MINNESOTA Moments

St. Paddy's Day and the day after

By Mike Nistler

Hello all and happy March 18th. It was simply  gorgeous this morning, waking to a winter wonderland. Now, I realize that people are tired of winter and can't wait for spring, but today's 40-degree temperatures will take care of the snow quickly, believe me. It's already happening. As I write this the snow is falling from the trees and melting from the rooftops and pavement.

I don't know how many of you attended a St. Patrick's Day parade, but there was a big one in my hometown of Pearl Lake on Saturday. Luckily for those in charge and those in attendance, the weather was better for such shenanigans on Saturday than they were on Monday.

According to my source, thousands of people showed up at the parade and to celebrate before and after at the Pearl Lake Lodge. My source, who wishes to keep his identity concealed, said it was the most people he had ever seen in Pearl Lake, even more than during the popular October fish fries or in years gone by when the softball tournaments brought throngs to town. Heck, there were more people in attendance at the parade on Saturday than there were during the Pearl Lake Lakers golden years of amateur baseball in the 1960s and '70s when they competed against rivals such as Kimball and St. Augusta.

And it's not like Pearl Lake has a big Irish population. In fact, someone was overheard saying that there wasn't an Irishman (or woman) within 10 miles of the bar. I guess all those German Catholics like to party.

Telemarketers and Spam

Lately, I've been getting tons of calls from telemarketers and junk e-mails. I know why. Because I'm stupid.

I filled out a survey online that asked me for both my phone number and e-mail address. Like an idiot, I filled it out. Within minutes, my e-mail box began filling up with offers from around the world. I can receive more than 100 over night. I kill them off, but it is an annoyance.

And speaking of annoying, the telemarketing calls are ridiculous. They don't even bother having a "real person" place the call. Instead, it's an automated message. Who, I ask, actually listens to and/or responds to these messages? I'm certainly not one of those people. I hang up, sometimes before I even hear the message. I can tell it's coming because there is a delay before the recording stops.

If you've ever called me and I hung up, I'm sorry. You must have paused before speaking.

Mike

A winter cold but no bird flu

Well, the winter cold and flu season finally caught up to me. A chest cold began settling in on Friday. It has progressed rather quickly. On Saturday I had a raspy voice. Sunday brought a sore throat. Today, watery eyes and runny nose. You don't need the details or want them, I'm sure.

At least I have the birds to keep me company. I hung a bird feeder the other day, thinking that it has been a bit rough this winter for our feathered friends. Well, it didn't take long and my feeder was being visited by all kinds of birds, including woodpeckers. Oh, and one fat squirrel found his way onto and almost into the feeder as well. He or she looked about twice as big as the feeder itself, but somehow managed to hang on and get a good meal before I tapped on the window.

It's funny how as you get older, things that once didn't interest you suddenly do. I would never have imagined 20 years ago being captivated by birds at a feeder. I wonder what's next, watching paint dry?

Mike