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Off the Shelf

Lifestyle Columns

I love reading, I am sure that comes as no surprise. You’d be hard pressed to find a librarian who dislikes reading. I love curling up with a book on a chilly morning. I love falling asleep with a book at night. I love stolen moments of the day reading, when I should really be doing something else. I read on planes, trains, and in the car as long as I’m not driving. I read in restaurants, coffee shops, and in waiting rooms. I read fiction and non-fiction from the adult shelves and the children’s room. I love young adult fiction and biographies about almost anyone. I must confess ...

When a Tiffany glass vase isn’t a Tiffany

Lifestyle Columns

Arthur J. Nash worked for the Thomas Webb & Sons art glass factory in his native England, but didn’t do his best, most innovative work until he came to America. His glassmaking expertise made him a perfect fit for the Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company, founded in 1892. Although Louis Comfort Tiffany achieved fame as a glass designer, he did not make his own glass. Nash established Tiffany Furnaces in Corona, New York, where he created the formula for the company’s famous Favrile iridescent glass. Like many glassmakers, Nash’s work was a family affair; his sons followed in his ...

Enters show racing runs in the family

Lifestyle Feature

NEW ULM — Some things just run in the family. For the father-son duo of Ben and Broddy Enter, two of those things are their 2,500-pound SportMod race cars. While no stranger to racing, Ben Enter returned to dirt oval tracks around Minnesota this summer after an 11-year absence to get ...

National Honey Month

Lifestyle Columns

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Minnesota State Fair for the first time in over a decade. It’s as crowded as I remember. There are plenty of distractions of food and fun, but there are also a lot of great exhibits about science, agriculture, conservation, and more. The hard work that many young people put into raising a diverse array of animals is on full display. The Agriculture Horticulture building sits on a hill overlooking the surrounding avenues and vendors on the state fairgrounds. Built like a many-spoked wheel, it has a variety of entrances and wings ...

An old fashioned app: Farm calculators

Lifestyle Columns

“But when are we going to use this in real life?” That question comes up in math classes, much to the chagrin of many teachers. It’s not just a classroom cliche to say that math is everywhere, from planning a budget to decorating a room. Even careers that aren’t directly connected to math require plenty of it. Take agriculture. Today, an online search can bring up farm calculator apps designed to help determine, for example, how much fertilizer a field requires, fuel efficiency of farm equipment, or predictions for product yields. Farm calculators have existed long before apps, ...

Exchanging ideas, learning in Germany

Lifestyle Feature

A June visit to Aachen, Germany with the Region Nine Development Commission (RNDC) proved to be a great learning and idea exchange experience for New Ulm members Dave Borchert, Andrea Boettger and Derek Nelson. Borchert has many titles including New Ulm Police Chief and Emergency Management ...