesterday's entry done. Right now, I plan to put the mid-week entry up later
Thursday evening.
 Sunday,
March 16, 2008. The day after St. Patrick's Day!
So, Happy St. Patrick's Day, a day late! St.
Pat's day is usually March 17, but this year that would have run it into Holy
Monday. I didn't realize this until yesterday. (I see that things are back to
normal
next year.)
It's also Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week.
This family brought palm fronds home from church, as usual, and will probably be
weaving them tomorrow evening. Maybe tonight, but I doubt that.
As usual, hats off to householders who decorate
for the holidays. One of our neighbors is particularly energetic that way. He
was on the roof, yesterday. I think he was stringing lights. Right now, that
house is configured for St. Patrick's Day. My guess is that there'll be a
scramble soon, and when it's over there will be something of a culturally-Easter
nature on display.
I'm looking forward to that.
Someone left Easter greetings in the choir loft at
Our Lady of the Angels church. March 15, 2008.
Palm Sunday: Actually, the Saturday evening
before. March 15, 2008.
Palm Fronds at Our Lady of the Angels church.
March 15, 2008.
Happy St. Patrick's Day. March 16, 008.
Springtime in Minnesota: Some of the grass is
green. March 15, 2008.
It's springtime in Minnesota. Snow is melting,
receding to reveal patches of grass, and a winter's accumulation of dust and
dirt. I spent part of Saturday and Sunday, grilling lunch: as usual.
Much as I like the crisp blues, whites and grays
of winter, I'll be glad when the snow and ice is completely gone.
Friday, March 14, 2008. A neighbor of
mine stopped by this morning, with a petition. It's about the Ash Street
project. He isn't too happy about how it's working out, and - more to the point
- how it's been handled.
Ash Street
Project Petition
March 13, 2008
March 13, 2008
Mayor Kirchof & Council members
320 S Oak Street
Sauk Centre, MN 56378
Regarding Ash Street Project
To Whom It May Concern:
First of all, thank you Councilman Stone for voting
against the sidewalk all the way down on the east side of Ash Street.
When there were three alternatives given, before the
City went out for bids, we thought there was some hope. But oh no, not on your
life.
When the bids came in lower than expected, of course we
would need a sidewalk all the way down on the east side of the road. More money
had to be spent regardless of how it affects the people that will be assessed
and probably the engineers would come up short. We don't know if this is
arrogance displayed, a desire for power or pride that drives you to do what you
do. You don't seem to think that any of the people that signed a petition
against the sidewalk and provided the statistics about the use of the current
sidewalk are entitled to a reason why you vote the way you do. This utter
disregard for the feeling of the people is despicable. Councilman Coenen
practically jumped out of his chair when the third alternative was given. He
sited the fact that people would have to cross over Ash Street and this would be
a safety factor, but many, many snowmobiles, bikes and people cross over the
street in the trail crosswalk everyday, without a problem.
The disheartening part of dealing with all of this is
the arrogance shown by all of you but Councilman Stone, and you all know who
will do the paying. We are totally disgusted with the whole public process. What
a sad thing to say about the City of Sauk Centre. It's a total shame.
Respectfully Submitted,
The Disheartened People on the 900 block of Ash Street.
I didn't sign the petition: not because I think
it's inaccurate, but because I've got rules for myself. I wrote a bit more about
that in
Through One Dad's Eye.
Just the same, I think it's a good idea to put a
copy somewhere besides the city council's desk. What troubles me is the
impression I got, that a decision had already been made about what would be done
with Ash Street: and that "public input" was more of a magnanimous gesture of
responsiveness than a practical call for ideas and recommendations.
I see, on the
City of Sauk Centre website,
that the next city council meeting is next Wednesday, the 19th. I doubt that
I'll go, but it could be interesting.
I'll be back, Sunday night.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008. I'm going to
have to quote
Will Rogers today: "Well, all I know is just what I read
in the papers," because I haven't seen much of Sauk Centre this week. I'm
getting over whatever I had over the weekend, for which I'm duly thankful.
Again, there's more at Through One Dad's Eye.
Back to Sauk Centre. I see in the
Herald that
the Ash Street project bids came in lower than expected. 23% under the city
engineer's estimate. Good news, I hope. When I read that, I remembered the silo
complex that fell over in West Fargo when I was a child, and the marvelously
cracked and collapsed sidewalks of my old neighborhood.
On the other hand, city engineer Keith Yapp
said: "The bidding climate is the best I've seen in my 22 years," so Sauk Centre
may be getting a real bargain.
As one of the householders who's going to be
assessed for the project, I'm not letting myself hope for getting hit for a
whole lot less than we expected: but it would be nice.
It looks like Sauk Centre will have new
sidewalks all the way from Sinclair Lewis Avenue to south 12th on Ash. Both
sides. I sure hope that decision was made after very serious thought. The
practical and safety concerns I've got are further south on the street, mostly
around the Ford dealership.
Up on the residential end of south Ash, there
are going to be some very disappointed homeowners. Some of those folks have very
nice decorations in their yard: rustic-looking corner fences, that sort of
thing. Well, they'd probably have to go with the street work, anyway.
My place? Well, I'm going to miss those trees in
front.
The Sauk Herald's article ended with what struck me as a wonderful
understatement. "There is an urgency to finish the project before school begins as Ash Street is the main road for school buses."
At the other end of town, there's another 'assisted living
facility' planned, "near the Sauk Centre Country Club." Sounds like
someone's found a use for the old Home School site.
Nope: I see that the article says the facility
will be connected with the W.H. Cates Golf View Addition. That's the place east
of the Country Club. The assisted living place will sit on 2.53 acres, and be a
two-story wood frame structure, 47,000 square feet. Pretty good sized: If it was
square, that'd be about 150 feet on a side, I think.
A St. Cloud company called Fairway Pines Senior
Living Communities is planning to build the place. Besides the assisted living
units, there's going to be 16 "memory care units" for people dealing with memory
loss.
With the Getty Street facility down by the
Interstate, that'll make two places for folks who are older, need some help, but
not a full-press medical facility.
The northside facility is getting a tax break to
the tune of $60,000, according to the Herald. Looking at what this household is
getting hit for, with the Ash Street project, I could get envious. But, my guess
is that with a few more jobs in town, and more people connected with the
facility buying gas and groceries in Sauk Centre, we'll get some indirect
benefits.
Before I sign off, two articles I'd like to
recommend in this week's Herald: "It's
been 50 years ..." about Mark Anderson's experience in a bus accident fifty
years ago, and "Jayden Fuchs is a Leap Day baby."
Sunday, March 9, 2008. Next Sunday is
Palm Sunday. Between Easter and St. Patrick's Day, store shelves have been a
sort of patchwork of intense greens and pastels.
I see that Coborn's is having "Fun Day next
Saturday: Photos with the Bunny, Easter egg hunt, that sort of thing. Sounds
fun.
I don't have much else to add. I could blame the
way I'm feeling on Daylight Savings Time (jet lag for the masses), but I'm under
the weather, too (again, Through One Dad's Eye
has a few details). Looks like it's the flu.
Here's hoping that I'm more up and around by
Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008. I haven't been
out much, since the weekend, what with one thing and another (Through One Dad's Eye
has a few details). The only big deal I know about is a phone scam in the area,
and that Ellen Thompson was named the diversiCOM Teacher of the year.
Ellen Thompson is a Sauk Centre agriculture teacher - there's more in the
Sauk Herald.
That phone scam showed up in the Alexandria
Echo Press. It targets people with
grandkids. The scammer says something like, "hi, grandpa!" and keeps the
conversation going until the mark says something like, "is that you, Billy?"
Then the talk turns to "Billy's" urgent need for money. Unpleasant business.
I haven't heard much about the weekend's weather. That drive home, Sunday
night, was memorable. Here are a few photos from the weekend.
Road crews were out on Friday, although the
weather wasn't too bad. Just before taking this photo, I'd passed a grain truck
in the median, getting emptied. February
29, 2008.
That's the first time I'd seen a 'log house' on
the Interstate. February
29, 2008.
Wind and blowing snow, right around the freezing
point. Not the sort of weather I enjoy driving in. The good news is that, with
all the traffic, folks call these accidents in pretty quickly. March 2, 2008.
Between Moorhead and Fergus Falls. You'd think
having a tail wind would help. March 2, 2008.
I'm still not sure which direction that red car
was coming from. This was between Moorhead and Fergus Falls, on I94. March 2, 2008.
A change of pace. This vehicle wound up on its
side. Not visible, a wrecker and crew, dealing with the accident, and a fellow
crawling along at a leisurely 35 miles an hour or so - on the Interstate -
keeping life interesting for his fellow-drivers. This was at the Fergus Falls
Exit near Wal-Mart. March 2, 2008.
I see I didn't get that 'Monday' entry done,
that I wrote about in the Sunday entry. I'll try to do better by next Sunday.
Sunday, March 2, 2008. I've been gone
since Friday, and got back tonight. Sauk Centre's gotten some more snow since I
was here last, but I haven't had a chance to go around and see much since
Wednesday.
I did, however, drive by a crew working on some
wires last Thursday. Between that memory, and my experiences coming back from
the Red River Valley today, I'd like to say "thanks!" to everyone who keeps
utilities and emergency services running, 24/7, whatever the weather.
A crew at work on Ash, just north of south 12th.
Those streaks are snowflakes. February
28, 2008.
I'll try to be back Monday night, with a little
more.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008. We're
getting more marks on Ash Street's pavement, and on the snow. The latest set
I've noticed are yellow. I still don't have a clue why the snow is being
painted: unless someone wants to get a really early start on the road work. Or,
as someone suggested, there are going to be aerial photos made.
There, in the middle of the photo: a straight
yellow line, across the street and onto the snow on the other side. Hmm. That's
not the best view. February
25, 2008.
That's a better angle. Painting the street, I
understand. Why Paint the snow, though? February
25, 2008.
Whatever the reason for painting the streetside
snow, it's taking a pretty good-size crew to get the job done. I counted over a
half-dozen the other day, when they were conferring.
Conferring at the corner of South Ash and the Lake
Wobegon Trail. February
25, 2008.
On a more serious note, it says in the
Sauk Centre Herald that there's a Level
Three Sex Offender who's being released soon, and may be living in Melrose. I
can't say that I'm happy about that, but at least now we're being told when
things like this happen.
I did a little checking, and found out that if
the man settles in Melrose, that town may be better off, in terms of risk, than
Sauk Centre, Freeport, St. Rosa, Meire Grove, Greenwald, and New Munich. There's
more, in "Wednesday:
Level 3 Sex Offender Down the Road?," a post on my "Through
One Dad's Eye" blog.
St. Patrick's Day stuff, and Easter things for
sale. February
25, 2008.
Finally: it's here. Shamrockoid shapes on store
shelves; goofy hats, wigs and beads: all of them green, proclaim the coming of
St. Patrick's Day. And, right next to them, food coloring, plastic eggs, and all
the other pastel portents of Easter.
Sunday, February 24, 2008. This was a
foggy Sunday in Sauk Centre. It's a scenic sort of weather: and I'm glad I
didn't have to drive out of town.
Fog on south Ash Street: Serene scene, low
visibility. February
24, 2008.
Yesterday, I noticed green and blue markings on
and around the street on south Ash. My guess is that they're part of the
preparations for the big Ash Street project this summer.
The green markings on the street's pavement, I
can understand. The little colored flags on the yard make sense, too. My guess
is that some of the utilities have been found and marked.
The flag will remain, but that paint will be gone
after the Spring melt. February
24, 2008.
What floors me are the blue marks on the snow.
Unless some of the work is done fast, those marks will be gone. Spring isn't all
that far away, and we've been known to have early thaws.
Just how long do we expect the snow to last this
year? February
24, 2008.
Happily, I don't have to do the planning for
that project, so the blue marks aren't my concern.
What I will have to do is find a way to get a
special lilac out of the front yard, before the road crews come through.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008. Something I
didn't mention in the last entry: The flu is going around this area. This family
hasn't gotten it yet, for which I'm duly grateful, but we know a couple of folks
who do. We got the word at church, last Sunday, that St. Mike's nursing home and
hospital, up on the north side, wants people to hold off visiting for a while.
They're understandably concerned about letting the bug get in.
We've been having some cold weather here. It was
about 20 below zero this morning, by our outside thermometer. Today is garbage
pickup day for this household. Which reminds me: hats off to everyone who has
one of those jobs that need to get done: like garbage pickup, keeping the
utilities working, emergency services, that sort of thing.
It's a cold job: and I'm glad someone's doing it. February
20, 2008.
Picking up a prescription at Wal-Mart on Monday,
I saw a man going in, wearing a distinctive sort of cape-cap. I'm pretty sure
that it was an actual pelt. I didn't have a chance to talk with him, so I don't
know the story of his garb.
Yes, that seems to be a real pelt. Distinctive and
apparently quite warm. February 18, 2008.
Tonight there was a Lunar eclipse. My oldest
daughter called me, a little after 10 this evening: and I'm glad she did.
The Lunar eclipse. Those aren't canals on the
moon. There was a tree between the moon and the fastest spot to set up a camera.
February 20, 10:12 p.m., 2008.
It was cold out there, by the back door, so I
didn't do much more than set up the tripod and take a couple of pictures. When I
got inside, I noticed that branches covered part of the moon. My wife pointed
out that they look like canals.
The Lunar eclipse, in Sauk Centre February 20,
10:13 p.m., 2008.
I saw, in Monday's St. Cloud Times, that the
recall of 143
million pounds of frozen beef from California affected quite a few Minnesota
schools. Including Sauk Centre. It's good to know that we can track that sort of
thing, and pull the meat: this time, before anyone got ill.
It's late, and I need to get some sleep.
Goodnight.
Sunday, February 17, 2008. Flags went up
on the downtown streets Friday, anticipating Presidents' Day. Tomorrow is also
when the annual Blue Mass will be held: at St. Paul's Church. Each year around
this time, we do this to honor the folks in the Police and Fire Departments, and
Emergency Squads.
Our Lady of the Angels parishioners learned how
much the Ash Street Project will set the church back. It's $35,000, or some
similarly heart-stopping sum. Whatever the sum was, it was an "estimate," so
we'll probably be paying more.
Father Statz pointed out that there's a pink
envelope in each household's packet, with a bulldozer on it, specifically for
money to pay that particular bill. By the time this family was home, I was
calling that envelope the "pink bulldozer."
There it is the "pink bulldozer." February 17, 2008.
Meanwhile, there's a new program to help pay the
bills at Holy Family School, the Catholic school down on Sinclair Lewis Avenue.
It's called Scrip. Businesses have agreed to pay a set percentage of each
purchase with 'scrip' to the Holy Family School. Sounds like a nice idea. Places
from Centre Floral to Winter's Main St. Drug have signed up. The Scrip outfit
even has a website, where we can buy stuff online:
www.shopwithscrip.com.
If it looks like I'm focusing pretty much on
church-related stuff, you're right. What can I say? It's Lent, so I'm a bit
focused that way to begin with. And besides, I've been a little distracted the
last few days. (There's more about that, in Through One Dad's Eye.)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008. More light
snow today kept Sauk Centre's landscape touched up: almost to Currier-and-Ives
standards.
This week's
Sauk Centre Herald gave quite a bit of space on the front page, and inside,
to last week's caucuses: and still had room on the front page for a feature on
"Marriage and the movies - Douviers 'reel'y enjoy life." They're the family who
run the Main Street Theater. (I really ought to write something about that
place: it's a remarkable multi-screen theater in a relatively small town.)
And, today was the last day before Valentine's
Day. I think it's a safe prediction that stores will be very green, for about a
month, starting right after tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
Valentine's Day.
Excuse me: I have to get something done.
Sunday, February 10, 2008. I've been out
of town for the last few days, but I know one thing that's happened here.
It's been cold: -18 around sunrise this
morning. After getting back tonight, I thought of going out again to take a
photo of the time/temperature sign downtown: but common sense prevailed. Also my
cold feet.
The Palms motel, down by the Main Street /
Highway 71 Interstate exit, still has holiday lights up. I like that: It's a
dressy, cheerful note in this mid-winter Minnesota landscape.
The Palms: cheerful lights. February 10, 2008.
And Main Street is the same as it usually is:
Although at night, I think the street lights look inviting.
Main Street at night, near the Lake Woebegon Trail. February
10, 2008.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I've always
enjoyed the sight of a town's lights, late at night.
Friday, February 8, 2008. I planned
to be back, Thursday morning: But I suppose Friday afternoon is better than
nothing. There's an explanation of sorts in yesterday's post in my "Through
One Dad's Eye" blog (smalltowndad.blogspot.com).
Bag Me has moved closer to the center of
downtown. The purse-tote-and-stuff store is just south of Hidden Treasures now,
on the east side of Main
Bag Me moved across the street and about a block
north. February 7, 2008.
The "Sauk Centre Herald" has a Spanish-language
edition, "Heraldo." This gives me an opportunity to brush up on my Spanish: and
some of the newer families in town something to read in a more-familiar
language.
"Heraldo:" Gratis, which puts it in my price
range. February 7, 2008.
We've had quite a bit of frost lately. Yesterday's
installment was unusually heavy: lasted through the morning and much of the
afternoon.
Frost gives trees a sort of fairyland look in
winter. February 7, 2008.
As I mentioned in the earlier post, Ash
Wednesday was this week: the start of Lent.
Ash Wednesday in Our Lady of the Angels Church:
Those two glass bowls on the table are where ashes from last year's palms are. February
6, 2008.
And, that's where the ashes go. February 7, 2008.
Now, let's see if I manage to get Sunday's entry
out on Sunday!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Ash Wednesday.
Lent started today. Like many other folks in
town, I spent the afternoon with a cross of ash on my forehead. I plan to be
back, tomorrow morning, with a bit more.
Sunday, February 3, 2008. The last Sunday
before Lent. Down in New Orleans, folks are whooping it up at the Mardi Gras.
Here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, we set fire to a chest-full of palm fronds. I'll
get back to that.
Part of what I like about this time of year is
how good it feels to get back inside. This week I treated myself to a couple
cups of coffee at Jitters Java, downtown. Some other people had the same idea:
two of them decided to relax in front of the fire.
Comfortable chairs, a fire, and coffee. Not bad at
all. February 1, 2008.
We had frost on the trees Saturday and Sunday.
That made grilling lunch an even better experience than usual for me.
One of the bonuses of living in Minnesota: frost.
February 2, 2008.
This morning, this house had what I call
frostflowers on one of the windows. Conditions were right for those strangely
floral patterns of ice crystals.
"Frostflowers." February 3, 2008.
Since this seems to be the Age of Warning
Labels, I'll make this announcement: The rest of this entry is going to be very
Catholic.
Back to those burning palm fronds. Last year, on
Palm Sunday, palms were blessed at Our Lady of the Angels church, the parish
this household goes to. As most families do, we took some home and plied them
into particular shapes. For the last few Sundays, there's been a wooden chest in
church for people to return the fronds. They're pretty dry by now.
Fronds and candles in Our Lady of the Angels
church. February 3, 2008.
After mass, the palm fronds were taken out to a
fire box built for the purpose and burned. The ashes will be used next week, on
Ash Wednesday.
Last year's palm fronds becoming this year's ashes.
February 3, 2008.
You may have noticed the unusual candles in the
picture up there. I call them "Saint Blaise candles." Today is the feast day of
St. Blaise. This parish has, happily, been practicing the blessing of the
throats on his feast day in recent years. The blessing can be done with a pair
of ordinary-looking straight candles (unlit - we don't want to get ignited!)
crossed over each other. This year the candles were special: and not just
because they'd been twisted together. They'd been blessed at the tomb of St.
Blaise.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008. Cold. Wind
chill advisories. -20 at 8 this morning, and not much warmer at 9. The Sauk
Centre schools opened two hours late, acknowledging the weather. I haven't heard
what it was here, but wind chill in the Twin Cities was -37, and -40 in Fargo
around 8 this morning. Sauk Centre must have been between those two values.
That's cold!
I was out this afternoon. By then it was a mere
-10 or so. Folks were out, doing their usual business. Including one daring (or
daft) young man with a crew cut and no cap.
I've heard that Minnesotans are more likely to
talk about the weather than folks form many other states. I'm not surprised:
During the winter, a keen interest in weather increases one's odds of survival.
Monday, January 28, 2008. Sorry about
that: I thought I'd have this ready on Sunday night. Obviously, I didn't. I was
out of town Friday, plus the weekend, getting some family business taken care
of. Also having a good visit with my father and two daughters. There's more
about the weekend, over at my
Through One Dad's Eye blog.
That new house is coming along quickly. January 24, 2008.
The new house on south
Pine, replacing the one that
burned last year,
is taking shape. They've got the siding on, for the most part at least.
That new house is coming along quickly. January 24, 2008.
Ice fishing houses are out on Sauk Lake again
this year. There was a fair amount of traffic going and coming on the lake, even
last Thursday afternoon. There must be something entrancing about sitting in a
small hut, waiting for a fish to take the bait.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008. It's been a
cold week. What with one thing and another, I've stayed inside as much as I
could. I even agreed with my wife, that grilling a steak last night wouldn't be
the most prudent thing to do.
School is back in session, after that 4-day
weekend.
And, in less than two weeks, two major events
will occur.
- February 3:
Superbowl XLII
(for the
obsessive fan, there's a live countdown on the site, showing how much time
is left: down to the second)
- February 5: Minnesota Precinct Caucuses.
This may not be as exciting as the Superbowl. In fact I'm pretty sure that
for most people it's not even in their top-10 favorite things. But it's important.
Also,
going to one of these is a good way to make a difference. Questions about
the precinct caucuses can (I hope) be answered by one of the three major
Minnesota parties.
Information from the
Minnesota Secretary of State
651 215 1440
1 877 600 8683
www.sos.state.mn.us
I'll be back, with what's been going on in Sauk
Centre, and a photo or two, Sunday night.
Sunday, January 20, 2008. The astute
reader will have noticed that I've written the year as "2007," after getting it
right on January 2. I've fixed it, now.
It's been a cold day, although it was above 10
below by the time the family headed for church.
A bit cold: at least there wasn't much wind.
January 20, 2008.
This entry will be mostly about 'democracy in
action.' Minnesota caucuses are February 5: I'll have a little more about that,
later in the week. The rest of this entry is about the Ash Street project, and a
neighborhood petition, so feel free to stop here: and maybe take a look at the
Ash Street webcam. There's a link to it, in the sidebar.
A petition with my name on it went to city hall this week. It's about this Ash Street project
that's coming in the summer. A sort of ad hoc neighborhood committee put it
together. I haven't heard anything about it, so maybe no news is good news.
One of the ideas that's been raised is to put
sidewalks down both sides of Ash, from 9th to 12th. A sidewalk on the east side
makes sense, since Wal-Mart's out there already, and eventually there'll
be a sort of retail/professional area east of Wal-Mart. One of the neighbors
counted pedestrian traffic: If my memory serves, one day over a half-dozen
people walked down Ash, toward Wal-Mart.
A sidewalk on the west side is another matter.
Aside from cost, it would run right through the Ford dealership's auto shop lot.
That's a busy spot. The guys who work there are sharp and careful, but if I were
on a 'sidewalk' through there, I'd feel like the title character in a
live-action "Frogger." Then, there are the two Coborns driveways.
That petition asks city hall to consider using
the existing west side sidewalk from 9th to Lake Wobegon Trail, putting a
crosswalk at the Trail crossing, and run a sidewalk on the east side from the
Trail to 12th - with another crosswalk across from Coborn's.
I think it sounds reasonable, just in terms of
saving money. Besides, there's the safety thing to consider.
We'll see how this works out.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008. I suppose
that it has something to do with the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year's holiday
cycle giving way to monthly heating bills and intermittent snow shoveling, but
January has always seemed to be a rather featureless month to me.
I haven't noticed much going on in Sauk Centre
since Sunday: but then, I've been a little preoccupied. I think I've got Sauk
Centre's first (I think)
webcam running
smoothly now, taking a picture each minute (with the occasional annoying
technical glitch). I'll still be working and/or playing with the two I've set up
to keep an eye on me
for a while, though.
Now that I've got that shameless self-promotion
out of the way, let me think: what has gone on in town this week?
For households using the same garbage collection
service we do, the biggest change is probably the semi-automation of garbage
pickup. If I read the notice right, the jump in fuel prices encouraged the
company to set up a mechanical pickup device.
My guess is that the trucks will go from a
two-man to a one-man crew, now. That's going to be rough for quite a few people.
Losing your job isn't fun. To put it mildly.
There's been some sort of snafu with telephone
service, yesterday and today. Our household didn't get at least three incoming
calls. There may have been more: that's just the people I talked to, who either
told me they'd tried to call, or asked me what my new number was. This evening,
about twenty minutes to six, I got a call from someone with a regional phone
company, following up on a report they'd gotten.
I don't think we appreciate what it takes,
keeping the telephone system (and television, and Internet) running. It's a big
complicated system, and hats off to the folks who keep it running.
Sunday, January 13, 2008. We had a little
light snow over the weekend: enough to cover the raw patches left from the warm
weather, and that's about it. This morning and early afternoon, there was frost
and snow on the trees: a very nice effect.
Meads department store downtown is still having
it's post-Christmas clearance sale. I'm told that this is the time to get quite
good clothing at seriously low prices. Also, that Wal-Mart coming to town didn't
have such a serious effect on Meads as the proprietor thought.
I'm not very surprised: I didn't think that
Meads' clientele was likely to patronize Wal-Mart, or vice versa. It's nice to
know that Meads is still doing well, though. Even though my family does most of
our clothes shopping at rummage sales and Wal-Mart, it's nice to know that
there's a classy store in town.
I haven't been out much since Wednesday, apart
from sweating at Fitness Guru, and a few errands. I probably didn't miss too
much. January seems to be a slow month for big changes.
Except for the Ash Street project, and sidewalks
in this neighborhood. I wrote about that in a blog post, "Friday:
Sidewalks, Street Lighting, and Homeowners."
The Ash Street project is a big, complicated,
affair: and I hope that there's discussion of some of the details - including
sidewalks from 9th Street to 12th Street South. For one thing, I'm not convinced
that running a sidewalk through an auto shop's lot would be entirely safe.
Enough of that. For now, anyway.
I've been fiddling with webcams. My big
accomplishment has been to get a webcam,
"... there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be",
upgraded. Now, we can see what's going on at night, as well as in daylight. I
think the picture is improved a bit, too.
I believe that's
Sauk Centre's first
view-of-the-street webcam. I've put a link to "... there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be"
in the Sauk Centre Journal's sidebar, as well as a thumbnail that shows the
current picture.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008. The snow is
starting to look a little worn. We've had a January thaw this week, with
temperatures above freezing. We could use more snow cover:, and it's not just
the aesthetics: We'll be wanting water in the soil, come spring.
The Sauk
Herald published a photo of the new year's first baby born in town: a
ruddy-cheeked little boy.
South Ash Street is in the news again. Or,
rather, the sidewalks on Ash. I finally got around to reading the
Herald article, and learned that just
over half of the sidewalk on Ash needs replacing. The problem is, it's a piece
here, a piece there, with it'll-do-for-now stretches in between. One idea is to
replace all the sidewalks from 9th to Sinclair Lewis Avenue. The city
engineer brought that up.
I can see his point. As long as Ash Street is
going to be torn up anyway, we could do the same with the sidewalks. That way,
there'd be a stretch of sidewalk on both sides that's fresh - and which
presumably will wear evenly. I'd look nice. Also, it would cost more. Safety is
an issue, too. I can appreciate the safety concern. Sidewalks just north of the
neighborhood I grew up in had been laid by a contractor with a talent for
creative engineering. They were regulation thickness at the sides, where they
were measured, and nowhere near as profligate with concrete in the center.
By the time I came along, they were breaking up
and being replaced in patches. You had to pay attention when walking on them,
and riding a bicycle was even more exciting.
There's a bit of talk going on about the
proposed sidewalk extension southward to Wal-Mart, too. Between street-widening
and sidewalks, this household is going to have a lot less front yard when the
project is over. I suppose I could be more concerned or upset over what's going
on, but I understand that there's going to be more traffic. And, when those
retail places start sprouting east of Wal-Mart, there will be people wanting to
walk there.
I'll miss those three shade trees in front,
though. They're definitely going.
In one of the
information sessions, the city planners used a photo of them as the example
of trees that were in the way of the street - and which interfered with
visibility.
Speaking of photos: Those photos I mentioned on
Sunday waited until today, as it turned out.
Winter is not a recommended season for
construction, but someone seems determined to replace the
house on south
Pine that burned last fall.
December 17, 2007.
Main Street was a sight for sore eyes when I got
back last weekend. January 5, 2008.
Frost on the trees, east of Sauk Centre. Beautiful.
December 28, 2007.
That's it for now. I've got to get some sleep
Sunday, January 6, 2008. Epiphany Sunday.
The Sauk Centre street decorations came down
soon after New Year's, as I expected, but quite a few folks in town had their
Christmas displays lit up until - and including - tonight. Which is quite
appropriate, since today is the end of the Christmas season.
Next stop, Valentine's Day. The stores already
have pink, red and white displays set up.
I've been out of town since Thursday morning,
and I spent most of today enjoying being with my family: so I don't have much
more to report. I do, however, have some more photos - but those will wait at
least until tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008. Happy New Year!
Brendan's Island was offline for a while today.
Sorry about that! There was some sort of difficulty at or near the hosting
company, as nearly as I can tell. Whatever the cause, between finding out that
it wasn't a problem at my end, and some family preparations going on, I didn't
get much ready for today.
The traffic light at South 12th and Ash has been
blinking red for a few days. I trust that it gets fixed soon.
I was wrong about the Christmas lights. Our son
and I were out after supper today, on an errand, and saw some nice displays. The
city garlands are still up, too.
That errand took us to Wal-Mart. They're getting
a Valentine's Day area set up. The shelves are still fairly empty, but that'll
probably change in a day or two.
That's it for now. I've got to get some sleep.
If you checked here before, and found nothing, thanks for coming back, and thank
you for your patience. I should be back Sunday, with a more complete posting.
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