Sheepish
I was just making the round of blogs that I check and I was carping about Portipont not updating his blog since October 12. Lori pointed out that I hadn't done much in a while either. Turns out it was October 27 for me. Sorry, Portipont.
Well now it is Winter -- a time for reading, for writing, for listening. I'll do better. I'll try. What I know now . . . it is not as cold as it should be, there is not as much snow as there should be, and we Minnesotans are getting crabby about it. There is the constant pang of hope in my gut that the big one will come tomorrow, but the forecast still says sunny and 35 for the foreseeable future. I hope, but I pessimistically tell myself it will never come. That would be expecting too much and it seems impolite to expect too much from someone who owes you nothing.
Well now it is Winter -- a time for reading, for writing, for listening. I'll do better. I'll try. What I know now . . . it is not as cold as it should be, there is not as much snow as there should be, and we Minnesotans are getting crabby about it. There is the constant pang of hope in my gut that the big one will come tomorrow, but the forecast still says sunny and 35 for the foreseeable future. I hope, but I pessimistically tell myself it will never come. That would be expecting too much and it seems impolite to expect too much from someone who owes you nothing.
posted by David at 9:05 PM
9 Comments:
impolite? winter, by definition, is impolite! but how very minnesotan of you to want not to be impolite...
although today reminds me of the thing itself, with the below zero windchill. it actually feels good - maybe more emotionally and mentally than physically. it's cold!
as a fellow expat from another, warmer state, your wishing for snow confuses me. i mean, i get it, i think, but i'm not at that point yet. when it gets cold (like yesterday) i tend to turn to craig and ask 'will we ever move to seattle?' not like that move will ever happen, but still.
so my question is this: how many years of living here does it take to start hoping for snow? what are the warning signs that one has started to go native? i kind of fear this, even if i do like living here.
I know exactly what you mean. I used to feel as you do. When you hear transplants or visitors here complain about the cold and sometimes ask natives why they don't live somewhere warmer, a common response is: "I like the change of seasons." In my early days here, I would hear that and think 'sure, but everyone likes the change of seasons.'
But there's more to it for Minnesotans. Yes, this is code for 'the cold has finally altered the way I perceive reality.' It's not just that they like pretty fall colors, oh no. Winter here takes actual prepration. Winter is a test and successfully passing this test validates that a person is good or hearty or whatever the measure might be. Winter is not another season to pass through, it is a season to live through. Winter makes you a better person.
As for me, I haven't reached this state of mind quite yet. I could do without the extreme cold; but the snow is so beautiful as it falls to the ground. The white blanket it forms makes you see every familiar thing in a new way. Every time it snows I swear I see a new bush, a new tree, even a new house in my neighborhood that I have never noticed before.
So I do like the snow. To your question, though, it's coming up on 13 years here for me, so I think you still have a little time to go. I think, though, that the snow yearning is just a step toward the "bring on the cold!" bravado. Maybe next year you'll hear me opine about the change of seasons; however, I think I'm still a ways off from Lori, who, basking in the sun on a perfect July day last summer, said, "I know this is a beautiful day and I love it, but I can't wait for it to snow again." Sound crazy? Maybe, but remember that technically Lori is a transplant too.
DAVID!
Yes, I did say that, but that's not the point..."technically a transplant"? Maybe not born here, but certainly bred here. Grr.
And Pete, as for you...I feel terrible for Craig and all who must be outside when it's this cold. But I do not support talk of moving to Seattle. Also, all that rain? Really?
And going native isn't really so bad. Embrace it. Love it.
Yes, it has been a while. Sorry.
As far as the winter-wish goes, I don't even live in Minnesota anymore, but I feel more at ease when I know that you all have below zero winter temperatures.
I would be happy if it were belwo 50 here in Maryland. I am getting tired of all of the global warming "jokes," but pretty close behind that irritation is, you know, that uneasy thing you probably feel, too. Enough said on that.
And--I ought to have something new up soon. You will have to decide whether it was worth the wait.
David,
I think the answer is 13 years, that's how long I've been here and I totally wish for snow! Thankfully, this past week has made my wish come true. I don't even mind shoveling! Yes, I know my fellow expats are surely shocked!
A
forgive me for continuing to play devil's advocate here, but...
i hear the “if i left minnesota, i’d miss the four seasons” line a lot. to me, it sounds like rationalization, designed to make the speaker feel better about living in the midwest.
snow is pretty. i'll give you that. it's very soul-satisfying to sit on a couch midday, reading, drinking something warm, and look out the window and just barely perceive the hush that the world takes on while being slowly covered in white.
but the aggravations of winter do stack up: the way that street sludge accumulates for several months and removes a whole lane from side streets, or the grumpy claustrophobia that starts to settle in, somewhere around this week. or walking somewhere and instantly having wet socks.
i like having varied seasons, though it's a shame that in MN, it breaks down (roughly) like this:
winter - five months
brown - two months
spring - two weeks
hot/gross - two months
fall - a weekend
the few hours of spring and fall we get are lovely, and there are good things about living here - hanging out with y’all, some of the arts, etc.
however, i think it’s healthy to maintain a conflicted attitude about certain aspects of it. maybe by year 13 i will have relented.
again, i apologize for the devil’s advocacy. i swear it’s only pro bono.
But Pete, even though the street sludge is gross, think about the uniquely wonderful elements of the brown and spring seasons -- when the packed up high sludge begins to recede from the place between the sidewalk and the street, and long lost items begin to emerge, like bicycles that were chained to street signs before the fist snow and subsequently covered and hidden as winter continues.
And, it is pretty fun sitting in a bar and looking out the window on a winter's eve, seeing the cold cold cold air and people struggling through the wind and icy streets, knowing that soon you too will be in it, trudging towards home, but for the meantime you are warm and cozy inside with a pitcher of Summit on the table.
And, I'm nostalgic thinking of the wonderful job the city of Minneapolis does clearing the streets after a snowfall, as compared to the half-hearted efforts of St. Paul (hee-heee! Couldn't resist - who is the devil's advocate now?)
No Beth, I think you are confused.
St. Paul is EAST of the Mississippi River and is the city that has sensible snow emergency procedures, plows reliably, and even calls every citizen in St. Paul when a snow emergency has been declared.
Minneapolis is WEST of the river, tows cars when it snows, and plows the streets sometime thereafter.
;)
Post a Comment
<< Home