Minnesota

Even though I live in Minnesota now, I've blogged about nothing but Southern California. After 20 years in Los Angeles, it's hard to shake the dust off and clear the lungs from foul air. So, let me tell you about the most noticeable thing in this area -- it's called "Minnesota nice." It's an actual, living phenomenon, such that newspaper columnists here use it on a regular basis to describe local behavior. It's not that there aren't gangsters and other assorted bad apples, but the majority of people here are so nice that I would almost love to hear someone honk his horn and hurl epithets at me as I cut him off on the freeway!

Actually, after my two decades in L. A., I was taken aback by the politeness here. I hadn't experienced it in years, since I left the Deep South. I was raised to be polite, to say, "Yes, ma'm," "please," and "thank you." But after all that time in La La Land, I almost forgot what manners are really all about. The people here are truly well-mannered and polite. But they're also rather reticent emotionally and one has to reach to find a real sense of humour. Yes, they're much too earnest. But if I had to choose this attitude over the one prevalent in SoCal, I'd take this one every time. If I could only bring the L. A. weather here! It snowed April 3, 2007, my 25th wedding anniversary. And we're expecting 2-4" of snow tonight on April 10.

If you're looking for a nice place to live, full of very nice people, Minnesota is the place to come. But bring some sunshine with you.