Whistling Dixie...

Jim and I are back in the hot, hot, HOT south. I just can't tell you how wonderful it was to be able to spend time outside in the northern hills of PA. I walked all around town and would even "run" down to the grocery store for a bag of carrots and and never even break a sweat. Walking at dusk you can hear people on almost every front porch. Kids are out on their bicycles and it is just a whole different feeling there....a trip back in time. I kept reminding myself about the snow they would be having during the winter, but realistically it seems easier to add layers than it is to peal them off.... there is only so much to peal and stay within the boundaries of taste. Also, the winters are not as WET and that wet kind of cold seems almost colder to me than when it is dry and 22 degrees.

Yet, there is no place more beautiful in spring than the south and living on the edge of an interstate has many advantages. The food here is yummy an we are never far from anything while my parents have to go over the river and through the woods....litterally.....to get any place. Although quaint, it can be hazardous. There are always going to be hold ups while driving, but when you are on the interstate it is fairly easy to guesstimate your ETA. When you are driving in the hills of PA you might get behind a huge truck laden with bails of hay or a line painter ....like we did one day .... going about 7 miles an hour! That almost doubled the time to our destination. Crazy.

We are also spoiled with shopping here. Just about anything we need is within 30 minutes. But in PA even the closest shopping mecca, Olean, doesn't have most of my favorite shopping establishments, but then talking to people in my little town, they didn't seem to be suffering too much because they didn't have access to a Dillards or a TJ Maxx. After all if you really need a shopping fix you can take a weekend trip to Buffalo or Erie or even NYC a couple times a year.

So why do we stay here? Well, we have put down roots and this is where we live and I have employment I enjoy. There are a lot of lovely folks down here and don't forget Josh and Randi about two hours down the interstate in Texas. (Yes, they are lovely, too.) I guess after 20 years....this Sept. ....we have put down roots and consider ourselves pseudo southerners. We are not arrogant enough to believe we will ever be anything more than transplanted "Yankees", but we have grown to love the south for its beauty, its hospitality, the food....yes and even the weather at times....but mostly for the wonderful people we have grown to love.