On November 18, 2008, I boarded a plane in Dallas which was bound for Denver, Colorado. In Denver, I would change planes and be delivered to the far frozen north, in Fargo, North Dakota. Then I would travel from there by car, to my new home, some 70 miles to the east in Frazee, Minnesota.
Now, people move around every day, but I am a born and bred southerner, who had never been north of the Mason Dixon line, so to move so far north is proving to be an adventure for me so far.
There is a saying called "Minnesota Nice", and the folks here sure seem to be, but it took me a while to get used to their northern accents. Everyone here comments on the way I speak, saying things like "You must not be from around here," or "Oh, a southerner, ey?" I generally make light of it and say something like, "Oh, no, I don't have an accent, all ya'll got accents. I'M the NORMAL one..." followed by a laugh. They usually laugh along with me, but it gets old after a bit.
I'm no stranger to being the new kid on the block. My grandparents raised us, and we moved around alot. We never spent more than a few years in the same place, so I'm used to starting over. Just not in such a foreign place.
Upon arrival in Fargo, I immediately noticed two things: first, it was FREEZING!!!!!, and second, the scenery reminded me alot of central Alabama in the winter. There wasn't alot of snow on the ground, so I was lulled into a false sense of security. All of that would soon change.
My arrival in Frazee basically went unnoticed by most folks. The only people I had contact with were my husband, his son, his son's girlfriend, and my husband's grandson. The car that my husband brought up from Texas (he came several months ahead of me to set us up), isn't a yankee car, and really doesn't like the cold. Hence we didn't have transportation to go anywhere. This isn't the biggest of deals, since we live about a quarter of a mile from the main drag of Frazee. The downside of this is that Frazee is only about a half a mile long, and there really isn't that much here. To go to Wal Mart, or any other big place for that matter, you have to go "into town."
Now, people move around every day, but I am a born and bred southerner, who had never been north of the Mason Dixon line, so to move so far north is proving to be an adventure for me so far.
There is a saying called "Minnesota Nice", and the folks here sure seem to be, but it took me a while to get used to their northern accents. Everyone here comments on the way I speak, saying things like "You must not be from around here," or "Oh, a southerner, ey?" I generally make light of it and say something like, "Oh, no, I don't have an accent, all ya'll got accents. I'M the NORMAL one..." followed by a laugh. They usually laugh along with me, but it gets old after a bit.
I'm no stranger to being the new kid on the block. My grandparents raised us, and we moved around alot. We never spent more than a few years in the same place, so I'm used to starting over. Just not in such a foreign place.
Upon arrival in Fargo, I immediately noticed two things: first, it was FREEZING!!!!!, and second, the scenery reminded me alot of central Alabama in the winter. There wasn't alot of snow on the ground, so I was lulled into a false sense of security. All of that would soon change.
My arrival in Frazee basically went unnoticed by most folks. The only people I had contact with were my husband, his son, his son's girlfriend, and my husband's grandson. The car that my husband brought up from Texas (he came several months ahead of me to set us up), isn't a yankee car, and really doesn't like the cold. Hence we didn't have transportation to go anywhere. This isn't the biggest of deals, since we live about a quarter of a mile from the main drag of Frazee. The downside of this is that Frazee is only about a half a mile long, and there really isn't that much here. To go to Wal Mart, or any other big place for that matter, you have to go "into town."
"Town" means Detroit Lakes, or DL, which is about ten miles down the road. Not that far, unless you're on foot... So for a while after my arrival, I didn't see much of anything, aside from our house, and the family grocery store, and local convienience store here. It was a grand treat to go into DL to get to go to Wal Mart. A vast difference for me, as I was used to being able to go where ever I wanted, whenever I wanted back home in Waco.
Around the first of the year, I landed a job at the convienience store as a pizza clerk, and working has certianly eased my cabin fever, not to mention that I get to go into town every two weeks when I get paid. Now I don't feel like such a shut in.
I do have to admit though, that walking to work, while benifical to my health, is not always the coolest thing.. Ok, well it's the COLDEST thing! Ha! There were days when the temp dropped to around twenty below, BEFORE you add in the windchill, and there I'd be, wrapped up like Nanook of the North, trudging to work to sling pizzas to... NOONE because everyone else in the world knows it's too cold to go out! I have pictures of the snow. I have hoards of pictures of the snow! I'll even share a few!
Around the first of the year, I landed a job at the convienience store as a pizza clerk, and working has certianly eased my cabin fever, not to mention that I get to go into town every two weeks when I get paid. Now I don't feel like such a shut in.
I do have to admit though, that walking to work, while benifical to my health, is not always the coolest thing.. Ok, well it's the COLDEST thing! Ha! There were days when the temp dropped to around twenty below, BEFORE you add in the windchill, and there I'd be, wrapped up like Nanook of the North, trudging to work to sling pizzas to... NOONE because everyone else in the world knows it's too cold to go out! I have pictures of the snow. I have hoards of pictures of the snow! I'll even share a few!
~Our front yard as of March 10th, 2009~ Yes, I said MARCH..
~Pitiful tiki torches outside our kitchen window~
Note the contrast between these two photos: The one where I'm wearing the Dell beanie was taken Easter weekend 2007, where it actually snowed in Waco.
The picture where I have the purple beanie is November in Minnesota.
Big big difference. SO, anyhow, this blog is meant to chronicle my adventure into the big frozen northland. I hope you enjoy it.
--Ahyoka
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