"REPEAT AFTER ME:  AT LEAST WE DON'T GET HURRICANES... AT LEAST WE DON'T GET HURRICANES..."


Sue here...       

I finally got around to changing my residence on facebook to Rugby, North Dakota and decided it's also about time to update the blog.

I couldn't help but post this cartoon from the blog  "Yes, North Dakota Is A State" to my brother's facebook wall. 

How many times did my family and I think of friends and relatives in Florida and say this to ourselves while we were stuck in Buffalo?  Ray and I now find ourselves saying this to ourselves as we think of our siblings in Florida. 

Note: This cartoon really does look like our current 2 plus feet of snow on the ground! This could actually be us walking down our street a few days ago!  Ray almost got his Maxima stuck 3 or 4 times while driving home from work only a few miles away. The funny thing is that ...here ..they only plow the streets once in awhile!  Needless to say Ray will be looking for an SUV or pick up this summer...

There is a different view of winter here completely than the rest of the world.  But then again I guess it is all a matter of perspective... 

I had to laugh when visiting Amber, Lucas and the kids a few weeks ago as Northern Virginia newscasters shared apps for residents to check the location of the 4,000 (!) snowplows on the roads during a snow storm that only left a few inches!  They were all panicky, closed schools, all government offices, etc! 

 

This next picture I am proud to have taken myself.  It is what I truly appreciate about winter in this area.  The snow covers the trees in a beautiful white blanket and the daily sunshine makes it glisten like diamonds... Beautiful!
 

 

 

It gets warm in  summer... but... let's get real...it is cold, cold here in winter!  It went into the 90's this past summer but it has been as cold as minus 22 degrees here this winter... not counting wind chill.  You won't believe me but we have been very surprised at how little the cold has affected us. Seriously!  It hasn't been bad!  Here is a picture of our thermometer from Jan. 31st:

 

 

 

The recent warmer temps have started the creation of interesting icicles off the back deck.  This is an actual blanket of snow that formed over the roof with space underneath it!

 

 

 

Of course Minnie loves playing in the snow and eating icicles.  We have had to resort to a very light ball to throw for her.  The heavier one gets buried in the snow when you throw it and she will actually dig down into the grass trying to find it.  She has grown up to be such a good dog!  I'll post more about her later.

 

Maybe you can see she has an icicle propped in her paws here:

 

 

 

I thought I should include a few pictures of our house.  We have been truly blessed to have found this place.  It is huge for just the two of us but it is surprisingly well insulated and not expensive to heat or cool!  It has 5 bedrooms, a formal dining room, huge family room, huge kitchen, huge storage room, two additional small storage rooms, laundry room and 3 full bathrooms.  It has an oversized two car attached garage, large tree lined and fully fenced backyard with a storage shed and a large double deck.  

 

  

 We look forward to getting back to this beautiful lush green landscaping and planting our own vegetable garden this year.  You can see we have a nice swing set.. Just need some kids to visit!

 

Now that I'm back... watch for new posts about our time in Boise and visits to our kids.