Is the winter really THAT bad? (Winona, Willmar: schools, restaurant, cost of)

[StilltheSame]

Casual Surfer,

Curious to know if you moved to Minnesota - and how was/is the winter?

[Repubocrat]

Originally Posted by Miley Cyrus

Care to explain why it feels like home? Just curious . Definitely agree with the cold part, though.

I travel a lot and for whatever reason, It always feel good to be back in Minnesota. Maybe it is because I have been here for so long and also because we have a very unique culture here. I was in Kansas City, MO a few weeks ago and although I had a good time, Minneapolis-St Paul is a much better metro area.

[la0508]

I am 59 years old, with arthritis, and moved to a farm north of Neche right next to the Canadian border when I was 57. I have arthritis-badly, in every joint. Still, I LOVE the winters! Last year we had REAL temperature (exclusive of wind chill) of -37 deg during the day. The air at that temperature refracts light differently, it is hard to judge distances, and headlights from oncoming cars look weird. I love the fact that we are covered with snow that never melts for 5-6 months out of the year. I think it is beautiful, and yes, I like to go outside in it. Spring comes rather late. We were still covered in snow in early April, and you certainly can't put in a garden till June first, and even then have to hope you won't get a hard frost (you probably will), but when the leaves and grass come in they come in fast, and everything is the color of the Emerald City. Sometime in late June or so the mosquitoes come in, however, the size of bombers, and by that point, even though it is beautiful, and there are magnificent thunderstorms, I'm starting to look forward to an ice covered world again. To me, this is heaven. It's funny, because in the US everyone thinks North Dakota is impossibly cold, but in Gretna, Canada, the little farm town a few feet north of us, there is a sign that announces--"GRETNA--CANADA'S HOT SPOT". And then again, we northern North Dakatoans refer to the folks in Bismarck and Fargo as living in the "Banana Belt". Anyway, the people here are so friendly and helpful that it completely makes up for any perceived climate hardships.

[MrMinneapolis]

Put simply, Yes. The winter is hell on earth here.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by la0508

I am 59 years old, with arthritis, and moved to a farm north of Neche right next to the Canadian border when I was 57. I have arthritis-badly, in every joint. Still, I LOVE the winters! Last year we had REAL temperature (exclusive of wind chill) of -37 deg during the day. The air at that temperature refracts light differently, it is hard to judge distances, and headlights from oncoming cars look weird. I love the fact that we are covered with snow that never melts for 5-6 months out of the year. I think it is beautiful, and yes, I like to go outside in it. Spring comes rather late. We were still covered in snow in early April, and you certainly can't put in a garden till June first, and even then have to hope you won't get a hard frost (you probably will), but when the leaves and grass come in they come in fast, and everything is the color of the Emerald City. Sometime in late June or so the mosquitoes come in, however, the size of bombers, and by that point, even though it is beautiful, and there are magnificent thunderstorms, I'm starting to look forward to an ice covered world again. To me, this is heaven. It's funny, because in the US everyone thinks North Dakota is impossibly cold, but in Gretna, Canada, the little farm town a few feet north of us, there is a sign that announces--"GRETNA--CANADA'S HOT SPOT". And then again, we northern North Dakatoans refer to the folks in Bismarck and Fargo as living in the "Banana Belt". Anyway, the people here are so friendly and helpful that it completely makes up for any perceived climate hardships.

Hey Great to see you are in Neche....I recall readings your posts when you thought of moving. Glad to see someone else who loves the winter up here! I do...having moved up from the south many years ago. Yes...as a forecaster I do know that Langdon-Cavalier area is a cold spot for sure....we over forecast temps there quite a bit in the winter as that higher plateau there just never warms up as much as we think. Yes Bismarck to Dickinson is the warm spots with big differences often. Though last season was different as they got clobbered with snow

Dan

[la0508]

So nice to hear from you! Yes, I really love it--although I keep longing for even more bitter climes! Three of my kids have moved up here with us. My daughter just got married on Saturday to a wonderful man from Neche who adores her, and she him. My other daughter moved up here in June to live with us and get a nursing degree. She'll be in EGF to get her LPN, then on to UND. My youngest son loves it here and is learning the welding trade. He worked outside all last winter as a ranch hand. The -37 degree day I drove him to work in the early morning. What a treat, to see the atmosphere look so unusual. I only saw the northern lights once-last year in June, I think. Another son, who is in his neurosurgery residence in PA, worked here for a while in Cavalier on a med school family practice rotation. He was very impressed with the quality of the hospital, their equipment, and their doctors. He thought it might be real depressed rural, but found he loved it. As it turns out, the girl he married in California has relatives in Cavalier, the former mayor no less, and they both love it here and hope to settle here one day (although the next 17 years are spoken for, since he is a captain in the Army and they're paying his way through his residency). My oldest son, a paramedic in San Francisco, loves it too. Some day, when he's ready to have a family, I think he'll move out here too (I hope). What kind of a winter does it look like we're in for this coming year 2009-2010? Do you think it will be cold? Snowy? So much rain this summer--and the leaves started turning yellow in July already, and the crows are flocking. I've wanted to ask you this question for a while. Are there any prediction as to how the current El Nino will affect our area? Anyway, good to hear you're still around, and I'm glad you like it up here too. Oh-we moved into the former Neche city park property. Absolutely beautiful, bounded on two sides by the Pembina River. We didn't flood though-we've got a great dyke around our property, only part of Neche that didn't flood at least a little. It looked like we were cutting it a little close though. We've got goats, chickens, more barn cats every year when they come frozen and crying up onto our porch, and of course a dog, who although born in the high desert of California, turned out to be a snow dog. Good to hear from you-la0508

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by MrMinneapolis

Put simply, Yes. The winter is hell on earth here.

I have always been told that hell is hot.

[Mick St John]

Originally Posted by moving123456

I have always been told that hell is hot.

Not true.
Hell is a state of mind. Varies from person to person.
And my vision of Hell is a Minnesota landscape in mid January.

[johncronejr]

In Dantes Inferno, I believe the 9th circle (the worst) of hell is actually a frozen landscape

[rgb123]

I just saw the title of the thread

YES