I do NOT have an accent!

I'm from the Midwest. We don't have accents. People from the south have accents. People from the east have accents. And people from the west have accents. But in Minnesota, we are right in the middle, and except for a few people in the far north of Minnesota who still have a bit of a Scandinavian brogue (possibly relatives, but not me), the rest of us don't have accents.


When I first met Fritz, he was still fairly fresh from California, and he definitely had a west coast accent. I think I may have even said something to him the first time I heard him say the word "couch." It came out more like ca-ouch, like he was starting to say cat, but then cut off to say ouch. "Ca-ouch." Definitely an accent.


And if the accent wasn't enough, Fritz also had a west coast vocabulary. Soon after we started dating, I overheard him on the phone talking to one of his California buddies, and hardly recognized him. Not only was the accent in full gear, so was the slang! I think "dude," "Cali," and "surfin'" were the only words I recognized.


So how is it that just from saying "Large, unsweetened, black ice tea, please" the woman behind the counter at Starbucks asked "Where are you from?" She smiled at me, then said "You're from the Midwest. Wisconsin? Minnesota?" I responded with Minnesota, my eyes wide, inquiring how she knew that.


And then she said it: "You have an accent."


I was shocked. "No, I don't. We don't have accents in Minnesota!" The "o" may have been a little long in don't, and sometimes I think I might say "Minnesow-ta," but I didn't think it was that obvious, until the woman imitated me and said, with another smile, "You dowen't?" What could I do but concede.


...I should have asked her to say "couch."

There IS a difference!

My own personal California Boy has been telling me for two decades that California heat is nothing like Minnesota heat. According to him, dry heat doesn't make a person drip with sweat just from standing still. My argument has always been that 100 degrees is 100 degrees and I don't think I'll like it any more in CA than I do in MN.


Well, today was 100 degrees. Above zero. And I didn't sweat.


I would have sworn it was about 85. It was a bit warm walking up to the school to pick up Braden, but it wasn't awful. We don't even have the A/C on today. I did stop for a cool drink at Starbucks while running errands, and the person in front of me ordered a hot latte! That's just crazy!!! I don't know that I'll ever adjust to the heat enough to order a hot latte when it's 100 and sunny. I don't even order hot lattes when it's cold out. I suppose if a California native was behind me in the line at the coffee shop in MN in January, they would think I'm nuts too for ordering cold drinks in the middle of winter.


Despite 100 and sunny not being as bad as I thought it would be, I'll let it cool down before I go for a run tonight. I don't want Fritz to know yet that he was right about the heat.


I think I feel a drop of sweat behind my knee....

Lions and Tigers and.... Spiders! Oh My!

Our first full day in Murrieta included touring the new house with the house inspectors (still waiting to close on it), registering Braden for school, buying school supplies, and taking a hike in the foothills. 


Ran into a little bit of a hassle getting registered for school (I put Braden's birth certificate in a "safe" place, and can't quite remember where that was), but eventually got that resolved. Then went to Target for school supplies and had to deal with more people than the Target in Bemidji sees even at Christmas time. I'm relearning how to drive on city roads with four lanes (not including the turn lanes). And I'll have to adjust to driving out of the city to get to hiking trails--a big change from walking down the driveway to get to the trail. 

But the most upsetting adjustment came while running on a beautiful trail surrounded by long grasses, cows, wide-reaching trees, and rolling hills. In Minnesota, I encountered bears on the trail several times. Fortunately they were far enough along the trail that slowing my pace to allow them time to get back into the woods was ample precautionary action. I've seen many fox running down the trail, and a few coyotes. The only thing to turn me around on the spot was a skunk strolling leisurely down the middle of the trail looking as though it had no intentions of changing course--I gave way. But the one thing I've never run into on a trail in Minnesota is an eight-legged arachnid with a fuzzy body as big as kiwi.

I knew to look out for mountain lions and rattle snakes, but nobody warned me about the tarantulas! We counted three on our way out on the trail. The first one stopped both Braden and I dead on the trail. We danced nervously on the trail, debating whether or not we should just turn around and call it a day until Fritz rolled his eyes and told us to just run past it. I think what we did was more like a flying long jump. The second tarantula on the trail was still daunting, but we managed to leap over it again after only a little bit of hemming and hawing. By the third we didn't even break stride, just took a little larger, higher step then kept right on with our run. 


On the way back I had a bit of a routine going: keep an eye on the trail ahead for fuzzy black kiwis that require leaping over; scan the grass and trees for any signs of mountain lions; don't get too close to the bushes on the side of the trail in case of rattle snakes; back straight; feet light; enjoy the run!


While we are on the topic of rattle snakes, there was a sign in front of the school district main office warning to beware of rattle snakes in the bushes along the sidewalk! What I'd give to see just a plain old bear or a harmless but stinky skunk right now....