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In my humble opinion - by Deb Bently

Deb’s son decided to dress as a flamingo.

Trick-or-treat entourage

I was part of a trick or treat entourage this Halloween. I can claim I was one member of a group of 13, roughly half of whom were adults supervising as children went from place to place. What we really were was an amorphous, ever-changing mix and remix of groups which adjusted (not always...

Support schools by voting

Here’s a question for you: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to increase the funding going to all school districts from the permanent school fund, which is a fund that supports school districts without raising individual income or property taxes, effective July 1, 2027?” I will...

Coming from Farmamerica, Deb drove past harvesting equipment capable of feats homesteading farmers back in the day would not dream of accomplishing. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

The connection of homestead and future farmers

I spent much of Saturday, Oct. 17 at Farmamerica, where I was one of dozens of volunteers who interacted with visitors during the Fall Festival. The day started out rather chilly, but by noon the temperature was pleasant and I was able to do without my handwarmer. What I want to share in...

CORN CONVOY - Deb recently pulled over for two combines traveling in her direction. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Surreal moments encountered on the road

There I was, on the road between New Richland and Ellendale, on a moonless night. Knowing some locals who refer to the road as “Venison Alley,” I was being particularly watchful. After all, as farmers harvest their crops, deer have to readjust their habits to the decreasing amount of cover where...

SURPRISE! - Deb and her brother caught sight of an adolescent loon only feet from their boat at their cabin near Akeley. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Unanticipated pleasures all the better for the surprise

At my family’s cabin near Akeley, I sat up in surprise on Sunday morning. I wondered whether what I had just heard was the call of a loon, but I was searching in my head for what other bird or animal it might be. After all, the four loons who had spent the summer on the lake had already left...

A suggestion for overcoming a gloomy mood

Just breathe. Deeply. Close your eyes. Draw the air in through your nose and pull it all the way down inside you. Feel your lungs expanding. Sense the extra oxygen reaching your brain, pushing its way in and somehow making it feel as if you are awakening–almost like fresh...

Impossible to ignore the rain

Walking or driving around, one pays little attention to small rises and falls in the landscape. In Waseca, I am aware the library is significantly lower than the courthouse and the downtown area. In New Richland, had I been asked, I could have described that the city park and Highway 30 past the...

People watching at the Renaissance

I know where Waldo was last Saturday. As anyone who recognizes the allusion will expect, he was wearing a red and white striped shirt and hat and mingling among a large crowd of people dressed in every color imaginable and each carrying or wearing items that helped represent who they were and...

Heart-stirring celebrations, Cathedral Crafts

I wish to express my congratulations to the members of the Eustice family who organized and carried out the event at the fairgrounds last Saturday, Sept. 5. There really did seem to be “something for everyone,” in the community-focused way meant to memorialize who Don Eustice was and how he...

GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER - Deb volunteered at the Education Minnesota booth at the Minnesota State Fair this year. It was her first time attending the state fair. Pioneer photos by Deb Bently

Stepping outside my comfort zone

A couple months back, I decided to take a step outside my comfort zone: I signed up to volunteer at the Education Minnesota booth at the Minnesota State Fair. You see, I have long harbored a deep dark secret: I had never before attended the state fair. Perhaps you remember my jokes about...