The opposite of Minnesota is...

Instead of two weeks of below zero wind chills, in middle Tennessee we are dealing with two weeks of 100 degree temperatures and heat indexes.

There are a few similarities here for me. Deceptively beautiful blue skies may lure you outdoors, but you don't want to stay out for very long because, instead of stiffening up and feeling like you're turning to ice in a Minnesota winter, here you are soaking wet after just taking a few steps. But as there are hale and hearty Minnesotans who don't let the cold stop them, folks here are still going to county fairs and other outside events despite the heat.

And just like in the winter in Minnesota where my weight goes up because I don't want to walk in the cold, here I am putting on weight now because walking is too uncomfortable.

It doesn't snow in Minnesota too much during a deep freeze because they say it's too cold. Here, we've seen very little if any rain over the past couple of weeks.

But, just like Minnesota weather, it will all change eventually if you stick it out. Won't it?

Bridge collapse

The shockwave of the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis was felt across the country. I know the area well, of course, it's in the U of MN area and it's just unimaginable to me. Please pray for all those involved. Because I lived and worked in St. Paul and am a freeway chicken, I would not have been in that area during rush hour in the last couple of years.

Update: all of my close friends have checked in with me and all were safe, thank God.

I've had occasion the past few days to meet new people and tell them I moved to Nashville from St. Paul, MN. It used to be when I'd say that, people would ask me about the cold weather. Now, they ask me about the bridge.

Probably the must surreal thing for me about it all was watching Channel 5 in the Twin Cities webcast their news online. Just as I would have watched from home if I were still in St. Paul. That made me realize that as much as I love my new life here in Nashville, nonetheless the Twin Cities and I are still connected.