Hello Minnesotans,
In about a month I’ll be joining your ranks. I’m buying a house just outside of St Cloud. It’s not my first pick in terms of politics from what I’ve read, but the state laws are far better for my family than where we live now.
Aside from the fact that we’re moving in November, which is one of my more brilliant strokes, to be sure, I’m very excited for this change.
I’m looking for any and all of your Minnesota advice.
I’ve got a pretty big family, gaggle of kids (from 2nd grade to sophomore in high school), a few dogs, and ambitions on some waterfowl next year maybe.
I’m not afraid of driving in snow, I grew up in MO, we got our share of snow, so I know that often judicious throttle control is better than frantic braking. However, I’ve never dealt with snow on that scale that sticks for that long. I think we’re going from an average annual snowfall of 12ish inches to 40-something annual inches of snow.
Will a self-propelled two stage snowblower kill me on a couple hundred feet of driveway?
Do I really need to scrape the snow off my roof?
How do I help the dogs with the cold? (Do dog boots and coats actually work?)
Got any recommendations for cold weather clothes? (I know we need layers, I’m already a fan of wool, but I need some advice on sourcing stuff that my kids will want to wear)
I love gardening, how much more time will a greenhouse give me in terms of growing season?
How the heck do I make Minnesota friends? I’m not a church person, so I expect this to be difficult for me.
DMV advice?
Best restaurants to visit?
Our family has spent the last year grieving and trying to process what has often felt like some kind of absurd unreality. I want to make this transition as positive as I can.
You don’t get to pick where you’re born, but you do (to some extent at least) get to pick where you live. We picked Minnesota because of the people, the land, and even the weather.
Sorry for being a stereotype, but I really don’t know how else to ask aside from the non-stop googling and YouTube I’m already doing.
TL;DR:
Yet another “I’m moving to Minnesota, help me!” Post.
Edit: You all have given me some great ideas and places to start! Thank you so much!
I’m really excited to start this new chapter and you all have helped relieve some of my worries about being buried alive in snow at least :)
Snow- the roads will be mostly normal to drive on except when it has just snowed. The fact that it sticks around means they lay down salt and/or sand where it is needed. Still, get a good lesson on how and when to brake, how to steer in a skid, and other snow stuff if you want to be safe on the road. If you are ever stuck in the snow, someone will stop to help. If you ever see someone stuck in the snow, you will stop to help.
Not sure what you mean about the snow blower. I have never had one and my parents had enough shovels for the many hands.
House roof snow. Never needed to scrape. If you have a flat roof that might be a thing. They should all be built with ‘snow load’ in mind though. There are other roof concerns like ice damming that I definitely have heard people putting fixes in place for.
The only thing I ever did for the dog was mushers wax on her feet. That repels snow and helps if the pads get to much salt. Dog coats definitely work if you have a skinny/small/very light coated dog.
Warm beats fashion for clothes. Get you ear flap hats or whatever else keeps the chill off. You might feel like a fool, but no one will look twice.
I don’t know about the greenhouse but you can grow plenty in the summer without one.
Making friends- do something you like same as anywhere else. New to you would probably be ice skating, pick up hockey, curling, or x-country skiing. Kids joining 4H or scouts or whatever could do it too. I am sure there are local groups for any of those. Just look for meet ups of whatever kind you or the fam is interested in.
I’ll have to look at the foot wax. I’ve got a Dalmatian, a great Dane, and a little mutt, they complain about the cold sometimes, I’ll have to feel things out as we go. :/
I think I’ll get some of those flap hats for the whole family, they seem popular for people in cold places, at least on YouTube.
As far as the gardening goes, it’s one of my favorite things to do, but moving from zone 6 to zone 4 is kind of wild. I’m a little worried I’ll have trouble growing things that I’m used to being able to produce is all.
Thank you for taking the time to give me some advice!