When coming up with our 50 reasons we love Idaho list, we definitely came up with some reasons we love it here because of the absence of a few things. So, to keep the list interesting, here are "The Nos."
No Tornadoes
I know all you native Texans are with me on the muscle memory we all developed at a very young age for the good old "duck and cover." When I tell people here how, every Spring, Dave got the closet ready for the inevitable tornado warnings, they look at me like I have two heads. They think we occasionally got tornadoes (like a couple in a lifetime), but they didn't realize this was a yearly event (at least the hiding and waiting it out part). Luckily, there are no tornadoes in Idaho, and I'm pretty glad that I'm not yet familiar with the inner workings of the closet at our house.
No Fire Ants
I firmly believe that the last two houses we owned in Allen were sitting atop the world's largest fire ant mound. Seriously. Every single Spring when it came time to plant some new flowers and tidy up the garden, we inevitably had to wage war on the unwelcome visitors and tend to those stingy bumps for a day or two. Even poor Sydney couldn't escape them. Enjoy your new victims fire ants; you win!
No Traffic
This is definitely a weird one, especially since I've been back to Texas a few times and can already tell I'm getting used to not having to factor in traffic every time I get in the car. Going to a Rangers game... will that take 45 minutes? 90? More? Trying to head downtown to try out a different place to eat. Could be 30... oh wait, it's Friday... nevermind. That's just what I was used to after nearly 40 years in Texas. Boise is a "small town city." This means that everything I need is either 15 minutes or 30, and that's it. If we want to go into the mountains or on a day trip, the time suggested on the GPS is actually the time it's going to take to get there. No long stretches counting the cars, watching for brake lights, oh, and listening to Dave's colorful road rage language.
No Wind
I know I've already covered tornadoes, but luckily, the likelihood of having your property damaged by one isn't an every year occurrence. However, the crazy gale force winds are likely and did seem to plague us every year. Chaise lounges could be found sunk to the bottom of the pool, fences were downed around the neighborhood, pool floats took flight... this on an "average" Spring day. During the first month we lived here, there was actually a wind advisory as part of the weather forecast. We battened down the hatches; in this, we have experience! Wow... we walked outside, and Idaho's version of a wind advisory is a light breeze. Apparently, they aren't used to a lot of wind around here. That experience produced a nice chuckle and a little silent thank you.
No Celebration Park
Let me explain a little more on this one. Having Celebration Park (a large park and soccer field) less than 1 mile from my house in Allen was a truly welcome reprieve from the neighborhood running and dog walks we had before its existence. HOWEVER, that was my only reprieve! So, after 7 years, running the loop at Celebration became, shall we say, mind numbing. My big treat was to trek the 35 (or 90 -- see traffic item) minutes to White Rock Lake for a long run and a change of scenery. I believe I have only done the same running route 2 times since living here, and I run about 3 x a week. Definitely enjoying the variety.
No Interstate Highway Driving
This one sort of belongs under traffic, but at the same time, it deserved its own spot, since I've never ever lived in a place that didn't involve spending a ton of time on the highway. There is basically one highway going through Boise, Highway 84. And, we never take it. Other than an actual road trip to another city, we can get to all the shopping, eating, airport, even mountain destinations, without taking the highway. They do have to find ways to fill the space on news and radio programs, since the traffic segments are so short with only one highway to report on. They usually fill it with reports on herds crossing the roads and blocking traffic (but that's another post). :)
No "Chris Chris"
For those who listen to 1310 The Ticket, you know what the term Chris Chris means. :) If you don't, let's just say it's the 35K millionaire that some parts of Dallas are known for. It seems like every time a new restaurant or shopping area opened up, it was filled with over priced restaurants that were filled with cougars on the prowl, leased sports cars and an overall vibe that just didn't feel very genuine, especially since many of the suburbs (including Allen) used to have a more small town vibe. I can certainly enjoy a nice dinner out, and those restaurants exist in Boise for sure, but the culture is just a little different. The cougars tend to stick to the mountains around here.
No Heat Advisories
During my very first hair appt in Boise, the hairdresser was intrigued by the fact that we'd relocated and had tons of questions for me and was very happy to fill me in on the ins and outs of Boise. When we talked about weather and the seasons, she "warned" me that the summers can get "really hot." Apparently, during those months, people take a jaunt up to the mountains where it's about 20 degrees cooler at any given time. So, I asked... "what's hot?" Her response... "wow, on some days... not a lot mind you, just maybe 1 or 2 in August, it can reach 90." Enough said.
No Humidity
The last two items on the list go hand in hand with heat, but man, do they deserve their own spot, since they are so tough to get used to and live through in the summer. Humidity and heat combined certainly make for that "walking in hot soup" feeling I got very used to over the years, especially during summer runs. And, I recall many people who were not from Texas talking so much about the humidity, and how different a "dry" climate is. I really didn't get it at the time, but boy do I get it now. I haven't gone through a summer here yet, but just during the Winter, the lack of humidity made it so different to stay active during the colder months. Will the hair scene improve as well? That remains to be seen.
No Summer Shutdowns
And lastly, as so many of us from Texas are aware, now is the time that our "summer" starts... meaning the time to be outside and enjoy yourself starts about now through early July (if we're lucky). From there, it's time to head indoors, come out only in the early morning hours, and just generally stay safe. What we are experiencing in Boise is that many "summer" activities don't start until, can you believe it, June. The summer months are actually when the weather gets warm enough to be on the lake, float the river, and enjoy the high elevation hikes. I'll be interested to see what it's like to spend so much time outside in August. Poor Dave... he'll have to take me on some birthday hikes from now on, rather than shopping in the A/C. I wonder what's worse?
So, there's the no list. Since I know pics make blogs more fun to read, here are some of our recent activities. Dave's fishing, my hiking and our good times outdoors. Until next time!
Can you come up with 10 things you like about Texas?
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