OK, I'm back but I don't know for how long.

It's 4 degrees outside here, starting to warm up for the day. Guess maybe Winter has settled in for its long winter stay. Still haven't figured out how I ended up here in Minnesota in the first place. What on earth could have brought a southern-southwestern boy into this "frozen tundra?"

Actually I don't wonder. It was a woman, of course. And another woman who kept me here. I may have mentioned before that I was the gypsy of my family. Once I got out of high school, I couldn't wait to see what was around the next corner, over the next hill, in the next state.

Let's see, to track my path: Las Cruces, New Mexico - Anchorage, Alaska - Las Cruces, New Mexico , Greenbelt, Maryland - Las Cruces, New Mexico - Renton, Washington - Las Cruces, New Mexico - Los Alamos, New Mexico - Norman, Oklahoma - White Fish Bay, Wisconsin - Supulveda, California - Canoyga Park, California - Odessa, Texas - Houston, Texas - St. Paul, Minnesota - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Edina, Minnesota - Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Usually I had something at the end of my moves awaiting me, a job I had secured ahead of time, a school I'd been accepted into. One, however, the move to Minnesota, was not of that sort. I had gotten tired of big cities (having grown up in a town of about 25,000 might have something to do with that) and moved deliberately back near home to Odessa, a smaller city. Nearly starved there (small towns are cheaper to live in, but the salaries are the pits) for a couple of years, gave up my dream of small town idyllic life and went back to the big city - Houston.

Coming from the desert-like terrain of New Mexico, however, the humidity and heat of Houston wore on me. As did the traffic! I sat there once, on a freeway of 4 lanes on both sides, at a dead stop for 3 hours. Literally people were running out of gas here and there and those who didn't had shut off their engines and were taking a nap. And that was only slightly worse than usual. I lived 5 miles from where I worked and it usually took at least an hour to make the trip. Houston grew faster than its freeways and, different from many cities, most of its businesses were still downtown, not having moved to the suburbs.

So when I got tired of life there (as I so frequently did, no matter where I was), my wife asked, "How about back near my family?" I said, "Sure, why not. Start packing." Anyway, cashed out what little retirement I had built up at my current job (working for the state), loaded up the U-haul, hooked the car up to the back (my second wife didn't drive at that time), and the four of us piled into the truck and headed north. No job waiting for me this time. Just some assurance from her family that we could stay with them until we found a place.

Well, staying with her family didn't last long (I think it might be hard on anybody staying with their in-laws), and even before I found a job we found a house. Her family lived in a small town in southern Minnesota and I knew that only in the twin cities would I find any real job (Odessa taught me my lesson concerning that). So we found a place in St. Paul (the blue collar part of the twin cities). Found a job shortly after that with a company near the airport which is in between the two cities and settled in.

Now Minnesota is a little different from anything I'd been exposed to. Oh, Milwaukee had snow, but because I lived near the lake there, the temperatures had been sort of moderated. I'd visited Minneapolis once before, interviewing with CDC about Thanksgiving and swore I'd never live in a place so cold in November. Guess I forgot, or else women just have too much sway over me.

I can remember one of the first winters here we had a really bad blizzard. Only two of the employees of the company I worked at made it in (or even ATTEMPTED to make it in). That would be me (from the southwest) and a guy from Chile (who had never even SEEN snow before). Since then I've been through a number of blizzards, but I've gotten a little smarter and a little less brave in going out in them.

Now, Minnesota can get cold. And I've established some criteria concerning iciness.

I've discovered that it's at about 10 degrees that you start feeling the moisture in your nose freeze when you go out.

I've found out that 0 or -5 degrees isn't particularly cold if there isn't a wind blowing.

I've found that at -20, you've got a 50-50 chance of your car starting if it's been sitting out all night.

I discovered that a light bulb burning near your battery will increase that possibility to almost 100%.

I've discoved that a light bulb burning TOO near your battery will burn a hole in it and reduce the possibility to 0.

I've found that when the blizzard blows snow up under your hood it doesn't matter what temperature it is, the car won't start with all that moisture on top of the engine. All you can do then is get the car inside, get the snow off the engine and do everything you can to dry it out.

And I've discovered that a wind chill of -70 below is not something you want to experience, no matter what your dress.

I've now been here over 20 years. Guess I've finally found my "nesting" place in the world. My only question at this point is: "WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MINNESOTA?"