Sunday, April 15, 2012. It's Divine Mercy Sunday. We've had a wonderful, warm, clear-blue-sky day, followed by overcast, thunder, rain, and - in Alexandria - a bit of hail. Now there's a wind advisory out, starting midnight: with snow, a low around 30, clear skies, rain, and fog. Not all at the same time, of course.

Some folks from the local Soo Bahk Do class were in St. Paul Friday evening. As I said in another blog, my wife and #3 daughter are testing for the Soo Bahk Do equivalent of a black belt. I went along as a driver and photographer. ("Martial Arts and the Battle for Purity," A Catholic Citizen in America (April 15, 2012))

The Soo Bahk Do group in Sauk Centre, and others in this area, are quite close to the origins of this martial art. Grandmaster Hwang Kee founded it in 1945; he taught the current head, H. C. Hwang, who taught the man who taught the Sauk Centre group's lead instructor.

That's a long way of saying that there are only four student-teacher steps between the person the local group is learning from, and the founder of the art.

Soo Bahk Do: mental and physical discipline - - -. April 13, 2012.

- - - and no shoes. April 13, 2012.

And, for the folks who came along, a photo op. April 13, 2012.

When the weekend came, I realized that I'd been focusing pretty heavily on the upcoming test. I had a quick look around yesterday: and the rest of Sauk Centre is still there. Maybe I'll have more detail next week.

Sunday, April 8, 2012. Easter Sunday. Ducks have returned to Sauk Lake, flowers are blooming, and bugs are in the air.

Sauk Lake, near St. Michael's. April 4, 2012.

Ducks in Sauk Lake. April 4, 2012.

Not a big bush: but lots of flowers. April 7, 2012.

The Easter Express? I like that yard decoration. April 8, 2012.

Easter Sunday, Our Lady of Angels church. April 8, 2012.

I'm looking forward to consistently warm weather: which shouldn't be too far ahead.

Sunday, April 1, 2012. Palm Sunday. We didn't get that high around 80 today: which was fine by me.

Palm fronds at Our Lady of Angels church. April 1, 2012.

Palm Sunday, Our Lady of Angels church. April 1, 2012.

Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week: which tends to be a little hectic for this household. As we usually do, we wove four palm fronds into a sort of St. Andrew's cross:

That, and noting that Summer is definitely here, is about all I've got for this week.

Sunday, March 25, 2012. Next week is Palm Sunday. This week was warm, cold, sunny, overcast, and clear with occasional rain and a noisy thundershower on Monday. All of which is about par for the course this time of year, here in central Minnesota.

The Unger Furniture stock liquidation sale is still going on. The radio commercials are saying that it's almost over. That's the impression I got, anyway.

Knights of Columbus have been bringing an Our Lady of Guadalupe image through this area for a few years now. It was at the church I go to today.

An Our Lady of Guadalupe image at Our Lady of Angels church. Knights of Columbus arranged for it to be here. March 25, 2012.

Apart from that, and my household almost having a working garage again, I haven't noticed all that much out of the ordinary. I'll admit to having been a bit distracted, though.

Sunday, March 18, 2012. Spring is here. Not the sort of 'flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la' thing you read about. Springtime, Minnesota style. It's warm: in the '70s. The snow is gone. Most of it, anyway. Here's a quick review of the month so far:

Snow: It'll make even a construction site look good. March 1, 2012.

Yep. No question about it. It snowed this week. March 1, 2012.

Next stop on the holiday line: St. Patrick's Day. March 4, 2012.

Kids know what snow's for. March 11, 2012.

Snow, and dirt, and mud. Snirt? Smud? Not entirely pleasant, although the clean snow looks nice. March 11, 2012.

That was then. This is now:

Springtime, Minnesota style. March 18, 2012.

One of my kids saw a gnat the other day, so the other invertebrate critters will be adding to the ambiance soon. I've been hearing - and enjoying - birdsongs for several days now. I've seen the usual sparrows, and a junco or two. At least, I think they were juncos. A little smaller and trimmer than sparrows, and gray. I'm no bird expert.

Grass is turning green in the damper and warmer spots: by the time we get something that looks like the sort of 'blooming meadow' version of spring, it'll be summer. And I'll probably be getting nostalgic about winter.

Before Mass at Our Lady of Angels. March 18, 2012.

St. Patrick's day went by this week, so the next holiday is Palm Sunday (two weeks), or Easter Sunday (three weeks), or National Jelly Bean Day (5 weeks).

Sunday, March 11, 2012. First, the good news: the Hair & Body Connection salon on the corner of Sinclair Lewis and Main is open. Now, the bad news: next door, the Sauk Hop Diner isn't.

Sauk Hop Diner, downtown: Open last summer, now closed. March 11, 2012.

The sign they've got on the window says it all.

Sauk Hop Diner: I'll miss that place. March 11, 2012.

Before moving on, two pictures from last summer.

"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.

Some of last week's snow either has melted, or is melting. Quite a bit hasn't gotten around to acknowledging spring yet.

Kids know what snow's for. March 11, 2012.

It's only a matter of time before even the biggest snow piles are gone. Temperatures were in the mid-50s today.

Speaking of time: I enjoyed, if that's the word for it, the 'spring forward' part of daylight saving time today. I'd say something witty on the subject - but today my heart's just not in it.

That's it for this week: see you next Sunday.

Sunday, March 5, 2012. We got a decent cover of snow late Tuesday and early Wednesday. ("Weekly Summary for February 29, 2012," wunderground.com) Quite a lot of it is still here, although I'm not expecting the snow to last too long. If next Tuesday's high of 40-plus comes, it'll feel like an early spring.

Snow: It'll make even a construction site look good. March 1, 2012.

I suppose part of the small town stereotype is true: we do talk about the weather. Considering how much of the local economy depends directly or indirectly on agriculture, that's no surprise.

Yep. No question about it. It snowed this week. March 1, 2012.

Next stop on the holiday line: St. Patrick's Day. March 4, 2012.

That's about it for this week. I'm enjoying the wintry scene while it lasts.

Sunday, February 26, 2012. It's been snowing, although the winter storm watch got postponed. As of this evening, the forecast is for wind and maybe a foot of snow to show up between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

A smudge on my forehead, marking the start of Lent. February 22, 2012.

I don't have all that much to report this week - aside from some commercial space being available on the west side of Main, downtown. I noticed the sign when my son and I went to an eye clinic this week. Actually, he went: I just tagged along.

That space is still for rent. Or maybe 'again.' If memory serves, that's where Gold 'N More was, until last summer. February 24, 2012.

That's it for now. See you next Sunday!

Sunday, February 19, 2012. Ash Wednesday is coming this week. I missed this year's burning of last Easter's palms. My household's set got deposited last night. Here's a photo of last season's burning:

Burning the palm leaves - last year. We had more snow on the ground then. March 6, 2011.

The estate clearance sale is still going on at Unger Furniture, west of the Palmer House. That block is going to look different without the big "UNGER" lettering on that building.

Inheritance taxes make it challenging to pass a family business along to the next generation. Unger Furniture 'estate sale.' February 16, 2012.

On a happier note, around the corner (The Original) Main Street looks about as busy as ever. It's not exactly New York City's Times Square: but we seem to be doing okay.

Main Street, Sauk Centre, on a Thursday afternoon. February 16, 2012.

I'm not sure when this happened: Felling Trailers (www.felling.com) has a new building. This one's by the Interstate on-ramp, eastbound; behind Dan Welle's (www.danwelle.com); and north of Minnesota Sawdust and Shavings Company (they don't seem to have a website). I'm not sure how to reach it: but there's a pretty good view of the building from near Sauk Centre's I-94 Raceway.

Felling Trailers - new(ish) building. February 19, 2012.

The weather forecast says there's more ridiculously warm weather coming: but at least there's a pretty good chance we'll get snow. No, wait: that's snow, then rain in the afternoon. Uff da.

Sunday, February 12, 2012. It felt like April this weekend. The good news is that heating bills shouldn't be too bad for this month. The bad news is that at this rate what snow is left will melt off long before April and May finally make an appearance. I don't like 'open winters.' Happily, I haven't noticed blowing dust.

Sauk Lake public landing in Sauk Centre. We've had some picture-postcard days this week. February 10, 2012.

More good news: these crystal-clear blue skies are nice to look at.

I see in this week's Sauk Centre Herald that the public school may put advertising up in the hallways. ("Hallways as billboards?" Randy Olson (February 8, 2012))

The idea is that private/non-school advertisers would pay to have their advertisements posted, with profits going into the school's general fund. Maybe it's crass commercialism: but it also sounds like a reasonable way to help keep the school running. As for the affect on students?

At the lower elementary grades, it might not be the best idea. For the teen population in the school? I spent my adolescence in the '60s: and my classmates were reasonably media-savvy then. I seriously doubt that grades seven-through-12 in the Sauk Centre Public School are any less able to tell the difference between advertising and school announcements.

It looks like the school board is taking time to collect information and think: which I think is a good thing.

One more thing: Valentine's Day comes on TUESDAY of THIS WEEK?! Oh, wait: I've already taken care of what I'll give my wife.

Whew!

Next stop on the holiday calendar is Ash Wednesday.

Sunday, February 5, 2012. We had frost on the trees Saturday morning. Probably before that, too, what with the fog, but Saturday is why I got some photos.

Frost on evergreens. It's like a fairyland forest is in bloom. February 4, 2012.

A little more than a week, and Valentine's Day is here. February 4, 2012.

Frost crystals: a closer look. February 4, 2012.

I drove to Hillsboro, North Dakota, on Wednesday, coming back the same day. I like driving, usually: but fog was particularly interesting on the return trip. Starting around Fergus Falls, all the way to Sauk Centre, visibility was very far from ideal.

My wife and I, and #3 daughter, spent a little time visiting with #2 daughter and son-in-law: but the trip was mostly 'business.' There were papers to sign.

My son-in-law and daughter started Spiral Light Candle (spirallightcandle.com) about a year ago. They've got a remarkable, new, sort of candle, and folks seem to like it. The candle factory is moving out of their garage, into a building that's going to be the company's factory and offices. While I'm plugging their business, they've got a Spiral Light Candle Corp. Storefront on Amazon.com.

Spiral Light Candle factory: My son-in-law took this picture. December 31, 2011.

Same place, a little over a month later. There's still more to get done. February 2, 2012.

My son-in-law and #2 daughter are doing most of the work, but I've been lending a hand where I can. One think I'll say: my life hasn't been boring.

Sunday, January 29, 2012. It looked and felt like winter today, and I'm enjoying it while I can. It's not that I like feeling cold. With snow in the ground, the wind picks up ice crystals: not dust.

Football field behind the school. This is the way winter is supposed to look. January 29, 2012.

Nifty! Now there's a 'time and temperature' sign by Sauk Centre High School's parking lot. January 29, 2010.

The forecast is for (slightly) above-freezing temperatures. Maybe all the snow won't melt.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.