Today marks the 8-month anniversary of our arrival in South Dakota. Feels like we’ve been below zero for seven of those months!
Ha. Slight exaggeration. I remember well the heat and humidity that greeted us our first week here. But this extended cold snap is something else. I was chatting with a local business owner downtown one day last week on my lunch hour and she said that the cold and snow are not unusual – but typically, temperatures warm up within a few days and most of the snow melts away. Instead, we are locked in a deep freeze that shows no signs of abating. It’s supposed to drop below zero tonight, and tomorrow’s high is going to be 1º. At least we aren’t the only ones dealing with the cold. Snow in Las Vegas last week made national headlines, and Portland is struggling through their coldest winter in 30 years. It’s just more pronounced here. Also, we’ve received four times the normal monthly snow for February – and there’s more in the forecast this week. Spring feels very far away still.
But, they are already advertising the Sturgis Rally (still 5+ months away), so eventually it’s going to warm up!
We decided to take a quick trip to the Badlands yesterday. It was the first time Tara had been in my car in months; she has been doing the majority of driving given the dicey road conditions and frequent need for 4WD, but Saturday was decent and I wanted to chauffeur her around for a change. Also, she was in no mood to drive; let’s just say we celebrated National Margarita Day on Friday in grand ol’ fashion!
We grabbed a couple of excellent subs from Pauly’s Pizzeria & Sub Co. on the way home. The place came recommended by a coworker of Tara’s, and these sandwiches were some of the best we ever had. In fact, we both ordered the West Coast Club, a combination of turkey, guacamole, bacon, provolone cheese, mayo, cucumber, tomato, and sprouts. Only mine was on wheat and I told them to hold the sprouts. There aren’t many foods I don’t like – I’m probably the least picky eater on the planet, in direct contrast to my dear wife – but I cannot stand sprouts. They were all the rage when we moved to California in the 80s and I still associate them with the Golden State. It had been decades since I’d tried them and Tara was raving about how good they were on her sandwich, so I took a bite, thinking my taste buds might have evolved enough over the years to provide me with a newfound enjoyment of sprouts.
Nope.
I hated them then, and I hate them just as much now. I guess I just don’t understand the appeal of chewing on grass, because that’s what they tasted like. This is one of those very rare cases where Tara likes something and I don’t! Watermelon being the only other one I can think of.
We spent the rest of the evening watching “A Star is Born” from Netflix. I was very impressed with the movie; both Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga were phenomenal in their roles. I’m not even that much of a Gaga fan…I mean, I don’t dislike her the way I do sprouts!…but I don’t really listen to her music. I may take a deep dive into her catalog though, because all the songs were stellar. That makes two great rock ‘n roll-themed movies we have seen recently (“Bohemian Rhapsody” being the other). I recommend them both if you haven’t gotten around to watching ’em!
Here are a few photos of the Badlands from yesterday.
So, I’m curious to know three things:
- Are you dreaming of warm summer temperatures?
- Is there a food you absolutely detest?
- Any good movies you’ve seen lately worth recommending?
Mark My Words 
Mark, I cannot believe ALL THE SNOW you’ve been getting through this winter. It seems that you’re getting all the snow this year, while we here on the East Coast have gotten virtually nothing. We’ve gotten a bit, but so little that by the next day it’s totally gone. BUMMER 😦
Sprouts are an acquired taste because some people love them, others do not. I actually like them; especially during the summer months with my salads. However, I will say that I’ve eaten certain batches that tasted quite bitter. Now those I did not like.
Have not seen, A Star is Born, but know that I eventually will. I adore Lady Gaga as a performer and love to listen to her speak during an interview, however, I’ve never been a fan of her “Lady Gaga type music.” Yet, I have heard her sing music other than her on stuff and think she has an amazing voice with a wide range. I’ve seen all the other A Star is Born movie versions, but the one with Judy Garland will always be my favorite.
FABULOUS photographs, my friend!
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I have not seen any of the other versions of the movie, but I know the song from the 70s remake because my mom is a big Barbra Streisand fan. I’m curious to watch some of the others now.
I guess we just got lucky this winter. Obviously, my first year here, I was hoping for lots of snow and cold. Certainly can’t say I’m disappointed!
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I’m surprised to see myself type this, but the Badlands are not as impressive when their colors are covered by snow. The West Coast Club sounds like my kind of sandwich, though I’m not sure I’ve had sprouts in years, like maybe not since I lived in Ohio.
Answers:
1. Yes.
2. apricots and Brussels sprouts. I mean, I could eat them, but I don’t necessarily enjoy them.
3. Molly’s Game was a fabulous movie. I think you’d like it too. If you see it, please let me know. (Maybe you already have seen it?)
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Interesting! I think in person they are stunning in the snow…but they are stunning at all times of the year; I’m not sure which I prefer!
I am not familiar with Molly’s Game but just looked it up on Netflix and it sounds pretty good! Added it to my queue. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Let me know if you like the movie. 🙂
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I don’t mind the flavor of sprouts, but since they always turn up on the salmonella lists, I avoid them like the plague!
1. I’m always dreaming of hot weather
2. Bleu cheese tastes like vomit to me and my husband agrees
3. The only movie I’ve seen in forever is Won’t You Be My Neighbor and I’m going to post about it this week.
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1. I knew you were going to say this!
2. I love bleu cheese, but it’s definitely an acquired taste. Do you like feta?
3. I’ve heard great things about it!
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I do like feta and other sharp flavored cheeses. I just can’t get past the vomit flavor. I mean, I truly find it identical!
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1. Not really. It will be hot here soon enough. And we got snow too!
2. I don’t really like sprouts either. Gavin, although he SUPER picky LOVES THEM. I don’t like brussel sprouts, bananas, or mangoes. I’m also not a big ginger fan. Or curry.
3. I just saw Bird Box, my students recommended Quiet Place. I also recently caught Pretty Woman on Tv. Forgot how good it was.
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I’ve heard good things about Bird Box and did enjoy A Quiet Place very much! Also, I used to work with somebody who could not stand bananas either. I always thought that was an interesting food to have an aversion toward.
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I haven’t been able to sleep since you posted this because of this one teensy weather inaccuracy you mentioned, so I’ve dropped everything today to offer a humble correction.
It wasn’t the coldest winter in Portland in 30 years, it was the coldest February. December was 3.6 degrees above average, January was 1.7 degrees above average, and February was 5.7 degrees below average (at least as of Mark Nelsen’s 2/19/19 blog post). February was so cold it brought the overall average for the winter down to -.4 degrees, which is pretty impressive considering that December average.
Okay, I feel much better now. I can sleep again.
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Ahh, yes – you are correct! I remember reading that on Mark’s blog, too. (Yes, I still follow him religiously.) The most impressive thing to me about your late-season cold snap is that it’s happening in an El Nino winter.
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