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Mr. Keillor- I have lived

August 16, 2006 |

Mr. Keillor-
I have lived in the south, just north of Atlanta, GA, since 1984. I'll be moving soon to Brookings, SD and South Dakota State University to work on my Master's Degree in Fisheries Sciences. Do you have any advice to offer a southern boy on his first northern winter? I've heard that even a "mild" winter can see temperatures down to -20F. Is this true, or are the northerners in their own way just trying to scare me?

Thanks,

Steven R.
Marietta GA

Thanks to greenhouse gases, Steven, winter is no longer the frightful thing it was in my youth, and -20F is pretty rare. You'll find irritating things about northerners that will vex you more than winter ever could. We are not friendly, welcoming people. Well, I am, but most of the others aren't. We don't know how to fry chicken or make barbecue. Conversation is rather primitive here. Politics, as you might have guessed, is heavily influenced by Canadianism. Winter, my friend, is a pleasure. Buy good lightweight thermal clothing and go outdoors every day, cold or not, and take up broomball or cross-country skiing or winter golf or snowshoeing and you'll be a happy man. Cold, as you may know, is a stimulant. Welcome to South Dakota.

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