The Owatonna Arts Center is the beneficiary of a collection of works of bronze by James Idstrom. Here is a sampling of what was on display at the official dedication of this outstanding bequest. Idstrom served most of his career as a wildlife biologist for the Minnesota Department of Resources in the Owatonna area. According…
Just in time for late spring, early summer Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, brightens in the night sky. With a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope one can see not only this beautiful planet but also four of its numerous moons. The four easily-visible moons of Jupiter are called Galilean…
Even though he knew his death was coming and had spoken about it with his disciples, there is no indication that Jesus made any preparations for his burial. He had prepared for his entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. According to Matthew 21, Jesus sent two disciples into the village to find a donkey tied…
This Sunday, June Ninth, Christians will celebrate the Day of Pentecost, the last major festival of their church calendar. This festival commemorates yet another promise kept by Jesus, the promise to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples. Since Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter with such gusto, the Day of Pentecost is sometimes overlooked. Yet…
A tiny baby girl from San Diego, California now holds the record for the tiniest baby to survive. Baby Saybie was born the end of December of last year weighing about as much as a juice box. After a five-month stay in the NICU unit of Sharp Mary Birch Hospital she went from her birth…
Empathy is the experience of understanding another person’s thoughts and feelings from his or her point of view rather than from one’s own. It is a crucial force for building friendship, unity and good will in human relationships and important for developing emotional intelligence. In recent years some neuroscientists have advanced the concept of mirror neurons,…
On a recent road trip we got to see part of Cindy Peters’ collection of antique sewing machines. Clearly this woman had a passion for these old machines and we wish we had been able to get to know her before she died. These are some of the very first electric sewing machines. Most…
