At Home with Nebraska Stories Episode 905

Perhaps I am feeling a bit sentimental because in less than 2 weeks our house of almost ten years will no longer be our home. Yet for me, the clear-cut connection to all of these Nebraska stories is “home.” That concept of “what makes a home” has definitely been on my mind. Please watch the segments and let me know if you connect the stories the same way. If you missed the live show on NET, you can watch Nebraska Stories online. As always, the italicized comments are directly from the NET show notes and used with permission. All other comments are my own opinion.

“House of Art”

An Omaha couple’s reputation for adventurous, fearless collecting has raised eyebrows in the art world on a national level. On a modest budget, Laura Vranes and John McIntyre have transformed a love of art into an immense collection of works from a variety of unknown, emerging artists locally and beyond. In the last decade, this middle-class couple has quietly amassed what is said to be one of the most important contemporary art collections in the Midwest, with a focus on street art. With nearly 500 works on display, salon style, art fills nearly every possible space in their home. What was fun for me on this segment is the fact that this couple are two art appreciators. They do not consider themselves to be creators. I feel the same way. Not sure that my collection would go the same direction. But I did enjoy seeing theirs.

“Home Grown Brew” As the demand for craft beer rises, new opportunities for Nebraska growers are emerging. Learn how growers and brewers are merging together to create beer using only products grown within our state – including hops. We are not huge beer drinkers around here. (Although I do like a good beer bread now and then!) But I still have to admire people that can craft beer from home. Ingenuity in the kitchen is always interesting. Especially when it is home grown from Nebraska as well.

“A Safer Game” With the growing concern over the impact of concussions on football players, Omaha high schools are employing new technology to help keep students safe on the field. See how coaches are using science on the playing field to learn how to better protect their athletes from injury. This is the only story that might be a stretch to connect it to home. But I am pretty sure that many retired NFL players today who have had multiple concussions wish that coaches had sent them home rather than allowed them to keep playing. This segment is interesting since they captured the essence of the game while protecting player’s privacy.

“Social Medicine ” (Archive 605) Tony Schneider spent every day fighting to be alive. His daily routine included a 6 hour commute from Broken Bow to Lincoln to spend an additional 5 hours on dialysis – all because of a genetic disease that destroyed his kidneys. Then one day Tony made a last-ditch plea for a donor on Facebook. A month later he received a call from a former colleague. Her name was Sunshine and she was about to brighten his life. I have watched this segment before, but I still teared up when I watched it again. How wonderful of this woman to give Tony the gift of more time at home rather than at dialysis.

“Wessels Farm” (Archive 606) Students from St. Joseph’s Catholic School descend on Wessels Living History Farm to spend the day as 19th Century kids. From shelling corn by hand to eating pancakes fresh from a hot cob stove, it’s an adventure they’ll remember! We really enjoy visiting Wessels Farm! Located a few miles south of the I-80 York exit, the history does come alive. Whether you tour the house or the surrounding buildings, fun awaits. Again this is an intriguing segment. Although you can get an idea of the place, part of the clips are deliberately vague. Not only to protect privacy, I think this allows the viewers to imagine their own adventures.

Watching from Home

I hope you enjoyed watching these clips from your home. But since you can also watch them on the NET app, maybe you saw the segments on the go. Wherever you watch, I hope you are just as inspired as I am!