Wednesday, December 31, 2008

No Place Like Home

I'm sitting on my davenport enjoying a coffee while I am unwinding from our trip to North Dakota. And I am thinking, there is no place like home. 

Yes, we enjoyed our visit in North Dakota. That is.... all the time that we spent in doors. The temperature was below zero for the entire time we were there... and the wind blew. We burned nearly a whole tank of gas just warming the car up. Some people staying at our hotel never shut their engines off. We were going to stay in Devil's Lake one more night. We even paid for the room. But about 5:30 PM that night we decided to leave. The temperatures were to dip down to minus 25 degrees, and we were a little worried that the car wouldn't start in the morning, and we didn't want to waste time waiting for AAA to arrive. So we loaded and left. We drove as far as Dickinson, 5 hours, and rented a room there. Temperatures were 22 degrees below zero as we were driving. 

Some people that live up there think that the cost of living is lower. I think they are deceiving themselves. Heating their home has to be more expensive in such cold temperatures. Idling their cars to warm them up has to take more gas, and gas is $1.79 a gallon there. Groceries cost the same, so do TVs and other such things. Automobiles cost the same. The only thing that I can think of that can possibly be cheaper is housing. And their houses and rent was much higher than I had suspected. Couple all this with much lower wages and you have a formula for pretty expensive living. I'm telling you, sometimes it is miserable living. Cold, oh man, is it ever cold!

Driving into the wind is a special talent I have. No matter where I go and what direction I drive, it is either into the wind, or with a powerful crosswind. Driving was intense. Gusts would almost make me lose control. Driving was taxing on the nerves and the wallet. We have cheap gas here, but not up there.

Well, its good to be home to celebrate New Year's Eve with a good cup of coffee, almond bark pretzels, a warm and quiet house. 

Here's "Happy New Year!" to you. Wish you the best.

God Bless


No comments: