Minnesota Prairie Roots

A tulip pokes through the earth, heralding the arrival of spring in southeastern Minnesota.

TYPICALLY, MY RELATIVES who live in northern Arkansas would be telling me about the beautiful weather down there in March.

Not today.

Snow began falling in Bella Vista at 3 p.m. yesterday and didn’t stop until six inches had accumulated. Rain followed the snow Sunday morning.

For my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Robin that means no church services, no trips to the grocery store, no nothing. They’re stuck at home until the ice melts off their driveway and roadways.

Now, I don’t know about the rest of you Minnesotans, but I will take snow over ice any day.

Only occasional patches of snow remain in southeastern Minnesota. And any ice, well, you’ll find that only on lakes or rivers.

Today marked another glorious day of sunshine here, a perfect day for a Sunday afternoon drive.  And that’s exactly what my husband and I did today. We drove east, into Sogn Valley.

That’s SOH-gun, not SNOW-gun, Valley. I’ll take you on tour there later this week.

Now, I need to step outside and tour my yard and see how those sprouting tulips are flourishing in the warmth of snow-free southern Minnesota.

Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling