Day 28- On Wisconsin!

Whenever I say that I left Portland, OR to come back to Wisconsin it is not uncommon for people to ask “Why?” And if you can’t tell by the fact that WeatherVane Creamery is a Wisconsin themed store and cafe, I love Wisconsin. I grew up here and then I went away for ten years. Here is a list of things I missed the most from Wisconsin and of which I am most grateful for.

1. Jell-O salads- people on the West coast don’t even know what a Jell-O salad is. Whenever I brought Jell-O salads up, I would invariably be met with a scrunched up nose. Add things like pretzels, cottage cheese, or marshmallows to the conversation and people would get increasingly skeptical that such a thing exists much less is edible.

2. Casseroles (known as “hotdish” in MN)-

Tater tot casserole anyone? Not out in Portland. I don’t know how they have managed to escape this phenomenon. To their credit, they were known to make a green been casserole at Thanksgiving. That one managed to squeak through the Rocky Mountains somehow to infiltrate the Coast.

3. The people- There is a different culture here in the Midwest than on the West Coast. Not to say that they don’t get things done- obviously they do with big companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Boeing. There is a different work ethic out there. As a manager, this was especially trying. It was also a little jarring to have professionals in the office talking openly about what their shaman told them last week. Everyone let’s everything hang out. You can cross dress, ride a unicycle in the street clad in Darth Vader mask and kilt (true story!), or have a pirate parade in all seriousness in Portland. Many times I shook my head and muttered “f$!kin’ Portland”. It wasn’t before I was just about to leave that it all became somehow endearing.

4. The terrain-

Out on the West Coast there is beautiful and magnificent natural beauty. The ocean and Mt Hood are both an hour away from Portland. Another ring beyond that and you’ve got temperate rain forests and arid deserts complete with lava tubes. From June through August, Portland is a lush green palate rich with roses and rhododendrons. The weather is Eden-like. Sunny, 80 degrees, not a drop in the sky. Cool in the mornings, mild at night. I loved mushroom hunting in the Columbia Gorge or playing in the gazillion waterfalls. But I don’t know. I missed the four seasons. A proper fall with all of the colors. Snow. Hardy Cheeseheads plowing through snow drifts. One winter they got 2 inches and it shut the town town. They don’t salt or plow the roads. You are supposed to buy tire chains. I love this particular area of Wisconsin. We have the St Croix, Mississippi and Kinnikinnick Rivers. There are beautiful bluffs and hidden treasures. Nothing screams “Look at me!” Things seem a little more delicate and precious. Nothing towers over you or threatens to swallow you up here. Then again, we get extreme temperatures. The ones that keep you inside in the winter drinking and playing cards. Or in the summer, it actually gets hot enough to make a dip in a fresh spring refreshing.

5. Deer hunting, snowmobiles, and the Green Bay Packers- These things are self evident. My first year in Portland I was travelling up to the Olympia, WA area for Thanksgiving. You know how we see Christmas trees and dead deer on car roofs? I was passing cars with surf boards. Crazy.

6. Insert your favorite thing about Wisconsin here- I know I didn’t cover everything. What’s your favorite thing about Wisconsin?