Meet the Bloggers: Pete
Published on June 24, 2025
The blogger spotlight swivels to Pete today. Go to the Pete H. tag at the end to see all his articles!
The last exciting thing I did: A backflip on our trampoline.
Currently reading: I'm really enjoying The Awakening by Nora Roberts. A coworker recommended I read it for the Summer Reading Program describing it as a “fantasy book, but a great touch of Ireland”. I agree – Roberts does a great job of immersing you into the lush green of it all.
If I was a music genre, it would be: New Grass. Seeing a televised live recording of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Live at the Quick was a formative experience as a youngster. The instrumentalists were virtuosic and quirky. I really like Paul Hanson's electric bassoon solo at the beginning of the song Scratch and Sniff (did I mention quirky), but the song Big Country has stuck with me and is a tune I'll play on guitar whenever I'm feeling out of sorts.
Myself described in three fictional characters: Cody Maverick, Chicken Joe, and Lani Aliikai from the animated mockumentary film Surf's Up.
What always makes me laugh: I was recently reminded of this while scrolling Instagram - it's still good: Walk on The Wild Side - BBC One
My hobbies (other than reading!): I'm better at composting than gardening, but I enjoy the fresh air either way, musical instruments, ceramics, board games, painting, and wood working/carving. Also tinkering-- for the 4th of July 2 years ago, I made a water bottle rocket, and Janny, Iris, and I hoofed it to a nice wide-open space to give it a try. We launched the rocket, and 3-year-old Iris was mesmerized. It was scorching hot that day, but we would take off running to grab the rocket and race back to our little speck of shade so we could cool off and do it all over again.
Best costume I ever wore: A screaming mandrake plant for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
My favorite family tradition: Canoeing in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area.
What I wanted to be when I grew up: Everything, and nothing has changed. Reading can both pacify and inflame this affliction.
If I could go back and talk to my younger self, one thing I’d say: As Norm Macdonald once said, “I don’t want fancy things, or fancy-shmantzy things, I don’t even want fancy-shmantzy-wantzy things or fancy-shmantzy-wantzy-take-a-trip-to-Francey things. All I want is wasting your time and mine.”
Last fun fact I learned: We’re big Dino Dana fans in our house, but one hypothesis that blew me away is that Dracorex and Stygimoloch are both growth stages of Pachycephalosaurus. We had been watching Dino Dana and reading the field guide, and after seeing these 3 dinos depicted in various episodes, I wouldn’t have ever guessed they were potentially the same dinosaur. Pretty neat.
Favorite library program: Birth-5 Storytime: Music & Movement. "You do the Hokey Pokey, and you turn yourself around, that's what it's all about" (it's about more than the Hokey Pokey, but we've definitely danced that one out loud).
My ideal reading setting is: A quiet room with a comfy chair next to a window.
My favorite quote from a book: “Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.” – Fred Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (formerly published as You Are Special: Words of Wisdom for All Ages from a Beloved Neighbor)
If I was a mythological/supernatural creature, it would be: a dragon 🐉 I feel wholly unoriginal in choosing a dragon for my answer, but isn't that the only answer? I've heard dragons described as both fabulous and dangerous. Who doesn't want that?
My dream staycation would involve: Good food and live music.
My dream vacation would involve: Cycling the Ring Road around Iceland.
How I ended up at the library: It all started at the Baldwin Public Library Story Hour program... 1, 2, skip a few years, and I’m here at Siouxland! I’m a sucker for stories, and it has been a constant I often return to when seeking guidance, insight, or making sense of the world we live in.