In my humble opinion - by Deb Bently

The emergence of this hyacinth and many other plants along the south wall of her house has Deb Bently soliloquizing about spring.

This particular leaflet is less than an inch tall, but already has a shape similar to an opening flower bud.

The flowers have broken ground

I happened to look down, and there they were. The daffodils, tulips and hyacinths along the front wall of my house have broken ground and are declaring to the world that life goes on. They’re only about an inch tall, but they have shown year after year that, once they’re above ground...

Appreciate the meaning of home

Every snowfall spawns its own stories, and what they’re like depends entirely on who you happen to talk to. I had an obligation in Morton on Saturday morning. If “Morton” doesn’t mean much to you, I was headed to a teacher gathering being held in the conference rooms at the hotel associated...

ROBIN FILES - A photo Deb found among her files while looking through them to find appealing images for an acquaintance.

Going through file photos

I was recently asked whether I have any “file photos” of some parks and public attractions in the Waseca area. It would not have worked to go take new photos at this time because the pictures were meant to depict the area as it looks in summer. I take a lot of pictures, both for the sake of...

Waseca County Sheriff Jay Dulas congratulated Abel Hernandez, 6, after it was announced Abel had won the lifetime fishing license offered at the fishing contest held on St. Olaf Lake near New Richland on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Network of caring in the community

I would like to take a few minutes to acknowledge some good things and the people doing them. Let me begin by saying how fortunate I feel to be part of a small town community. I acknowledge we are not all angels, but an amazing number of the people I interact with have the good of others as...

FINE DINING - Deb Bently’s recent trip to Disney World included a meal at a Japanese style restaurant where the chef not only prepared excellent food, but entertained diners with energetic showmanship.

Fascinating people everywhere

Here I am back in Minnesota after five days in poor, chilled Florida. In last week’s column I joked my sister-in-law Joan and I were victims of a weather conspiracy–jinxed by snow that delayed our southbound flight and by overnight freezes with low temperatures the state had not seen in 15...

Arriving in cold-snapped Florida

If I were a suspicious person, I might begin to believe I am the victim of a nationwide conspiracy having to do with the weather. I am currently on a trip to Florida, my first in about 30 years. As I write this, I am at a hotel with my sister-in-law Joan anticipating a day at Disney World...

Gray designs drawn in the ditches

Given that we are currently in the “basement of winter,” none of us Minnesotans can say we are surprised by our lingering cold snap. It does, however, give us strong motive to anticipate the figurative stairway–February and March–that will get us out of here. In the meantime, though, I have...

Texas tale revelas unsettling details

It’s well known that native residents of Texas like to brag about how “everything’s bigger” in their part of the country. The boast is justified most of the time–just as an example, a drive from Minnesota’s southern border to Canada is about 400 miles. In Texas, the distance from north to south...

Pictured is a pileated woodpecker spotted through the window at my family’s cabin.

Pileated woodpeckers provide welcome interruptions

I have escaped to my family’s cabin for a few days. As I may have mentioned before, the cabin is a small, rustic one located at the end of a winding one-lane road which meanders up and down hills through a thoroughly-wooded area. There are eight or so cabins along the road, but based on...

Remembering with gratitude

Well, here we are. The holidays are over, but winter remains. The good news is, we are headed in the right direction. Internet sources say our region will gain 53 minutes of daytime from the beginning to the end of the month–although still ahead of us are the seven days which are typically...