Minnesota Brown

Minnesota Brown: Modern Life on the Iron Range

Category: columns

  • COLUMN: ‘To see the leaves’

    COLUMN: ‘To see the leaves’

    This was my weekly column published in the Sunday, May 31, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. To see the leavesBy Aaron J. Brown When you grow up nearsighted no one tells you that you might be nearsighted or that you may become nearsighted as you approach school age. Nearsightedness, like death, taxes and…

  • COLUMN: Ode to a tree, and also to paper

    COLUMN: Ode to a tree, and also to paper

    This was my weekly column for the Sunday, May 24 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece was featured on last week’s Between You and Me on KAXE. Ode to a tree, and also to paperBy Aaron J. Brown One of our little boys, Doug, has taken to pointing out the…

  • COLUMN: An organizer’s lament (Dylan Days is coming)

    COLUMN: An organizer’s lament (Dylan Days is coming)

    This is my weekly column that was published in the Sunday, May 17 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. An organizer’s lament (Dylan Days is coming!)By Aaron J. Brown When I was a reporter I used to marvel at the busybody community activists who were in charge of such things as Chisholm Parallel Parking Days…

  • COLUMN: Mom vs. Fish: Who will prevail?

    COLUMN: Mom vs. Fish: Who will prevail?

    This is my weekly column for today’s May 10, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. This also served as my essay for “Between You and Me” on KAXE this weekend. Mom vs. fish: Who will prevail?By Aaron J. Brown Mother’s Day is here and for many Northern Minnesotans this Hallmark holiday brings an unholy…

  • A dark stage no more

    A dark stage no more

    This is my weekly column for today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune. I’m posting early because of the timely nature of the topic. A dark stage no moreBy Aaron J. Brown The history of the Iron Range has been shaped by people, geography and geology. To the outside world, we’re known for the iron beneath our ground.…

  • The real dog days

    The real dog days

    This is my weekly column that ran in the Sunday, April 26, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. It is based in part on an essay that I wrote for KAXE last year. The real dog daysBy Aaron J. Brown They’ll tell you the dog days come in August when it’s hot, but I…

  • A better welcome wagon means fewer farewells

    A better welcome wagon means fewer farewells

    This is my weekly column that ran in the Sunday, April 19, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Ironically, this piece written in an 18th century format was inspired by a prompt from the ProBlogger 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge. What a world! A better welcome wagon means fewer farewellsBy Aaron J.…

  • Big Easter, Inc.

    Big Easter, Inc.

    This is my weekly column for the Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune, posted on the day of publication in honor of the holiday. Happy Easter, everyone! Big Easter, Inc.By Aaron J. Brown Easter Sunday dawns today, bringing all manner of religious, seasonal and sugar-related significance. For Christians, Easter remains…

  • Bartering hard in the Information Age

    Bartering hard in the Information Age

    This was my weekly column from the Sunday, April 5, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this also aired as an essay on KAXE‘s “Between You and Me.” Bartering hard in the Information AgeBy Aaron J. Brown Between 6,000 and 9,000 B.C. people started using livestock as a sort of living…

  • News from the equinox

    News from the equinox

    This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 29, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece will air on next week’s “Between You and Me,” Saturday morning on 91.7 KAXE. News from the equinox By Aaron J. Brown Last week we welcomed the spring equinox. Note that I did…

  • Wearing many ‘hats,’ a good hat is hard to find

    Wearing many ‘hats,’ a good hat is hard to find

    This is my weekly column from the Sunday, March 22, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I read a version of this piece for the March 21 edition of “Between You and Me” on KAXE. Wearing many ‘hats,’ a good hat is hard to findBy Aaron J. Brown Let me begin by saying that…

  • ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You," signs of hope

    ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You," signs of hope

    This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 15 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece ran as an essay on KAXE‘s “Between You and Me” on March 7. ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You,’ signs of hopeBy Aaron J. Brown As a relatively young parent of relatively young children the words…

  • Name these times

    Name these times

    This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 8, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Name these timesBy Aaron J. Brown The Great Depression. The Crusades. The Dark Ages. The Renaissance. And, of course, the Iron Range Recession of the 1980s (known locally by one pseudo-word: “Da’eighties”). These terms describe historic periods of…

  • Wii won’t let me go

    Wii won’t let me go

    This is my weekly column that was published in the Sunday, March 1, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece was used as an essay broadcast on 91.7 KAXE‘s “Between You and Me” program this past December. Wii won’t let me goBy Aaron J. Brown There’s a machine in my…

  • On the brink of the new, or the end

    On the brink of the new, or the end

    This is my weekly column for the Hibbing Daily Tribune published Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009. On the brink of the new, or the endBy Aaron J. Brown Today, amid the droning headlines of the flagging national economy, I’m here to write the words you long to hear. Everything on the Iron Range is going to…