February Ending

Originally I am from Wisconsin, with long and cold winters.  Since 1989, I have lived in Missouri, considering it a southern state.  After all, the history tells of civil war, both sides here in Missouri, of slavery in my county being 20% of the population before the civil war.  Yes, to me that means south.  The people speak southern to my thinking.  However, weather wise, this year has been nothing about southern. It has been frigid many, too many, days, and it has been snowy, for long days, with snow staying on for weeks.  Does it remind me of Wisconsin.  Never.  But, the winter, with its needed moisture, has been a brutal one this year.  I saw tree branches crashing to the ground due to ice build up.  One thing we certainly have here in Missouri...ice storms....icky!.  I personally was in one blizzard that came on in the short time of ten minutes from my home, driving down Hwy. 61, in blinding snow, to get to the hospital for blood work.  So I kept going, very slowly and made it safe, only to find that on my way out of the hospital, there were about four inches of snow.  Yes, four inches.  I was NOT in there that long, maybe 30 minutes at the most.  So does that remind me of Wisconsin....NO. 

Wisconsin is a beautiful state in so many ways.  It is my home state.  However, I have lived in so many other states that I won't list them here.  And in those "other" states, I have lived in many different areas.  I tried to enjoy the journey and find something good about each place I lived.  It was, truelly hard for me, to find something good about Indiana, accept that I only lived there for 1 1/2 years.  I have to consider that when moving to gray skied Indiana, I had moved from 90% sunny days beautiful state of Colorado.  Now that is hard to beat.

But each state, each place, taught me things about the place and about myself.  I am thankful for each adventure, and I really mean that....as some were really adventures.  Like the time I lived in a truck camper with two dogs and three children, and homeschooled, while camping in the Rocky Mountains.  Wonderful time.   Good memories.  Another time for that story for sure. 

I have come to the conclusion that none of these states, even Missouri, will compare to Wisconsin.  I was born there.  I was raised there.  I lived there until I was 21, then the moving started.  I did move back two different times, once for nine years and once for only two years in my adult life with children.....and dogs, of course.  I have lots of memories, and bonds to Wisconsin.  But let's get real.  I have lived in Missouri since 1989, in good and bad times, but 1989 is a long time now that it is 2014.  So, is Missouri home.  Yes, in many ways and I will most likely live here the rest of my life, in rural Missouri hopefully, in this home, with my dogs and my yard and my garden and my camping as long as I can, and my painting, and my knitting, and my baking, and my quilting, etc. etc. etc.  Oh, those etc's make me sound like "The King and I".  At least I am not that far away from home.  but what is home?

Home is where you are, where you make your life.  Therefore, I have been blessed so much to have many homes in many places, and currently, and for many years now, I have lived here in rural northeast Missouri.  No, it is not Wisconsin, and No, it never will be Wisconsin.  But it does not have to be.  I will let it be Missouri, or as my husband says...Missourah.  I am in the south....with snow and cold at least this winter.

And to close.....please, oh, please, spring, please come soon.  But it will be the same time.  March 20th.  Happy Spring to all.