stranger in a strange land

     Being in Pocatello, Idaho might as well be a foreign country as far as I'm concerned. The landscape is different, the climate is different, the size of the town is much different, and I swear that even the people up here look different though I can't really put my finger on how precisely they do. Another thing that is very different is the culture. Prior to this point, I have always lived in the "Bible Belt" of the southeastern United States. Now I find myself living in what's called the "Mormon Corridor". There is an LDS church on every block and the other day while grocery shopping I saw a section of shelving dedicated to emergency preparedness, which is a nod to the 75% mormon population of the town.

     There are up sides to being here, though. John and the kids have never had the experience of having a real tree for Christmas and here in Pocatello, you can buy a tag for $5 from the Bureau of Land Management, drive off into the mountains and chop down your own!! As long as you're on BLM land and not someone's private property or something of course. I'm thinking that will be an excellent activity for Thanksgiving break. Take THAT Black Friday!!! I figure we can go cut a tree on Friday and spend the rest of the weekend making decorations and drinking hot chocolate. I bet Christmas here will be lovely. It's already snowed once and it's supposed to snow on Friday. I anticipate by the time Christmas arrives the mountains will be good and covered. I can't wait to go snowshoeing!!