Traveling Again

For nine years I was privileged to live in the beautiful state of Michigan. This week I will return there again to visit our daughter, Joanne, and son-in-law, Michael.

I sometimes wonder why we moved away from Michigan. I can't be sure, but it might have happened during a brain vacation. If there had been Internet back then, we would no doubt have used Google to locate Missouri information. As it happened, we engaged in discovery learning.

Subsequent to our move, we discovered that Missouri has a humid continental climate with cold winters and long, hot summers. According to legend, the Sioux Indians, because of the size of the Mighty Missouri River, called the area, land of the big canoe. Upon arrival, I named it, land of the no neighbors. In this climate, UFO sightings may be of about the same frequency as are neighbor sightings.

Cold weather usually arrives in Missouri in October, after which people stay inside to keep warm. Then, following a limited number of lovely spring days (maybe three or four), air conditioners come on and people hole up inside to keep cool. Sometimes, a neighbor’s head can be seen through the window of a beautiful vehicle and, occasionally, a complete neighbor is seen as he or she runs out a door to toss something on a grill.

It was also hot and cold in our Southern Michigan space. However, people participated in outdoor activities, both summer and winter. There, we saw neighbors. I jogged, walked to the library, read books on the patio, cooked on the grill, entertained guests for outdoor meals and parties, talked to neighbors over the back fence, worked in my flower garden, went on picnics, and spent days at the zoo. All of these things were done without experiencing heat exhaustion or feeling numb from cold.

Now we live just over the Missouri line in Kansas. Different address. Missouri climate.

Get ready, Southern Michigan, here I come!

~ Sign picture from Wikipedia