139 Nebraska! The good Life!

As there’s nothing I’m going to comment about in the news, I’ve been trying to come up with a topic for this post.  There’s been enough snow to require shoveling about every three or four days during the last few weeks and it looks like we could have more rounds of this in the not distant future, although today (Jan. 30) it’s just stupid cold.  It was -19° when I got up this morning with a wind chill of about -40° This got me to considering how different this is from the WNC mountains where we’d get two or three snowstorms every year which would create thick, heavy, “heart-attack” snow and would, generally, be pretty well gone in a couple of days, although Bonnie and I did spend a fair amount of time and effort clearing our road in order to get to work a couple of times each winter.  
 
The recent snows here have been a very fine, “dry” snow which, once it was cleared from our driveway and sidewalks, dried up through evaporation without much further intervention from us.  So, not really a big deal, but requiring a couple of “person-hours” to get the process started for each event (We have a BIG driveway!).  The biggest difference that I’ve noticed has been the cold. Yes, it could get cold in WNC, but below zero wind chills for extended periods of time weren’t common in WNC and don’t seem all that unusual around here.  Here’s a cartoon I saw recently which seems to sum up the situation.

Having lived in Nebraska for about four and a half years now, I admit that I have enjoyed it.  Summers can be pretty hot, winters can be very cold, there’s more frequent snow than in the mountains of WNC, and we don’t have the mountains to look at, but, it’s nice to see a real sunrise in the morning and an actual sunset in the afternoon.  People here are more used to snow here, so they seem to cope with the snow on the roads better than many did in the mountains.  I also appreciate the fact that Nebraska people seem to have a real sense of humor about themselves and their state, which I enjoy.  Here’s an example:

This is a real thing!  It’s called “Carhenge,” and it really exists near Alliance, Nebraska.  It’s made of old cars painted grey and has become quite a tourist attraction since it was built in 1987.  
 
On the other hand, even the locals can be amused by this, just as the folks in WNC were amused (and annoyed) by the tourists in that area.  When we went to a regional LEGO Faire, we found this:

I’m also rather fond of this view of what Nebraskans think the rest of the world thinks of their state:

I’ve suggested before that football is a big thing in Nebraska. This may help explain that:

(NOTE: This is an actual picture of Memorial Stadium on the campus of UNL during a game.)
 
I do like it here, even if I poke fun at the state.  Of course, I’m not the only one, we do enjoy “The Good Life:”

I should also note that Lent (and Mardi Gras) is approaching before too long, so it’s starting to be on people’s minds.  I saw this picture not long ago which suggests that New Orleans isn’t the only place where “Fat Tuesday” is celebrated, although it MAY be a bigger deal elsewhere.

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks, when I may be able to come up with something of greater import (although bringing a smile to folks, which I hope this did, seems of some importance today).
 
LLAP