1st Day Back

I know we're back and life is returning to normal, but normal is different for us now, so I thought I would keep up with just a few more posts to talk about what we observe in this strange land.

I already mentioned that getting back to our house was satisfyingly familiar, yet there were some things that stood out as different. First was the smell (or lack thereof). I'm used to a place smelling like the Picharffs and it did not. Nothing a couple of days of living here can't cure though. I've reached on the wrong side of doorways for a light switch, stood with furrowed brow in front of another switch plate with three light switches wondering which to flip, and admired the nice work of the landscapers who put some field stones out in front of the house as an edge for a perennial bed.

I got up Friday to go to the store and get food for breakfast. First, I opened the freezer to see if there was juice. It was enormous. What on earth do people use all that space for?

Speaking of enormous...the intersections and the streets are all huge. I keep thinking that there must have been buildings there when we left and they were razed for some reason, leaving a big gap in the view. Oh, and there are traffic lights everywhere. And stop signs. Why not yield signs?

Wanting to merge the best of the two worlds, I walked to the grocery store to get breakfast food. It's only about 1.25 miles there. Despite it being a work day and light out, I saw very few cars, no bikes, and the only pedestrians were going from their house to their cars.

I walked past lots of houses surrounded by lawn, maybe a few foundation plants as landscaping. While I find the Minnesota vernacular characterless, it occurred to me that others may find some great aesthetic value in it. Otherwise why would we make our yards, look like our streets, look like our parking lots - big and devoid of distinguishing features.

After breakfast of waffles and sausages swimming in a sea of pure maple syrup, I went to buy a car. I found a nice Dodge Grand Caravan at a price I liked. Kristine didn't like, however, the fact that the guy had purchased the car a month before at a repo auction in Ohio and so he had no service records, and didn't have the title yet. So, we went to a dealership instead and bought a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country (not white).

Finally, we rounded out the evening with a feast at Token BBQ in Mapleton where the food was excellent and we got to see the Gregors, Brother Kidd and Taylors.

I wanted to include some pics, but if we waited for me to get them, it would be old news.
Peter