Thoughts From Rosebud Lane

What is your hometown known for? In other words, what makes it special?

I think Robbinsdale is known for it's small town quality while being right next door to a large city. There is a business on the "main street" that has been there since I was a kid. A fresh meat butcher shop. It is family run with generations of the same family running it. On a corner there is still a bakery from my childhood. That bakery has changed hands over the years, but it has always been a bakery. The hardware store of my childhood is still there, but under a different franchise. Things don't change too very much, and that is a good thing.

 Does your hometown experience all four seasons? If not, which ones does it skip over?

Oh my yes. In Minnesota you better believe there are 4 seasons. 

Spring is my favorite. Everything is new and fresh. The birds come back to nest for the next few months. The trees begin greening up. The ice is out of the lakes to allow us to see the beautiful water.

Winter can be harsh here. I remember as a kid not knowing that the winter was bad or difficult. Why would I ? All I cared about is if the snow was sticky enough to build a snowman or snowballs. Or to go sledding. Or to build a snow fort. I would stay outside til my fingers and toes were numb from the cold. I would go into the house to warm up, put on dry mittens and socks and head back out.

Today? Winter and I don't get along. The first year out of the city on October 31 we had the blizzard of the century. The snow started about 1 PM, and by the time it stopped we had 37 inches of snow! The next day we were physically on our roof shoveling it off. Our neighbor always plowed for us, but it took him 2 days just to get from his house to ours 1/4 miles away. It was quite the deal.

I like all 4 seasons, and would miss then if I lived somewhere that didn't have them. However, there are parts of each one that don't thrill me at all.