Butterflies descend from my ceiling, my drapery wires, on the woodwork, and from my indoor Norfolk Pine tree? Why? It’s too cold for a Minnesotan like me to go outside. If it were 70 and sunny everyday, my office would still be half painted, the butterflies would still be in their boxes, and my creative strategy syllabus would be farther from completion.

Extreme winters make us creative.

1.  We’ll hear some amazing music over the next few months as Minnesotan musicians get creative with the cold. See today’s local Current blog for a complete list.

2. My office is gorgeous now.

3. Pasta Fazool, Pulled Pork (North Carolina style), Tomato Bisque soup, and Cream of (Minnesota) Wild Rice soup for the spontaneous neighborhood potluck. I can’t remember the last time I cooked anything that required 4+ hours of stock simmering.

4. Rotating hordes of school kids building forts in each other’s living rooms. All my massive dictionaries make wonderful blanket weights, after all.

5. Freezing stuff —  bubble bushes and ice globes.

6. Minnesotans always, always, always will have something non-political to talk about.

7. Every Christmas present is thoroughly played with. Every board game’s rules rewritten.

8. An extraordinary vocabulary to describe one simple word:  cold.

9. October 2014 babies. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

10. Emerald Ash Borer, R.I.P.

Now that you’re ready to move to Minnesota and be creative, you need to know these 10 tips from @mplsgossipgirl

10 Reasons Why -22 Degrees is Not That Cold When You Are a True Minnesotan

It’s cold out there today. Really cold. Like -22 degrees and it feels like -45 with the windchill.

If you are a true Minnesotan you go outside and think, Oh, this really isn’t that bad. It’s cold, but it could be worse.

There are a few reasons why we stay here when it is this cold outside.  We are smart enough to figure out how to keep warm in this polar vortex.

10 Reasons Why -22 Degrees is Not That Cold When You Are a True Minnesotan:

1. You own all the proper winter weather gear. This may include a parka,mukluks, a hat with ear flaps, and proper mittens. You don’ t care what you look like because at least you are warm.

2. You own at least 3 pairs of long underwear. Yes, you may look a little bit puffy today at work but your bum is nice and toasty.

3. You have a space heater at your desk. Did your feet get cold on your way into work? That is not a problem because when you get to work you can put them right in front of your space heater.

4. Almost everyone knows how to jump a car or knows someone who can jump their car and can do it in 2 minutes. We carry around the tools to get our cars started no matter where we are because it is the smart thing to do.

5. We all own at least 40 blankets. One of them is heated so that if it gets really cold we can plug it in and be nice and toasty when we sleep.

6. If you have something warm to drink it makes you think that you are really warm. We all have supplies of hot coco, tea, and coffee to make when it gets frigid. Your mom also used to put in those little marshmallows when you were younger.

7. When there are days like this we have a supply of movies, games, and indoor activities that keep us occupied for many hours. Plus, we may even get to sleep in.

8. We all know alternative (less safe) ways to heat our homes by using space heaters, cooking something in your oven, and lighting candles. You usually end up with a hot dish or a pot roast, it’s a win/win.

9. It gives us an excuse to cuddle up with those people you love. Body heat helps.

10. We know it’s not THAT cold because it could always be worse. It could be -40 degrees and it feels like -70 and it snowed 3 feet overnight and then it sleeted for that very brief warm up. IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORSE.

Lets be honest, we love it here in Minnesota, even when it is colder than Antarctica which is only at -11 degrees today.  We stay because of the people, the culture, the food, the community, and because summer is amazing here.

because I am a true Minnesotan

@mplsgossipgirl