COMMENTARIES
Column: Things you think about in Fargo
Thanks to a two-day trip for meetings called by people higher up than me in the Farmington Independent’s parent company, I spent Monday night in a hotel room in the outskirts of Fargo, N.D. Which, as you might guess, meant I had a lot of time to watch television in my room.By Nathan Hansen , August 28, 2010
Column: Taking vacation takes hard work
Have you ever noticed how much work goes into taking a vacation? It’s not necessarily the packing. It’s not necessarily the financial planning. You have to think about how you’re going to get to where you’re going, and you have to work out the timing while you’re actually on said vacation.By Michelle Leonard , August 27, 2010
Column: Reaction to storm was cool to see 
I was really confused Friday morning.
I don’t often sleep with my windows closed during the summer. I like to sleep with fresh air, so unless it’s really hot for a really long time, I don’t turn on my air conditioner at night. Well, last week was really hot for a really long time. The AC was on. My windows were closed.
By Michelle Leonard , August 19, 2010
Column: Lessons learned at the fair
The Dakota County Fair is a remarkable event. It’s one of the rare opportunities in this world to indulge guilt-free in massive quantities of artery-clogging food, ogle livestock and cheer as strangers ram headlong into each other in an event that is the daydreams of any driver trapped in rush-hour traffic sprung to violent life.
By Nathan Hansen , August 19, 2010
Column: There’s gnome place like home
Last weekend I rolled out to Watertown, South Dakota, passing endless corn and soybean fields. The dew point was palpable, as if steam was rising from the infinite corn leaves as they breathed oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.
By Mary Lebens , August 15, 2010
Column: Judging and being judged
Every year around this time community newspaper employees from across the country sort through the best work they’ve done over the past 12 months and send off entries to compete for recognition as some of their state’s best journalism of the year.
By Nathan Hansen , August 14, 2010
Column: A lifetime at the county fair
It’s Monday afternoon, and I’m at my desk. I’ve been to the 2010 Dakota County Fair once already, and I’ve got to say - I love this time of year.
Sure, it’s a pretty steamy day, and sure, wandering through the heat and humidity already has me feeling like a good nap would hit the spot. And maybe the bellyful of Taco Dick’s and 4H chocolate shake is adding to my fatigue.
By Michelle Leonard , August 13, 2010
Column: Building a better bicycle
A few weeks ago I said in this space that I planned to write a column about my new bicycle. That didn’t happen, though, and now I feel guilty. I can only imagine my legions of fans (six counts as a legion, right?) weeping at home as they imagine the wonders, the absolute joy that column would have contained.
By Nathan Hansen , August 10, 2010
Column: It’s almost time for demo derbies
The summer is soaring by. Dew Days and the Soybean Festival have already come and gone, yet we still have more to look forward to. One of the most thrilling Farmington events of the year is nearly upon us: the Dakota County Fair. In the past I’ve written about my love of the demo derby, a sporting event which consists of cars smashing into each other in a big, muddy pit until only one car is still running. It’s sort of like a vehicular mosh pit sweaty, dirty, loud and exhilarating.
By Mary Lebens , August 04, 2010
Column: A wild ride
The Tour de France finally rolled to an end last weekend with some foreigner most Americans probably have never heard of narrowly edging out another foreigner most Americans couldn’t identify even if he rode past them on his bike yelling “Vive le tour!” which I believe is French for “Watch out for the drug tests!”
By Nathan Hansen , August 03, 2010
Column: Have kohlrabi, will travel
I am pretty sure it’s not every Friday night that someone pulls a giant kohlrabi out of her purse at a bar. Come to think of it, I’m guessing no one had ever pulled a giant kohlrabi at the police department, either.
By Michelle Leonard , July 30, 2010
Column: For the love of stuff
We all develop attachments. To people. To places. To memories. Even in some cases to cast members from hit MTV reality TV Jersey Shore.
Not, you know, in my case. But I’ve heard.
By Nathan Hansen , July 25, 2010
Column: In honor of ‘ookie-oh’
Every so often, I do something that reminds me that I’m getting older. When, for instance, I bought my home nine years ago, I figured it was time. I was 33, and it seemed like something a responsible adult would do. Thinking I’d like to be considered a responsible adult, I became a homeowner.
By Michelle Leonard , July 22, 2010
Column: Tomatoes and the march of time
I was initially delighted Monday when, for the first time this season, I was able to pick ripe, red cherry tomatoes from one of my two potted cherry tomato plants on my patio.
So sweet. So yummy. So ... a sign that this summer is going by way too fast.
By Michelle Leonard , July 20, 2010
Column: The Internet in your pocket
I used to carry an analog Motorola cell phone the size of a brick. I lugged it around for six years, carrying it back and forth between downtown Minneapolis and Farmington, carefully shielding it in a waterproof pouch on rainy days. Although I know I look really cool when I'm sporting a cell phone clipped to my belt, I didn't drag this electronic behemoth around just for fashion.
By Mary Lebens , July 18, 2010
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