The Plates

I have been heckled by complete strangers about being from California, on average, around two times a week. Folks look at my Sunshine State license plates and can't help themselves from throwing a rankling comment like, "You're from California, huh? You're gonna loooove it here. Hahahahaha!!" This afternoon I was walking home from school with my girls and someone recognized us as being the "family that drives the van with the California plates". He stuck his head out the window of his van and hollered from across the street, suggesting to us that in about three months we would be hating life here.

I do get it. It gets really cold in Michigan. For a really long time. But there are lots of other great things about living here. I love the small town. We have been welcomed warmly by church friends, neighbors and school acquaintances. (The ladies at the DMV were kind of cranky, however.) The summer and fall have been amazingly beautiful. I try and take these jeering comments about the winters in stride. I smile and laugh along with them. I have to say, though, that the joke is getting a little old.

Jon has saved our license plates from everyplace we've lived - at least those places that let us save them. (Jon's stll sore we couldn't keep our Abu Dhabi plates.) He has them neatly lined up in the garage above a work bench. It will be a relief to retire our California plates and lay to rest the (what I am sure is meant to be good-natured) ribbing about leaving the sun for the snow.