Saturday November 25, 2005 Minnesota winters

We were just talking about my wonderful foolish relatives up in frozen Minnesota. They actually think that winter is fun and they even look forward to it. We folks down here is slushy Missouri don't really understand what winter is. To us winter is sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy, sometimes cold, sometimes warm, sometimes rainy, sometimes dry, sometimes snowy, sometimes icy and sometimes slushy. We don't know how to dress appropriately until the day arrives. We wonder if we have to shovel or if we can wait for the driveway to melt. It's very confusing down here. Up there they KNOW when winter has arrived and they KNOW that it is going to stay until the thaw. I think they enjoy the winter because you can be outside without any mosquitoes. But winter picnics have to be really frigid. I suppose once you get numb the wind chill doesn't bother you as much. I know many Minnesotans enjoy ice skating and ice fishing and snow mobiling and other such frolics in the winter. It's okay, they are really nice people. They have been trapped up there in the snow way too long – that's all.

Down here in slushy Missouri, we endure the confusion of winter just waiting for the spring that comes much earlier than up in Minnesota. That way we can mow grass for months and months.