Minnesota Living!
I've only been in Minneapolis a little over a year now and I'm still trying to acclimate. Two days ago we had single-digit temperatures and a couple of inches of snow. So I dug out the boot s and the snowpants (even the grownups wear them here) and the ice skates (the lake was icing over, too). Now just in time for the weekend the temps are climbing toward 50. Which means we take another shot at cleaning out the garage, getting rid of the rest of the leaves, caulking up the windows... the usual fall weekend fun.
There are a lot of differences between life here and my former existence on the East Coast. The weather is probably the biggest one. Halloween here looks like Thanksgiving back home, and spring doesn't arrive until May. Also you dont' think about hurricanes much here but you do get warned about tornadoes. A lot. Usually while you're driving in the middle of nowhere and have the car radio on, and you can't remember the name of the county you;re in when the reel off the list of counties under warning.
But there are others. Candy is a big one. The people here are nuts about candy. I mean really. Yesterday I brought my daughter to kindergarten and the teacher was handing out Tootsie Rolls to every kid who brought in his homework. They were allowed to eat them, too. At 8:30 in the morning.
Everybody here gives out candy. The cashiers in the grocery stores keep buckets of lollipops- excuse me, "suckers"- to hand out with the receipts. Even the pediatricians give out candy. And I'm not talking little butterscotches, either. I'm talking Tootsie Pops. The big ones.
No one carries a wallet. They carry billfolds.
They really do say "you betcha." It can mean "hello."
I dont think they've heard about cholesterol yet.
They are also the worst drivers I've ever seen in my life. Aggressive and careless at the same time. I learned to drive in NYC. You learn aggression, sure, but iyou learn self-preservation at the same time. And to anyone who finds New Yorkers rude: I can honestly say I've been flipped off and cursed at more here than I ever was in The City. So much for "Minnesota Nice."
Well enough on life here in the Upper Midwest. I've got leaves to shove into bags.
Sue
There are a lot of differences between life here and my former existence on the East Coast. The weather is probably the biggest one. Halloween here looks like Thanksgiving back home, and spring doesn't arrive until May. Also you dont' think about hurricanes much here but you do get warned about tornadoes. A lot. Usually while you're driving in the middle of nowhere and have the car radio on, and you can't remember the name of the county you;re in when the reel off the list of counties under warning.
But there are others. Candy is a big one. The people here are nuts about candy. I mean really. Yesterday I brought my daughter to kindergarten and the teacher was handing out Tootsie Rolls to every kid who brought in his homework. They were allowed to eat them, too. At 8:30 in the morning.
Everybody here gives out candy. The cashiers in the grocery stores keep buckets of lollipops- excuse me, "suckers"- to hand out with the receipts. Even the pediatricians give out candy. And I'm not talking little butterscotches, either. I'm talking Tootsie Pops. The big ones.
No one carries a wallet. They carry billfolds.
They really do say "you betcha." It can mean "hello."
I dont think they've heard about cholesterol yet.
They are also the worst drivers I've ever seen in my life. Aggressive and careless at the same time. I learned to drive in NYC. You learn aggression, sure, but iyou learn self-preservation at the same time. And to anyone who finds New Yorkers rude: I can honestly say I've been flipped off and cursed at more here than I ever was in The City. So much for "Minnesota Nice."
Well enough on life here in the Upper Midwest. I've got leaves to shove into bags.
Sue
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