What state fits you?

Above: scenes from Michigan

I've taken a few of those Facebook Buzzfeed quizzes: what breed of dog would you be? (pitbull), what city should you be living in? (Portland) and the last one, at least that I was willing to waste time on, what state should you be living in? Kansas!!! All of this is based on how I like my coffee, what my favorite fast food restaurant is, music choices, etc.

But Kansas would be way down on the list on places I would like to be though my brother lived in the 'nice' part for 3 years to earn his doctorate. I was in it for a microsecond as Route 66 comes close so we deviated briefly just to say we were  Kansas. Way, way, way down on the list would be all the southern states with their stone age politics. But most of the West Coast would be fine by me if I had ready access to my grandbabies. They are here, however so we choose to live in our island that is Ann Arbor, surrounded by a sea of reality as they say.

I got a call from a friend the other day excitedly asking me if I knew any Iowans. She had recently read a novel featuring Iowans and concluded they were special. Well I am descended from a branch of Iowans as my father's mother's family was from  there. Why Irish and English immigrants chose to go there, I have no idea. And an ex-neighbor just moved there recently (one of the diaspora from being pfired). She initially landed in South Carolina which did not suit her at all (N word was a bit too common in every day conversation) but feels at home in Iowa. As her town is featured in this year's Ride Across Iowa, I have been invited. And then there is the journalism professor from Iowa who wrote the book (literally) on TNBC that I was asked to edit. So if I had to live in the middle of the country, Iowa would be fitting. At least they celebrate bicyclists.

Six more inches! As soon as I typed that the storm was a no-show, it showed. At least it spared me while I drove way out into the country.  Accidents galore though my son seems to have safely made it. I can usually avoid driving in the worse weather but I spend much time worrying about crazy semis who pay no attention to conditions and take many people down with them as they crash on the freeways that my children end up on in their long commutes. The worst winter ever!

Do people select where they live based on their personalities? To a certain degree but there are so many constraints these quizzes ignore: cost of living, weather, suitable jobs.

In the meantime Michigan can be beautiful.
Below: our street from a year ago