There’s been  a lot of coverage recently on the news about people coming to Minnesota for the Super Bowl.

 

As far as I know, it’s the first time the game has been held this far north, and it seems the cold, and complaining about the cold, is a major story.

 

Yes, it was held here in 1992. I’ve seen interviews with people from Florida, California, Texas and other southern states, and the one thing in common during the conversations has been the freezing temperatures some of them are experiencing for the first time.

 

So what did they expect Minnesota to be like in January and February? It’s not like we’ve been keeping it a secret. Haven’t they ever seen Grumpy Old Men, or Fargo?

 

I moved to Minnesota in 2000 after spending my entire life in New Jersey. But I was a Viking fan long before I moved here, and I remember watching some of those games at Metropolitan Stadium on TV. The players were cold. The fans were cold. Everything was frozen. But people knew how to prepare for the cold.

 

So I knew what to expect when I got here. And my first winter on the farm was a great introduction to Minnesota. 

 

Cold, more cold, and lots of snow.

 

I remember shoveling paths in four-foot drifts between the farm buildings. The place looked like one of those research outposts in Antarctica. I even shoveled the roof on the farmhouse three times.

 

I also remember using a hair dryer to thaw out the fuel line between the oil tank and the basement when it was -35.

 

But I didn’t whine about the cold or snow. I managed.

 

I don’t know if these out-of-towners thought temperatures would magically rise just so they could have a nice warm week or weekend in Minnesota.

 

But it doesn’t work that way. We don’t get to determine the weather. But we deal with it the best we can.   

 

When our cars don’t start, we get a jump. Our pipes freeze and we get them thawed out. Kids still wait for the school bus in sub-zero temperatures. 

 

Life goes on.

 

And it’s not like the game will be played outside. That would be interesting - to see how fans would deal with the cold during the game. And I guess it wouldn’t be much of a half-time show either, unless they turned it into a snowmobile race instead.

 

No, these fans get to sit in a nice warm stadium, then go home when it’s done. Then they get to tell their friends and family stories about how they braved the cold in the frozen North.

 

I doubt many of them will ever come north again.

 

Maybe we should hold the Summer Olympics here some day so people from other parts can see we’re not a frozen wasteland year-round.

 

Then they can come here and complain about the mosquitoes.