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STREAMING REVIEWS
STREAMING
REVIEWS
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Available on Netflix Review by Kim Ehrich
Although it wouldn’t have been my first pick while scrolling on Netflix, I do have to point out that you should not judge a series by its preview photo. One episode and I was hooked. The storyline begins with the main character, Uhtred, as he witnesses his father and Saxon army being killed by Danish troops. He is captured and raised by a Danish family as Uhtred Ragnarsson, who later witnesses his surrogate family be burned alive. From then he becomes a great warrior who vows to avenge Ragnar’s death and reclaim his homeland in Bebbanburg. Along the way he is pulled between the sides of the Saxon and the Danes trying to prove his loyalty, claim land, get silver and fight in battles all while experiencing tragedy and more loss along the way. Each character has their perfect parts while supporting the main character that end up pulling you into the story more and more. You end up connecting with them just as much as the main character and find yourself asking what will happen to them next as well. There are four seasons total and a fifth on the way. Be ready to binge!
Available on Netflix Review by Deanna Rochleau
Centered around the Latino/Latinx community, “Jane The Virgin” is sometimes an homage to, and sometimes a spoof of telenovelas and their over-thetop soapiness. Jane Gloriana Villanueva lives with her mother and grandmother in Miami when she is accidentally artificially inseminated despite being a virgin. Throughout the many twists and turns, Jane remains a good person inspiring those around her. At the core of the story is the relationship between the three intergenerational women. They tackle modern-day issues with sensitivity to older perspectives. With witty narration, magical realism and a very rootable love triangle, Jane is definitely worth a watch.
Available on Paramount Review by Tyler Julson
“The Challenge” should be known as America’s fifth major sport. Starting as a small reality competition show on MTV, it has quickly evolved into one of the network’s top shows. It pits reality stars from numerous other TV shows, such as “The Real World,” “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and many others, against each other, competing for the top prize of $1 million. All the contestants live under the same roof, competing in challenges to gain advantages. Each episode two people are voted up for elimination and then compete one vs. one for the right to stay in the game. Picture the competition aspect of “Survivor,” the close living situation of “Big Brother,” and the drama/relationships of “The Bachelor” all rolled into one. Things get crazy, and it’s hard to take your eyes away.
Ginny, along with her brother, Austin, and mom, Georgia, move to a cute little town in Massachusetts after years of moving around. They are hoping this will be their forever home, but we soon find out that the past is following them everywhere they go. Georgia is a single mom who is trying to take care of her two kids, while also making a name for herself. She soon finds herself with some highprofile people in town, and she uses her skills from the past to help her survive in this picturesque town.
Ginny is your normal high school girl, just trying to find her way in the world. Her dad is in and mostly out of the picture, so she considers herself stuck with Georgia. She has to become more of an adult to help her mom out with her brother, and we soon see Ginny is struggling more than she lets on.
This show is fun and fresh, and I really enjoyed watching them piece together all the story lines throughout the episodes. Season 1 is on Netflix now.
Available on Hulu Review by Tyler Julson
When I think of shows that were canceled too soon, this is the first example that comes to mind. It’s an older show, but it stands the test of time. It focuses on a high schooler and her struggle to find a group where she belongs. She eventually finds a group of misfits she gets along with and shenanigans ensue. My favorite aspect, though, is the side story of the main character’s little brother and his group of nerdy friends. They are hilarious.
The cast is full of big names, including Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Jason Segel, Seth Rogan, Busy Philipps, among others. It was a shame this show got canceled before they realized what a hit it could be.
If you are looking for a new show to watch as a family, this show is it!
I myself enjoy spooky things, so this show was right up my alley. It is about a young boy whose family just moved into an abandoned hotel. It kind of gave me “Haunted Mansion” vibes, and in the very first episode it pulls you right in as he and his new friend from school start to uncover clues about the mystery of the girl who disappeared in that very hotel.
While this show has a great spooky vibe to it, I feel it gives you just the right amount of spook to not scare the kids. Check out season one now on Disney+.
CHANGE
OF SEASONS
Photography by HALLIE CANTU
Albert Lea has beauty at all times of the year. At right, the sun peeks through trees in the eastern side of town. At bottom, the sky is reflected in Pickerel Lake after the snow melted in March.
Fresh Floral
Ethyl floral spring jacket
Leutholds $82
Grace plain fit jeans
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $60
Must Have gold necklace
Ellen & Jane Boutique $16
And Lovely gold earrings
BG Brick Girls $12
SPRING
INTO FASHION
Photography by HALLIE CANTU Clothes modeled by ALEX GUTIERREZ
If you’re looking for a jacket to add to your wardrobe this spring, there’s something for all tastes at the boutiques in Albert Lea. Whether you want something relaxed or something dressed up, these options will keep off that slight chill still in the air.
Tribal Jeans white jacket
Between Friends Boutique $99
Bella Canvas T-shirt
Between Friends Boutique $29
Grace plain fit jeans
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $60
Panache Accessories rose gold hoops
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $15
Hem & Thread fleece-lined wind breaker
$62 The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea
Grace plain fit jeans
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $60
Panache Accessories rose gold hoops
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $15
Davi & Dani plaid jacket
Ellen & Jane Boutique $58
Grace plain fit jeans
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $60
Must Have gold necklace
Ellen & Jane Boutique $16
Gold chain-linked bracelet
BG Brick Girls $18
Panache Accessories rose gold hoops
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $15
Simply Pink
Love Tree light pink jacket
BG Brick Girls $40
Grace plain fit jeans
The Funky Zebras Boutique of Albert Lea $60
Must Have gold necklace
Ellen & Jane Boutique $16
And Lovely gold earrings
BG Brick Girls $12
GETTING READY FOR A NEW SEASON
Albert Lea golf course starts in fall to prepare for a new season
Story and photography by TYLER JULSON
Mike Elseth changes the cup location on one of the greens at Green Lea Golf Course. Elseth said he changes the cups about five to six times every week thoughout the season.
For many golfers, the onset of spring means the start of a new season — an opportunity to start with a fresh game and a chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
While it takes the casual golfer about an afternoon to get the clubs cleaned up and spruce up the golf cart, area golf course workers have already been hard at work for many weeks, making sure the course is ready to roll as soon as the spring weather permits it.
According to Green Lea Golf Course owner Jeff Elseth, the work preparing for the next season begins as early as the previous fall.
Also during a normal year in the offseason months, Green Lea
Weather permitting, Green Lea Golf Course operates seven days a week from early spring until mid November.
On top of course maintenance, there is also work to be done in the clubhouse and on the business side of things, according to Jeff Elseth.
would host small parties as well as open the bar for a few hours periodically.
Once the spring starts to make its way in, Elseth said that’s when they start to put together plans for membership deals, getting the word out on golf leagues, contacting groups or individuals that had events at the course in the previous year, and many other small tasks around the clubhouse.
Elseth said the offseason also presents a time to educate golfers on some of the new products and services they offer. This past year it was about the new online booking system Green Lea implemented, which allows golfers to register for tee times right from their smartphone.
When it comes to outside work, keeping things in order also starts long before the first snow falls.
Mike Carlson, the head groundskeeper at Green Lea, said once the mowing stops in the fall, they take care of a few projects around the course before focusing on equipment maintenance.
When the snow starts to melt, Carlson said it’s a lot of seasonal cleanup, blowing off and mowing the greens, and keeping an eye out for snow mold and other growths in the grass.
Jeff Elseth said Green Lea saw a large increase in rounds played in the 2020 season and predicts numbers to stay about the same this year.
The turf at Green Lea Golf Course is made up of many differnet types of grasses. Greenskeeper Mike Carlson said it can sometimes be a challenge maintaining them all a different way.
When it comes to Minnesota winters though, it can be a bit difficult to tell just when the snow is going to stay away. Carlson said usually by mid-April they have gotten one round of mowing in, and by May they are mowing greens every day and fairways and tee boxes three times a week.
Waiting to get on the course after a long winter can be a difficult test for many golfers, but Carlson said it takes about two weeks after the snow melts to have the course in top of the line condition.
“We have our own standards, we’re not going to open until we’re ready,” Carlson said. “We know golfers want to get out, and there are courses that will open as soon as it’s warm enough. But we won’t do that. We wait and we want to make sure the course is clean, the greens are clean, the sand traps are clean. We just want golfers to come out and have the best experience they can right away.”
Elseth said the course was able to open for play on March 26 this year, slightly earlier than normal. Weather permitting, he said the course will have business seven days a week from opening day to about mid-November most years.
He said the total rounds played at the course in 2020 was way higher than average, and he expects that trend to continue into this season.
After a long winter, seeing people back out on the course is the biggest reward for Carlson.
“This was probably the easiest winter on the turf I’ve had here, and I’ve been here for 22 years now. Winter didn’t kick in until late. We did have that cold stretch, but we had snow cover by then. Everything was fine. You never know though, and that’s what scares you. What you do in the fall matters. — Mike Carlson, head groundskeeper ”
Although mowing doesn’t get started until later in the spring, Mike Carlson said there is still plenty to do in order to prep the course for a spring opening.
STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES
Albert Lea man loves growing, sharing flowers with others
Story by SARAH STULTZ Photography by COLLEEN HARRISON
Lester Perschbacher’s gardens include several types of flowers, including many lilies.
Albert Lean Lester Perschbacher loves talking about flowers.
But he’ll be the first to tell you he doesn’t think he has a green thumb.
“It’s a lot of trial and error,” the 87-year-old man says of his success with flower gardening.
The friendly flower enthusiast, who by profession is a milk tester for dairy herds all over the area, said he gained a love of flowers from his late wife, Cathy.
He said Cathy started the gardens in the backyard of their house off of Richway Drive, but he remembers he really got involved in October 1992 when they went to Edenvale Nursery south of Mankato. He and his wife liked to visit nurseries.
That day, he said, there was an auction — one for trees and one for flowers. All the roses sold for $5 apiece, and they ended up buying $205 worth of flowers — mostly roses. They bought more than could fit in their vehicle to take home in one trip and had to go back the next day to pick up the rest.
The greatest share of the plants they purchased that day were hybrid tea roses, along with nine shrub roses, and such began his love, particularly, of roses.
At first, he said, he liked the red roses best, specifically one called “Hope for Humanity,” but when his wife died 11 years ago, he
“It’s a lot of trial and error. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, don’t try it again. — Lester Perschbacher
Some of Perschbacher’s favorite flowers are roses. He estimated he had at least 150 shrub roses.
received one called “My Girl,” which is now one of his favorites.
In addition to roses, he enjoys daffodils and tulips in the spring, and other flowers such as crocuses, hydrangeas, daisies, lilies, clematis and forget-me-nots, to name a few. He estimated he had over 200 daffodils, at least 150 shrub roses, 36 hydrangeas and probably about 60 lilies.
He works in the gardens around his milk-testing schedule — most days he is home around 2 or 3 o’clock. If he’s not working, then he can work as long as he wants in the gardens, though he does not do any yard work on Sundays.
Perschbacher said most of his flowers are perennials and grow back automatically every year, though he has some annuals that he brings inside during the winter, such as calla lilies, that stay in his basement until the weather gets warmer each spring.
He also has a room at the back of his house, which he calls his greenhouse room, where he has a series of plants, such as geraniums and other potted plants.
What does he enjoy from his hobby?
“The pure enjoyment of seeing them and seeing them bloom,” he said.
After his wife died, Perschbacher said he joined a widowers support group, and every year on the fourth Monday in June, the group’s members come and tour his gardens. There are usually about 30 to 40 people there, and he serves them ice cream or rootbeer floats.
He enjoys when people stop by to look at the flowers — he remembers one day there were two cars that stopped at the same time, one of which was a landscaper, who gave him a tip for his hydrangeas.
Hydrangeas produce large balls of flowers.
Perschbacher estimated he has about 60 lilies.
Clematis can be seen growing up a trellis.
Perschbacher said though his gardens require a lot of work, he enjoys the time he spends in them.
Perschbacher said he enjoys giving out splits of his plants when he thins them out.
Most of Perschbacher’s flowers are perennials.
It’s also not uncommon for him to thin out his plants and leave some on the curb for the taking, and they disappear quickly, he said.
Or, he doesn’t mind if people stop by and ask for a plant. He says if he only has one of the plant, he won’t give it away, but if he has multiples of something, he will divide them up for people at request.
“I enjoy it, I want people to have them, and you have to thin them out anyway,” he said.
Though Perschbacher has had a lot of success in the garden over the years, he said he has had his share of challenges over the years — he consistently battles deer and in the past has also struggled with slugs and Japanese beetles. In 2018, he had a mild stroke, though he was grateful not to have paralysis of any kind.
Though new gardeners will likely come across something along their gardening journey, too, Perschbacher encourages people just to dive in.
“You just gotta take a chance,” he said. AL
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137 North Broadway Ave. | Albert Lea, MN 507-373-1409
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