In my humble opinion - by Deb Bently

Unexpectedly crystallized honey

It might be said I owe the members of NRHEG’s culinary competition teams an apology. I went along last week as 10 “ProStart” students took part in state-level competition. ProStart is a program sponsored by the National Restaurant Association. It creates opportunities for students who enjoy...

Two Minnesota swans

A pair of irritated swans

No one should ever be bored. Me, I’ve been entranced twice in the past few days. The first time was during a drive I took in the direction of Moorhead. As a member of a fishin’ family, I’m very interested in how much ice remains on our lakes–especially in this year of weather curiosities. ...

Appreciation for democracy enhanced

As I write this, I am sitting in the hallways of the Waseca County Courthouse outside the Office of Property and Election Services. People are bustling back and forth as election results arrive. Thanks to the voting machines, department head Tammy Spooner tells me, it could be less than half an...

How quickly things can happen

My secret is out. In his column last week, Eli let the whole world know that I am hesitant to write a weekly column because I sometimes have trouble finding a topic I feel inspired to write about. I am occasionally approached by folks who say they follow my column–I bet those people can easily...

An interesting story about tulips

Along the south wall of my house, I have one-inch tall green plants. I can easily recognize the tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils, some of which have been there for decades, others of which I planted last year. Of course we can speculate until the cows come home about how our strange non-winter...

A space outside of time

As I write this, I am on an escape trip to our family cabin in northern Minnesota. There is only a coating of snow on the ground. The temperature is slightly above freezing. There are 13 inches of ice on the lake. But most importantly, it’s a space outside of time. Perhaps Dave Zika, who has...

A severe case of early onset spring

The warm weather has given me a severe case of wanderlust. Deep in my soul I know it’s not spring, but boy…it sure looks and feels as if it is. Geese are in the air, the lakes and rivers have open places, the temperatures are in the range we expect in April. The grass is turning green. What’s...

Deeply meaningful comments

I would like to thank the many folks who approach me and compliment my work as a writer. The most common phrasing is, “You do such a good job.” Those statements of gratitude are deeply meaningful to me and trust me, I take them to heart. I want you to know, however, that I am my own worst...

At least I didn't hit the deer

Being retired has some perks. Thanks to my flexible schedule, I can give some of my time to the Minnesota Education Association - the statewide teacher union - to provide presentations about topics important to teachers and education. I’d tell you more, but that’s not what this column is about...

Rustic cemeteries provide serene atmosphere

I was led to the idea of writing an article about “abandoned” cemeteries when county facilities manager Brian Tomford appeared before the Waseca County board of commissioners requesting their approval for a policy which specifies some of the expectations surrounding county-managed cemeteries....