I'm in Minneapolis again.

And it's cold again, but (again) nobody here seems to notice. The thermostat reported -25 degrees this morning, a temperature that would keep thinking peoples of just about any other city indoors counting their foodstuffs. Minnesotans, however, looked at that same weather report and decided that today's conditions were perfect for biking to work. Seriously. From the window seat of today's coffee shop I count no fewer than four bicycles shoved in to a nearby snowbank that is being used like a big squishy bike rack. Coffee is not reward enough for braving this kind of cold. It's like swimming the English Channel for a hug.

That said, Minneapolis is still fabulous. 72 hours ago, when the weather was a balmy 22˚F, Meg, Becca, Sam, Tracy and I all skied the Luminary Loppet, a lantern-lit loop around two downtown lakes that attracted roughly half the city. I've never seen so many people outdoors happily doing the same thing. By 6:30, there was a steady parade of cheerful Minnesotans sliding along, all laughing and whooping and generally enjoying a good bit of evening exercise with their friends. Along the track were hot cocoa stops, cookie stops, fire dancers, a photo-op area and the exotic looking Icecropolis that I didn't stand in the 100+ person line for, but appeared to consist of even more candle-lit magic on one of the lake's islands.

But now it's cold again and for some reason I arrived here with a light summer jacket. So when I was returning my skis to the sports store last night, I lingered near the sale rack and picked out a coat to try on. It fit! I made my way towards the big mirror on the wall to check myself out, but was intercepted half way by one of the coat-section saleswomen. She looked to be about my mother's age, with thin reading glasses and a seasonal sweaters that has patterning around the neck. The store was closing (the lights were already off in the back) and, assuming she was about to tell me as much, I moved to put the coat back.

Not so fast. "Why, that looks just fabulous!" she marveled, clasping her hands together and beaming rather intently at my left elbow. "Just fabulous. It really does suit you." I hesitated. "Are you closing?" I asked, glancing at the cashier, who appeared to be counting receipts. "Oh heavens no, they'll be alright, we never shut on time anyhow. Now, we've got some other colors here, would you like to give those a try too?"

It's good to be back.

Comments

Aerdna
This almost makes me miss the cold. Almost. But I do miss Minnesota. Had you written an entry about Jersey, however...