In my humble opinion - by Deb Bently

Are you a fan of fireworks?

As I write this, I am in OshKosh Wisconsin at the national convention of the Pyrotechnicians’ Guild International (PGI). If you are a fan of fireworks (and who isn’t?) you wish you were here. This is where pyrotechnicians (“pyros” for short) come to learn more about what they do…and to show off...

WILDFOWL - Photos Deb captured on a northern Minnesota lake.

My fixation on area wildfowl

Perhaps my largest fixation for watching wild animals is for hummingbirds; it’s almost mystical to see them hovering in one place, their wings only a blur around them. It is no effort but rather a pleasure for me to make the concentrated sugar water that goes in their feeders and to keep the...

GIVING IT A TRY - Waseca County Pioneer writer Deb Bently at the wheel of a school bus.

Behind the wheel

I would like to extend my thanks to the six folks from the Palmer Bus Service who put up with me this past Saturday. First, I walked up and started asking all sorts of invasive questions: How many buses do you have? How many bus routes? What do you do when the regular driver can’t make it?...

What, exactly, defines who we are?

One does not normally expect deep philosophical observations from superhero movies–which is just as well, because one does not normally find them there. But after one particular Batman movie I felt compelled to make a small banner: “It is what we do that defines who we are.” The banner has...

I cannot claim that I was never in their shoes

Taking turns. It’s the right way to do things. The fair way to do things. I found myself thinking about this phrase a lot this weekend. In what way does the word “turn” apply? It’s not as if we’re walking in circles…or are we? I was in the company of two aunts this weekend, now both in their...

Know when not to swerve

Drifting snow fascinates me. Among the most noticeable phenomena are what my family has always called “snow snakes.” These happen when the wind walks snow along the length of the highway: suddenly it’s as if the air has become visible. Lines of snow slink and swerve, forming patterns that are...