| March 1st |
March is a month of considerable frustration -- it is so near spring and yet, across a great deal of the country, the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity in our yards seems light years away.
-- Thalassa Cruso (circa 1975) How right she is!!!! PS: Did anyone else happen to notice that Thalassa used a large unit of distance (light years) when she really meant a large amount of time? Since she studied Archaeology and Anthropology, one would think she would have used a term like "eons away" or "millennia away", which really ARE large units of time. |
| March 2nd | Over the last 15 or 20 years, I gave away 400 to 500 LBLR coffee mugs (click HERE). Where are all those coffee mugs now??? It's nice to think that many of them are still in use, but it's reasonable to think that many of them are not. No doubt, a majority of them have been pushed to the back of the cupboard in favor of other cups. No doubt also, many of them have been broken.......in fact, I've broken a few myself. But here's the real question: How many of them are on the shelves at Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, or other stores of that type? Let me know if any of you are still using them, and especially let me know if any of you see some in a Goodwill-type store. |
| March 3rd | March actually came in like a lamb this year, so does that mean that it'll go out like a lion? Geez, I hope not. Ya know, over the years the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" theory has proven true on a number of occasions, but the best example I have is from 2012. What a change that was in a 31 day span, and it was also the earliest "ice-out" date in the Modern Era. Click HERE. |
| March 4th | Cindy (my main cleaning lady for a lot of years and whom many of you knew) and her husband Dave, just left here. They spent the last 8 days in Mexico and left their car here in Inver Grove Heights while they were gone. It's always as nice to be visited by old friends from up north, as it is to be visited by my old customers (who are also friends). That's a hint, by the way. Many of you guys go through the Twin Cities on your way up north.......when you do that, give me a call and maybe we can set up a place to meet for lunch. Or just give me a call and stop over when you can. |
| Cinco de Marzo |
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES! Entry for March 5, 2013, (7 years ago today): Snowed in; fire in the fireplace; drinking coffee for a bit before cooking up some breakfast; doing a crossword puzzle; listening to Vivaldi. I love it! Heck, I might even make a Bloody Mary. This is great!!!!! How are you down-staters doing? Update -- Geez, those "snowed in" days at the resort were sure neat! But here's the thing I always wondered about. Whenever a snow storm was predicted, I always laid in food, wine, and snacks, and also filled the woodbox as full as I could get it.......just as if I wouldn't be able to leave the house for a couple of days. Then when the snow stopped falling, I'd go outside and blow the snow from the driveways, parking areas, and sidewalks, and as soon as that was done, I'd drive into Grand Rapids. I love to see little towns after a big snow storm. So the question is this: if I knew I was going to drive into town immediately after the storm, why was I so concerned about laying in a supply of food and wine??? |
| March 6th | With a little patience, you can get Chickadees to eat sunflower seeds out of your hand. |
| March 7th | It takes even less patience to get one of these little guys (click HERE) to eat peanuts out of your hand. Click HERE to see Shannon actually feeding one of the little beggers. |
| March 8th | To see the DNR Eagle Cam, click HERE. In addition to daytime viewing, it has an infrared camera for viewing at night. It also has sound, although normally there's not much to hear. I believe there are three eggs in the nest. |
| March 9th | Note to Cindy & Tara: In the not-too-distant past, you two would have been starting to do the spring cleaning in the cabins about now, and at virtually a day per cabin, it was a big job. Do you miss it, or are you glad it's over? If you don't mind, let me know.......but bear in mind, that your response just might show up here. |
| March 10th |
We lost a friend....... My 80 year-old friend, Buckshot Lessard, passed away a few days ago. A few of you have met him, but most of you probably haven't because it was rare to see him at LBLR in the summertime. However, during the winter months he used to drop in on me about 7:00 AM every couple of weeks, and we'd sit at the kitchen table, drink coffee, and chat for 45 minutes or an hour about whatever happened to be on our minds at the time. Often, though not always, it concerned hunting, fishing, or dealing with winter in the Northland. One cold day in late February of 2006, he stopped over in the afternoon for a drink (not coffee this time), and to bring me some Crappies that he had caught through the ice on Bass Lake the day before. It was enough fish for me for two meals, and they were delicious; I couldn't thank him enough. To see the only picture of him that I have, click HERE. So long Buckshot.......it was an honor and a pleasure to know you, and to be your friend. |
| March 11th | When we set our clocks ahead this past Sunday morning, our sunrise time was an hour later than it would have been without the change. That means that the March 7th sunrise occurred at the same time as the sunrise last January 29th, totally wiping out overnight, the sunrise time gains of the previous 40 days. But on the plus side, it'll take only 34 days (until April 10th) for the sunrise to get back to what it was the day before the time change. As I've said several times before, some of these astronomical tidbits are rather difficult to fathom. |
| March 12th to 14th |
• • • |
| March 15th |
The way some of us had it planned, this afternoon the Michigan State Spartans would be playing the University of Minnesota Gophers for the Big Ten Tournament Championship, but alas.......the Coronavirus changed everything.
And some of us are of the opinion that Minnesota and Indiana are co-champions of the Big Ten Tournament because they are the only two teams who won any tournament games. |
| March 16th |
Happy Birthday to my friend Sarge!!! Happy Birthday to my Son-in-law Jim. Also Happy Saint Urho's Day, which is actually today but is sometimes celebated on weekend dates. In the words of Saint Urho himself: Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene hiiteen! By the way, the traditional drink for Saint Urho's Day is (or, at least, should be) a Heinäsirkka (Grasshopper) and I suggest that you drink one today in celebration. To see ours, click HERE. PS: I hope today's celebrations were not cancelled because of the Coronavirus problem. But if they have been cancelled, it's good to be safe! |
| St. Patty's Day |
As usual on this day: Happy Birthday Ter (my youngest Daughter).......and Éire go Brách!!!!!
PS: Obviously today's celebratory drink should be a full shot of your favorite Irish Whiskey, right Ter? |
| March 18th | Speaking of the Coronavirus (it was mentioned in the March 16th entry, above), this picture describes quite well (symbollically at least), how "the one who stays away can save all the rest". You've probably seen this before, but click HERE. |
| Vernal Equinox |
O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down Thro' the clear windows of the morning, turn Thine angel eyes upon our western isle, Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring! -- William Blake (1789) Those are lovely words, aren't they? At 10:50 PM (CDT), Spring will arrive. And as you probably already know, this is the earliest spring since 1896. Happy Spring(!) to one and all. |
| March 20th | This morning Deb and I were suppose to wake up in Cozumel, but alas, we woke up in Minnesota. The plan was to leave here yesterday morning, but at the 11th hour we decided that the prudent thing to do would be to cancel the trip; so we did. Darned Coronavirus. Sigh....... |
| March 21st | This space intentionally (and unfortunately) left blank. |
| March 22nd | Seven years ago today, this was Sarge and Ann's Mailbox in Cohasset. Click HERE. I imagine that living in the Republic of Texas is feeling pretty good right now, isn't it Sarge? |
| March 23rd | Do you want to find the pair of eye glasses that you lost a few weeks ago? Buy a new pair and the old ones will show up almost immediately. |
| March 24th | On March 20th (see above) Deb and I were bemoaning the fact that we should have been in Cozumel that morning, but we had canceled our vacation due to the Coronavirus threat. As things turned out, the entire island of Cozumel (including the airport) was shut down two days later, thus forcing the vacationers to leave. As difficult as it was for us to cancel, it certainly was the right decision. Whew....... |
| March 25th | This evening we were strolling in the neighborhood, which is filled with rabid Viking fans, and we found this. Click HERE. The first picture shows the yard lines nicely; the second picture shows the goal post better. The near endzone says "PACKERS" in big letters, the far endzone (not visible) says "GREEN BAY". What in heck is that doing HERE? What is it? I can't imagine how the game (if it is a game) is played. |
| March 26th | If it wasn't for COVID-19, today would have been the Major League Baseball's opening day. Sigh....... The Twins would have been playing Oakland, and based on last year's record they would probably have won. My Tigers, in the other hand, would have been playing the Indians, and based on last year's record they would probably have lost by a rather large margin. |
| March 27th | Do you know what an adnoun is? Well, adnouns do exist, and you can look the word up in wikipedia if you want a definition. But the point is this, having attended a parochial school back in the 1950s, one would think I'd at least have heard of an adnoun, wouldn't one? Back then, we actually "parsed" sentences, for goodness sake! How many kids today have even heard of parsing a sentence? Probably none! Heck, back in the 6th grade I could indentify a Pluperfect Subjunctive or a Perfect Participle Passive with no problem, but I had never heard of an adnoun. If it wasn't for crossword puzzles I might have went through life never knowing what an adnoun is, even though English is my first language. |
| March 28th |
Hey Josh, how well do you remember this? Click HERE. It was "Today's Picture" 13 years ago today (2007), and the situation is referred to in the Chronicles entries for March 27th and 29th (click HERE). I have no idea who took the picture, do you remember? Hey Cindy, was it you, by any chance?
PS: By the way, Josh is my oldest grandson who was 14 years old at the time. He's now 27 years old and lives in North Carolina. Josh's comment (added later): "I knew exactly what picture it was, even before I looked at it". |
| March 29th to 31th |
This is a sad way to end a month. Sorry about that. Click HERE. |
