Whatever It Takes

Yes, it's been a mild winter - so far. For Minnesota standards, anyway. Then...

Last night was a brief stopover in Pine City. The cold front had arrived before I had, snow was blowing horizontally creating near whiteout conditions where no trees blocked its access to roadways. When the WalMart doors opened, the wind blew straight back into store over a hundred feet. My gas level was low, so I stopped for a fill before heading home, not wanting to run out if emergency conditions struck, like sitting along the road for hours. It was bitterly cold and my hands ached just putting the nozzle into the tank and setting the pump to start. The wind cut through all my layers like they weren't there.

Thinking longingly of never having to do this again once this winter has passed, my mantra became, "Whatever it takes, whatever it takes, whatever..." It didn't make me any warmer, but it did give me hope. Possibly tolerance for the next three months as well.

I blame my intolerance of winter on my almost four years living in Georgia. There I watched neighbors mow their lawns on X-mas Eve. Growing up in north central Minnesota, it had never occurred to me that there could be an alternative. Winter just was. Now I was living an alternative. Should nostalgia strike, well, we actually had two inches of snow once, and it closed down everything. It was fun!

And it was gone in two days

Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes.