They have been predicting this snowfall for 3 days... which is why I figured it would not happen. Chalk one up for the local weather guessers, they got one right. I love the way the falling snowflakes light up with the flash. Here are a few more.It currently is about 27 degrees out so this snow may stay or it may melt away. If it stays it will be compacted by many more snows on top of it and it will sit there on the bottom until April.This is an extra post for me today so if you are looking for Timmothy Timm's comic strip, Titus & Philemon it's coming. I was set back an hour due to the need to shovel at home earlier this morning. 11/25/2025

My exaggerated answer to Titus is: "just stand still, everything will fly by you in the frenzy of the other shoppers". 🙄The Ugly Box Store of Minot has never advertised, it doesn't need to, word of mouth keeps this store busier everyday than Target is on Christmas Eve.What is The Uglee Box Store? First let me clarify the picture above only represents about 5% of the stores square footage. What you do see is only a small portion of the bins in the store. Why is it a madhouse (although the picture above is at a relatively calm time. Check out these prices...No matter which day you go it's crazy. I go on Wednesday when everything is a dollar and I go on Friday when all the new stuff gets put out. What can you get for a dollar? This last Wednesday I got a new pair of shoes, a box with four ... 10/25/2025

If it were not for Timmothy's cartoon I would not have known about the change of hands of this business. The original owner/creator of the business has been a strong acquaintance for many years. Our relationship began when Valerie was the manager of a local thrift store.She had a dream of being her own boss and took the big step of leaving a comfortable job to pursue a dream.Val started out by purchasing most of the books in the thrift store and other thrift stores. She had nothing but used books. In time she got hooked up with book distributors and today used books account for 5% or less of her inventory.I can not imagine a better ownership then Valeries. She has been a big promotor of Downtown Minot and the writers in our community. You know one such writer,Timmothy, 6 years ago and t... 10/18/2025

At this time Citizens Alley is only open to humans and certified service animals (You MUST have a State Certification on you to bring in an animal). Citizens Alley is privately owned yet open to the public. Visit their website for detailed information. The schedule for this weekend is:Citizens Alley is truly an alley. It is an area between two old buildings on Central Avenue, downtown Minot ND. The two buildings were purchased by an architect and although very old they have been reborn into new businesses. It is a very attractive setting yet I found only one good picture on the web. I will try to head over there and take a few shots for you.     09/19/2025

EXCEPT ETERNITYbut that is not where I am going with this post.Being it's Friday I'm only going to comment on the cartoon itself. This cartoon by Timmothy is/was printed in the Northern Sentry, the official newspaper of The Minot Air Force Base. Timmothy's cartoons written for the paper are actually taken from articles previously printed in the paper. This came from the Gettin' Around Downtown Minot section of the paper. The title of the article is JEWELRY MEETS MEANING by Hope Anderson.When I heard permanent jewelry I thought tattoos but I was WRONG. The article says: "What is permanent jewelry? It's a custom fit bracelet , anklet, necklace and more that is tailored to your perfect size, adorned with charms, beads, and elegant embellishments. Then instead of a clast, the artist expertl... 07/19/2025

This is a very brief video of Timmothy in his art studio creating two pieces (comic strips) for The Northern Sentry Newspaper (the official newspaper for the Minot Air Force Base). Timmothy produces a comic strip every day for this blog as well as for The Northern Sentry. I don't know how he does it, not just drawing the strip but having a funny message every day.  04/04/2025

The portrait above is part of a painting by Ben Slocum's grand daughter Tarryl Gabel of New York. If you look at her work you can see it was heavily influenced by her grandpa.This print by Ben Slocum was created January 4th of 1966. It is print number 3 out of an unknown quantity (my guess would be of 12 or less). The actual print, not counting the frame or matting, is 12-1/2" wide by 9" tall. Ben was a farmer/rancher in SW North Dakota. Since it has been displayed in the gallery several Western ND ranchers have perked up when they have seen it saying "Ben painted my grandfathers ranch". The only information I have found on line about Ben Slocum is a snippet of an interview with Ben's granddaughter Tarryl Gabel. Along with the interview is an oil painting she did of her grandpa sitting ... 04/03/2025