We are no longer strangers...or...

As of January 1st I now have North Dakota plates on my car. I suppose I am now a resident of ND. Many states have plain license plates because they have not invested the money it would take to have something creative printed for all to see. Someone has spent some creative energy to come up with the North Dakotan landscape design for our plates. Unfortunately, most of the plate is sky because that's about as scenic as it gets. Near the bottom of the landscape you see (if you squint) a few bumps and a lone buffalo. Notice, however, that the buffalo is larger than the bumps in the horizon. That buffalo has been drawn to scale.

There were two other events that happened this week that indicate we are now residents of North Dakota.

On Monday it was 24 degrees and there was a dusting of fresh snow on the streets and sidewalks. I came home from work and rushed to lace up my running shoes. It was finally warm enough to go for a run. You may not think that is all that strange - but, I also took Ezra and Clive with me. I strapped Ezra into his stroller and away we went. Ezra enjoys riding in his stroller much more than Clive enjoys running beside me. Clive has put on some winter weight and has not been running for quite some time. The outside temperature was below freezing and I thought that was fine weather to take my year and a half old son running. We are no longer strangers.

On Tuesday morning I was driving to work at 8:17 AM and it was still pitch dark outside. As I drove I listened to 'Morning Edition' on NPR. It was interrupted by a weather bulletin advising drivers of freezing fog. Neither the blackness of the sky nor the freezing fog crossed my mind as strange - we are no longer strangers...or maybe we are strangers but we fit right in here in North Dakota.