ALL BLOG POSTS

Just your average winter day A few weeks ago I came across a car stuck in a bank of snow. We’d gotten snow earlier in theweek, but this was a warm, 35 ̊ day. Streets were clear, snow had even begun to melt on thesidewalks. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, the wind...

Local midwest vocabulary When you move to a new place it’s common to feel like an outsider. Obviously, you expect it to take some time to find your stride and your people – but that stage of relocation is never fun. I’ve never felt so foreign in a place than when I...

Airports are an alternate universe Since moving to North Dakota I’ve had many moments that leave me thinking I must have stepped into an alternate universe. However, few compare to my experiences at North Dakotan airports. Though locals may not bat an eye at the Hot...

Being a 'realist' I’m not an expert at many things. A lover of learning, I tend to soak up information and skills, without ever committing them to lifelong practice. This comes in handy because I know a little bit about a lot of bits. If I need to know more, I can...

USA's Best Kept Secret “No sane person would choose to leave Florida to live in North Dakota."  I read that quote in a news article a couple weeks ago. When my eyes ran across the words, I nearly spit out my coffee, choking back a laugh.  The next day, friends...

Creatures of habit “I see you here a lot,” said the man who held the door for me as we simultaneously left the library.  “Yeah,” I replied, while shoving my now-empty coffee mug into my bag. “I come here to work when my husband is home with our kids. I’m close enough...

When will it end? We got more snow than I expected. When I wrote last week’s column the blizzard was impending with predictions hinting at the possibility of 30” of snow. However, with my vast meteorological experience (okay, I have none), I made my own prediction:...

The Never-ending Winter “Mom, why is winter taking so long?” My four-year-old has asked me this question exactly every day for a week straight. When he says it, the phrase is drawn out. It carries that tone of voice only a genuine child can produce when talking to...

A different kind of date night We could see the glimmer of sunshine on water before we heard the splashing or smelled the sunscreen. My husband, Derek, and I pedaled our tandem bicycle up to the bleachers near the pool and climbed off. On the other side of the chain...

On a Quest for Canola “I just know by the time we find a good place, the boys are going to be cranky and it’s going to be a disaster.” This was my lament last Sunday, as I wove our car up and down country roads, scanning the horizon for highlighter-yellow fields. I...

What is "The Lake?" Can we talk about “the lake” for a minute? During my years in North Dakota, I’ve become a student of Hot Dish language, culture, and traditions. I celebrate Syttende Mai, enthusiastically watch Lawrence Welk reruns, participate in Trash Christmas,...