Winter, Four Ways

As we begin to see a little melt off here in my new Midwestern home, I'm inspired to reflect a bit about winters I've spent in other places, at other times in my life. Here, winters are much like those in New York/New Jersey, where I lived for 25 years. But I haven't lived in that region for a long time so I've forgotten about things like dirty, ugly snow on the side of the roads and trying to walk anywhere when sidewalks are only 50 percent cleared, at best.

Here, then, are some reflections on winters past.

Thoughts about an impending snowstorm:

• East Coast—*%#@ my car will be snowplowed in. Again.
• Midwest—Maybe I should invest in that snow blower.
• Colorado—Righteous! Where's my snowboard?
• Dallas—What's a snow shovel?

On winter footwear:

• East Coast & Midwest—Thank God for fashionable boots.
• Colorado—Thank God for snowshoes.
• Dallas—Thank God for closed-toe pumps.

On keeping warm at home:

• East Coast & Midwest—Throw another log on the fire!
• Colorado—Load up that wood stove.
• Dallas—Where is that fireplace remote?

On what to do in the snow:

• East Coast & Midwest — Find a hill and go sledding.
• Colorado — Find a mountain and go skiing.
• Dallas — Find a laptop and go shopping.

Overheard on Groundhog Day:

• East Coast — That &^# rodent is never right.
• Midwest — Oh, that Punxsutawney Phil is just the cutest, dontcha know.
• Colorado — Who cares? It's sunny all year long here!
• Dallas — Let's book a flight to Cancun!

Maybe I'll have the pleasure of adding other places to this list before I reach my end. Let's just hope it's after the kids have flown the coop.

A new year. A new life.

By Dori, A Round Barn at the University of Illinois.

For most people a new year is symbolic of a new start. I know I always feel just a little bit like I'm beginning a do-over, every year, without fail. This year I, along with the rest of the family, am starting over in a new state, a new region for that matter. The Midwest.

I have no ties here. Well, none very recent (supposedly my granddad went to school in Independence, MO with Harry and Bess Truman). And I can't help but laugh when I think of how I got here. I kept forging westward. But the universe keeps pulling me back. I went to Texas, then moved back to New Jersey, where I grew up. I moved back to Texas and stayed awhile until discovering, and quickly relocating to Colorado. I didn't get to stay as long as I wanted too before I ended up in Illinois. What in the world is the world trying to tell me?

It's my own fault, really. I have wanderlust. It's not an easy quality to live with. I adore the idea of staying put, living in the same house for decades, welcoming children and grandchildren home. But I just can't do it. I want to wander. And that's not great for kids, really. I'm honestly not that bohemian to be able to pull that off with panache.

And so I've made up my mind to set down roots here. Really. I have a plan. After all, I've got kids to put through college and retirement savings to catch up on. So I have to hang up my wandering shoes for a while. But, still I dream. I think about the days when the kids have graduated (God willing) college and Dana and I retire. This is not a bad place to live. With, perhaps, some traveling when winter gets a little long or summer a bit too humid. If our state can stay solvent, that might actually be a plan. For now.