Columns

Machine Talk

Machine Talk

I replied courteously and, realizing what I had done, looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. There was. How embarrassing! But wait. People within hearing distance were not staring, pointing or anything like that, just chatting. Much to my relief,...

Loathing Winter is a Choice: Here’s How to Choose More Contentment

Loathing Winter is a Choice: Here’s How to Choose More Contentment

When it comes to Hotdish Land winters, we don’t choose the wind chill, select the date for a blizzard, or have the luxury of opting out of subzero temps. Maybe you didn’t choose to move here. Maybe in the middle of a Minot winter, it seems like you have no choices;...

And No OneTook A Knee

And No OneTook A Knee

It was one of those days…running a bit behind but headed to the base to cover a Star Student assembly/celebration at North Plains Elementary School. The Northern Sentry had been contacted by several North Plains teachers asking if we could cover their monthly...

Machine Talk

What a Snarled Mess

It didn’t seem so bad with the door closed but, good grief, what a mess. A real, big time, embarrassing mess.What kind of person could create such an embarrassment? Ah…me. Kim Fundingsland photo Now, dear reader, I respectfully ask that you do not rush to judgement as...

Natural Products Expo West

Natural Products Expo West

From March 12-16, there’s an event happening in Anaheim, Calif., that is unlike any other in the United States, except for a parallel event that happens each September in Baltimore. It’s called Natural Products Expo West and it brings tens of thousands of exhibitors,...

And No OneTook A Knee

Like a Well-Rehearsed Ballet

I’ve seen it several times, and still the movement of a missile convoy across the plains of North Dakota amazes me. The movement of each vehicle in the convoy almost seems choreographed, and I am sure they are. I had just left the main gate at Minot Air Force Base...

Natural Products Expo West

Doing a major rebranding…

On May 4, 2023, one of my employees and I attended the annual North Dakota Farmers’ Market and Growers Association local foods conference in Bottineau. When we arrived at the hotel on schedule, nobody else was there. The following morning people started to trickle in,...

Machine Talk

Cold Adjustment

Weird how 0-10 degrees feels pretty good after a spell of below zero temperatures and “dangerous” wind chills. I call it a North Dakota heat wave. A bit much perhaps, but after a cold snap of several days like what was experienced throughout the state recently, a dose...

Loathing Winter is a Choice: Here’s How to Choose More Contentment

There’s No Pause Button: The Worst Advice I Ever Got

The first time the I got the worst advice of my life, I was sitting in a bland meeting room at Whiting Naval Air Station, in Milton, FL. I was fresh out of college, new to town, and had been married a whopping three months. I knew nothing about being a military...

And No OneTook A Knee

I’m From Around Here- And It’s Cold!

My Thursday started with a trip to the Minot AFB. I had several appointments, and hey, I’m used to this cold weather, right? As I approached the base I was able to watch a B 52 take off. The smoke generated by the takeoff on this -18 degree day was amazing. Quickly my...