I attended a small private liberal arts college in St. Paul and earned a bachelor's degree in history. Teaching did not excite me, so I got an MA in Librarianship from the University of Denver and became a librarian instead. While in Denver I learned to ski, both cross-country and downhill, and I fell in love with mountains. But I felt that Colorado was becoming overpopulated, and Montana seemed still unspoiled and a better place to live.
Soon after graduating I was fortunate enough to find a job in Bozeman, Montana. I stayed there ten years, skiing during the winter and hiking during the brief but exquisite summers. But salaries were low and living expenses high, and the three feet of snow that fell one Easter convinced me it was time to try something different. You can have too much of a good thing after all.
Something different turned out to be Lafayette, Louisiana, where snow falls once every fifteen years and everything shuts down till it melts. The land is flatter than a table top, and the heat and humidity are brutal. I quickly learned to rush from my air-conditioned home to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned library, and to move slowly and seek shade if I have to go outdoors.
I oringinally intended to stay just a couple of years before moving back north, but I met a guy and fell in love (what a cliche!). He is firmly rooted here, so we will probably never leave. We have two daughters, and I try to bring them back home once a year so they will know what the north is like. Ususally we go in summer, but lately they have been asking about snow, so someday soon we will be taking a trip north in winter, too.
Send your comments to jsk8711@usl.edu.