Baited-and-switched into Minnesota

After having the good luck to live in Manhattan, San Francisco and Boston, I found myself given the option of moving to the Twin Cities. I came to visit during early October and foolishly believed the rest of the year couldn't be all that bad. By the time we had moved, in the deathly cold of January, transitioning from our hotel (from which we could see the full panoply of winter) to our house in a blizzard, I got the picture. By that time it was too late to back out.

The shock of living in Minnesota is something that has not lessened with the years. As soon as the cold, howling winds of October start, I'm ready to leave for someplace warm and less complex. You see, winter in Minnesota demands switching to an altar-ego -- it also means different clothes, different vehicle, and a primitive quest for survival. In short, winter in the TC is barbaric, and often terrifying -- children wait outside for school busses in temps way below zero, for example.

However, even though I would be able to leave, I am reluctant to do so, because my children, who love this place, are here. Their lives, their children, their experiences warm my heart as no southern sun could.

Just the same...This place is a challenge. So I though I'd share my experiences, so that should you decide to venture up here you will not be taken by surprise; or, if you are one of those who crave the cold instead of the heat, you may decide to come running this way.