Minnesota Welomes Me

Hello all! I am back!

After a grueling two weeks of packing, moving, unpacking, setting up house and yadayadayada, we are finally getting settled in our new home in Minnesota. We now live in a teeny tiny farming community, where the women are handsome and the children are above average (to reference a little Prairie Home Companion). No, it's true, we are not living on Lake Wobegone, but in my estimation we're pretty darn close. Instead we live in a sleepy little village about three blocks by two blocks, without a grocery store, gas station, diner, or really anything that makes up a truly functional town (we have three antique shops, a boat shop, a post office, an auto repair shop, and a sign shop). All of our neighbors own guard dogs that I suspicion came from one of many nearby farms, and so it feels like there is always a dog barking somewhere in town (unfortunately, it is usually the two very ill-tempered old muts that live next door to us).

We have a beautiful big yard, which my daughter absolutely loves, and lots and lots of windows, which I will never take for granted again after living in a basement apartment with no natural light. There will certainly be a lot for this city girl to get used to as we make a life here in town, but I am looking forward to it. All the neighbors seem so friendly and everyone seems to knoew each other and get along and really understand the importance of a community that works together. That's kind of a refreshing thing to see, after growing up in large cities where the general attitude is to mind your own business and hope the neighbors do the same.

And so we are beginning a new chapter in our lives, that I am very excited about.

In other news, I recieved a check yesterday from the Mom and Pop Place in Neenah, WI. Another HBT sold in their shop. I am very pleased with this, because it means I can add a few bucks to our accounts at a time when money tends to run a little thin (you wouldn't think moving is as expensive as it ends up being, all told).


Oh! Back to the previous news - we live in a farm house that was built in 1911, but has had numerous additions and has been very well kept. The upstairs is, as far as I can tell, mostly original as far as structure, and I think it's absolutely beautiful. The decore, however, desperately needs some help, as the previous owners lived entirely on the main level and never went upstairs. The decor had not been updated since, if I were to judge by the green and orange shag carpets in the bedrooms, the mid-seventies. Never fear, the carpets were the first thing to go. Now I am working on the wallpaper, which is proving a much larger job than anticipated. But never fear! It will be beautiful! I will be so pretty! It will be...MY HOME! For the first time in a long time, I can call this place a home because I know I will not be moving again within the year. That's awfully nice.

And I have not have coffee yet, so I am off to do that. I will probably unpack some books while I'm at it. And maybe take a stab at cleaning. Maybe.