Winter rules

Winter has finally arrived in St. Paul. It snowed an inch or two on Saturday and we had a flurry or two of activity yesterday as well.

Funny thing about this town. It changes in winter. In the summer, things are languid and slow moving. But when the first serious snow hits the ground, the old place seems to perk up. Despite the crappy economic news out of Detroit these days, people just seemed more upbeat and mobile the past few days. Even my invisible neighbor (a woman who has lived next door to me us for five years or so but never speaks to anybody) was cheerfully out shoveling yesterday.

Pete, the happy dog, was also on top of his game yesterday, making doggy angels in the middle of the street as we strolled through the hood. Later, he bounded to and fro in the backyard, barking cheerfully at squirrels instead of with his usual venom aimed at intruders to his private preserve.

I am never quite sure what to make of this euphoria. I suspect it is the general feeling we're all in this winter thing together here. So you might as well relax and make the best of it.

Whatever the reason, as crazy as this sounds, I think many Minnesotans like the start of winter better than the start of summer. Come mid-January, we'll probably be singing a different tune. For now, however, people seem upbeat. Wonder if that is true in Alaska as well?